MOVIES That I Just Saw: “The Holdovers.” / “American Assassin.”

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“The Holdovers” (2023, Amazon Prime) comedy-drama set in the winter of 1970 and carrying over into early 1971, the film stars Paul Giamatti as a strict classics teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go on Christmas break. 



       I wouldn't say this movie isn't good. And with the usually exemplary Paul Giamatti as lead actor, expect a fine show.

       But after so many movies that revolve around the same plotpoint, equally well-told and acted, “The Holdovers” almost made me sleep. No excitement, predictable sequences, ordinary nearly cliché dialogues. 

       But again, I repeat, this is not a bad movie. 🎥💻📽


“American Assassin” (2017, Netflix), based on Vince Flynn's 2010 novel of the same name, the story is centered on a young CIA black ops recruit, who helps a Cold War veteran try to stop the detonation of a rogue nuclear weapon. 


       I already consumed my usual 3-hour late evening TV time, it's 2 AM, and I was still wide awake. So I surfed Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+ for anything that'd send me to sleep. Found “American Assassin.” 

       Michael Keaton as super tough, macho old-timer CIA agent Stan Hurley and Taylor Kitsch as “Ghost,” ex-Black Ops and Seal dude turned sort of terrorist. But the central character is Mitch Rapp, hired as CIA agent under questionable circumstances, in real situations or cinematic purposes. Doesn't add up. Really?

       No matter. I was just waiting to sleep. Suddenly, Mitch is some superhero going after Irani operatives and other bad dudes. He is kinda avenging the death of his ex who was killed by you know who/what. 

       Okay, don't overthink. Just watch till sleep comes around. I slept midway the street bang-shang-a-lang. I finished the movie days after. I shouldn't have. The ending? Wwww-what? No, sorry writers. There's no budget for a sequel. 🎥💻📽

I GAVE UP: “Poor Things” (2023, Hulu) dark comedy, focuses on Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London who is resurrected via a brain transplant and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. Critics identified multiple genres, with elements of black comedy and steampunk. Whatever. Not my gig at all. 🎭👎🎬

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