Films: September 6 - 12

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Eiffel (2021) 
Suspect (1987) 
Source Code (2011) 
Switching Channels (1988) 
Pale Rider (1985) 
G.I. Jane (1997) ///

The Matrix Resurrections (2021) Polished production results in efficiently tooled action and suitably catching vfx, as games guru Keanu Reeves grasps red pill truth and proves love for reluctant Carrie-Anne Moss is more powerful than manipulative code. Spiky Jessica Henwick provides spark, yet narrative innovation is lacking.

Eiffel (2021) Attractively designed and persuasively scaled when pursuing the ambitious engineering dreams of erecting the Parisienne landmark, focus on driven Romain Duris' frustrated love for assured Emma Mackey is less compelling. Fictitious melodrama never grips despite appealing performers.

Suspect (1987) Legal thriller keeps plot mechanics tight as weary public defender Cher comes to believe in homeless, deaf Liam Neeson's innocence of murder, while smooth DC lobbyist Dennis Quaid helps uncover judicial corruption.  Polished characters and courtroom drama, despite unlikely twists.

Source Code (2011) Keeping a sure momentum, storytellers find compelling balance between personal confusion of army captain Jake Gyllenhaal, stuck in repeating time loop to discover bomber on train, and kinetic ticking-clock thriller. Enjoyably tangled and satisfyingly resolved, with solid support from Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan.

Switching Channels (1988) Enjoyably trivial updating of The Front Page via His Girl Friday, as seasoned reporter Kathleen Turner spars with manipulative boss Burt Reynolds at a cable news channel. A good number of gags deliver, pace is kept brisk, without making a lasting impression.

Pale Rider (1985) Told with elegant simplicity and spare physicality, classic Western narrative is elevated with mythic weight, as sharp Clint Eastwood rides down from the mountains to help Carrie Snodgress and locals against brutal mining boss. Evocative drama delivers suitably violent and cathartic resolve.

G.I. Jane (1997) Demi Moore's committed physicality provides suitable grit to political games of first woman pushing to become Navy SEAL. Training regime is visualized with punishing intensity, until plot unravels with increasingly glossy military theatrics and undefined characters.