The Suicide Squad: DC Comics almost reignites their movie territory by asking James Gunn to give them another Guardians – which he almost does. The secret is to inject humor into every open there is, I think. It made for my favorite post-Nolan DC movie almost by default. ***1/2
Val: I knew Val Kilmer had cancer, but I did not know he lost most of his voice. In this documentary his son narrates for him over candid footage that Val filmed throughout his career. Occasionally Val speaks too, a stark contrast to the man on top of the world seen in clips. Really incredible piece of personal, revealing, and flat-out cool art. ****
CODA: Feel good family movie about a girl and her deaf parents. Embrace the sentimentality or don’t, the finish should still have you bawling tears of joy. ***1/2
Raya and the Last Dragon: Disney animation is as good as it gets, though the Disney formula gets less effective as I grow older. I don’t think it’s my cynicism either; this really is missing a few quirks to really work even if it mostly works. ***1/4
Cruella: Emma Stone commits to the performance but the Disney formula without Disney animation is always asking for trouble. Lots of choices, but none that came together. **1/4
