Emma Roberts dreams of blasting into space in her new film “Space Cadet”, a harmless yet ludicrous comedy written and directed by Liz W. Garcia. It’s a movie that (I think) wants to promote female empowerment and it has a hearty message about second chances when it comes to pursuing your dreams. But it’s hard to take those things seriously when the film makes suspending your disbelief this difficult.

“Space Cadet” feels like a movie that did the bare minimum when it came time to research our space program. Yes, it throws in some proper terminology and portions were shot at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. But it’s all so silly and far-fetched, especially its depiction of NASA. I get that it’s just a movie and realism probably wasn’t a priority. But you can’t help but wonder what country would support such an inept space program? Suffice it to say NASA won’t be using “Space Cadet” in any of its recruitment drives.

Among the film’s few bright spots is Roberts who does her very best with what she’s given. She plays Tiffany “Rex” Simpson, a flighty Florida party girl who once had big dreams of becoming an astronaut. These days she works as a beachside bartender and saves manatees in her spare time. She lives with her father Calvin (Sam Robards) who leads ghost hunting tours and still struggles with the loss of her mother who died ten years earlier. Oh, and she has an eccentric best friend Nadine (Poppy Liu) because these movies always have an eccentric best friend who exists solely for comic relief.

After a rather out-of-the-blue epiphany, Rex decides she wants to be an astronaut again. So she fills out an application to the NASA Training Program (as if that’s all it takes to be an astronaut). Nadine gets ahold of the application and secretly spruces it up a bit, wildly embellishing Rex’s achievements and qualifications. And wouldn’t you know it, this comically incompetent NASA chooses Rex to be a part of their exclusive program (so I guess that is all it takes to be an astronaut in this world).

Rex travels to Johnson Space Center in Houston where she joins the supposedly elite group of trainees chosen to compete for jobs at NASA. The handful of finalists will take part in a mission to the International Space Station. Of course the bubbly and buoyant Rex sticks out like a sore thumb among all of the legit serious-minded geniuses. But she quickly begins to win everyone over including her superiors. Among them is the hunky but incredibly dense Logan O’Leary (Tom Hopper). He’s the Deputy Director of Operations and an astronaut, but he’s mainly there to serve as Rex’s eventual love interest.

It may surprise you, but all of that is the movie at its most realistic. Things only get more preposterous from there. So much so that it’s impossible to look past the absurdity no matter how hard you try. As a result, not only does the story suffer but the characters do as well. They’re all so thinly written and as unconvincing as the silly tale they’re handcuffed to. It’s unfortunate, especially when you see Roberts giving it her all. To her credit, she makes the movie endurable. But as with any actor, she can only do so much with bad material. “Space Cadets” is streaming now on Prime Video.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, it’s a bit amusing to have a third installment in a film franchise that’s titled “Chapter 1”. Yet here we are with “The Strangers: Chapter 1”, a prequel to the 2008 original film that was written and directed by Bryan Bertino. I really enjoyed the first Strangers movie for a number of reasons. It was a simple and straightforward psychological horror film yet soaked in atmosphere and tension. It was genuinely frightening and earned its status as a cult favorite. There was a sequel, 2018’s “Strangers: Prey at Night”, but that one is better left forgotten.

“The Strangers: Chapter 1” is set to be the first in a trilogy of films, all of which were shot together over a three-month stretch in late 2022. All three are directed by Renny Harlin who’s perhaps best known for helming the early 1990s action hits “Die Hard 2” and “Cliffhanger”. And all three are written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland working from a story by Bryan Bertino. It’s meant to be a relaunch of sorts, but it’s hard to say how much excitement it’ll generate. Especially considering how this one turned out.

“Chapter 1″ pulls much of its inspiration from the 2008 original. In fact too much. You could say it’s a carbon copy but minus the thick tension and steady sense of dread. But the film’s biggest problem is that it’s barely half of a movie stretched out to feature length. There’s about 30 minutes of material which means we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels and going nowhere. It’s made worse by a flat “To be continued” ending that does nothing to entice us with what’s to come.

To its credit, the movie does a decent job setting up a story that takes place “somewhere in Oregon”. Lovebirds Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) are on a three-day cross-country roadtrip from New York to Portland where Maya is set for a big job interview. While passing through the tiny town of Venus, the couple stops at a diner to get some food. They’re greeted by your garden-variety backwoods locals – weird and a little creepy (as they’re often depicted in the movies).

As bad luck would have it, Ryan and Maya find themselves stranded after their car won’t start and the mechanic can’t get the part he needs until the next day. They’re able to find a rustic Airbnb deep in the woods just outside of town where they settle in for a quiet romantic night. That is until three masked psychos begin terrorizing them – first with annoying yet seemingly harmless harassment. But once they break out the axes and butcher knives things get much more serious.

Much like the 2008 film, the setup is pretty simple. But where “Chapter 1” flounders is in its lack of scares and in its inability to create and sustain suspense. Outside of a few lazy jump-scares, Harlin relies on a steady diet of frightened closeups and the psychos roaming around the house knocking on doors, peering through windows, and standing in the shadows. There are a couple of scenes of action but not nearly enough of it.

Meanwhile Ryan and Maya prove they’re not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Some of their choices will have you shaking your head and shouting at the screen. This is especially true later in the movie where you won’t find a hint of good judgement. Yes I know this isn’t unusual for the horror genre. But here it felt especially maddening.

But that seems like a small gripe when compared to the more glaring issues. Namely that “Chapter 1” is just a stripped down version of 2008’s “The Strangers” that feels like a 30-minute pilot episode drawn out to feature length. We spend most of our time waiting for something to happen…anything. And when it finally does, the payoff isn’t worth the wait. Even worse, it struggles mightily to muster up any anticipation for the movies to come. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is out now exclusively in theaters.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

The bluntly titled “Something in the Water” hearkens back to those good old days of perusing the horror section of my local mom-and-pop video store, carefully examining the VHS boxes of movies I’d never heard of, in search of some fun late-night entertainment. For better or worse, “Something in the Water” plays a lot like some of those weekend rentals that teenage me would pick out and watch.

First-time feature film director Hayley Easton Street takes the reins for what is essentially another shark thriller. Most of these movies follow a similar path – something goes wrong while out at sea and our unfortunate protagonists find themselves fighting for their lives against man-eating sharks. “Something in the Water” is no different. To her credit, Street does try to cook up some side drama. But the one-dimensional characters and their lightweight relationships don’t give us much to cling to.

It all takes place in the Caribbean where five friends gather at a swanky beachside resort for a weekend wedding. Meg (Hiftu Quasem) arrives and joins the hyperactive Cam (Nicole Rieko Setsuko), the thoughtful Ruth (Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart), and her former partner Kayla (Natalie Mitson) to party with their buddy and bride Lizzie (Lauren Lyle). The movie tries to give them each their own personality but there’s nothing that makes them stand out. The only real sense of drama involves Meg and Kayla who haven’t spoken since a traumatizing event split them apart one year earlier.

One afternoon Cam rents a rust-bucket boat and whisks the ladies away to a remote island well off the mainland. But what’s meant to be a fun and leisurely day on the beach quickly goes south after a shark bites a chunk out of Ruth’s leg while she’s playing in the water. Unable to stop the bleeding, the girls load their friend into the boat. But in their panicked rush back to the mainland, their boat strikes a reef gashing a hole in the bottom. And just like that the five friends are stranded in the middle of the ocean. And as you can probably guess, it doesn’t take long for that pesky shark to reappear.

It all makes for a harrowing scenario and Street squeezes out some pretty good tension, at least early on. But as it moves forward the film has trouble sustaining any real sense of terror or suspense. And it quickly begins to run out of gas despite clocking in at under 90 minutes. There are a couple of good character moments that earn the emotions they’re going for. But outside of that the movie sputters on its way to a silly ending that it could have done without.

“Something in the Water” is a competently directed first feature for Street who does her best with a thin story and fairly modest budget. The setting is beautifully shot and the performances are solid enough. But the story (written by Cat Clarke) doesn’t have the dramatic heft, suspense, or self-awareness to make it into any of the several movies it could have been. It’s moderately entertaining but falls victim to its generic characters, rather routine storyline, and a lack of energy to push it across the finish line.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

Dave Filoni wears many hats within the wonderful world of Star Wars. He’s a director, screenwriter, producer, and showrunner. He’s also an Executive Vice President at Lucasfilm and just last year was promoted to Chief Creative Officer. A former understudy of sorts of the legendary George Lucas, Filoni has his hand in nearly every Star Wars project from the many television series to his own upcoming feature film.

Filoni made a name for himself at LucasFilm in animation, overseeing the terrific shows “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: Rebels”. Even with his promotions, Filoni hasn’t left that first-love as evident by “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” which is currently wrapping up its final season. But there’s also his “Star Wars: Tales” – an anthology series consisting of six animated short films focused on different characters in the Star Wars universe. The terrific “Tales of the Jedi” released in 2022. Now we get “Tales of the Empire”, an equally satisfying experience custom-made for the Star Wars faithful.

“Tales of the Empire” hones in on two specific characters, Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee. As we’ve come to expect from Filoni and LucasFilm, the animation is outstanding and the voice work is impeccable. Fans will recognize countless connections to various people, places, and events across the Star Wars timeline yet the shorts are more than simple fan service. Filoni always looks for the humanity in his characters and it’s no different here.

The first three shorts focus on Morgan Elsbeth who first appeared in the second season of “The Mandalorian” and had a significant role the Ahsoka series. Morgan was a Force-sensitive Nightsister from the planet Dathomir. She become a devoted follower of Grand Admiral Thrawn and would serve as an oppressive Imperial Magistrate on the planet Corvus. “Tales” makes three life-altering early stops on her timeline, adding some captivating depth to this fascinating character. The great Diana Lee Inosanto is back to voice Elsbeth.

The final three shorts do the same with Barriss Offee who is voiced by the returning Meredith Salenger. Barriss was a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars and developed a close friendship with Ahsoka Tano. But Barriss grew disillusioned with the Jedi and turned to the dark side of the Force, going as far as bombing the Jedi Temple and letting Ahsoka take the fall. “Tales” adds some interesting complexity to her story, tapping into some of the conflict that drove her to follow the various paths she did.

Unlike the other Star Wars animated projects, the “Tales of the Empire” seasons are very much anthologies. The shorts may be connected by their focus on certain characters, but there’s nothing resembling a flowing episodic narrative. That may sound obvious since it’s baked into the very definition of an anthology. But I remember reading those very criticisms about its predecessor. So knowing what the show is obviously helps.

Also, it’s worth stressing again that “Tales of the Empire” is for fans first and foremost. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But newcomers should know that this isn’t where you want to begin your Star Wars journey. All six shorts demand some knowledge about the characters and their story arcs. Without it you can still admire the exquisite animation which employs the same art style as “The Clone Wars” and “The Bad Batch”. But the series is made with the intent of adding to what we already know about these characters, filling in and expanding upon what we’ve already seen. As a Star Wars diehard, I loved it. Those not well versed may struggle.

Each short runs approximately 15 minutes long and are written exceptionally well. The lone exception is the final episode which doesn’t wrap things up as strongly as possible. Still, for Star Wars fans there are so many nuggets to chew on and savor. Filoni knows how to handle his characters and his team of directors and animators vividly bring these short stories to the screen. I’m not sure where the “Tales” series goes next, but the quality of what we’ve been given so far makes me hungry for more. “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” premieres May 4th exclusively on Disney+.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Based on Romanian author E.O. Chirovici’s 2017 crime novel “The Book of Mirrors”, the new film “Sleeping Dogs” hands Oscar winner Russell Crowe a meaty and surprisingly heartfelt role. He plays a retired homicide detective who is drawn back into a long unsolved murder case after undergoing a radical experimental procedure for Alzheimer’s disease. How does a cold case and an experimental treatment connect? Well, in a kinda silly yet surprisingly poignant way.

“Sleeping Dogs” marks the feature length directorial debut for Adam Cooper who works from a screenplay he co-wrote with Bill Collage. Their story takes on several different appearances. At times it resembles a somewhat gritty crime thriller. Other times it plays as a moving character drama. But at it’s core lies all the elements of a classic whodunit. Maybe not the most well-oiled whodunit you’ll watch. But a compelling one made all the better thanks to its veteran lead actor.

While perhaps no longer in the heyday of what has been a marvelous 35-year career, Russell Crowe is still finding an array of form-fitting roles. Such is the case with “Sleeping Dogs” where he plays Roy Freeman, a former detective suffering from severe dementia. Roy’s condition has progressed to the point where he can no longer remember anything about his career or family. His house is lined with strips of tape inked with information that covers everything from his name to how to heat up a TV dinner.

Roy recently underwent an experimental procedure focused on synaptic regeneration. The hope is that over time it will reverse his condition and reclaim his memories. As part of his mental exercises his doctor instructs him to stimulate his brain. And what better way than through books, jigsaw puzzles, and maybe even a real-life murder mystery.

One day Roy is visited by an advocate for Isaac Samuel (Pacharo Mzembe), a prison inmate who’s on death row for the brutal murder of a college professor named Joseph Wieder (Marton Csokas). With his execution date fast approaching, Isaac requests to speak to Roy who was one of the interrogating officers on the night of his arrest. We learn that Isaac was pressured into signing a confession but has since vehemently professed his innocence. He sees Roy as his last chance to prove it. The problem is Roy remembers nothing about the case.

From there Cooper takes an unexpected diversion. After a person of interest named Richard Finn (Harry Greenwood) winds up dead, we get a lengthy flashback revealing his connection to Professor Wieder. Through it we’re also introduced to Finn’s love interest and Wieder’s research partner, Laura Baines (Karen Gillan) as well as the professor’s ever observant handyman, Wayne Devereaux (Thomas M. Wright). Like every good whodunnit, all fit nicely onto the list of suspects, each with their own possible motives.

Meanwhile Roy begins digging deeper into the case which leads him to reconnect with his old partner Jimmy (Tommy Flanagan in a “Gladiator” reunion with Crowe). Jimmy clearly wants Roy to let sleeping dogs lie which immediately adds him to our growing pool of suspects. From there the mystery intensifies as Roy’s treatment shows signs of working and certain memories start rushing back.

The story takes Roy on quite the journey – one marked by uncertainty, sadness, and inevitably violence. The revelations that come throw us several curveballs, some of which are a little far-fetched and others that hit their mark. Perhaps most effective is the ending which you begin to suspect yet that still makes for a solid payoff. And driving it all is Crowe whose well-modulated performance brims with authenticity and nuance.

While it could be tempting to be skeptical after reading its synopsis, “Sleeping Dogs” has a surprisingly smart and layered story with enough of its own identity to get through its handful of flaws. Not everything clicks firmly into place. But it’s hard to push back too much when a filmmaker has you as invested as I was. “Sleeping Dogs” is out now in select theaters.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

There are a plethora of things that fascinate me about the movies. Among them is the way our impressions of a particular movie can change so dramatically over a fairly long period of time. Such is the case with “The Sting”, a beloved Tinsel Town caper which last year turned 50 years-old.

Rarely has my opinion of a film changed after a rewatch quite like it has with “The Sting”. For clarity, it’s not that I ever openly disliked the movie. It just never left much of an impression. In fact my apathy towards it was such that I had no real urge to revisit it in the thirty or so years since my first viewing. Boy what a difference a few decades can make.

Recently I sat down to rewatch and reevaluate “The Sting” and to my surprise it felt like a different experience altogether. For reasons I still can’t quite put my finger on, the movie clicked with me in ways I wasn’t expecting. The stylish Saturday Evening Post inspired title cards by artist Jaroslav “Jerry” Gebr. Its use of Scott Joplin’s iconic ragtime piano tune “The Entertainer”. George Roy Hill’s steller direction and David Ward’s snappy screenplay. The award winning production design and costumes. And of course the cool and charismatic duo of Paul Newman and Robert Redford. This time they all came together like it didn’t before.

Releasing on Christmas Day in 1973, “The Sting” was a smash-hit at the box office earning $160 million against a $5.5 million budget (quite the contrast from today’s model). It was also a hit with critics and at the 46th Academy Awards. The film earned a total of ten Oscar nominations, winning seven including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It even spawned a sequel (of sorts) some ten years later that starred Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, and Teri Garr. Most people (wisely) choose not to talk about it.

Coming into “The Sting”, George Roy Hill was just a couple of years removed from directing Newman and Redford in the highly acclaimed “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. The three reunite in another period film, this one taking place in 1936. It was a time when big cities were full of gangsters and hustlers; dirty cops and dirtier politicians; speakeasies and underground gambling halls. It’s an era Hill has a ton of fun exploring.

Redford plays Johnny Hooker, a good-looking but reckless grifter from Joliet, Illinois who gets himself in a bind after he and his hustling partner Luther (Robert Earl Jones) swindle $11,000 in cash from a poor sap. The problem is, that ‘poor sap’ is actually a numbers runner for a powerful mob boss named Doyle Lonnegan (a fantastic Robert Shaw).

Hooker is approached by William Snyder (Charles Durning), a crooked police detective on Lonnegan’s payroll, who demands he pay back what he stole. Hooker pays him off in counterfeit bills which understandably provokes the ire of Lonnegan even more. His goons kill Luther which sends Hooker fleeing to Chicago.

After arriving in Chicago Hooker seeks out Henry Gondorff (Newman). Gondorff was an old friend of Luther’s and a big-time conman. But lately he’s been laying low, trying to avoid the pesky FBI. Hooker tells Gondorff about Luther’s murder and persuades him to help pull “the big con” on Lonnegan.

Gondorff puts together a crack team of hustlers played by a terrific collection of actors including Ray Walston, Harold Gould, and James Sloyan. But pulling one over on a tough guy like Lonnegan proves to have its challenges and consequences.

“The Sting” plays a lot differently than many of the gangster pictures of its time and ours. There’s a playful allure that permeates much of the film and it has a cool retro style that calls back to the classic mob movies of Raoul Walsh and Lloyd Bacon. But it also has a touch of 1970s grit which helps sets it apart.

Things do get a bit far-fetched in the third act, but it’s hard not to be hooked by the quirky mix of old-fashioned playfulness and gritty violence. That’s a big part of what gives the movie its unusual charm. And to George Hill’s credit, it might be a bigger sleight-of-hand than anything we actually see on screen.

VERDICT – 4 STARS