Father Stu (2022)

 Pros: Despite the spoiler alert in the title, Mark Wahlberg delivers a great performance, a character who shows real growth, Stuart Long. He's a wannabe actor who drinks too much and gets a DUI and then nearly dies when he runs a red light on his motorcycle (with no helmet) after he drinks too much yet again. He's a mess but through Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), he finds the Catholic Church and Jesus, despite his parents' (Mel Gibson and Jacki Weaver) objections. But he's popular and very much loved. And that twist (true story) is a devastating one.

Cons: Sure, the spoiler alert title and Stu is a bit creepy with Teresa, basically stalking her though the attraction eventually becomes mutual and she does put him off quite a bit, though not enough. But I don't believe she would have gone against her morals and have coitus with him before marriage, I'm not buying it. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-You have to feel for Stu's parents, even though one of them is (portrayed by) Mel Gibson, they would have to bury both of their sons, which is not the way it should be.

-I wonder how Stu was able to afford all his medical bills.

-He was at fault for his own injuries, however unfortunate they may be. He went through the red light.

-Even Stu was asked to perform sexual favors to get a (ridiculously lame) job, only difference is that he fought back. 

-There are a lot of bizarre reveals toward the end of the film.

-Despite being estranged from his wife, Mel Gibson's Bill does wear a wedding ring throughout. 

Out of Africa (1985)

 Pros: From the lush cinematography to Meryl Streep's flawless transformation, this film had a whole bunch going for it, including a great romance with some brilliant dialogue, and the barebones plot was good enough. The score is also great and flows with the natural plot. 

Cons: Sure, most of these are nitpicky, but a flaws nevertheless. Karen (Streep) somehow has a farm in Africa to grow coffee which doesn't seem to go that well, but the focus of this isn't on the farm, when it should have been in the forefront a bit more. And how does she get the farm in Africa in the first place? Where does all her money come from initially?

Recommend: Yes

Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-If my husband (or lover) ever gives me syphilis, I will kill him.

-Bror (Oscar-nominated Klaus Maria Brandauer)  gets his happy ending while Karen ends up heart-broken in the end after her lover, Denys (Robert Redford0 dies in a plane crash.

-Karen actually cares about the citizens of Kenya.

-I wonder what PETA had to say about the natural scenes.

-This film is rather different from the rest of films directed by Sydney Pollack.

-Do any epic romances have a happy ending?

-The Color Purple was a better film and should have won the Oscar for Best Picture, just saying.

Sweet Dreams (1985)

 Pros: Detailing Patsy Cline's (Jessica Lange's) marriage to Charlie Dick (Ed Harris), and how she still became a great country singer, this film has a good amount of material to make a great film. However, the only reason to see the film is the realistic nature of the film and the great performances and they were great.

Cons: While Coal Miner's Daughter managed to find a good balance of portraying both  Loretta Lynn's personal and professional lives, this film doesn't find the right balance at all, focusing a lot on her early career but not nearly enough on when she actually becomes quite famous, which is a shame.

Recommend: Maybe

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-I can't believe Ed Harris was ever that young. 

-Sure Charlie is an abusive husband but he had a traumatic youth and Patsy has a nasty mouth. However, he hits harder and is a nasty drunk.

-It must have been terrifying looking at your death in that instant before it happened.

-It's got to be super awkward to have a son named after your wife's manager.

-It is unclear if Patsy sings any original songs or writes her own lyrics as Loretta Lynn did. 

-Pay attention for a John Goodman cameo.

Unpregnant (2022)

 Pros: Ever relevant, the plot is good, albeit unrealistic in parts, but the acting is strong with the leads Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferrara deliver great performances. And this film has a great portrayal of female friendship, which is always great. 

Cons: Certain parts are unrealistic and there are some changes from the book which I didn't appreciate, namely the one involving Kevin (Alexander MacNicholl). He's Veronica's (Richardson's) boyfriend. In the book, he poked holes in the condoms (jerkface!) whereas here, he mentions that he noticed one broke and didn't tell her. But his stalkerish habits remain in both. And of course all abortion stories need to include the religious extremists.

Recommend: Maybe

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-It is shocking that a seventeen-year-old has to drive from Missouri to Albuquerque just to get an abortion without her parents' permission.

-Also, stealing a car is wrong, but sending all those police officers, that was just a bit of an overkill. 

-Bob (Giancarlo Esposito) is probably the most interesting character in the whole film, very anti-government, a refreshing relief after most of the new characters. 

-Secret friendship handshakes are never not cool. 

Thirteen Lives (2022)

 Pros: Finally Ron Howard returns to form with this thriller based on actual events. The whole world was watching as divers and Navy Seals rescued those boys and their coach, trapped deep inside a cave, water surrounding them, and I remember the story and how relieved the journalists were when they were finally able to report the happy news and this film details (more or less) the true story behind the rescue and the controversial method used to extract the boys. The acting was solid, a truly ensemble piece and the sheer amount of extras make you feel like you were biting your nails in anticipation though fortunately, the ending is largely a happy one, though a Seal did die en route to deliver the supplies when his tank gets caught on the guide cord and another months afterward, from a nasty blood infection, but the boys survived. The setting was also brilliant and this film managed to do something truly difficult. It got me to feel and that is no small feat.

Cons: Honestly, not really anything major though I wish they would have showed more of the boys in the cave rather than just the rescue efforts as it must have been terrifying for them but yet they never appeared to give up hope and they probably should have focused on more parents.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Finally an American other than Meryl Streep can adopt a good British accent: Viggo Mortensen.

-Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton are the other headliners for this film.

-Though all three are expert divers, all three have day jobs: Rick (Mortensen) is a firefighter who doesn't even like kids, John (Farrell) is a divorced IT guy and Harry (Edgerton) is a doctor, specializing in anesthesia. 

-Three of boys and the coach were not Thai citizens though after this ordeal, they were granted citizenship.

-Some farmers accepted water being diverted which subsequently ruined their crops just so the boys would have a better chance of survival. Imagine people sacrificing their livelihoods for the good of others, what a foreign concept. It was later mentioned that they did receive government compensation. 

The Lost City (2022)

 Pros: Despite the ridiculousness, this film brings the subject of romance novels front and center and how complicated they can be along with how popular and most-beloved they are even if their author, Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) thinks that they are beneath her. But in the end she discovers how important love is and how it affects people.

Cons: Though this film was certainly extremely entertaining, it also incredibly stupid and beyond ridiculous and that island was just way too large to have a hidden grave like that, untouched and undiscovered for years. And Abigail (Daniel Radcliffe) is just not a girls names. And there is no way Loretta and Alan (Channing Tatum) would have been able to avoid capture for that long and Alan's personality is well, boring and almost non-existent. 

Recommend: Despite it being awful, I would gladly watch it again.

Grade: C+

Side Notes:

-Sandra Bullock looks great for her age and certainly remains in great shape. Despite the large age gap, she and Channing Tatum have great chemistry together.

-We needed more background on the villain, Abigail Fairfax, though Radcliffe seems to have fun with the role even though he was an unsympathetic villain.

-Da'vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nunez and Patti Harrison give excellent supporting performances. 

-We learn painfully little about Loretta's late husband, John, even though his role in her life remains terribly important. 

-Romance novels are incredibly popular even if bookstores won't give them the time of day, which is such a shame as we need to believe in the happy ending. 

Boogie Nights (1997)

 Pros: True, this film is a bit meandering and plodding, but the screenplay is genuinely strong, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns and the acting is filled with top-notch actors and top-notch acting, great music and great film mechanics.

Cons: As this film is about a young Eddie, later Dirk (Mark Wahlberg) breaking into the business of pornography and then drugs and then there is a good amount (okay, probably way too much) violence toward the end, none of which is my cup of tea but at least everything was done well.

Recommend: Probably

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-The cast is superb including Julianne Moore and Burt Reynolds (truly great), both Oscar-nominated for this film, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nicole Ari Parker, Thomas Jane (an unexpected villain), Phillip Baker Hall, and Luis Guzman.

-Dirk's mom lashes out for no real reason.

-Dirk is tragically not good with money.

-Rollergirl's (Graham's) real name is Brandy.

-Amber's (Moore's) real name is Maggie.

-The film covers roughly seven years of Dirk's life.

-It is amazing that Don Cheadle's Buck wasn't questioned for that crazy bakery robbery. I mean, who would rob a bakery, they give people carbs which make them happy. Why would someone want to ruin that happiness?

-Dirk's car runs out of gas, a similar scene would happen in a far more recent Paul Thomas Anderson film, Licorice Pizza. 

Titanic (1997)

Pros: The art directors did fully deserve their Oscar as you do truly feel like the Titanic, in all its 1912 glory has been recreated solely for this film. The costumes are magnificent, the editing solid and the performances are relatively good. And I am a sucker for a good love story, even one as unrealistic as this one is. And the ending contains a great, killer twist which is always appreciated.

Cons: The plotline is utterly ridiculous, far-fetched and honestly, pretty stupid. It's the Titanic, they had so much source material and stories which were actually true to pick from and instead, they have to make one up and it isn't even realistic and the frame story is mostly boring until old Rose (Gloria Stuart) comes along, livening up the boring scientists. The dialogue is often clunky and the talented actors, except for Kathy Bates's unsinkable Molly Brown, is wasted. 

Recommend: It's hard to say

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-There was room on the door for Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio). I don't care what the critics say, he could have survived.

-There is no way on God's green Earth that Cal (Billy Zane) would have been able to present Rose (Kate Winslet) with a present in her dressing room without a chaperone present. 

-Same with her and Jack strolling the deck together. 

-The foreshadowing in this film is ridiculous.

-At least we did learn from Titanic's mistakes, and changes were made to ships afterwards so a tragedy like this never happens again. 

-I do appreciate that they showed the third class passengers being shut out of being saved.

-I can't help but wonder how many lawsuits stemmed from this sinking. 

-Rose is a complete fool jumping out of that lifeboat. 

-While I'm glad that little girl survived, it is low to use her just because you are too scared too die, here's looking at you, Cal.

-Why Kate Winslet doesn't get top-billing, I'll never understand.

-Rose survived out of sheer willpower. 

-As much as I love Kate and Leo, their chemistry was significantly better in 2008's Revolutionary Road, where, ironically enough, Kate is the one who dies, by her own, tragic making. 

-I love how Rose travels with her dog and goldfish.