See or Skip: Back to the Silver Screen Edition

As someone who has a cinema membership I go  to the  cinema at least once a week, so with the cinemas being back open and anxieties still high about going to busier places, I thought I would compile a list of all the movies currently at the cinema or have just left the cinema and are available on streaming or to buy that are worth the watch and others that are an easy skip.

See: The Father

This movie actually came out a while ago but the cinemas weren’t open in the UK for us to enjoy it. There’s not that many screenings because it came out a while ago but if you’re looking for something good to watch and don’t mind a good ol’ cry, it is well worth it. Anthony Hopkins is incredible in his role of a father losing his memory to Dementia, an illness that we’ve seen portrayed a lot, but he brings a beautiful honesty to the character (he didn’t win that Oscar for nothing).

See: Raya and the Last Dragon

I loved this movie. I genuinely thought it was exciting and fun, and had a wonderful display of fighting styles from across east and southeast Asia. It is in the niche of Disney princess’ along with Mulan and Brave’s Merida that focus on women as fighters on a quest to help their homes and families, and much like the latter and Moana, it is also one of the newer Disney princess movies that have been sans prince in an attempt to lean away from the ‘damsel in distress’ trope. Although I would like to see Disney re-introduce romantic interests into their films, it is very successful without it and really leans into the idea of community and friendship and the negative impact of our preconceptions of one another.

See/Skip: In the Heights

I am going to be completely honest. I initially listed this as a skip and I’m honestly still on the fence about it. There are many reasons why In the Heights is an important and fun watch but it does fall short in a few ways, so I’ve decided to weigh the pros and cons for you to decide if it is worth the watch for yourself.

Pros  

• Anthony Ramos – Ramos delivers an incredible performance as Usnavi and is the absolute perfect leading man commanding every scene he is in. I always knew he had leading man potential due to his performances in Hamilton ( Lin Manuel should have made him Hamilton instead of casting himself but that’s another discussion for another day) and in She’s Gotta Have It. He is incredibly talented and I hope his star continues to soar. Also, if you watch the film you will find yourself randomly shouting ‘VANEEEESA’ because of him.
• Even though I am not Latinx, as a Black 2nd gen immigrant I can very clearly see how important the impact of telling these stories is. It is important for furthering representation that is meaningful and doesn’t lean into harmful stereotypes. ITH is an important story about the immigrant experience from 1st and 2nd gen immigrants  and to me, the most compelling songs in the film focus on that theme. One incredible musical performance is by Olga Merediz who plays Abuela Claudia, it is a beautiful reflection of her journey to Washington Heights and the struggles that she went through to provide for her family in this new place.
• Jimmy Smits – Another standout performance from one of my fav actors, he never disappoints and this movie is no exception. He plays Kevin Rosario, a father and successful businessman trying to juggle fatherhood and his responsibility to his family and to the ever changing community he has established himself in.
• Choreography & Performance – There are so many wonderfully shot performances, featuring incredible choreography and beautiful colours and flags hightling Latinx pride.

Cons

• Colourism – in short this movie thoroughly misrepresents race in actual Washington Heights. Almost every actor in the film bar the one Black (non-Latinx) is White or lighter-skinned Latinx, which is especially noticeable when they make a comment about their people surviving the Taino massacre- Taino historically being Black indigenous caribbeans.
• Racism – in the original play, there was a sub-plot that talked about racial prejudice by Kevin Rosario towards his daughter Nina’s black partner. This would have helped justify why most of the lead cast were lighter-skinned and opened an important conversation about colourism and racism in the Latinx community but it was instead completely scrapped.
• Melissa Barrerra – The actress who plays Vanessa may be the least compelling leading lady of all time. I won’t say much about this actress because I had issues with her responses to the issue of colourism when it was brought up during the press tour. I will just say she was a horrible casting choice, apart from the fact that she is gorgeous she was incredibly bland especially when put up next to stars like Ramos. She also had far too many ballad moments that really ruined the pacing of the film on multiple occasions.

See: Peter Rabbit 2

This is an easy watch, a fun family movie that is a fun continuation of the original story. It’s not in any way ground-breaking, but if you’re looking for something to watch with the teeny tiny people in your life this is a good choice. It is very English so I’m probably biased, but there’s not much to say about it. It’s also one of the few things that James Corden isn’t incredibly annoying in.

See/Skip: Black Widow

I’m gonna be real with you. This movie is incredibly *meh* and if i’m being honest it doesn’t really have that much impact on the continuity of the MCU apart from its introduction of Yelena and the end credits. If you’re a Marvel fan I would watch it just to have a little more insight into the Black Widow’s backstory, but if you’re a more casual fan you can skip this and watch the end credits on YouTube. 

Cons

• There are major pacing issues because of the number of fights in the movie, it makes it harder to sit in some of the more emotionally heavier moments.
• Feels very too little too late regarding the telling of Natasha Romanoff’s story; the woman is dead, we no longer care that much. (I am incredibly biased because I deeply dislike Scarjo)
• I feel as though Marvel goes to obnoxious lengths to try and make her atone for her sins rather than letting her sit with the fact that she has done some terrible things due to her past.

Pros

• Florence THEE Pugh – steals the entire film, from her comedic timing to her more emotional moments, and the end credits seal her spot as a key chess piece in the future of the MCU.
• One of, if not the best opening sequence in the MCU that focuses on trafficking, it is incredibly powerful and well executed.
• Great fight sequences and choreography.

Skip: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Now, if you have kids or younger family members and you take them to watch this, they’ll probably enjoy parts of it. But overall, I feel the same way I felt about the original movie, it was okay. The movie isn’t particularly bad but there are two main components that make this a skip, the sometimes unsuccessful IP placement and Lebron James. I would say the Warner Bros placement could have been a cute fun nod to their many intellectual properties and it works in the sequence when they are going to different places to find the toons (I really liked the various DC comics placements and the Rick & Morty) but it becomes a little heavy handed. Disney managed to make it work with ‘Wreck It Ralph: Breaks the Internet’ but WB just can’t seem to make it work here and it just starts to look like one big ad. When it comes to James it is very simple, he just can’t act. This movie would have been significantly better if it was someone playing him but I get that that defeats the entire purpose. He was really difficult to watch, especially up against Don Cheadle’s ‘Al G Rhythm’. Cheadle gives the best performance in the film and would actually be a really cool villain and I hope they revisit his character in a better film. 

See: The Suicide Squad

As much as it pains to praise James Gunn, God is that man good at what he does. The original Suicide Squad was an incredibly unmemorable mess, the only characters you remember from the original are Harley Quinn and Deadshot. Quinn because Margot Robbie is incredible in that role and absolutely owns the character and is completely comic accurate. Deadshot because it’s Will Smith and literally no other reason. But Gunn manages to make all of the main characters memorable and gives them enough back story to make us actually care about them. He also managed to make me feel compelled by a character that is not only a patriotic megalomaniac but also portrayed by John Cena, someone I never thought I would take seriously in an acting role.

Skip: Fast & Furious 9

I haven’t even watched it but please don’t subject yourself to that, in short something will blow up, a group of people will drive way above the speed limit and Vin Diesel will make some sort of reference to ‘family’. There, I just saved you two hours and some money.

See: Free Guy

This is my easiest ‘see’ on the list because it has a fun original story (yes Hollywood still cranks out one non-reboot a year, surprisingly), it has great humour and the jokes never fall flat. It also has a really fun ensemble cast, including Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery, the dude with the hair from Stranger Things whose name always escapes me, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Channing Tatum. Ryan Reynolds is the perfect lead and it was especially fun to see Jodie Comer in a comedic story after years of watching her as Villanelle (she doesn’t carry the comedy in the movie but she has fun snarky contributions) and there’s always a hilarious nod to Channing Tatum’s earlier work. There are a number of funny cameos including actual YouTubers/professional gamers/streamers, and Star Wars and Marvel references. Free Guy does what the Space Jam sequel failed to do, in that there are a multitude of references but they are all made to feel both fun and purposeful. Overall, it is a super easy watch and an absolute ball from start to finish.

– Thea