Past Lives (2023)

Is nice.

I think I like the casting of both leads the best. But it's a slow moving pic. And major chunks of the characters' lives are omitted, which make me less invested in them. But the performances are arresting, and there are moments in the film that are just so compelling. The moment of silence between the characters at the end, felt so awkward and yet so painfully reflects their repressed feelings towards each other. IMHO, this is not for everyone. But it has lots I like (despite some bits I don't).
 

Blue Beetle (2023)

There's a scene in this that's like a comedy version of a horror flick. Like how the newly hatched alien would jump onto the nearest victim's face. Or Starro in the comics. But in this scene, it's played for laughs.  

I like that they acknowledged that this is the third Blue Beetle w/o going into the back story of who the first two were (comic fans will be delighted by the teases). I like that there are heavy chunks in which the characters speak Spanish cos' that's native to them. I love the appearance of the Bug!

The uncle character isn't too bad. It's cool that the costumes are very close to the comic versions. It's also nice to have the ties to the second Blue Beetle, but...

I didn't really dig the story, the bad guys (pretty generic) and some of the support cast (basically everyone except the uncle). 

Oppenheimer (2023)

Nice! Some poignant lines, like how when one drops a bomb, it drops on both the just and the unjust. Closes with a strong statement, IMHO.
 

Barbie (2023)

Enjoyed. Also made me cry a bit (some parts). Ending feels fluffy tho.
 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Not bad!
 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) - IMAX

My first Indy pic. For a popcorn blockbuster popcorn, I enjoyed it muchly. Great performances. Great action. 
 

Scala (2022)

Having been to the Scala, I wanted to like this.

It was mostly a loose video documentation of the Scala as it's being taken apart, with a loose voice over and some audio clips, and very little (or distant) feature of any individual(s).

At least now, I know a bit more about the staff and people who had worked at the Scala (or in the case of the director, grown up around the area), and what happens to a cinema that's being taken apart, where some of these parts are now, etc.

It's been an educational watch. I think that to get into this personal docu, the audience may need to make some effort to be engaged.