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Hamaguchi Ryusuke also directed one of the best films of 2021 with "Drive My Car". In this cinematic triptych, he explores the nature of fidelity, memory and complex relationships. The first of the three pieces is riveting conversation and I loved it. The other two are nice, but perhaps a little too distant to be fully grasped. As with all of his films, the performances are key, as his stoic camera observes quietly.

Halle Berry writes and stars in this movie about an alcoholic MMA fighter trying to grasp redemption after throwing in the towel years earlier. This is a basic "Rocky" rip-off with some decent performances and generally realistic fight sequences. The disappointment comes with Berry's direction. The films lacks a cinematic touch. It is routine and mundane... never amounting to anything more than a run-of-the-mill TV movie.

A poetic masterclass in acting. Hamaguchi Ryusuke directs this quietly observational film about a man who loses his wife, first to infidelity and then to a sudden fatal medical condition. The story effortlessly follows him trying to come to terms with those events, while being driven, in his own car, back and forth to theater rehearsals by a mysterious female driver, who has a haunting past of her own.

The self-referential meta screenplay is mildly amusing in the first half hour of this fourth "Matrix" installment. However, it soon wears out its welcome and becomes overly muddled with ludicrous complexity that 14-year-olds will think of as philosophical depth. The bending-over-backwards bullet dodges and the wall-running somersaults quickly become tiresome. Keanu Reeves' iconic Neo somehow keeps the film watchable, but it does remind us that the original "Matrix" was never anything more than a very cool 1999 action flick - not a religious experience that some nerds would have you believe.

Do you remember all the late-1990's Tarantino rip-offs? This feels like a rip-off of those rip-offs. "Copshop" is an "Assault on Precinct 13" style plot, with all sorts of nefarious criminals trying to break into a remote prison in order to kill one of the inmates. Everything about this movie has been done in far more mediocre efforts. Avoid at all costs.

Probably Wes Anderson's weakest film, "The French Dispatch" is all too concerned with fitting the director's unique and quirky tone, rather than telling a compelling story with three dimensional characters. It all feels like a series of individual scenes... some of which are mildly amusing... some of which are nauseatingly too self-aware.

This entire film is in the shadow of uncertainty and approaching dread. It almost plays with the tone of a horror story. Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson both play mothers who doubt their skill, desire and devotion to the role. Director, Maggie Gyllenhaal, takes on a complex narrative, filled with ambiguity, with her debut stint behind the camera. She nails it. "The Lost Daughter" is a masterclass of Hitchcockian tension.

With overwrought performances that border on melodrama, and a plot as generic as a bad 1980's teen comedy, "This is the Night" feels very much like it means something to the writer / director... But it won't have the same affect on anyone else. I didn't buy any of the plot points. They all feel wedged in. The enormous character swings are way too abrupt. This feels very much like a film-school sophomore's lazy screenplay, crammed in during finals week. D for effort.

Here is a documentary that plays like a mystery thriller. All the events navigate the discovery, sale, re-sale, auction sale, and disappearance of the most expensive painting of all time... 'Salvator Mundi' by (perhaps) Leonardo da Vinci. It is a fascinating, riveting story of art, restoration, lore, provenance, and astronomical financial power. It is superb.

Despite a star-studded cast, director Adam McKay dribbles out an extended Saturday Night Live skit. Biting satire can't be this obvious and on-the-nose. In recent years, we have seen the lunacy of the Trump presidency, and the absurd denial of obvious simple science... So when it is all lampooned in such a routine way, it loses much of its impact. The film isn't terrible... merely cheap and simple.

Director, Joachim Trier, delivers a wonderful film centered around a few years in the existence of a thirty year-old Norwegian woman who hasn't figured out what she wants, needs or deserves in life. Renate Reinsve is lights-out fantastic in the lead role. Anders Danielsen Lie plays off her beautifully. This is a film festival darling that will charm your socks off with genuine empathy, biting cynicism, and recognizable angst.

Action movies from Hong Kong are almost universally packed with spectacular stunts and crazy set-pieces. "Raging Fire" is no exception. The cinematography is really nice... but the editing and the direction are a little choppy, which leads to some confusing storytelling and some hard-to-believe sequences.

Jane Campion's western, set in 1925, is gorgeous to observe and tremendously well acted from credits to credits. It is patient and thoughtful, telling a complete story with intricate detail. If there is one thing to nitpick, it is that the primary plot "secret" is telegraphed with very little subtlety, and therefore lands without much emotional impact.

This interesting story of jealousy, loyalty, revenge, power and trust is a classy production from top to bottom. I am not 100% sure that it requires the "Rashomon" treatment of multiple perspectives. Ben Affleck is hardly convincing as a normal human being... let alone a 13th century Count. Despite his obvious talent, Matt Damon also feels a tad miscast here. The standout is Jodie Comer... She is fantastic.

Keira Knightly hosts a literal end-of-the-world Christmas party for her well-to-do family and friends. The festivities occur with the looming threat that they are all about to pop a suicide pill before the deadly poison reaches their country mansion. I found this to be a clear commentary on the suicidal nature of Brexit -- showing the stupidity of those who are voting against their own best interests. The film has some amusing moments and decent performances, but ultimately peters out to a gimmicky insignificance.

South Korean superstar, Hwang Jung-min, plays himself in a movie about a celebrity kidnapping for ransom. It is based off a true story that occurred in China back in 2004. The film is somewhat pedestrian, never quite delivering the thrills it intends. It is merely passable entertainment and nothing more.

It isn't a great film, but I enjoyed spending time watching Wallace Shawn reciting Woody Allen's genius words about the meaning of life, the pretentiousness of art and the adrenaline of new love. Allen rarely disappoints... and this late-life crisis hits most of the classic notes.

The rise and fall and subsequent rise of the Gucci empire is an interesting story. The two leads are very good (Gaga and Driver), somehow holding all the disparate pieces together. However, director Ridley Scott lets the pacing get away from him. This film is easily 45 minutes too long. Also, there are some atrocious performances from Jared Leto, Al Pacino and Salma Hayek in supporting roles.

If you tell me there is a Paul Verhoeven project with lots of kinky nun sex... I will be first in line. "Benedetta" was one of my most anticipated films of 2021. However, half way through, I found myself asking if this was a masterpiece or complete and utter trash. That was probably Verhoeven's intent. I am edging toward trash, but I still somewhat enjoyed it. B**bs make everything better... especially nun b**bs.

A visually hypnotic documentary that observes the relentless monotony of the enormous Chinese machine. You get a real sense of the plague of absolute capitalism that is driving that machine -- to what is already global domination and will eventually, decades from now, lead to a desperate collapse, similar to the one America is having right now.

Céline Sciamma directs this touching tale of an eight-year-old girl who wanders back in time on a stroll through the woods, only to meet her own mother at the same age 23 years earlier. It is beautifully shot. The Sanz twins are superb in the roles. Perhaps it is a tad too personal to have universal appeal, but still very much worth watching.

This is a remake of a 2015 Spanish film, which will also soon be remade in Hollywood with Liam Neeson at the helm. The premise is exciting -- combining elements of Keanu Reeves in "Speed" and Colin Farrell in "Phone Booth". Hostages, Bombs, Car Chases... It's all fast-paced and well produced. My one quibble was the final outcome. I wish they had been a little braver in the final ten minutes.

Prepare for dozens of product placements: Coca Cola; Teremana Tequila; Alitalia; Russian Gulags. We get all the same hits we've seen before... Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as "The Rock". Gal Gadot being hot AF in sexy haute-couture, while throwing spears. Ryan Reynolds doing his rehashed smarmy, smug stand-up routine. This movie is the cinematic equivalent of a multi-vitamin - all of the ease, none of the nutrition. We even get treated to untouched 75-year-old Nazi vehicles starting up first time, only to be 'fast-and-furioused' through a well lit Amazonian mine shaft. Also, keep an eye out for the exhaustive double-cross endings. They will keep you on your toes while you try forget the details that chip away your suspension of disbelief.

Ami Tomite is fantastic in the lead role of this subversive Sion Sono film that analyzes Japans relationship with female sexuality and free speech. It is not for everyone, but this film should be seen by lovers of the feminine aesthetic and the surreal.

Edgar Wright made the cult-classic, "Shaun of the Dead"... but has never quite lived up to the success of that movie. All of his subsequent efforts have been mixed bags to say the least. The same is true of this film... a psychological horror with good performances, striking visuals and dazzling camerawork. However, it is more of an interesting, ambitious failure. It doesn't hold up to detailed scrutiny. It muddles tone. It feels more like an ode to a time and a place than an actual logical narrative. It is a near miss.