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This taut spy thriller from Stephen Soderbergh doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel of the spy fiction genre, but it's definitely and thoroughly well-made and well-acted. Viewers should first and foremost know that this is a small-scale drama/thriller without action scenes and mostly set in a handful of relatively confined locations, so it is definitely not like a James Bond or Mission Impossible-style spy movie. For patient and sophisticated viewers who enjoy a lot of cleverness with their mystery and intrigue, "Black Bag" will prove to be an entertaining watch. The cast is generally pretty good, especially Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, who are the two leads.

The film feels stylish and polished despite its small scale and brief running time. Soderbergh's deft direction keeps things running quickly and efficiently, paying special attention to the psychological and intuitive motives of the characters. The plot developments aren't particularly unique compared to other spy films, which is what holds back "Black Bag" from being truly great, but its commitment to creating intriguing narrative tension in an entertaining way and at a small scale is commendable. Recommended. 7/10.

First things first: I'd like to start my review by stating that "Parasite" is not just one of the best films in recent memory, but it's truly one of my favorite films of all time. Bong Joon-Ho's genre-bending 2019 masterpiece utterly blew me away when I saw it for the first time. I was enthralled and riveted by its brilliant craftsmanship, timely and clever social satire, memorable characters, and--most importantly--its impeccable commitment to original and creative storytelling. So needless to say, I was incredibly excited to see Bong's next film. The trailers looked a bit bizarre and eccentric, but I always trusted Bong to make a great movie. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in "Mickey 17." I found it a largely pointless exercise lacking in insight or creativity compared to "Parasite." And given how much I loved "Parasite" and was hoping to love this film, it really pains me to say that.

The film centers around Mickey, an astronaut who is an "expendable," meaning that he is sent on deadly missions and a newly regenerated (cloned) body is printed out again when he "dies." Unfortunately, the story isn't as clever or hard-hitting as it thinks it is. The narrative often feels fairly pointless, filled to the brim with so many scenes of Mickey getting killed off in different ways with little other purpose, which gets tiring after a while. I frequently questioned what the point of a lot of it was, which is unfortunate. The film's messages about cloning and contemporary politics come off as fairly on-the-nose rather than interesting or profound. But above all, the film just isn't as interesting (tonally, aesthetically, or in terms of character development) as you would hope a Bong Joon-Ho film would be. Robert Pattinson does pretty well with the material he is given (including playing multiple Mickeys with multiple accents,) and I liked Naomi Ackie's supporting performance. But I was less than enthusiastic about Mark Ruffalo's supporting role as a Trump-esque, buffoonish villain and Toni Collette as his wife. They weren't very engaging characters, despite Bong's attempt at creating political satire. The cinematography, editing, and score are good, but nothing mind-blowing or memorable like the filmmaking techniques that were on display in "Parasite."

So, "Mickey 17" unfortunately just didn't click with me. That's too bad, but in no way does that ever change or minimize the fact that "Parasite" is an extraordinary modern classic that deserved every single one of the many accolades it received. 5/10.

Note: I saw the film in Dolby Cinema. The picture and sound quality were good, but it was not one of the best Dolby presentations I have seen.

This film about the Brazilian military dictatorship in the 1970s manages to be both an intricate character drama as well as an ambitious analysis of memory and post-memory of such regime. Directed by Walter Salles (who made the outstanding Latin American film "The Motorcycle Diaries," among others,) the film tells the story of a family during the dictatorship. When the film starts, the family is living in Rio de Janeiro, and is led by Eunice (mostly played by Fernanda Torres) and Rubens (Selton Mello,) who have five children. Rubens was a former Congressman who is perceived as a threat by the fascistic entities that administered the military dictatorship regime. Rubens is kidnapped in a so-called "forced disappearance" by the military regime, and the film follows Eunice's challenges to support her family and seek justice for those responsible for the kidnapping.

Salles does an outstanding job creating vivid and well-developed characters. We genuinely care about them and follow them through their day-to-day lives in a compelling way. Even the chemistry between the family members feels completely genuine and closer to to the psychology of real family members rather than what seems clearly like acting. The performances are outstanding, especially Fernanda Torres as Eunice, who manages a near-perfect emotional range in her role. The only minor flaw the film has is that its pacing can sometimes feel a bit uneven. That said, that is a relatively minor critique for a film that is otherwise superbly made, written, and acted; with outstanding performances that help define its storytelling as both a character-driven family story as well as a deeper understanding of the indelible trauma of this period in Brazilian history. Gladly recommended. 8.5/10.