What makes a spy thriller spectacular and engrossing is a stellar cast that can take action to new heights, and a unique and interesting premise. The Gray Man has both of those elements.

With Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry, Ana De Armas as Court’s old friend and assistant Dani Miranda, Chris Evans as Lloyd Hansen, and Billy Bob Thornton as Donald Fitzroy, The Gray Man has the brilliant minds it needs for a thrilling adventure with unexpected surprises. And its plot makes it one of the most immersive action films from Netflix that I have seen in a long while.

The plot of The Gray Man is that Gentry, whose CIA code name is Sierra Six or just “Six”, is a free lance spy and assassin who has spent most of his life in prison. Gentry is hired by Fitzroy to be a hired gun and a guard, and Fitzroy also enlists Hansen for a bounty hunt mission. Despite his past, Gentry is a good guy in the film and he faces all kinds of peril as his world collides with people out to get him. Hansen, who turns out to be a bad guy, has no idea what Gentry is capable of and he doesn’t know what Court’s assistant, Miranda, is capable of either. The conflicts explode into global catastrophes in cities all over of Europe, but the only issue that matters with The Gray Man is that either Gentry or Hansen must accept defeat. Of course neither of them want that in this joy ride of fun and explosions.

There is a point in the film where Gentry, explaining how he got the code name Six, says, “007 was taken.” I say that The Gray Man takes the spy thriller genre beyond 007, to more and better enemies and to uncharted territory. The Gray Man is like a bread trail, a cat and mouse game, among all the characters—it can be hard to figure out who to trust. I don’t always pull for the “good guys”, but I found myself rooting for Gentry, along with Fitzroy and Dani Miranda, instead of Hansen.

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo show in The Gray Man that they know how to put together an entertaining puzzle of catastrophe. The film goes full throttle from the start, and the surprises keep coming. The constant blindsiding with the characters will blow the audiences’ minds, and the fun grows with each twist and turn. The Gray Man is from Netflix and it will go to that platform after its theater run. Both formats will be fun, but I recommend the big screen experience. Four stars for The Gray Man. 

Patton Oswalt is an actor with a fun sense of humor and a loving attitude. In his newest feature I Love My Dad, he delivers the performance of being a risktaker. Not one for bad terms, but one for reconnection. I Love My Dad is a dark comedy that is clever with its deceit methods. The film itself though displays positive vibes between its characters despite the risks of Oswalt’s character. I found I Love My Dad to be inspiring. The estrangement concept of the film is a reminder of why it is important to remain close to the ones we love, even in challenging times.

The concept of estrangement in I Love My Dad is a heavy feeling for Oswalt’s character. The film is quirky, but in the lighthearted and connecting sense. The theme of mental health and disconnect between father and son is the central problem of the film. Oswalt displays the moods of being a father that is both angry and depressed by feeling shunned by his son. I found myself to have some positive laughs at the way Oswalt can display his grouchy self. Despite the hard concept of the film, Oswalt always finds a way to throw some laughs with his films or his characters.

In I Love My Dad Oswalt is Chuck. His son is Franklin, and he is played by James Morosini. Chuck and Franklin have always struggled to see eye-to-eye. Franklin has been in and out of mental health programs, and Chuck has been dismissed from Franklin’s life. That all changes though when Chuck comes across a girl at a diner. Her name is Becca, and she is played by Claudia Sulewski. Chuck realizes that with Becca being a cute girl that it can be a way to get his son’s attention. Chuck makes a fake profile with Becca’s picture on it and reaches out to his son from that fake profile which he creates. Franklin is in excitement and feels the girl of his dreams is right there waiting for him. Chuck is in excitement as well, and that is because he is communicating with his son again. He is by pretending to be Becca. Chuck may feel some bonding again, but he does not realize what kind of irreparable consequences can happen if Franklin finds out that it is his father pretending to be Becca.

The covert operation on Chuck’s end in the film has its moments of getting out of hand. There are times where Franklin makes requests in the chats to speak or see Becca, but of course as Chuck being the imposter, he declines. I Love My Dad slowly keeps entering a slippery slope of uncharted territory of emotions for both Franklin and Chuck. For Chuck though, nothing stops him from bonding with his son. That is why he keeps falling into the pattern of pretending to be Becca through the fake social media profile he created. Morosini is also the director, and he knows how to build character chemistry of tension in Oswalt’s performance and his performance as Franklin.

I Love My Dad is a loving and touching film. Despite the deceits and the harshness, it brings the bonding of father and son back. It is a film that is about giving others we love another chance. It also shows how far some go to help their children. Three and a half stars for I Love My Dad.

Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the popular book by Delia Owens. The film is directed by Olivia Newman, and I found it to be convincing in the narrative sense. The opening entails a dangerous past, and the film is a journey of discovery for a girl who had to raise herself. Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Kya, the main character. Her voice narrates the darkness of her past and makes the movie enthralling.

Where the Crawdads Sing presents itself in an out-of-focus manner and has a murder mystery vibe. The points that are unfocused link to Kya’s character as she goes through trauma and makes various errors as a child. Her character seeks the means to educate herself because she lives in a time when school was not a viable option for a girl like her. Kya is the ultimate and wonderful hero of Where the Crawdads Sing. She encounters many complex obstacles on her journey, and Jones is believable and faithful in her performance as Kya.

The plot of the film centers around Kya, a girl abandoned by her parents at a young age. She grows up in the marshes of North Carolina in the 1960s. The people in her region, Barkley Cove, refer to her as the Marsh Girl. While Kya is raising herself, she finds love in her life with two different men at two different times. They are Tate Walker and Chase Andrews (played by Taylor John Smith and Harris Dickinson). Kya finds herself as the suspect in the murder of Chase which is the worst situation in her already difficult life. Fortunately, she has an attorney who is committed to finding a way to help her. Her attorney is Tom Milton who is played by David Strathairn. Tom believes he can keep Kya out of prison, but Kya must revisit the negative moments she once had with Chase to convince the people of Barkley Cove believe that she is not Chase’s murderer. Heads begin to roll with many questions as the drama and evidence run deep.

As Kya is consumed with stress and depression, her mental state links back to where she felt connected the most. The film exploresmore challenging issues for Kya, and its audience. The moment where Kya feels most loved and appreciated are when she is being taught to read by Tate. Kya’s says in one scene, “I didn’t know words can hold so much.” Kya feels a form of connection that she never had. I truly appreciated Where the Crawdads Sing for its empathetic moments.

The invigorating aspect of this movie comes from the way it portrays the emotional power of love. Kya has a life where love is also discombobulated with abuse, infidelity, and betrayal. Kya’s suffering is not what she deserves. Where the Crawdads Sing is a tale that is faithful to its book adaptation and its cinematic audience. Watching the film is like putting a puzzle together to determine what the outcome will be for Kya. The harsh evidence against her displays the hatred and suspicion Kya has had to endure in her short life. Three stars for this solidly adapted film with many emotional obstacles that is a bit overdone at times, but fans of the book are bound to adore.