Lessons in Chemistry (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Lessons in Chemistry (TV 2023): A prematurely modern woman in the 1950s deals with sexism, grief, and her own ambition. Sets and clothing capture the period well. Scripts tend to have too modern a feel for the times. Brie Larson is fantastic. A-

Fast X (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Fast X (2023): First time viewer of this aging franchise. It helps if you know the backstories, but probably not much. Lots of violence. A few contrived car races because that's its m.o. What I didn't expect was how important "family" is to this franchise. Jason Mamoa as the campy villain saves the movie. C+

Poor Things (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Poor Things (2023): Emma Stone plays a 19th century woman who grows from naively childish to experienced and worldly. Surreal sets give this quirky black comedy a fantasy feel. The subject (to say nothing of the sexually explicit scenes) will provoke conversation, with many not "getting it" and many finding it distasteful. A-

Expend4bles (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Expend4bles (2023): Sylvester Stallone leads a scruffy bunch of ex-military on a special ops mission to keep an arms dealer from getting a nuclear weapon. A buddy movie with lots of wise-cracking and lots of violence from a lot of retreads. Maybe for aging Rambo fans who never grew up. C-

Random Thoughts: I Can't Wait for the 12 Team Playoff

2023-12-03: Five schools have a strong argument. Only four can make the playoffs. I can't wait for the 12 team format that we should've had two decades ago.