Netflix Nourishment: 15th Edition

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MURDER MYSTERY

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston reunite as a husband and wife who go on a European trip that turns deadly. Aniston makes a solid effort, while Sandler and his mustache are just fine coasting through. The guessing game we can play at home is the only fun to be had in this weak whodunnit. What’s left from director Kyle Newacheck is a dim-witted movie with no clue on how to let the action or comedy work their magic.

I AM MOTHER

Clara Rugaard delivers a breakout performance in a smarter, more complex sci-fi movie than expected. Sure, it’s still ultimately about wiping out humanity to start over again, but there’s signs underneath of bright ideas and arresting questions concerning artificial intelligence. Making it with a maternal core at the center is very beneficial and inarguably contributes to the tension and twists from director Grant Sputore in his feature debut.

PACHAMAMA

Director Juan Antin tells a small adventurous tale of a young boy and girl, along with their pet llama and armadillo, who go on a quest to get their sacred statue back for their village. It’s more for younger audiences, but don’t discount the distinct animation style used to illustrate an educational experience about indigenous people and the invasion of cultures.

ROLLING THUNDER REVUE: A BOB DYLAN STORY BY MARTIN SCORSESE

You can almost close your eyes and simply listen to Martin Scorsese’s musical documentary about Bob Dylan’s 1975 magical tour. As this rock circus goes from town to town, it’s traveling during troubling times for America, and Dylan’s music is a comfort the country needed. Scorsese’s playfulness with the truth is admirable and quite fitting really for his subject. But the fun of being on the road with these gifted artists fizzles out. Fans of The Tamborine Man will be infatuated with it all, but for the rest of us – the show goes on for too long.

THE BLACK GODFATHER

An incredible portrait of Clarence Avant – a man behind the scenes who has done and seen it all in every aspect of entertainment. Yet, his reach goes well beyond show business, and if you knew what was good for you – you’d ask for his advice and damn well listen to it. While he’s all about the money, director Reginald Hudlin knows Avant is not just a numbers man, singing his perseverance and cunningness as a man of color making deals causing meaningful change. The power he holds allows him to pay it forward to get those he helps to see their true value.

POINT BLANK

Nothing to see here. Just a couple of MCU tough guys running around in a boneheaded chase movie. Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo form a drudging duo unable to strike up any excitement as they try to stay alive from typical criminals and corrupt cops. Director Joe Lynch tries too hard to make this a wisecracking, macho actioner – coming up seriously short in all areas that could’ve made this a tightly-wound thriller.

THE GREAT HACK

Director Karim Amer breaks open the Cambridge Analytica scandal and inside we find a bigger, more threatening issue with how our personal data is being used without our consent. The weaponization of it is alarming, yet unsurprising considering what social media has turned us into and what we’re willing to voluntarily give up without a second thought. With that said, this is still a somewhat sobering doc when it comes to propaganda and persuasion, and the need to re-evaluate human rights in this digital age.

DEAD TO ME: Season 1

Christina Applegate is superb as Jen, an acerb widow and mother who lost her husband in a recent hit-and-run. While at a support group, she starts up a knotty friendship with Judy (an excellent Linda Cardellini) as they both try to confront grief in very different ways. Categorized as a dark comedy, it’s more of a quirky drama that’s unpredictable as secrets spill in almost every of the easily watchable ten episodes.

Our two leading ladies are total opposites and that’s the initial attraction of the show. Though it doesn’t take long to get wrapped up in the mysteries of the night Jen’s husband died. Tragedy brings them together, and while trying to figure out forgiveness, they’re bound together by death.

“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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