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I recently saw American Fiction. The film was well-reviewed, and I understand why. In fact, enough time has passed since my viewing, that I find myself wanting to re-watch it. Not only was the movie enjoyable and the acting terrific, the story really left me thinking.

The Peasants (2024) is a visually stunning film that transports the viewer to a 19th-century Polish village as events unfold over four seasons. Using the same technique from their previous film, Loving Vincent, the filmmakers use a blend of real-life actors and oil paintings to create the effect of paintings brought to life in a unique animation style.

Deadstream is a hilarious, fast-paced and fun contemporary horror movie. Shawn, a disgraced social media influencer, tries to win back his fanbase by staying in a haunted house alone overnight and livestreaming his experiences. I had a wonderful time, but viewers sensitive to gore may not. 

Everyone knows Michael Jordan, the “Be Like Mike” ad, and his Air Jordan shoes. But how many know the story of how the latter came into existence? Based on a true story and set in 1984, Air (2023, rated R) goes behind the scenes at a struggling Nike to show how salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) courted the Jordan family and how the deal revolutionized brand-athlete partnerships.

I finally read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it did, and more. What a thrilling story! The story’s setting and main character were fascinating, and the way Owens unfolded the mystery was perfect – I didn’t want to put the book down. When I finished the book, I had one of those “Wow” moments.

The Rings of Power (2022), on Amazon Prime, is the latest franchise to bring J.R.R.

The fourth installment in the Thor anthology, Thor Love and Thunder (Disney+, 2022), does not disappoint.  Though story craft is sometimes shoved aside to make room for hot button issues, the story is able to regain it's foothold.  It was nice to see Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson hit it off so well on the screen, it would have been even better to have seen more of that female bonding chemistry.  In the end it is Thor who gets the glory and Natalie Portman's character,&

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) begins with the story of Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American immigrant, and her race to keep her teetering family business running. A high-stakes meeting at the IRS with Evelyn's husband and father takes a sharp and completely unexpected turn, and Evelyn finds herself suddenly thrown into an interdimensional, surreal adventure.

The new Dune movie (2022) proved to be a character development exercise.  I found myself longing for the galloping action style of the 1998 movie.  Though the action sequences were few