Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)

 

A psychiatrist searches the globe to find the secret of happiness.

Simon Pegg does a good job in this well-intentioned comedy-drama, which remains obvious and predictable despite its meandering narrative and the humor doesn't quite work.

 

Knives Out (2019)

 

 

A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family. 

 

Agatha Christie-like crime mystery, complete with a large cast of stars with little chance to show their talents, is nicely set and mildly entertaining, although the Trump-era allusions are so slight that they are hardly noticeable.

Priest (2011)

A priest disobeys church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.

If you look past the rather cliched, unoriginal plot, you may enjoy this horror-science fiction-Western action thriller for its brilliant style and some breathtaking visuals.

Maltin**1/2: "Director and star of LEGION reunite for an equally absurd but more exciting fantasy-thriller...Violent action-adventure borrows imagery and plot elements from THE SEARCHERS and other classic Westerns, and is all the more enjoyable as a guilty pleasure for not slipping into self-conscious campiness."

Murder by Decree (1979)

Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders committed by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer.

From memory:  Stolid and pedestrian Sherlock Holmes mystery has good production value and Plummer and Mason are well cast as Holmes/Watson, but the large ensemble of stars could have been put to better use.

Halliwell (no star): "Interminably long and unpardonably muddled variation on this over-familiar theme, with halts for the performances of guest star and no clear grip on narrative or character."

Maltin***: "Involved, often lurid story doesn't sustain through conclusion, but flaws overshadowed by warm interpretations of Holmes and Watson by Plummer and Mason."

The Lake House (2006)

A lonely doctor, who once occupied an unusual lakeside house, begins exchanging love letters with its former resident, a frustrated architect. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

Silly and schmaltzy romantic drama doesn't care much to make us believe its far-fetched premise.

Maltin**1/2: "Romantic drama stretches credulity (to put it mildly) but still creates a moodiness that's intriguing...enough to allow a willing viewer to go along for the ride."

The Sound of Music (1965)

Danny Collins (2015)

An aging rock star decides to change his life when he discovers a 40-year-old letter written to him by John Lennon.

Slightly entertaining, easygoing comedy-drama; for Al Pacino and Christopher Plummer obviously a piece of cake.

All the Money in the World (2017)

The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

A well-made movie with little suspense, since the actual events are so well-known; Christopher Plummer is excellent as the miserly and heartless billionaire.

Inside Man (2006)

A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.

Intelligently assembled heist story with some new twists, spiced with some humor, but outstays its welcome and fails to excite much.

Maltin***: "Clever reinvention of a bank-heist story...Laced with uniquely New York-flavored moments of humor and character riffs, though it overplays its hand and goes on too long. Foster brings no color whatsoever to her role as a high-stakes power broker."

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting.

A fantasy with some spectacular visuals and an adequate star cast, but the coherence of the story is often shattered into bits which makes it difficult to follow and creates tedium.

Maltin**1/2: "Visually impressive metaphoric muddle offers colorful set pieces, if not a fully satisfying  story. Ledger died during production, so Depp, Law, and Farrell play his alter egos on the other side of the mirror - a conceit that actually works to the film's benefit."

The Night of the Generals (1967)

In 1942, a Polish prostitute is murdered in Warsaw, and suspicion falls on three generals, and a major of German Intelligence seeks justice despite the ongoing atrocities committed during WWII.

Despite good pruduction value the movie goes on way too long at a slow pace, mixes too much historic events with the plot and never really arouses much interest for its crime mystery.

Halliwell**: "A curiously bumpy narrative which is neither mystery nor characzer study but does provide a few effective sequences and impressive performances. The big budget seems well spent."

Maltin*1/2: "A WW2 whodunit, film has potential but gets lost in murky script, lifeless performances. A dud."

Triple Cross (1966)

A British bank robber finds himself caught between the waring parties in WW2.

Old-fashioned, mildy entertaining espionage thriller; a bit too long and, like its hero, strangely apolitical.

Halliwell (no star): "Ho-hum biopic of double agent Eddie Chapman; effective scenes merely interrupt the general incoherence."

Maltin**: "Adequate WW2 spy yarn...A bit too long."