I rated The Mule 7/10 on IMDb

www.imdb.com/title/tt7959026

A simple and unsensational story of an old man and failed father enjoying driving while smuggling drugs across state lines.

Family events are played very well with credible emotion and tension.

Some run-ins with the tough guys make it tense at times.

Great to see a crime and law enforcement movie whose main protagonist isn’t involved in ridiculous car chases and impossible shoot outs while toting a hand gun.

I particularly liked the commentary on modern life. Mostly shared in a single conversation in a diner. Carpe diem.

This film has drugs, guns, cars, family, and sex. But not presented in the way your familiar with.

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I rated Beautiful Boy 6/10

www.imdb.com/title/tt1226837

like a TV movie. But compelling.

The main cast play their characters in a compelling way.

Based on the true story of the Sheff family, this film shares the struggles of dealing with drug addiction.

It’s slowly-paced and this helps the consideration of the material. The heartbreaking events and resignation of addict and parent is very well done.

I rated Glass 7/10 on IMDb

www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368

7/10 for an M Night Shyamalan film. I was surprised too.

It has the characteristic Shyamalan story arc. Make sure you catch the end credit scene.

This is a modest-paced film with a fair amount of dialog for the ‘genre’. A nice change. Some might consider it a bit drawn-out. The action scenes are fairly confined and the cinematography gives ambiguity to some of them. This helps maintain the plausibility of the superpowers.

This carries along the idea propagated in Unbreakable and Split that there are people who are capable of superhuman feats. Not flying or imaginary telekinetic powers, but stronger than usual, smarter than usual, and mutable in physiology.

There’s a certain B-movie aspect to the understated nature of a lot of the movie and action compared to the blockbuster Marvel movies. But the limited nature of the FX makes this more like a movie than a video game.

Worth seeing if you liked Unbreakable all those years ago.

I rated The Front Runner 6/10 on IMDb

www.imdb.com/title/tt7074886

great performance by Hugh Jackman. With some of its focus on newspaper reporting of politics I was reminded of The Post. For me, this is way better. Tighter scenes. Less melodrama. And more story.

The subject matter is fascinating and provides a dramatic contrast for today’s political news.

Worth watching for the period costumes alone. Add in the contrast with today’s world and it’s almost compelling.

I rated Green Book 5/10 on IMDb

www.imdb.com/title/tt6966692

With some delightful scenes and some shocking events this is a pretty stable piece of cinema. It fails to get over its true drama and underplays the difficult and revolutionary acts contained in it.

The Green Book of the title is almost dealt with in passing. Though the racism that brought it about is apparent throughout.

I rated Vice 8/10 on IMDb

www.imdb.com/title/tt6266538

Remarkably entertaining polemic that seems to imply that Dick Cheney was some sort of nidus of many of today’s ills.

Expertly acted by all the cast, this is a suitably wry dramatisation of a number of supposed events that gave us the world of today.

‘What do we believe’? ‘Ha ha ha ha’.

Go see it. Make you you stay for the extra footage partway through the credits.