Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Only rabid fanboys can keep these myriad stories and timelines straight. As a casual fan of Star Wars, I couldn’t help wondering about characters’s motives and decision-making. The actions of everyone on screen either didn’t add up or walked a very clichéd line. Any single episode of The Mandalorian is more entertaining than this film.

Rating: C-

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

A really long space chase filled with lasers and droids. I appreciated the few bits of humor they sprinkled in to give me a reprieve from all the “Who’s that again?”, “How do they know each other?”, and “How come Leia didn’t freeze in space and explode into a bazillion pieces?” It was a typical Star Wars flick, and at 2 ½ hours long, it was challenging to get through.

Rating: C-

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Like most other Star Wars films, it was packed with coincidence, improbability, and lasers. Cheap thrills over content. The new droid was cute. Light speed was attained. One Storm Trooper was redeemed. The rest got massacred. Sabers were crossed.

Rating: C

Midnight Special (2016)

Interesting premise. It takes a while before you know what’s going on. Things unfold slowly. It’s never clear why the ladies are dressed like polygamists. But anyway, you’ll spend the entire film waiting for a big payoff at the end. Something happens, but it wasn’t enough to justify all the buildup.

Rating: C

Frances Ha (2012)

Black & white, arty, meandering, plot-less. Occasional witty dialogue helped, but not much.

Rating: D+