The Opening Act: The movie about a rising comedy guy has been done too much but like most of them this has enough comedy people to be pretty endlessly watchable. ***
The Dig: Yes, I will watch a British drama about archeology. Carey Mulligan is a lady who’s sick and might have major treasures in her backyard, while Ralph Fiennes is the caring fellow she hires. Sparks don’t really fly, but an interesting story gets told. ***1/4
Judas and the Black Messiah: This has some of the best acting performances of the year and maybe the most powerful ending of the year, period. Fred Hampton was the guy. They shot him at 21. ****1/2
The U.S. v. Billie Holiday: This hits too many beats of the generic music biopic (and the generic 1940’s racists movie) to completely recommend, but Andra Day gets it done as Holiday and makes this worth it. ***1/2
I’m Your Woman: And here I thought I was about to watch Midge Maisel be a mom who kicks ass in an action movie. It’s not exactly that, more an old school thriller with the action going on around her. Well-made, well-acted, and it scratches a kind of 1970’s itch. ***1/4
