The 21-Word Review: Gunpowder Milkshake (Netflix)

My son called it "John Chick", which is honestly a better review than my snarky one about a non-Tarantino Tarantino flick.

The 21-Word Review: The Tomorrow War (Amazon)

Cool special effects and every possible science fiction and action movie trope that you can think of crammed into two hours.

The 21-Word Review: The Living Dead by George Romero and David Kraus

The book reads like a movie. Not a great movie, but perhaps the kind of movie that fans of Romero enjoy.

The 21-Word Review: Luca (Disney+)

Pixar keeps making cute little movies despite the fact I no longer have small children as an excuse to watch them.

The 21-Word Review: In the Heights (HBO Max)

It rhymes with Hamilton in many places, but the meter isn’t as crisp and the themes are less compelling. Entertaining, though.

The 21-Word Review: Bombshell (Amazon)

Hey (insert celebrity), we are doing a move that makes Fox News look terrible. Want to join up? Every celebrity: Yes!

The 21-Word Review: Army of the Dead (Netflix)

Aliens + Predator + Oceans 11 + From Dusk Til Dawn + The Cranberries. I guess “+” counts as a word.

The 21-Word Review: One Night In Miami (Amazon)

Good movie, great dialog, but I found myself wanting to like it more than I actually liked it. Leslie was spectacular.

The 21-Word Review: The Mitchells vs the Machines (Netflix)

The best animated robot apocalypse family roadtrip comedy with an Oatmeal-inspired dogloaf you will see this year. Or probably any year.

The 21-Word Review: Stowaway (Netflix)

What an interesting concept with such enormous potential for drama, but it gets sidetracked, confused, and never meets its original potential.

The 21-Word Review: Godzilla versus Kong (HBO Max)

So the Kong ancestors not only created a magic axe, but also an incredibly complicated slot in the ground for it?

The 21-Word Review: Nomadland (Hulu)

Occasionally those of us who live well in the US should experience the other side, preferably with Frances McDormand as guide.

The 21-Word Review: Tina (HBO Max)

She seems happy now, which is very much deserved for someone with her experiences and drive. And a great first name.

The 21-Word Review: The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Teddy is the less sympathetic character and Taft is more interesting than his bathtub, but did you notice “The Wilkinson Affair”?

The 21-Word Review: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

More plays should be turned into faithful film representations with powerful actors and the script as the driver rather than effects.

The 21-Word Review: Sound of Metal (Amazon)

It’s not a heavy metal remake of “The Sound of Music”. I’d definitely pay to see that movie. Swiss kids headbanging!

The 21-Word Review: Zack Snyder's Justice League (HBO Max)

Absolutely superior to the original version, but definitely would have been better as two or three movies spread out over years.

The 21-Word Review: Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)

My family read the book. I did not. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed it more than them. Better than the reviews.

The 21-Word Review: The Last Blockbuster (Netflix)

I’m not convinced that there is really nostalgia for Blockbuster so much as nostalgia for being young and having close friends.

The 21-Word Review: Palm Springs (Hulu)

“The Groundhog Day plotline has been overdone,” is what I used to say before I got to see this new take.

The 21-Word Review: Coming 2 America (Amazon)

How can a movie possibly fail with amazing musical guests like Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, Gladys Knight, John Legend, and Sexual Chocolate?

The 21-Word Review: Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO Max)

A movie that made me re-evaluate what I thought I knew about the Black Panther movement and do more independent research.

The 21-Word Review: The Little Things (HBO Max)

Great actors, interesting plot, and an ending that made me angry that I’d spent two hours watching it. Good pandemic fodder.

The 21-Word Review: Harold and Maude (HBO Max)

 I’d never seen it. One benefit of a pandemic is that one finally gets to the bottom of one’s watch list.

The 21-Word Review: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (HBO Max)

While not entirely convincing me to become a fan, the documentary definitely increased my respect for their talent and work ethic.