Romancing the Stone - 3/5

This movie is a parody of its own genre, trying at once to make fun of and be an adventure clone in the vein of Indiana Jones. And for that it largely succeeds, though many of the jokes fell flat for me and there’s too much mundanity to really make it an enduring classic. The lead actors fail to exude the confident charisma needed for the genre, with generally average performances that should have been stellar.

Content warning: Brief female nudity

Closest comparison: It’s like Galaxy Quest by way of Indiana Jones

Setting: Exotic Adventure
Plot: Adventure Parody
Tone: Action Adventure

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) - 3/5

This is a solid sequel with great locations and action setpieces in the same vein as its 2017 predecessor. Because of the nature of these films there’s an aspect of the acting that amounts to the actors doing impressions of each other, hamming it up as they go, and that is much more varied in this film. The main characters are doing impressions of multiple people throughout the runtime and it’s fun and funny to watch. The action / adventure part gets predictable and unrealistic in several places, but here it’s funny instead of irritating because of the video game premise. It’s not as good as the previous installment, but still a lot of fun.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Saint (1997) by way of Indiana Jones.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Action Adventure
Tone: Adventure Comedy

Dumbo (2019) - 2/5

This movie has some fatal character problems. While Colin Farrell is excellent and Danny DeVito steals every scene he’s in, the young girl (Nico Parker) shows the personality of a plank of wood. The villain only does villainous acts when the plot calls for it, and it’s never consistent for his character. Telling the most powerful person in the movie who has always treated his employees well until today that he has never had any power is weak and trite, and is emblematic of the scene-centric approach to this film that ignores character development. Of course the CGI elephant is good and the costuming is great, but movies live and die on plot and character.

Closest comparison: Just another in a line of poorly-conceived Disney live-action remakes.

Setting: Musical
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Drama

Heist (2001) - 4/5

David Mamet movies all seem to have the same feel to them, and Heist is no exception. His dialogue may strike some viewers as stilted, but its careful construction is also one of the main draws of his films. The twisting, turning plot keeps the audience on its toes, and eagle-eyed viewers are rewarded with subtle callbacks and motivational explanations again and again. It’s a smart setup but even casual moviegoers will be able to enjoy the clever heists without some of the more nuanced aspects of the plot.

Closest comparison: Any other heist movie, by way of David Mamet.

Setting: Crime
Plot: Heist
Tone: Drama/Thriller