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We’re into June and that means plenty of interesting films making their way to our homes via streaming. This week I’m looking at a couple interesting ones I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Am I OK? (Max)
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sonia Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, and Molly Gordon
Synopsis: We all have a best friend—that one person who knows us best and who we share everything with. In the new streaming film Am I OK?, a pair of best friends get thrown for a loop. Jane (Mizuno) gets offered a big promotion, but it means relocating to London. Lucy (Johnson), still reeling from the prospect of her friend leaving comes to a realization—she’s a lesbian. The two big changes throw the friendship for a loop, as both women deal with the fallout. For Jane, that means navigating her relationship with Danny (Fowler) and for Lucy, it means exploring a crush on her co-worker (Clemons). This film comes from Tig Notaro—who also appears in the film—and Stephanie Allyne, based on a script from Lauren Pomerantz. The film debut at Sundance last year and now makes its way on to streaming. The back-and-forth with Johnson and Mizuno is great. Their easy rapport, the dialogue, and the story really pull you in. You are invested in these friends, and in a friendship that at times during the film is sorely tested. The rest of the cast is fine, but this is about one of the central relationships that helps define your life. In this case, it’s a beautiful friendship that is played out beautifully on screen.
Rating: Rated R for language, sexual references and some drug use.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Theaters)
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Joe Pantoliano, and Eric Dane
Synopsis: It’s been nearly 30 years since Martin Lawrence and Will Smith first teamed up to fight crime in Miami. The original Bad Boys, directed by Michael Bay and released in 1995, is unique. It was a film that captured my heart—largely thanks to the characters Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence). That original film is one of my favorite films of all time, and over the years this has been a franchise that I’ve really enjoyed. That included the third installment—released in 2020—that saw directors Adil and Bilall take over the franchise. The directing duo is back, now four years later, as are Smith and Lawrence to add another chapter to the franchise. As we pick up, Mike is moving forward after the events of the last film. He’s recovered physically and he’s ready to step up in his personal life. In fact, after a fun sequence between Mike and Marcus, we launch into Mike’s wedding. Looming over it is the absence of Captain Howard (Pantoliano), who was killed in the last film. Mike and Marcus miss their friend, and Mike still feels responsible as Howard died at the hands of Mike’s son and because someone was targeting Mike. It isn’t long before the departed Captain Howard re-appears. Some nefarious characters have made it look like Howard took bribes from the Cartel to sell out cops. Incensed, Mike and Marcus are determined to prove it isn’t true. So, too, is Howard’s daughter Judy (Rhea Seehorn), a U.S. Marshal who has her own methods. After digging into the facts, Mike and Marcus turn to Mike’s son, Armando (Jacob Scipio), a convicted killer who sheds new light on the events surrounding Howard’s death. Mike and Marcus work to use Armando to find the real mole inside the Justice Department, but it ends up putting them all in danger. Can they protect their families and find the truth before it’s too late? I was excited to see this franchise continue. The good here is seeing Smith and Lawrence back together. Their easy chemistry is great, and they’ve long had a fun rapport in these films. I also enjoyed some of the action sequences from Adil and Bilall, including the Third Act set piece. There are some good moments here and some pieces that work well. But this film isn’t as cohesive and smooth as previous installments. The twists are easily predictable, the cameos feel over-the-top, and some of the bits don’t have the pop that they did in other installments. There are swaths of the film that feel awkward and a bit like a drag. In the First-and-Second Acts I struggled some with the film. The Third Act action, and some of the emotional resonance brought by Pantoliano and Smith, were enough to pull me back in a bit. I also enjoyed the supporting work from Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig, who return after debuting in the third installment.  This is still an enjoyable watch, particularly for fans of the franchise and the genre. It just doesn’t rise to meet the bar they’ve set with these films since 1995. It’s got its moments, but the sum of the whole doesn’t live up to some of the parts.
Rating: Rated R for strong violence, language throughout and some sexual references.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Hit Man (Netflix)
Starring: Glen Powell and Adria Arjona
Synopsis: The poet Henry David Thoreau once said, “most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” That’s probably a sentiment that the protagonist, Gary Johnson, could have identified with in the new Netflix film Hit Man, which starts streaming on Friday. The film is based on a true story—though some of the more exciting elements of what happens in the film were an embellishment of the screenwriters, star Glen Powell and director Richard Linklater. The film follows a professor, Gary (Powell), living in New Orleans. He’s an average, boring guy, whose last relationship flamed out because of a lack of spark. But, due to his technical prowess, he supplements his day by assisting the police department running sting operations against those trying to hire a killer. When the lead undercover officer (Austin Amelio) gets popped and suspended, Gary is called on to step in. Soon, he finds his calling. Gary does his research and crafts an elaborate cover—including disguise—for each of his sting operations. And he’s wildly successful at getting them to incriminate themselves and setting up arrests. He finds a real passion for it. But one day, as he’s crafted a new character Ray, he comes across Maddy (Arjona), a lonely and suffering wife who he takes a liking to. After convincing her not to go through with it, Gary as Ray finds himself drawn to Maddy. But can he make a relationship built on a wild fabrication work? Or will it be his undoing? This film made its debut in late 2023, making the rounds at film festivals before getting picked up by Netflix. Now, it’s getting a release to wide audiences. It’s a fun and well-made film that has an interesting story and engaging cast. Linklater is no stranger to creating a well-told story. The characters are well drawn, the humor works, and this moves at a good pace. I enjoyed the back-and-forth, the tension in the plot, and the way the whole thing comes together, including the quirky twist ending. It also helps that Powell delivers a delightful and smooth performance. I enjoyed his slipping into the different characters for his work, and the back-and-forth with Maddy as he tries to balance the act of pretending to be Ray. His back-and-forth with Arjona is also great. Hit Man is a fun film. There are a few slow points, but overall, the concept, story, and performances work. It delivers a satisfying narrative with some solid performances, making for a fun time with a movie. It’s worth checking out when it streams tomorrow!
Rating: Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and some violence.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Under Paris (Netflix)
Starring: Bernice Bejo and Nassim Lyes
Synopsis: A staple of filmgoing is the killer shark genre. Each year we get a few, with some being more memorable than others. To be clear, even a bad shark movie can still be fun. That certainly helps Under Paris, a French film that is now streaming on Netflix. In the film, we open with a group of researchers who have been tracking a Mako shark near the great trash pile in the Pacific Ocean. A group goes in the water to run tests and finds more sharks than expected, and that the shark their tracking has gone from a respectable 2.5 meters to 7 meters. When the shark turns and kills the team, the group leader Sophia (Bejo) is left devastated. Now, three years later, Sophia is working to protect the Oceans from an aquarium in Paris. When a couple girls say they’ve tracked her shark and that it’s now in the Seine River in the city, Sophia is alarmed. Together with a member of the River Patrol, Adil (Lyes), they discover not only Sophia shark, but many more, creating a dangerous threat to the city. Can they get the powers that be to listen and make changes before it’s too late? I saw someone online say this is the best shark film since Jaws. It’s not. That’s a pretty big stretch, too, if we’re being honest. However, it might be successful in one-upping Jaws when it comes to a clueless mayor. In this case, the Mayor of Paris not only denies the danger but sets up an epic third act that borders on the ridiculous. Despite that, I had some fun here. I liked Bejo and Lyes in these roles. I liked the general premise here, too. While some of the special effects and sequences seemed a little cheesy, and the ending will not doubt be polarizing, this was a more fun watch than I was expecting.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five