Kate

I barely remember this movie. I think I thought it was fine. There was a kick-ass karate lady, lots of gun-fu, and maybe a kid was involved? The title is way too generic. I think it should foretell some level of ass-kicking. Plus, I'm getting it mixed up with the many other gun-fu women of late. Anyway, A for effort for all the Mary Elizabeth Winstead, female-lead ass-kickery. But I’ll be damned if I can remember any details.

Reminiscence

I always appreciate some sci-fi that isn’t all about chasing and disasters. I admire the stories that delve into time travel, changing the past, and the nature of memory. So, it’s ambitious. But it might be too clever for its own good. The sci-fi components aim to confuse, while the romantic love-story components play-out a little repetitive and schmaltzy. It’s slick. It’s kind of cool. It’s not a disaster. But it might remind you of better movies that you would rather be watching.

Free Guy

Shawn Levy is Hollywood’s version of the Hometown Buffet. He does everything. Just as famous as a Producer as he is a director, he’s made plenty of fluffy comedy adventures, all of which seem to be practice for this: one of the best movies this summer. It’s formulaic all the way -- it’s supposed to be. It’s filled with Easter eggs; countless references to the movies and games of the past. So, it’s derivative down to its DNA, but it’s also an original screenplay, which is wild. And Ryan Reynolds' snarky attitude works perfectly for a character who’s trying to learn to be human. So it’s a Smörgåsbord, and almost every frame is a delight. It probably won’t resonate, it’s just a little too featherweight. But man, it’s a fun night at the movies.

Tag

They say it’s based on a true story. And it’s a pretty “high-concept” comedy. Efforts are made to ramp up excitement by turning “tags” into action scenes. And there’s a schmaltzy, sentimental, male-bonding component, too, which includes a nice turn from Ed Helms. But it’s all for naught. There’s a messiness. A lack of rules. A lack of focus. Just because stories are “true” doesn’t mean they’re structured and shaped the way movies are. They get an “A” for effort here, but a C- for execution.

Venom

I thought Venom was supposed to be a Spider-man villain. But this makes Tom Hardy’s alien alter-ego a misbehaving anti-hero, bringing down a power-hungry megalomaniac with the same powers. It’s sometimes fun, and sometimes funny, but I don’t know how they’re going to pit him against Spidey if he’s all sympathetic and stuff. Standalone it’s fine, but it feels like a misfire of the “canon.”