Movie Reviews from Chris

★ out of ★★★★ Heart of Stone (2023) Runtime: 122 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and some language. Since, perhaps, movies like Red Notice that have debuted on Netflix with dull thuds, I've been deathly afraid of every blockbuster manufactured by the gargantuan streaming service. It all just adheres to an overly-familiar formula, where the talented cast are given nothing to work with, while showcasing luxurious places around the world. These blockbusters are distancing, forgettable, and make me approach future projects with a certain amount of dread. Some of this can be applied to Tom Harper's "Heart of Stone", although it looks less grand and more ambitious. However, the problematic execution results in a film that succumbs to unreasonable tonal shifts, plot twists, a lack of emotional connection, and terrible film-making choices that make it difficult to approach. It doesn't feel as formulaic as the...

★★ ★  1/2 out of ★★★★ Nimona (2023) Runtime: 101 minutes MPAA: Rated PG for violence and action, thematic elements, some language and rude humor. We've all heard of the "Once Upon a Time" story countless times, and the opening of "Nimona" spells fear. Would a generic storyline follow up? Would the construction of characters and scenes be depressingly derivative and half-hearted? It's all dispelled within minutes in "Nimona", a terrifically entertaining film with cute details, smart gags, placing objects and people in just the right and funny places, and dazzling action. While I'm not sure whether the tonal shift completely works in the slightly cluttered mid-section as pieces start to unfold in uncertain directions, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Crane find their emotional center and transcend the premise, leading to an inspiring and completely heartbreaking finale that left lumps in my throat countless times. You'd have to be a cold-hearted...