Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper (2017)

Starring Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, and Nora von Waldstätten

Directed by Olivier Assayas

Written by Olivier Assayas

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Maureen (Kristen Stewart), a personal shopper to European celebrity Kyra (Nora von Waldstätten), finds herself coping with the recent death of her twin brother by trying to connect with him on a spiritual "ghostly" level.  All the while, she's dealing with a mysterious texter who seems to know a lot about her, but won't reveal his or her identity, creating a situation that leaves Maureen both uncomfortable and oddly intrigued by this stalker-like person.

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The RyMickey Rating: C+

Thank You for Your Service

Thank You for Your Service (2017)

Starring Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Amy Schumer

Directed by Jason Hall

Written by Jason Hall

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Three soldiers return home after deployment in Iraq, all suffering different levels of PTSD, creating some problems in their home lives.

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The RyMickey Rating:  B

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth (2017)

Starring Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Naomi Ackie, Christopher Fairbank, and Paul Hilton

Directed by William Oldroyd

Written by Alice Birch

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Katherine (Florence Pugh) is married off to an older man (Paul Hilton), but finds herself bored by her husband and father-in-law's (Christopher Fairbank) strict nature which doesn't even permit her to leave the country estate.  When they're off in the city, Katherine explores the estate and falls for one of the servants Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) which sets off a series of deviant moves to try and keep herself satisfied.

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The RyMickey Rating: B+

Una

Una (2017)

Starring Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed, Ruby Stokes, and Tara Fitzgerald

Directed by Benedict Andrews

Written by

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A young woman named Una (Rooney Mara) arrives unannounced at the office of Ray (Ben Mendelsohn), an older man.  As the evening progresses, secrets are revealed and their ugly past is revisited.

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The RyMickey Rating: B-

Suburbicon

Suburbicon (2017)

Starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Noah Jupe, and Oscar Issac

Directed by George Clooney

Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The quaint cookie cutter town of 1950a Suburbicon is rocked by two incidences -- the arrival of a black family to the heretofore white neighborhood and a deadly home invasion that rocks the world of young Nicky Lodge (Noah Jupe) who begins to realize that his father (Matt Damon) may hold some dark secrets.

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The RyMickey Rating:  C-

The Florida Project

The Florida Project (2017)

Starring Willem Dafoe, Brooklyn Kimberly Prince, Bria Vinaite, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, and Caleb Landry Jones

Directed by Sean Baker

Written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime**

Summary (in 500 words or less):  During her summer vacation, a young girl (Brooklyn Prince) hangs out with her friends at a her residence, a cheap motel called the Magic Castle which is just a short ways away Disney World in Orlando.  Her mother (Bria Vinaite) struggles to pay rent and resorts to some illegal activities in order to cover the costs.

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The RyMickey Rating: C+

The Book of Henry

The Book of Henry (2017)

Starring Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, and Dean Norris

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Written by Gregg Hurwitz

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When teenage Henry (Jaeden Lieberher) suspects the father (Dean Norris) of his next door neighbor friend Christina (Maddie Ziegler) of abusing her, he concocts an elaborate scheme in order to save her.

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The RyMickey Rating: D

Molly's Game

Molly's Game (2017)

Starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Bill Camp, and Brian D'arcy James

Directed by Aaron Sorkin

Written by Aaron Sorkin

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) who runs an underground poker ring after a failed Olympic mogul skiing career.

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The RyMickey Rating: B-

Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener, and Brad Bird

Directed by Brad Bird

Written by Brad Bird

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Picking up immediately after the initial film ends, we find the Parr family still trying to find a way to bring superheroes respect.  With the help of a fan (Bob Odenkirk) who runs a telecommunication firm, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) goes on a media push in order to help give superheroes a better image and it seems to be working.  However, Elastigirl's increasing popularity comes with the sacrifice of having to leave her husband (Craig T. Nelson), daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell), son Dash (Huck Milner), and baby Jack-Jack at home.  When Elastigirl gets caught up in some trouble with the villain Screenslaver, her family must come to the rescue.

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The RyMickey Rating:  B

Three Identical Strangers

Three Identical Strangers (2018)

Directed by Tim Wardle

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A documentary concerning three identical brothers separated at birth as part of a bizarre psychological and sociological experiment.  By mere chance, they meet one another when they are nineteen and their whole world is shaken.

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The RyMickey Rating: B-

Downsizing

Downsizing (2017)

Starring Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chao, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis

Directed by Alexander Payne

Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Summary (in 500 words or less):  In an attempt to control overpopulation, scientists have successfully created a way to shrink humans down to about a half a foot where they live in miniature communities, utilizing less resources and creating less waste.  Husband and wife Paul and Audrey (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig) decide to undergo the treatment which creates a bit of chaos in their new lives

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The RyMickey Rating: C-

Crooked House

Crooked House (2017)

Starring Glenn Close, Terence Stamp, Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Julian Sands, Honor Kneafsey, Christian McKay, Amanda Abbington, Preston Nyman, Gillian Anderson, and Christina Hendricks

Directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Written by Julian Fellowes, Tim Rose Price, and Gilles Paquet-Brenner

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less): A detective (Max Irons) is called to the sprawling Leonides estate when its patriarch, Aristide, dies under suspicious circumstances.  With multiple suspects determining who killed Aristide proves to be a difficult task.

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The RyMickey Rating: B-

The Snowman

The Snowman (2017)

Starring Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Val Kilmer, Chloë Sevigny, and J.K. Simmons

Directed by Tomas Alfredson

Written by Peter Straughn, Hossein Amini, and Søren Sveistrup

***This film is currently streaming via HBO***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Norwegian detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) and his fellow detective (Rebecca Ferguson) investigate the disappearances and subsequent murders of several women in their jurisdiction by an apparent serial killer who leaves a snowman as his calling card.

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The RyMickey Rating: C

The Tale

The Tale (2018)

Starring Laura Dern, Isabelle Nélisse, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Ritter, Frances Conroy, John Heard, Common, and Ellen Burstyn

Directed by Jennifer Fox

Written by Jennifer Fox

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Based on a true story from writer-director Jennifer Fox's childhood, The Tale examines how memory is a fluid and fickle entity as adult Jennifer (Laura Dern) begins to question the boundaries of a relationship she had when she was thirteen (played by Isabelle Nélisse) with both her equestrian instructor (Elizabeth Debicki) and her track coach (Jason Ritter).

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The RyMickey Rating: B

The Belko Experiment

The Belko Experiment (2017)

Starring John Gallagher, Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Owain Yeoman, Sean Gunn, Brent Sexton, Josh Brener, David Dastmalchian, David Del Rio, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker

Directed by Greg McLean

Written by James Gunn

***This film is currently streaming via HBO***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When they are locked inside the Belko Corporation's high-rise building, the trapped workers are forced to take part in a horrible social experiment where they must kill each other in order to survive.

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The RyMickey Rating: C

Table 19

Table 19 (2017)

Starring Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson, June Squibb, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, Tony Revolori, and Wyatt Russell

Directed by Jeffrey Blitz

Written by Jeffrey Blitz

***This film is currently streaming via HBO***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A group of unwanted guests find themselves seated at a table at the back of a wedding reception where they bond over their various foibles and idiosyncrasies.

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The RyMickey Rating: D+

All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World (2017)

Starring Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, and Romain Durais

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by David Scarpa

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Sixteen year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is the grandson of the richest man in the world.  When he is kidnapped by members of an Italian crime ring,  his captors demand a ransom of $17 million which his mother Gail (Michelle Williams) assumes will be paid by her former father-in-law (Christopher Plummer).  However, John Paul Getty refuses to part with any of his money, leading to a family face-off.

Undoubtedly an intriguing story anchored by a strong, emotional performance by Michelle Williams, <em>All the Money in the World</em> doesn't quite work in large part because of some pacing issues that hamper it.  

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The RyMickey Rating: C+ 

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Directed by Morgan Neville

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A documentary detailing Fred Rogers and the importance of his PBS children's television show "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

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The RyMickey Rating:  B+

What Happened to Monday

What Happened to Monday (2017)

Starring Noomi Rapace, Marwan Kenzari, Christian Rubeck, Pål Sverre Hagen, Clara Reed, Willem Dafoe, and Glenn Close

Directed by Tommy Wirkola

Written by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  In the relatively near future, Earth is hugely overpopulated.  In order to rectify the situation, the Child Allocation Bureau headed by Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close) has been formed in order to limit the number of children to one per mother.  Somehow in the midst of this police state where electric bracelets pinpoint human locations, a grandfather (Willem Dafoe) has kept hidden a group of septuplets, naming them after every day of the week.  As they grow, each of the septuplets leaves the grandfather's apartment on the day of the week that matches their name.  Decades go by and now as adults, the sisters (played by Noomi Rapace) have taken on the persona of Karen Settman, an investment banker, but when Monday doesn't come home after her day out, the remaining sisters set out on an investigation to discover what happened to her.

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The RyMickey Rating: C+

Detroit

Detroit (2017)

Starring John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Anthony Mackie, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack Reynor, Ben O'Toole, Nathan Davis, Jr.,  and John Krasinski

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Written by Mark Boal

***This film is currently streaming via Hulu***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Riots in 1960s inner city Detroit create great tension between the police and the African American residents in the community.  One evening, three Detroit police officers invade the Algiers Motel after a supposed sniper attack and create a brutal night from hell for a group of innocent young men and women.

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The RyMickey Rating:  B-