King Richard: The emphasis seemed more on the benefits of just being a Guy Who Is Correct over one who is committed to family or success or anything, but Will Smith’s performance really is great. ****
Passing: Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga co-star in this black-and-white film set in 20s where Thompson runs into an old friend who has been “passing” as a white woman. She’s married to a white man too, and he happens to be pretty racist. The setup is interesting, the runtime efficient (98-minutes!), and the big moments stick. Excellent. ****1/4
Worth: This is a solid if not paint-by-numbers true story about the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, though the highlight is Michael Keaton who’s been a little quiet since that resurgence almost a decade ago but is still so so so good. ****
Tick, Tick… Boom!: Before Spider-Man teleported Andrew Garfield back into America’s heart, this Netflix movie should have done it. The writer of Rent lived a fascinating life that is impressively weaved together by director Lin-Manuel Miranda, both of which allow Garfield to grab the material and freaking shine. ****1/4
The Harder They Fall: A Western starring a mostly Black cast that generally kept to being pretty awesome, though it leaned a little comic book-ey – sometimes for good (visceral action and general humor) and sometimes for bad (a little silly and a little long). The cast is too loaded for this to be anything less than great though: Jonathan Majors, Regina King, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Delroy Lindo, Damon Wayans Jr., Deon Cole… just to name a few. ****
