King of Thieves (2018) - 2/5

This movie was slow and boring, an especially egregious fault in a heist movie. It combines a drama about aging and recapturing spent youth with a jewel heist but doesn’t bother to blend the two genres, leaving the final product disjointed and stodgy. The impressive list of acting talent is undercut by flaccid dialogue and weak stakes. There’s no reason to waste time on this film when there are so many better alternatives for whatever you were hoping to get out of it.

Closest comparison: It’s like Going In Style (2017) by way of The Irishman.

Setting: Heist
Plot: Heist
Tone: Drama

Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017) - 3/5

When Studio Ponoc split from Studio Ghibli, it took with it the stylistic sensibilities. This looks very much like a Miyazaki film, complete with beautiful scenery and villains labeled ‘misguided’, not ‘evil’. The characters are not as likable or well-realized as their Miyazaki counterparts, though the world building is quite good. The film does end abruptly, in that the last few minutes introduce a new idea that the main character pursues without establishing it at all. Had the script been through a few more drafts it could have been a much better movie.

Closest Comparison: It’s like a mashup of Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Spirited Away, with bits of Howl’s Moving Castle.