This is a remake of at least one (based on several) film adaptation(s) of a Korean folktale, according to the fount of all knowledge. It is some damn good guilty-psych-thriller-fun. Do we even need a plot summary? The daughter of a famous writer finds comfort in the rebellious witticisms of her older sister as a home-nurse-turned-impending-step-mother begins to show her true, hardly benevolent, colors. All of the right fluids are here, including water, blood, and something flammable. All that's missing is a monster from the lake with empty eye sockets and stainless steel claws. Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn and Elizabeth Banks all provide worthy performances. Emily Browning shines as the tormented younger sister. As a bonus, there are a couple of visits to a mental hospital. Uninvited is at times both a subtle and wild ride. Rotten Tomatoes indicates that nearly 70% of the critics are jackasses. Mindless, Soulless Bastards!
This 10 episode series is described as "inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family". The first episode of five in part one sets the stage of a master thief and the heist of a 20-million dollar piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, we quickly learn that the main character is not really a master thief. While he has skill in makeup, blending in, and pickpocketing, there are no other grand heists involved. Instead, it becomes more of a drama around avenging his father's death with the thief / con man / grifter components as a side piece to facilitate the main story. Overall it is fairly entertaining but entirely too predictable and not very thought-provoking. Great for falling asleep to.
2020 was just a dumpster-fire-year from which we needed some healthy escapism, and with the pandemic overflowing into 2021, our needs haven't changed much. Look no further! Just suspend disbelief for the course of this film, (see title). This appears to be the fifth outing w/ The Strongest Avenger and Mr. I'm-sorry-did-I-break-your-concentration himself, Samuel L. Jackson, and it's Brie Larson's full-length motion picture directorial debut. Larson does respectable work here in every respect, not only starring, directing, also producing. (Is there anything she can't do? Where's her Oscar nomination for Captain Marvel, dammit!) This casting is fantastic. Don't miss performances by Mamoudou Athie, Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford, and more. I wasn't kidding about suspending disbelief, don't start this one if you're unable to. (Don't make me quote Mr. It's-the-one-that-says-Bad-Motherfucker).
We follow Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks) as he travels from town to town reading the "news of the world". Along the way he encounters a young girl, Johanna, played by Helena Zengel, who has grown up in an Indian tribe that was decimated by whites and speaks no English. Kidd decides to take her to the family she was going to before becoming stranded, and the story progresses. Given the movie stars Hanks and is a period piece, I expected an amazing movie. Unfortunately it just didn't come together and became disjointed the farther it went. At almost two hours it still felt like parts ended up on the cutting room floor that might have tied some of the beginning to the end better. Worth a watch, wait for it to hit Netflix.
