FILMS from AFAR

Van Damme proves again his prowess with both physical action and self effacing humor in this French spoof. Fans of the action hero will be satisfied with The Last Mercenary's nearly two hours of martial arts, weaponry, and car chases. But the film offers more by way of its self aware spoofing of the genre. There are fun references to other movies and goofy asides, like The Mist's frequent use of wise but also somewhat meaningless proverbs from world cultures. Van Damme's character is also a master of ridiculous disguise. Paris is on display in the background of this film, which has at least one line of patriotism in the script. The ragtag team of mercenaries, who stop occasionally to strike action-hero poses, all grow individually as a result of their group effort, and the father-son bonding between Van Damme's "The Mist" and his grown but coddled and estranged son Archie offers a sweet storyline. Supporting cast, particularly Alban Ivanov as the bumbling do-gooder agent and Assa Sylla as the tough and clever local survivor, create charming secondary characters. It's also refreshing to see two older women -- played by veterans Miou Miou and Valerie Kaprisky -- in key roles. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This action-packed thriller aims to exploit the unexpected, offering a suspenseful watch with a unique combination of storyline, location, and actors. As such, viewers would be wise to read little and avoid spoilers to get the most out of the novelty of Beckett, which will diminish on repeat viewings. The film's Italian director and producer seem aware that this part of Europe is too often depicted on international screens as little more than a sunlit tourist destination, and they send Beckett scrambling over rocky cliffs and through rural villages far from Greece's iconic Mediterranean islands, on his way to a sprawling, monument-free Athens. Likewise, the decision not to translate or subtitle chunks of conversations between Greek characters adds to a feeling of "foreign-ness" and additional suspense for viewers who don't speak Greek. The political backstory of this movie might feel complicated to some viewers, but anyone with a passing interest in European politics will recognize real-to-life themes, and the plot is painted in very broad strokes mostly as justification for the action. Choosing a Black actor for the lead role in a film with no other Black characters, despite a medley of nationalities and accents among secondary actors, might have been used to add layers to the characterization. But instead the film takes pains to avoid any treatment of race. When he considers overdosing on sedatives or suffers panic attacks, Beckett's Everyman profile is reinforced, but the character's key emotions and Washington's performance here are mostly limited to fear, confusion, and pain. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

From its sweet, energetic stars to its funny and occasionally earnest commentary on crossing cultures and discovering oneself, this Brazilian comedy is kooky and charming. One of the surprises in The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student is that it maintains its upbeat pace and keeps the laughs coming throughout. Just when you think a flashback about a boy's love affair with his au pair or a subplot about a crazy missing daughter might awkwardly derail the proceedings, they manage to work their way into the admittedly meandering storyline in an amusing and meaningful way. The glue holding the film together is the positive energy and genuine affability of the lead actors, particularly Brazilians Manoela, Lopes, and Montaleone. Diary also makes some insightful commentary about cross-cultural experiences. We see the US through the Brazilians' eyes -- Taila's conspiracy theories about the American imperialists undermining her country, Barbara's excitement seeing yellow school buses just like in the movies, the family who seems to subsist on bacon, and the apparent injustices of the US immigration system. Zoraia's comment that when you live abroad, you're always missing a piece of something from one or the other of your homes, is so astute. It's also refreshing to see American actors struggling to speak a language not their own, rather than the reverse, which also happens here but isn't as unusual to see on screen. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This Italian romantic drama really picks up in the second half when it stops trying so hard to be quirky and settles into a sincere love story. Out of My League seems to have borrowed a few pages out of the Amelie playbook (the 2001 French hit) -- from the eccentric protagonist with a pageboy haircut to the film's red/green/yellow palette and accordion music. The difference is that Amelie was appealing because she wanted to do good in the world, while League's Marta just wants to "do" a handsome guy. She's looking for a romantic experience before she dies, so you understand her single-mindedness, but the build-up to their first date is an awkward jumble of forced scenes. There are some funny one-liners (there's "more dignity in being rejected by someone out of my league") and a cute bit involving how she transforms her job reading daily grocery store discounts over a loudspeaker into a sexy voice performance. Marta's best friends slash housemates slash substitute parents are annoyingly available at her every whim -- don't these people have day jobs? Marta warns us at the start that this isn't like those trendy teen tearjerkers where the dying kid is perfect and popular. But, in fact, Marta is adorable. This is hit home during a montage where she auditions a variety of first date outfits. When the handsome, wealthy Arturo falls for her, it's a lot less surprising than the film wants us to believe. And when her illness inevitably comes between them, it's as heartbreaking as the film intends. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This calculated tearjerker is heavy on emotional symbolism but offers a showcase for its two impressive lead actors, Melissa McCarthy and Chris O'Dowd. In fact, The Starling is totally dependent on McCarthy's believability as a big box store clerk stoically marching on after tragedy, and on her and O'Dowd's ability to carry both the drama and the humor. McCarthy's deadpan delivery and knack for physical comedy are well-known, but here she's also called on to convey deep emotional trauma, anger, frustration, uncertainty, and more, often in close-up shots while driving or sitting alone at home. Perhaps best known as the perennial good guy in Bridesmaids, O'Dowd matches her: his slouchy demeanor, cheeky face, and Irish brogue are the outward signs of his droll, despairing character. He has one of the most heartrending scenes in the film, with no spoken lines, when he faces a vital choice alone in his room. Kevin Kline exudes his usual paternal pathos, though it comes as almost a relief when his Dr. Fine admits he doesn't have all the answers either. The film works hard not to wallow in melancholy, conspicuously weaving the heaviest scenes together back-to-back with lighter ones. Jack's therapy sessions, for example, are often followed by scenes of Lilly gardening in a helmet or arguing crazily with a bird. An apparently very serious fall off a ladder is oddly played for humor. Lilly seems to do a lot of driving in this rural setting, perhaps symbolizing the journey she's on -- and with no clear destination at first. Likewise, the symbolism is ripe as she preps a field to replant an abandoned garden. These are just some of the overly obvious choices the film makes to set the mood and explain its characters, ultimately unnecessary considering the intensity of the event at its heart. The lack of subtlety in the animal analogies is even discussed by the characters ("Real subtle, Larry," Lilly jokes). But tellingly, the birds are actually superfluous to this story of two people trying to start their lives again after unthinkable heartbreak. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Modern-day characters are plopped into a world of classic fairy tales and fantasy-horror movie images in this inventive tale that could've been better scaled back. Plot twists keep the story moving in Nightbooks, but ultimately there are so many threats to the characters' lives, so many "this is the end" moments, that you find yourself hoping for some resolution, any resolution, after about an hour. This isn't ideal for a child-centric tale: We should only root for their survival. Combined with intricately-rich set designs, especially a cool skyscraper of a personal library, and over-the-top adult baddies, the constant tension can be exhausting. Winslow Fegley and Lidya Jewett are both fantastic, and Krysten Ritter seems to be having a great time vamping in monster boots and stylish witch-wear. The script also has some creative and intelligent twists on the art of storytelling. When Natacha sighs, "writers -- so insecure" and Alex suffers writer's block or outwits his know-it-all audience of one, it can be laugh-out-loud funny. Writers will appreciate that in this world, telling stories saves lives (the film's tagline is "Write for your life"). But Nightbooks would've done well to take its own advice when Natacha suggests that every good story hints at the truth -- the more truth, the more powerful the story. When Alex finally confronts the sadness and pain that brought him to this haunted house, his grade school drama feels almost too pedestrian for the rest of the fantastical tale. His captivity has such clear lessons for him in the "real world" that it would've made more sense in the resolution if he had just dreamt the whole thing, underscoring both his inventiveness and the social-emotional growth he needed. Instead, the film could feel a bit too creepy for some viewers with its depictions of child abductions, psychological trauma, and torture. Some of the violence is also too graphic for a children's film, even while other effects -- long shadows, conspicuous lightning, candy-colored vomit, the rudimentary films-within-the-film that bring Alex's stories to life -- are deliberately more spoof than spook. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

There's really nothing quite like the experience of choosing whether Bear Grylls should eat a cockroach or a millipede off a tunnel floor. In You vs. Wild: Out Cold, one makes him vomit and the other seems to sit just fine. This is just one of many perils Grylls faces in this latest adventure. As always, the survivalist makes for a compelling watch because he seems invincible and undaunted by any challenge. This film feels a little faster-paced than others, with decisions popping up so frequently that when you want to go back and try different options, you have to follow a whole trail of previous decisions. This could prove fun for very young viewers, offering them much more than the listed 25 minutes of screen time, but it's also a little frustrating if you're just curious to see where an alternative choice would take you. No worry, though, because the journey is all the fun. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This complex and sensitive portrayal of the quagmire around a government fund to compensate victims of 9/11 is bolstered by excellent casting and a measured pace. Like those tasked with disbursing the fund, Worth asks the impossible question of what an individual life is worth. But, as fund "Special Master" Ken Feinberg tells his law class at Georgetown, it's a legal question, not a philosophical one. That's where Keaton's Feinberg goes wrong -- in trying to treat the "claimants" (family members who lost loved ones in 9/11) -- objectively, as numbers in a formula. Keaton does a stellar job showing Feinberg evolve from overly-confident DC insider to compassionate, humbled crusader, and he's surrounded by an excellent supporting cast who also go through their own individual transformations over the course of the film. This is in addition to the casting of a dozen or so wholly credible "claimants" who give at turns tearful, at turns angry monologues almost directly to the camera about the loved ones they've lost. In an interesting choice, the faces of a couple of characters who go on to die in 9/11 are purposefully not shown, underscoring that the focus here is on the aftermath. This true story-inspired tale isn't an easy one to tell or to relive. It could even prove too difficult to watch for some families of 9/11 victims. Director Sara Colangelo (The Kindergarten Teacher) frequently plays scenes off each other, a technique at times overly obvious but still effective. For example, in one matched pair, Keaton's character is fending off lawyerly "wolves" seeking more money for their wealthy clients while his partner is in a room with a group of politely appreciative Spanish-speaking families of victims. The film recreates the emotion of those days, the way it felt the whole world was glued, speechless, to their television sets. Still, the film's power lies not in graphic images, though there are a few. Rather, the quiet force of Worth lies in its rendering of the suffering of every single person involved, except notably some politicians and DC power brokers. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

First love, especially an impossible one, always makes for compelling material, as do the contrasts this film's urban European setting allows for. From the opening scenes of Swedish drama JJ+E, we see the socioeconomic gap the film works to emphasize at every turn. A young blonde woman floats in her family's infinity pool high above the bay as a brown-skinned, floppy-haired teenager cruises graffiti-speckled city streets with his tough-looking buddies before leaping off a concrete wall into the other side of the bay. While these somewhat clichéd portrayals could have felt empty, the young actors -- particularly Mustapha Aarab as John-John and Jonay Pineda Skallak as his dodgy friend Sluggo -- bring soul and energy to them. Elsa Ohrn's Elisabeth feels more distant, which matches her character's background and grieving process, but makes her harder to warm to. The film builds as a typical, somewhat predictable teen romance until Sluggo's violent life encroaches on the couple's future. This was to be expected, as John-John's home life and friend group are given a lot more prominence than Elisabeth's throughout the movie. His diverse gang from the projects is depicted as rough-edged but loyal and tight-knit, and there's tension in seeing John-John perpetually teeter the line between good student and criminal. A night on the town with the group lets the camera see the two sides of Stockholm through their very different inhabitants' eyes. It's clear the romance was doomed on its own, especially considering Elisabeth's world's shallow dismissal of John-John, so the film's overly violent ending wasn't entirely necessary. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

As far as concert movies go, Billie Eilish has put together a very pleasant hour with enviable accompaniment by the LA Philharmonic and others. Despite the title, Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles is more focused on the music of Eilish's new album with her brother-producer Finneas than her home city. They are staged by directors Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Osborne in an empty Hollywood Bowl arena set to moody red, blue, or gold-tinged lighting and featuring backup from the iconic LA Philharmonic and the LA Children's Chorus, as well as Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo on a bossa nova-inspired piece. Still, the focus is pretty much solely on Eilish, and fans will surely enjoy parsing her lyrics for biographical details and references. It's also a curious juxtaposition to have an orchestra and a children's choir accompany an album filled with so much personal angst. Between tracks, an animated version of the singer drives around LA in her silver convertible. Her movements loosely parallel the stories narrated in the album's lyrics and the musician's intros and outros to each performance. For example, animated Billie floats up to a cloud and sprouts wings on track 6, "Goldwing." She sees billboards of herself and faces paparazzi as she walks a red carpet, echoing songs about living constantly on display and being judged. The animations feel superfluous, but they're pretty minimal. Their most interesting use is as a sexy silhouette backlit by flashing, tunnel-like graphics on track 9 as Eilish croons about public scrutiny of her physique. Oddly, the animated character seems employed at times to convey emotion, but this wasn't really necessary considering Eilish's self explanatory lyrics and natural allure as a performer. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

One thing's for sure: this remake of the 1999 hit She's All That pays the earlier film a great compliment in relying quite so heavily on its formula. In ways large and small, He's All That works as a clear-cut updating of the original. Key plot points and characters are only slightly adjusted here, with the biggest changes being the gender-swapped makeover and a new social media world that didn't yet exist at the turn of the millennium. Fans will enjoy the self parodying cameos, especially an amusing Mathew Lillard as the sarcastic high school principal and Kourtney Kardashian as an insincere brand manager. Lillard steals what little screen time he has, managing to whip out some of his dance moves from the original and deliver a couple of chuckle-worthy lines. She's All That star Rachel Leigh Cook's presence is much more subdued by comparison. The film is trimmed to a tight 88 minutes and moves quickly, maybe even too fast to create much rapport between the leads. The camera certainly loves Addison Rae, an influencer playing to type here, and she comes across as genuine enough in her acting debut. Though Tanner Buchanan delivers his lines more credibly, she's the film's big draw. The cast is conspicuously more diverse than the original, including race and body size, which is a welcome addition to an otherwise predictable tale. Also new here: the extreme wealth of some of the high schoolers and their constant use of social media. The new "opting out" is protecting one's privacy or not having a smart phone, and the film critiques the superficiality of lives lived online, valued by image and followers, while "real life" passes by. The critique is gentle and pretty superficial itself, but it's a positive one for the film's target audience. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This supernatural dramedy is predictable, but its two charismatic stars keep it from suffering as clumsy a death as its main character. Part of the problem is that the central idea of Afterlife of the Party is quite sad -- a 25-year-old dead by accident in the prime of her life -- yet the film does everything it can in its first half to play this as straight comedy. (Even Netflix's marketing of the film refers to her death as a "party foul.") Things noticeably improve in the second half as the script delves into what Cassie is leaving behind and allows its characters to actually feel something, but the disconnect in tone is noticeable. Victoria Justice and Midori Francis do a great job embodying best friends with contrasting personalities, even though they're straddled with fairly two-dimensional profiles. Cassie is also perpetually squeezed into glamorous, skin-tight outfits matched with perfect hair and make-up. When Lisa complains that Cassie is hanging out with people who "look filtered 24-7," it feels unintentionally ironic to the casting and styling of the stunning Justice, a former Nickelodeon star. Too bad the filmmakers didn't trust her to shoulder a less encumbered performance. She suggests here that she'd do a great job at it. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.