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It was a busy week at the Box Office with new releases in theaters and on streaming, offering a variety of different types of stories. Below are my thoughts on this week’s new films. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

My Oxford Year (Netflix)
Starring: Sofia Carson, Corey Mylchreest, and Dougray Scott
Synopsis: Anna (Carson) has it all together. She has a great job waiting, but first she’s following her heart and taking a year studying at Oxford. It’s supposed to be a reward and a pleasant diversion. There, she meet’s a brash graduate teacher, Jamie (Mylchreest). At first, they clash, but then they form a connection. Will it change the course of her future? If you’ve seen romance films of this sort, you know the answer to that question. Carson has found a nice groove and streaming film home at Netflix, taking the lead in different kinds of stories from Purple Hearts in 2022 to last year’s Carry-On, and this spring’s The Life List. She gives another strong performance in a movie that has a simple premise but ends up more compelling than expected. I had fun with this one, and I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Carson and Mylchreest. There are plenty of cliches in the story, but this works and is entertaining.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and strong language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

The Naked Gun (Theaters)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Danny Huston
Synopsis: The new film is a legacy sequel/reboot of the classic film from 1988 that spawned two sequels and was based on the old television series. Here, Neeson plays Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of star Leslie Nielsen’s title character in the original. He’s partnered with Ed Hocken, Jr. (Hauser) as he investigates a pair of crimes that unexpectedly tie together. The victim of a seemingly random car crash has an aggressive sister, Beth Davenport (Anderson), who believes her brother was targeted. And soon, the investigation points toward something nefarious involving the wealthy tech genius Richard Cane (Huston). This film feels like something from a different era of comedy in the best way. That’s a credit to the writers—Dan Gregor and Doug Mand—along with co-writer/director Akiva Shaffer and producer Seth MacFarlane, who pay homage to the original film in winking nods and in the joke-a-minute style. This feels of the same universe as the original films, while updating the jokes and references for a modern audience. For those who came of age in the 1990s, this will feel like something warm, familiar, and welcome. It’s also nice to have a comedy back on the big screen, especially a breezy 85-minute escape from the real world. Neeson is solid in the lead role, but the MVP is Anderson, who is great in her role here. This is worth seeing out for those looking for a good laugh.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for crude/sexual material, violence/bloody images and brief partial nudity.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

She Rides Shotgun (Theaters)
Starring: Taron Egerton, Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, and John Carroll Lynch
Synopsis: The relationship between parents and children is often complex. It becomes more so when you’re separated or put into high-pressure situations. She Rides Shotgun, a new drama releasing in theaters this Friday, is an engaging drama. But at the heart, it’s the story of a father trying to do right by his daughter. As the film opens, Polly (Heger) is waiting for her mother after school. It’s late and she’s alone. Suddenly, her estranged father, Nathan (Egerton), pulls up. She’s surprised to see him but goes anyway. Still, something doesn’t seem quite right. It isn’t long before we learn this isn’t a purely social visit. Nathan, who is just out of prison, made some powerful enemies. That has left his family as collateral damage. That led to Polly’s mother and her new husband have been killed. Polly is a target, and Nathan will do anything to keep her safe. That quickly puts father-and-daughter on the run. They find themselves caught between an ambitious detective (Yang) and a gang that’s hunting them down. Can he keep his daughter safe and find a way out of the jam? This is an interesting set up. The way the story is teased out early, you’re not quite sure what role Nathan played in setting these events in motion. By the time we get to heart of the story, you’re bought into Nathan and Polly. That’s a credit to Egerton, who delivers a fierce performance, and Heger, who is great as young Polly. The film moves at a good pace and has some decent action sequences, including a big conclusion in the Third Act. The supporting cast is solid, too. Yang does a nice job as the dogged detective, while Odessa A’zion, David Lyons and Lynch do a good job in supporting roles. This is a simple drama and a simple enough story that is effective. It wasn’t incredible but it was entertaining and an engaging watch. For those looking for a good drama, this makes for a nice option in theaters this weekend.
Rating: Rated R for violence and language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Together (Theaters)
Starring: Dave Franco and Alison Brie
Synopsis: Relationships can be tricky. They take work and commitment to keep going for the long haul. But what happens when couples get too close? What happens when they lose themselves in each other? That’s some of the focus of the new film Together, which opens in theaters on Friday. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It comes from writer/director Michael Shanks and is a different kind of horror film. At its heart is couple, played by Brie and Franco, who are going through a rough patch. As we open, Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie) have been together for a long time. But they’ve hit something of a rut. Millie has a chance to teach at a new school away from the city. With his music career in a stall, Tim has agreed to go along. But he has some misgivings. Out in their new home, it’s hard for Tim to find his rhythm. Meanwhile, Millie is doing well at school and has made a connection with a co-worker, Jamie (Damon Herriman), who lives in the neighborhood. The presence of Jamie does little to help Tim feel better about the move. In an effort to bond a bit, Tim and Millie go on a hike to explore the nearby area. They fall into a cave where they end up riding out a storm. While there, they are forced to drink from a nearby pond. While the water seems fine, it holds a dark secret. Once out, Tim and Millie begin to feel a pull toward each other. It doesn’t feel natural, and it leaves them in a difficult circumstance. Can they fight this new pull before it’s too late? This film falls into the body horror genre. There are certainly some strange, tense, and grotesque sequences. One of which serves as an introduction to the stakes of the world before we even meet Tim and Millie. But Shanks does a nice job of laying out the world and building the tension in this story. And he finds great collaborators in Franco and Brie. The marketing for the film paints it as a great date night movie. It’s obviously a winking nod to the darker elements of the plot, but this is an exploration of relationships. The performances are great here, with Franco and Brie bringing intensity to these roles and this story. I liked the twist here as we explore what’s happening. The closing sequence, too, is something unbelievable and unforgettable. This isn’t a conventional horror film, but that helps it stand out as something engaging. It’s worth seeking out, especially for those that enjoy a good, creepy story.
Rating: Rated R for violent/disturbing content, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug content.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

War of the Worlds (Prime Video)
Starring: Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, and Clark Gregg
Synopsis: This is a modern take on the classic story from H.G. Wells. Here, William Radford (Cube) is an NSA surveillance operative who interacts with the world—and all the people in the world—from behind a computer screen, mostly in his office. That includes his connection to his adult children (Iman Benson and Hunter Henry Hall). When mysterious forces from space land and begin attacking Earth—and specifically the intelligence infrastructure—Radford springs into action. He tries to safeguard his family while uncovering the truth as he finds a way to gather the information needed to stave off defeat. This feels like the kind of project that was conceived during COVID, as none of the performers are ever really together on screen. It’s shot mostly via phones and web cams, using found footage and surveillance drone footage to tell the story of the invasion. That sounds like a miss, but it ends up being moderately compelling—at least for me. While some might quibble and might not have enjoyed it, I thought this ended up being better and more interesting than expected. It’s also a breezy 90-minute watch with credits.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi action/violence, strong language and bloody images.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five