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The first week of October is here, and it’s brought not only a high-profile theatrical release but a trio of streaming films. Below is a look at the new films I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

The Lost Bus (Apple TV+)
Starring: Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera
Synopsis: We have seen a number of natural disasters over the years. Often, these events while harrowing, produce tremendous stories of courage that continue to inspire. Such is the case with the deadly Camp Fire, which essentially wiped out the small town of Paradise, California in 2018. We’ve seen countless news reports and stories from that time. We even got a stirring documentary from Ron Howard. It’s also inspired books and a lot of exploration. One of those stories serves as the inspiration for The Lost Bus, which dropped in theaters in September and drops on Apple TV+ on Friday. The film centers on Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey), who is a local bus driver that’s down-on-his luck. As we open—on November 7, 2018—McKay is struggling to make a living. His mother (Kay McConaughey) is struggling with health issues. And he’s struggling to maintain a relationship with his teenage son, Shaun (Levi McConaughey). All that has him feeling pressure all the time. The following day, he’s off to work but it’s not going well. He’s got pressure at home and pressure from his dispatcher. Kevin is nearly stretched to his limit when he notices the big smoke clouds over the mountains. Dispatch assures him the fire is far away, but Kevin isn’t so sure. As it moves closer and nearly overtakes the town, an emergency evacuation is issued. At an elementary school in the path of the story, a teacher (America Ferrera) is trying to console more than 20 kids whose parents can’t get there in time. They call for a bus to evacuate. No one is in the area—but Kevin. While he wants to see to his own family, he answers the call and picks up the children and their teacher. What starts as a simple evacuation turns into a harrowing journey of survival as Kevin fights to get the children on his bus to safety amid a raging firestorm that has engulfed the city. I remember hearing about the Camp Fire. As a native of California, the wildfire issues there—and the issues with PG&E—are familiar to me. I also remember watching the film Rebuilding Paradise, from Howard. It was one of my favorite films the year it was released, a powerful tale of people in a terrible situation. Kevin was one of those people. His story of survival and courage made national news and changed his life. It was the subject of a book from Lizzie Johnson that served as the inspiration for the script from Paul Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby. Greengrass also directed the film, doing a fantastic job of bringing the story to life. The way the film tells the story of not just Kevin but of the fire, and those who are seemingly powerless to stop it, is one of the more engaging parts of the film. It’s deeply tense and at times deeply emotional. McConaughey and Ferrera do a nice job in the lead roles, and have some moving sequences on the bus, but it’s the situation and the craft that is the star here. This is an engaging and tense tale. It’s one of the stories from the fire I hadn’t heard much about, and this film does a great job of laying the story out in an interesting way. It makes for an engaging streaming film that’s worth checking out.
Rating: Rated R for language.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Play Dirty (Prime Video)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Keegan Michael-Key, and Rosa Salazar
Synopsis: This new film for Prime Video is based on the book series from Donald E. Westlake. It comes from director Shane Black, who co-wrote the screenplay. We follow a crack thief named Parker (Wahlberg) whose job goes bad. He’s double-crossed by Zen (Salazar) and his good friend (Thomas Jane) is killed. After narrowly surviving, he goes on the hunt. He wants his money, but he’s also promised his friend’s widow a measure of revenge. When he finds Zen, he learns of another, bigger job. He soon grabs his friends and dives in. But will he keep his promise? I love Black as a writer/director. There’s usually some great dialogue and characters, and all his films are set at Christmas. This film, too, is set during the holiday season, which factors into the décor and more. I liked the cast and the humor. This is like Ocean’s Eleven crossed with Lethal Weapon at times. It was a lot of fun, and I’d be down if he wanted to adapt another of the books. Wahlberg does a nice job in the lead role, and I enjoyed the rest of the cast and the action. This is a solid streaming film.
Rating: Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexual content and nudity.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

The Smashing Machine (Theaters)
Starring: Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt
Synopsis: The latest from Benny Safdie is a biopic about the fighter Mark Kerr (Johnson), who was one of the early stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts movement. This film focuses on a few years of his life and career from 1997 to 2000. It focuses on his training, career, struggles with substance abuse, some big fights, and his relationship with girlfriend Dawn (Blunt). It’s an interesting slice of his life and career—especially if like me you’re not familiar with Kerr and the UFC. Johnson, under some prosthetics and wigs, settles into a different kind of role. Kerr was a big man with muscles, but he was more of a gentile soul. Johnson does a decent job of bringing him to life. So, too, does Blunt with Dawn. The problem is in the story and what we’re supposed to take away from it all. I wanted to like the film, and there are certainly some compelling moments, but it doesn’t all come together well enough. It feels like a failure of story, but the performances feel awkward against one-another as well. Overall, it’s a decent premise with some potential that falls short.
Rating: Rated R for language and some drug abuse.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Steve (Netflix)
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, and Emily Watson
Synopsis: This new film reunites Murphy with Tim Mielants, who directed Small Things Like These. It is based on the book from Max Porter, who wrote the script. We follow the head of a school, Steve (Murphy), which serves as a last chance for young men who are on the outskirts of society and need help smoothing out their rough edges. We follow him on one long day. Not only is a crew in to film the students and teachers for a story, but Steve is dealing with staff woes, behavioral issues, and some bad news that impacts all their future. Through it all, he’s trying to hold it together and do some good. This is a potentially powerful story with a very powerful topic. I enjoyed Murphy here in the lead role, who has some exceptional scenes. The supporting cast, which includes Ullman and Watson as part of the staff, also does a nice job. But it doesn’t all coalesce into something that matches the potential. It’s a decent watch with a strong lead performance but it falls short of some of its potential.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, substance abuse and some sexual material.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five