Films: February 12 - 18

I Want You Back (2023) 
It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Moment To Moment (1966) 

Five Graves To Cairo (1943) 

The Spirit Of St. Louis (1957) 

Upgraded (2024)

Mr. Nobody (2009) ///

I Want You Back (2022) Hook of dumped strangers bonding over ruining exes new relationships provides fertile comic situations for edgily desperate Jenny Slate and Charlie Day, even if narrative wrinkles don't match romantic third act aspirations. Fluidly made with inviting cast.

Moment To Moment (1966) Ripe melodrama tempts bored Jean Seberg into affair with Naval officer Sean Garrison on sunny French Rivera locations. Glossily enjoyable, lush Henry Mancini entices as murder, amnesia, suspicious police and boozy Honor Blackman spin narrative wheels beyond logic.

It Came From Outer Space (1953) Desert meteor crash is revealed as alien spaceship to curious Richard Carlson, though nobody will believe even when locals mysteriously change personality. Light tension is sustained with economic visuals, bright pacing and intriguing development.

Five Graves To Cairo (1943) Crafty, witty war suspenser as British corporal Franchot Tone crawls to remote Egyptian hotel where imperious Erich von Stroheim's Rommel plans victory. Cynical Anne Baxter provides dramatic heart as danger swirls along with strong visuals and Miklós Rózsa's devious score.

The Spirit Of St. Louis (1957) Alluringly rendered visuals and powerful Franz Waxman score complement typically endearing James Stewart as a whimsical, determined Lindbergh on first solo Atlantic flight. Never quite achieves needed tension and climactic triumph despite persuasive detail. 

Upgraded (2024) Breezy comedy focuses on last chance for ambitious Camila Mendes to fulfill career in rarefied pretension and ruthlessness of art world. Supporting cast provides spark, though romantic confusion with wealthy Archie Renaux remains less certain amid bland London locations.

Mr. Nobody (2009) Styled with elegant visuals and paced with assured control, a dizzying reflection on life's choices sees dying Jared Leto remember / imagine his vital relationships, romantic and family. Committed performances alive to humour and loss, yet fragmentary concepts miss a beating heart.