Onward: The fourth original Pixar film since 2010 somehow manages to feel more familiar than all of the sequels they've churned out over the last decade. Writer/director Pete Scanlon (Monsters University) blows a golden opportunity to build a quirky, unique world by adhering a string of loss/grief clichés to a story about two elf brothers (Tom Holland, Chris Pratt) that set off on a journey to complete a spell that will bring their deceased father back to life for one day. While the climax is sweet, everything leading up to it is so pedestrian and devoid of humor (Most of the gags surround a pair of legs running into things. Hilarious!) or emotion that a single effective scene can't possibly make up for the mediocrity it basks in the rest of the way. Onward really is nothing more than just a soulless average version of Coco, which is just flat-out disheartening for a company that's trying to return to their roots as the premiere brand in original animation.
Grade: C
The Way Back: What a comeback vehicle for Ben Affleck. Affleck's own struggles with alcoholism provides a deeply cathartic personal touch to the character of Jack Cunningham, a man whose life has been defined by tragedy and drowning the substantial pain that came from those experiences in substances who receives a job coaching the high school basketball team he once starred for that puts his life on a positive trajectory for the first time in a long time. By framing this as more of a character study surrounding Jack than an inspirational sports underdog drama, tricky themes (substance/familial abuse, divorce, unfathomable loss) are treated with humanity instead of melodramatic pageantry and Affleck gets ample room to inject emotional depth into this deeply flawed yet very relatable character. Addiction isn't an easy thing to overcome, but The Way Back demonstrates that with having the support of others and the courage to admit your problem and apologize to the people you hurt along the way, that it is possible to come back from.
Grade: B+
Spenser Confidential: At a time of global crisis where people are being told to stay inside as much as possible to help fight the spread of this virus, streaming titles are an especially valuable property. Entertainment is essential to many of us that are looking for any way to temporarily block the lengthy list of personal, economic and social horrors this pandemic has brought on. Enter Spenser Confidential: which very well could be the most conveniently-timed Netflix release of all time. Nothing says "taking your mind off of COVID-19" like a pair of ex-cons (Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke) kicking teeth in all over Boston while trying to solve the mysterious deaths of two cops. It's a remarkably silly action comedy that will undoubtedly annoy any audience that doesn't have a taste for throwback buddy movies, but the grizzled smartass rapport between Wahlberg and Duke as well as the giddily energetic direction from Peter Berg made this a wonderful piece of frantic macho escapism.
Grade: B+
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