By Mark Pukalo
Ok, now we get into the better movies.
This next list could be termed the "near misses." There's plenty to like about some of these films, but they come up just a little short of being recommended. Something is missing, whether the ending is not good enough or the film just fails to reach its potential.
Cocaine Bear probably should have gone 100 percent comedy, The Covenant could have been made more compelling, Dungeons and Dragons more fun, Knock on the Cabin better during its first hour or so, M3Gan probably should have done more funny stuff, Society of the Snow could have been shorter and Saltburn less bonkers weird (he licked the bottom of the tub?). In addition, 65 could have been a good Science Fiction film with a little more detailed back story and an emotional ending on Earth. We got neither.
But if you like watching 100s of movies per year and have the spare time, these films might strike your fancy.
This category may also have the most beautiful women in key roles.
The best characters in this group, though, include a wild blue grouper, Chupa, Ember and my man Mario.
Low Honorable Mention (Enough good things for movie freaks) - 79
American Symphony - Interesting documentary about composer/singer Jon Batiste, who is working on a jazz symphony while his wife battles cancer.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom - The warring half-brothers get together to try to save the world. It's really not that bad.
At Midnight - Monica Barbaro is stunningly gorgeous. That's all I got. Ok, it's a rom-com that is likable enough, but well short of being original.
Beau is Afraid - Joaquin Phoenix brilliantly plays an anxiety-riddled man who confronts his biggest fears after his mother's apparent death. It just gets too weird at times.
A Beautiful Life - A likeable Danish film about a orphaned fisherman who is gifted with a wonderful voice, but must deal with everything around quick stardom.
Biosphere - The two-man show is certainly unique. They live in a dome after some type of apocalyptic event and things start changing for the fish and one of them. We won't tell what. Could have been better.
Blueback - The daughter of an activist, who befriended a cool wild blue Grouper as a child, works to save the Australian coral reefs from destruction.
Blue Beetle - Expected worse from this new Marvel creation. It was cartoonish and harmless while Bruna Marquezine is an absolute stunner.
Blue Jean - A lesbian PE teacher in England tries to hide her sexual preference from her bosses, but a new student changes everything.
Brother - Non-linear story about a pair of brothers that battle through life's obstacles in Scarborough, Ontario before tragedy. FTP.
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial - The trial for the second in command of a Navy ship, who replaced a flawed officer (Kiefer Sutherland) after a controversial decision has some intrigue.
Chevalier - Kevin Harrison Jr. is really good while Lucy Boynton and Samara Weaving are gorgeous, but the overall film about the mixed-race maestro did not grab me.
Cocaine Bear - Director Elizabeth Banks probably should have gone 100 percent comedy on this one instead of trying to do both, but it had enough humorous moments to avoid being bad.
The Comeback - Family drama with Taye Diggs is predictable and formulaic, but ultimately watchable. Austin Elle Fisher, the little girl, is really good.
Chupa - Cute story about family, a real mythical creature and wrestling in Mexico. Chupa is a cool little guy.
The Covenant - An Army sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) travels back to Afghanistan to try to save his interpreter from enemy forces.
The Deepest Breath - Documentary on fearless free divers, who risk death every day, centering on Italian world-record holder Alessia Zecchini. Much like climbers, they are nuts.
Down Low - A closeted, terminal gay man (Zachary Quinto) spends the crazy day with a young sex worker (Lukas Gage) who he hired for a happy ending. There's violence, surprises and laughs.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Chris Pine and his gang make an ordinary script fun enough. Sophia Lillis is very attractive.
The Eight Mountains - The story of a long friendship between two boys in the mountains of Italy, which underwent many twists, turns and regrets.
Eileen - A seemingly normal, unassuming small-town girl (Thomasin McKenzie) comes alive when a glamorous woman (Anne Hathaway) begins a friendship with her. It's very dark and it had me until a strange ending.
El Conde - Weird black comedy about a vampire who is finally ready to die after 2,000 years, but is thinking about another life.
Elemental - It's a cute cartoon where opposites attract - Wade and Ember. Leah Lewis - wonderful in "The Half of It" - is the voice of Ember, who is actually hot (LOL).
The End of Sex - Entertaining little film about a couple who are losing their passion for each other, but find it. Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek) and sultry Lily Gao shine.
Fast X - Nothing much different about this one. Unrealistic stunts, some fun, beautiful women and not enough to join the top four levels.
Flamin' Hot - Likeable comedy/drama about a Mexican janitor who takes the initiative to help Frito Lay push a product to his community.
Four Daughters - A documentary with re-enacted scenes about a Tunisian mother who lost half of her daughters to the seduction of ISIS. It takes too long to get good.
Freelance - John Cena plays a retired special forces officer who takes a job as security for a reporter (Alison Brie) on a scheduled trip to interview a dictator. Had potential to be so much better. Script held it back.
Freud's Last Session - Anthony Hopkins provides his usual strong performance as Sigmund, but the entirety of the film is a bit dry and plodding.
Godland - A Danish priest goes on a mission to Iceland and stuff happens. I'll admit, I couldn't get subtitles for this one, but I still think critics over-rated it a bit.
Good Grief - Daniel Levy directs and stars in a film about a young man dealing with the death of is husband. Levy, Ruth Nessa and Himesh Patel make it watchable enough.
Happiness for Beginners - Likable Netflix film starring the adorable Ellie Kemper, most prominently from "The Office," as a woman getting over a divorce.
Heart of Stone - Gal Gadot in a somewhat confusing, but ultimately satisfying spy drama. She saves the world in stylish fashion.
Heist 88 - A career criminal pleads guilty, but has one more bank robbery job to do with a group of young people before going to jail.
Hidden Strike - Two former special forces soldiers attempt to transport civilians across the Highway of Death in Baghdad. It's compelling enough and John Cena is very good.
The Hill - The son of a devout preacher has bad legs, a gift for playing baseball, a gorgeous girlfriend and a dream. Predictable, but harmless enough.
Knock at the Cabin - M. Knight Shyamalan's latest is better than his previous two films "Glass" and "Old," but it does not necessarily deliver. The ending kind of makes sense when you think about it, but getting there wasn't all that interesting.
Kokomo City - A documentary about four black trans women, who are sex workers. Saw this on someone's top 10 list for the year, so I checked it out on Showtime. The women had some interesting things to say.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter - Dracula hides on a ship and terrorizes the crew. It was stylish and chilling enough, making it better than expected.
Linoleum - A failing TV scientist (Jim Gaffigan) is battling a mid-life crisis when an old space capsule falls in the backyard of his house. A promising film gets too mystical in the last half hour.
The Little Mermaid - Halle Bailey is sweet and does a nice job as the little mermaid. The story is fine. It just didn't hold my attention enough.
Love is in the Air - Predictable, formulaic love story between two opposites. But it's some harmless fun and you root for attractive Delta Goodrem.
The Meg 2: The Trench - Big, angry beasts terrorize people on the water. Didn't hate it. Didn't like it much.
M3Gan - They try to make the perfect robotic companion for a young woman. What could go wrong, eh? M3Gan is fierce, but more funny than scary.
Memory - Jessica Chastain plays a woman still dealing with bad childhood rape trauma, who befriends a man with Dementia after she first thinks he was a former attacker. I found it a bit illogical. But I guess that's life sometimes.
Missing - Was not nearly as good as the original of these kinds of movies "Searching." A young woman uses all the social tools she can to find her missing mother.
Nimona - Interesting cartoon about a medieval kingdom, which tells the story of a young girl whose shapeshifting magic ostracizes her. A commoner knight tries to save her. It will be too woke for some.
No One Will Save You - Kaitlyn Dever shines in this sci-fi horror film about a town invaded by aliens, as she battles a childhood trauma to survive.
Once Upon a Star - A travelling cinema group goes on a journey through Thailand to bring dubbed movies to the masses. Nuengthida Sophon, the only woman in the unit, is excellent.
Other People's Children - French film tells the story of a 40-year-old divorce woman caring for her boyfriend's child as she runs out of time to have her own.
Pain Hustlers - Another story about the opioid epidemic, with Emily Blunt in the lead role. It's ok, I guess, and Blunt does the best she can in every way. Some scenes of the Tampa area.
Plane - Pilot Gerard Butler tries to save his passengers after the plane he is flying crash lands on an uncharted island in the middle of a war zone.
The Prisoner's Daughter - A released dying convict (Brian Cox) tries to reunite with his daughter (Kate Beckinsale) and grandson It's predictable, but well acted.
Rebel Moon Part One: The Child of Fire - First installment of Zach Snyder's sci-fi story was stylish and had decent action, but did not grab me. Sofia Boutella is fierce and compelling, though.
Reptile - Benicio Del Toro is a flawed detective looking into a strange murder case. Justin Timberlake is the mystery boyfriend of the deceased.
Robots - Somewhat funny science fiction film about identical robots of an affluent couple falling in love. Two Shailene Woodleys are better than one.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken - A cute cartoon about a shy young girl who can transform into a giant creature. Harmless and sweet.
The Saint of Second Chances - Documentary about Mike Veeck and his Hall of Fame father Bill was somewhat interesting, but not earth-shattering.
Saltburn - Disappointed in director Emerald Fennell's follow up to "Promising Young Woman," but Barry Keoghan's performance as a smart, but mentally disturbed young man, is outstanding. It's ultimately just too weird for me.
Scream VI - Much better than the last few in the series. It all worked in the end, and it left some openings for the future with Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera - maybe..
Sick - A unique slasher film about parents who aim to avenge the young people who helped infect their dead son with Covid. Oops, spoiler alert.
Sly - Pretty solid documentary on Sylvester Stallone's career. I would have liked to see a few more minutes on the Creed series, but it was interesting.
Society of the Snow - The story of the crash of a Uruguayan plane in the Andes during the early 1970s. Amazingly, 16 of the 45 passengers survived in the harsh winter. I thought it was too long and over-rated, though.
Space Oddity - A depressed young man decides to go on a mission to Mars - although it may be a scam - to get away from his troubles, but finds love instead.
Stamped from the Beginning - Documentary about Racism. Thought it was a little harsh with its views at times, but well worth watching and debating.
The Starling Girl - A 17-year-old girl (Eliza Scanlen) struggles with life while growing up in a strict fundamentalist community. Scanlen is excellent. On the edge of being higher.
Strays - Plenty of humor from the stray dogs, but probably a few too many dick and fart jokes for my liking.
The Super Mario Brothers Movie - Cartoon story version of the famous game with Mario getting the job done on a grand stage.
Thanksgiving - A passable slasher film with a lot of gore and a rather surprising resolution. It starts with a violent, but humorous, Black Friday scene.
They Cloned Tyrone - Along the lines of "Get Out," a sinister secret organization is cloning black men and controlling their minds. It is inventive, but did not thrill me overall.
A Tourist's Guide to Love - Likable love story as Rachel Leigh Cook takes a trip to Vietnam after a breakup and falls for her tour guide. Rachel is still "All That."
Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine - Fascinating documentary about the Webb Hubble Telescope.
We Have a Ghost - Paranormal story about family, a crime and love. It's not special, but it is a very watchable netflix joint.
What Happens Later - Meg Ryan and David Duchovny, two former lovers, meet in a snowed-in airport and rehash their relationship. It gets better, but would probably be better as a play.
What's Love Got to Do With it? - Devilishly cute Lily James stars as a documentary producer filming her childhood friend agreeing to an arranged marriage by his Pakistani parents. It has its moments, but is kind of convoluted and without clear direction.
Wingwomen - Melanie Laurent stars as one half of a talented badass female heist team, which aims to complete one more big job. It's a buddy movie.
The Year Between - Alex Heller is terrific as a college sophomore whose erratic behavior causes her to decide to move home for a year. Her manic issues continue, but she goes through a myriad of circumstances that force her to grow.
You Are Not Alone: Chasing the Wolfpack - Documentary about the gang rape at a festival in Spain that sparked protests around the globe.
65 - A near miss of a science fiction drama. Not enough before the space travel and not the tearful, strong ending that it needed. Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt and the storyline were fine. Director error.
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