Swan Song (2021)

Director: Benjamin Cleary. Cast: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Glenn Close, Awkwafina. 112 min. Sci-fi/Drama.

• There's been a rise in android/clone/AI movies out there (showing how artists are freaking out about the concept), but this one is somewhat different from the others: a man afflicted by a terminal illness cannot accept the prospects of abandoning his family after death, and therefore unbeknownst to them, decides for them that he be replaced by his exact clone - starting the first of the movie's many moral dilemmas.
• The moment he meets his clone, is a moment that strikes a chord. But the movie has numerous such moments: the opening sequence about the chocolate bar on the train, the manner in which Naomie Harris looks at the camera (us), the character interactions during the final scene. In every instance, I suddenly found myself lost in the moment, entirely relating to the events on screen, as though they were happening to me. I attribute this to the intelligence of first-time feature director (and screenwriter) Cleary, and the acting prowess of Mahershala Ali. 
• Watch this with a group. You'll be discussing: Would I do this? Primarily ... would I have a clone replace me, so my loved ones wouldn't suffer after me? 

MoGo's rating: 8/10

Your rating: Enter here!

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Director: Jon Watts. Cast: Stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Marisa Tomei, J.K. Simmons. 148 min. Fantasy/Adventure.

• Yes, it's another Marvel movie. But there's an element that makes this one Marvel movie extremely memorable, that cannot be spoken (or will otherwise spoil all the fun). We knew from the trailer villains from previous Spider-Man movies (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Electro, Sandman, the Lizard ... some of whom had already died) will be present in this one, but there's one plot point that brings all Spider-Man movies from the past 20 years together. And this pivotal point is not a gimmick (the way they ruined our childhood with the last Star Wars movie): it makes sense in the story, is well-orchestrated and well-executed, and plays our nostalgia buttons in an expert fashion. All I can advise is: avoid any list of the film's cast prior to the watching it (other than mentioned above), and for all that matters, avoid looking at any scenes from the movie on the web. You can thank me later. 

MoGo's rating: 9/10

Your rating: Enter here!

Passing (2021)

Director: Rebecca Hall. Cast: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Bill Camp, Alexander Skarsgård. 98 min. Drama.

• Per IMDb: The term "passing" refers to the practice of members of minority or oppressed races, religions, ethnic groups, etc., pretending to be white (or otherwise members of the majority culture) to escape prejudice.
• In Rebecca Hall's debut directing feature based on a novel written a hundred years ago, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga represent two sides of the above spectrum: one sticking with her Black identity regardless of the injustices that come with it and regardless of how enticing the other side may be, and the other crossing over to the "dark" side by appearing white, enjoying the luxuries of the majority, while losing her own identity along the way. 
• The movie becomes a metaphor for all such passings, even including those who migrate from homelands where they're being oppressed, to more powerful countries (who may be the the root cause of their oppression), to assimilate and "look like" or "sound like" the inhabitants of the new homeland. Who's in the right? The ones who stayed with their group ... or the ones who left/pretended to be something else?
• Again and again, black-and-white photography, obviously crucial here due to the content, becomes a beautiful element of the movie, just to look at.

MoGo's rating: 7/10

Your rating: Enter here!

I'm Your Man (Ich bin dein Mensch) (2021)

Director Maria Schrader. Cast: Stars Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller. 108 min. Sci-fi/Romance.

• As part of an experiment, a scientist takes in an android specifically created to meet her emotional needs. She hates him in the beginning ... so when I write in the beginning, it's somewhat predictable what happens by the end.  
• This adds to a long list movies, mainly started forty years ago by Ridley Scott in Alien and Blade Runner, and most recently by others in Her and Ex Machina, asking: "what if" androids were an  indiscernible part of our lives? Moreover, what if they were discernable? As opposed to the older (horror) movies that originated the concept, this one asks: can you fall in love with a robot specifically made for you? Or, should you fall in love with it? Though-provoking film.
• The movie is hit hard by a narrative mistake at the end: the protagonist summarizes her findings from the experiment in a letter which she reads ... to us. We had already reached those conclusions through the story, and did not need the reiteration.
• A decade ago Dan Stevens left the great TV show Downton Abbey in search of better opportunities in the realm of cinema. I've been waiting since to see if this was a wise gamble. Considering his current (average) status, I'm not sure it was.

MoGo's rating: 7/10

Your rating: Enter here!

West Side Story (2021)

Director Steven Spielberg. Cast: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Rita Moreno, Corey Stoll. 146 min. Musical.

• Watching this, for almost two and a half hours, I waited for the question to be answered: "Why did Spielberg remake West Side Story?" Same music, same setting, same exact story - even supporting-actress-Oscar-winner-for-the-old-movie Rita Moreno is back in a supporting role. Maybe the grandmaster director thought the racial tensions embedded in the story needed a retelling for today's audience. But what I saw, was a filmmaker saying: "I can do a musical too" (even if splendidly done). And considering I fast-forwarded some of the songs in the original 1961 movie ... imagine how it felt watching this in a theater, without the godlike control of a remote.

MoGo's rating: 6/10

Your rating: Enter here!

Encanto (2021)

Director(s): Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith. Cast (voices): Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo. 102 min. Animation.

• This is probably the most colorful movie you'll ever see. Dazzling colors of all shades and hues exude from every single frame, making this a most joyful animation - even if didn't have any story (which it does). I guess that's part of the Mexican culture.
• The story revolves around a family in a village, whose each member has a different kind of magical ability ... except for the main heroine. And her lack of a magical gift makes the ending slightly predictable.
• As Pixar continues the develop adult-oriented themes in its animations, here Disney does the same - with a strange twist. Co-writer Lin-Manuel Miranda (the tradition-breaking writer of  Hamilton and In the Heights) blames many of the current generation's problems on past generations. I as an adult could relate to that message, but couldn't understand how this would be helpful for children in a kids' movie - other than to provoke them to revolt against their parents and grandparents. Weird.

MoGo's rating: 7/10

Your rating: Enter here!

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Director: Jane Campion. Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee. 124 min. Western/Drama.

• The director of Piano is back, again with a story about people with unrequited love, hidden by intense anger - this time in the setting of a Montana ranch in 1925. 
• Cumberbatch, in a career-defining performance, plays a domineering rancher whose mellow younger brother brings home a suicidal wife and her creepily silent teenage son - and the older brother is suspicious she's just here for the money. The tense atmosphere is ready for explosion any moment.
• This is a movie you need to pay attention. Miss a line of dialogue, a character gesture, or a connection between two scenes, and you will miss a big chunk of story; and the slow pace of the movie heightens that possibility. A film that should be more interesting on a second viewing.
• If there's only one takeaway, it's the cinematography. Some panoramic shots will leave you breathless. The larger the screen, the better.

MoGo's rating: 7/10

Your rating: Enter here!

Listening to Kenny G (2021)

Director: Penny Lane. 97 min. Documentary. 

• Kenny G is probably "90s nostalgia god" for many - including myself. Any Kenny G tune ("Songbird", "Silhouette", "Sentimental", ...) drowns me in a flood of college year memories. So watching this was a no-brainer.
• We see his rise-to-fame story through intercutting interviews, and hear big discussion on whether or not he plays true jazz ("smooth jazz"?), or has corrupted the art form. These matters don't concern me, as enjoying the music itself is all that matters. We don't listen to music to research film theory, and I could care less if his duet to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" threw film theorists into convulsions - as long as it's pleasant.  
• Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on the main item I was looking for: the man himself. And since we never learn about what he thinks about anything other than music, to know Kenny Gorelick by this documentary, you have to guess what kind of a guy he is. I didn't find that picture pretty. His constant: "I did this ... I did that ... isn't what I did great?" with a big smile, becomes annoying after awhile. You start wondering: is this guy just innately positive and upbeat with no problem in the world ... or just being obnoxious with his success?

MoGo's rating: 6/10

Your rating: Enter here!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Director Jason Reitman. Cast: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard. 124 min. Comedy/Fantasy.

• I was surprised, excited, and entertained. Properly reviving an (in my humble opinion) so-so 40-year old fantasy movie franchise, playing those nostalgia themes, and polishing and repackaging the same old story elements and dialogue (a task which failed disastrously with the recent Star Wars trilogy), is no small feat. 
• The movie is not just a continuation of the Ghostbusters story. It's an homage to the Spielbergian sci-fi/fantasies of the 80s: the prominent role of the Ghostbusters' "Ectomobile" is so Back to the Future, the attack of the baby marshmallow men at the grocery store is right out of Gremlins, and the mother figure here is none other than the mom in E.T. Even one of the main kid roles is played by Finn Wolfword, who was the hero on the Netflix show Stranger Things - itself entirely an homage to 80s sci-fi.
• Best scene? Mid-movie Ectomobile ghost chase scene. Perfect action choreography and editing.
• To fully enjoy this, you need to know well or re-watch only the first 1984 Ghostbusters. To fully enjoy, do NOT look at the movie's cast list other than what I have listed above, as a very cool ending surprise will be totally spoiled. And that includes a post-credits scene. 

MoGo's rating: 7/10

Your rating: Enter here!

King Richard (2021)

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green. Cast: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn. 144 min. Biography/Sports.

• The movie is deservedly titled after the father of the tennis superstar sisters, Venus and Serena Williams, because it's mainly about the father rather than the daughters. Will Smith has made a career out of playing the "protective dad" (The Pursuit of Happyness, Collateral Beauty, even Suicide Squad), to the extent of falling into nepotism for his own son (After Earth).
• Based on the true rags-to-riches story, I was hoping for something different than your usual run of the mill sports movie. Yes, racism and the father's egocentric perseverance come into play - but the movie plays it safe, and doesn't take any risks to come up with some new, challenging ideas. The ending may come as a surprise, but that's taken from another rags-to-riches sports movie also.
• I haven't followed Tony Goldwyn's TV career, but he has come a long way since his Ghost petty villain days, with a more mature and memorable presence here, compared to movie's other supporting role/tennis coach, played by Jon Bernthal. 
• Again, the movie's long screen time bogs you down. Fifteen to twenty minutes could've easily been edited out to give this a better momentum. How many times do we need to be told the dad doesn't want his daughters in the tournaments?

MoGo's rating: 6/10

Your rating: Enter here!