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After a week away, the beginning of June has been a busy time for new films. Below are my thoughts on a slew of releases, both in theaters and on digital, the past two weeks. If you’d like to see more of my scores for films and thoughts, feel free to follow me on Letterboxd. 

Elemental (Theaters)
Starring: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Catherine O’Hara, Ronnie Del Carmine, and Shila Ommi
Synopsis: The latest from Pixar is one of the animated events of the summer. It’s a tale of family and love set among elements. To be specific, Fire, Water, Earth and Sky, who all come together to live in Element City. But mostly, the elements don’t mix. That’s particularly true of Ember (Lewis) and her fire family. They keep to themselves in their part of town, where she’s working to one day take over her father’s (Del Carmine) store. When an accident brings her face-to-face with a water inspector named Wade (Athie) it begins an adventure, and an unexpected connection, that changes their worlds. This is a beautifully crafted story. I liked the visuals here and the way the characters are created. Lewis and Athie have great chemistry and the story of Ember and Wade is engaging and engrossing. Pixar has created some beautiful and some memorable stories and this film is among my favorites from the studio. It was also great to see a Pixar tale back in theaters. This is a charming and engaging tale that will be some great family fun this summer.
Rating: Rated PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Extraction 2 (Netflix)
Starring: Chris Hemsworth and Golshifteh Farahani
Synopsis: I remember back when I heard Michael Crichton was writing a sequel to Jurassic Park built around the character Ian Malcolm. It seemed impossible because Malcolm died in the first book. And yet, life finds a way. That’s how I felt when I heard we were getting Extraction 2 starring Hemsworth, whose character died at the end of the first film. Or did he? We pick up in the moments after the end of that film and our hero miraculously pulls through. After recovering, he goes on another harrowing extraction mission. Bullets fly, punches are thrown and plenty of explosions cover the journey. Hemsworth is a great action star. This film delivers all you’re looking for from an action film of this type. There are good fights, a decent story and plenty of big set pieces. It felt a little long for my taste and I wasn’t hooked by the narrative. If you liked the first one, you’ll like this. I could see Hemsworth making a few more of these.
Rating: Rated R for strong/bloody violence throughout and language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five.

Flamin’ Hot (Hulu)
Starring: Jessie Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Matt Walsh, and Tony Shaloub
Synopsis: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos have become an engrained part of the culture, but it wasn’t always like that. This new biopic on Hulu shares the story of Richard Montanez, who started at Frito Lay as a janitor, worked his way up and, along the way, introduced an idea that changed the company and our culinary options forever. Richard had a dream and a motivation to see it through. This film captures his story; how he and his wife, Judy (Gonzalez) worked to support one-another. I liked the humor and the way this film, directed by Eva Longoria, sought to pay tribute to the culture that inspired Richard to bring his idea to market. It’s a fun and engaging look at the story behind the snack food and the man who dedicated his life and career to engaging people through these snack foods. It’s well worth checking out.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some strong language and brief drug material.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

The Flash (Theaters)
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, and Ben Affleck
Synopsis: What would we get with The Flash? It’s a question that’s been asked time and again the past six years since the character—portrayed by Ezra Miller—made his debut in Justice League. The film, following many delays and plenty of external challenges, releases today. And if it’s the end for the version of DC first offered by Zach Snyder, as appears to be the case, then it goes out on a strong note. This film ties directly into that world, complete with appearances from other Justice League heroes, such as Batman as played by Ben Affleck, and General Zod, played by Michael Shannon. But it’s also a standalone story for Barry Allen, diving more into his life and world and exploring one of his most famous comic arcs. In the film, Barry’s father (Ron Livingston) is imprisoned, falsely convicted of killing Barry’s mother. Barry is working to get his father’s conviction overturned, which leads him down memory lane to his mother’s death. At the same time, is increasing grip on his powers shows him the ability to run back in time. Barry, moved by grief, is inspired to change the past and save his future. Bruce Wayne (Affleck) warns of the dire consequences. But Barry hatches a plan and puts it into motion. Soon, he’s kicked out in a new timeline where he meets his 18-year-old self. The problem is, he’s radically changed the world, leaving it without its fellow Justice League heroes. Barry works with his younger self and an older Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), who’s gone into semi-retirement as Batman, to try and find a way to thwart the attack from Zod. He learns some powerful and dangerous lessons about himself and the nature of time in the process. I was excited for this film. I have been a fan of the DC world that was created with Man of Steel in 2013. Not all the films have worked but there have been several projects that resonated with me. Still, I’ve been skeptical of a standalone Flash film and Miller in the role. But I am a big fan of Keaton in the role of Batman. He’s long been the gold standard for me in the role, leaving me excited to see his return. That return didn’t disappoint. Neither did Miller. Director Andy Muschietti, who previously gave us the horror films Mama and IT, takes the material and runs with it. The script from Christina Hodson and Joby Harold works, too. There is a great blend of humor and drama, there are darker moments in the film, but it doesn’t feel ominous. There are some wonderful cameos and nods to other versions of the DC in this film, making it the ideal handoff as we transition to the James Gunn/Peter Safran era of DC. And seeing what he did with this story makes me excited to see Muschietti move on to tackle a new version of Batman in the new DC. I loved seeing Keaton back in the role of Batman. It was fun and nostalgic, particularly as the Batman 1989 theme plays at key moments. Keaton inhabits the role well, both from the first time we see him through the action sequences. Sasha Calle does well as Kara Zor-El, or Supergirl. She has some interesting scenes and stirring moments during the third act of the film. But ultimately, it all comes down to Miller. While Miller’s personal life remains problematic, this performance assuaged any concerns I had about inhabiting The Flash. Miller plays two versions of Barry Allen, and both have unique personality and style. It’s a strong achievement and if, indeed, this is the last time Miller plays the role, it’s a good one.  The Flash isn’t perfect, and it isn’t incredible. There are some pacing issues in the middle, and some might not appreciate the approach to the look of the speed force, but it was fun and delivered on the story. It’s a good addition to the superhero landscape and brings one era of DC films to a close on a high note.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Stan Lee (Disney+)
Synopsis: For years, Stan Lee has embodied the Marvel brand. He’s the face of the organization and his face was part of every Marvel film before he passed away. In this new documentary, which was released on the streamer Friday, we get to hear from Lee in his own words and hear stories from some of his collaborators. It tracks Lee’s life and his career at Marvel, with the writer and later publisher sharing stories of the brand that he helped build. It spends some time looking at co-collaborators Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby—though their families still contend Lee gets more than his fair share of credit. The film doesn’t dwell much on the disagreements that saw both eventually leave Marvel. Instead, it focuses mostly on Lee, his life, his contributions and his legacy. For big Marvel fans, this will be a can’t miss documentary. It serves as a nice celebration of the man and the brand he helped bring to life.
Rating: TV-14
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Theaters)
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Peter Dinklage, Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, and Peter Cullen
Synopsis: This is the seventh live-action Transformers film since 2007. By now, we know what to expect. A few human characters intersecting the battles between alien robots who have come to call Earth home. This film sets the action in the 1990s, putting it between the timing of prequel Bumblebee and the original Transformers film. As such, we get a different Optimus Prime (Cullen), as this film’s plot in fact helps explain the approach Prime takes with humans. Here, the Autobots team with the Maximals to try and prevent a key from slipping into the wrong hands and bringing Unicron to destroy the Earth. A former soldier (Ramos) and an archeology intern (Fishback) get mixed up in the plan and join the fight. There are a few things that stick out in this film when it comes to continuity. We haven’t seen the Maximals before, so it’s fair to wonder where they are in the other films. There are also some skills that new Autobot Mirage (Davidson) can do that haven’t as yet appeared in Transformers films. But continuity probably isn’t why you’re here. By now, those that go to the Transformers know what to expect. There’s some humor, a bit of a plot, some connections formed to the human characters and plenty of epic robot battles. This film is shorter than some of the Michael Bay epics and has more heart than most of the sequels. For me it doesn’t reach the heights of the first Transformers film nor the first prequel, Bumblebee. It does project a connection to a larger franchise world, so doubtless there will be more Transformers action in our future. This is a solid summer blockbuster, one of the better live action offerings from the franchise.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five