508 Best Easy Movies to Watch (Page 28)

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Alan Chow, Alexandra Witek, Alexis Frias, Allison Winn, Amann Iqbal, Angourie Rice, Ari Notartomaso, Ashley Park, Auli'i Cravalho, Avantika, Bebe Wood, Ben Heineman, Ben Wang, Brian Altemus, Brooke Johnson, Busy Philipps, Calidore Robinson, Calysta R. Eachus, Camille Umoff, Christopher Briney, Colin J. McTernan, Connor D. Paul, Connor Ratliff, Daniela Cassano, Danielle K. Catalano, Ellena Eshraghi, Emely Moreno, Énola Bédard, Eric Patrick Cameron, Fernell Hogan, Francesca Castro, Gabriella Cila, Garid Garcia, Grace Slear, Grant Harrison Mateo, Ian A. Boyce, Isabella Bria Lopez, Ismael Chino, Izzy Bank, Jake Schwencke, James Jones, Janna Graham, Jaquel Spivey, Jazz Jennings, Jenna Fischer, John El-Jor, Jon Hamm, Jordan Gallimore, Jordi, Joshua M. Baer, Joshua P. Doody, Julien F. Miller, Kasey L. Ericson, Kayla LaVine, Kaylee Kaleinani, Kaylin E. DeGroff, Kelsie Daniels, Lindsay Lohan, Mahi Alam, Malachi I. McLean, Mars Avila, Matilde Heckler, Megan Thee Stallion, Meredith Dunbar, Meryem G. Oldro, Morgen McKynzie, Nahscha, Nia Sioux, Nico A. Varone, Nuri Park, Olivia C. Tona, Orlando A. Galazara, Pierson Wodzynski, Reneé Rapp, Ryan J. Horgan, Samantha R. Borsari, Sean G. Haight, Sofia Dobrushin, Soona Lee-Tolley, Stephanie Mincone, Teresa Kissel, Thomas R. Wilson, Tim Meadows, Timothy S. Fletcher, Tina Fey, Vanessa Merrell, Veronica Merrell-Burriss, Veronica S. Taylor, Victoria G. Russo

Director: Arturo Perez Jr., Samantha Jayne

Rating: PG-13

In Marlowe, Liam Neeson joins the lofty lineup of actors who have stepped into the shoes of Raymond Chandler's titular detective, famously played by Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and Elliott Gould. These are big boots to fill — and, if you’ve been paying attention to Neeson’s career over the last decade or so, you’ll be aware that he hasn’t exactly been stretching himself, dramatically speaking.

But Marlowe is something of a happy anomaly in Neeson’s filmography, because it has more than just adrenaline-pumping ambitions. Written by director Neil Jordan (of Michael Collins fame) and William Monahan (the screenwriter behind The Departed), the 1930s Hollywood-set plot is steeped in noir’s characteristic cynicism, giving it the seductive pull of that well-loved genre. It’s true that a not insignificant portion of the dialogue is so hard-boiled you can see the cracks — a clunkiness that’s repeated in a couple of the phoned-in supporting performances and the movie’s awkward action sequences. However, with a couple of bright spots in the starry cast, handsome production values, and a labyrinthine plot that just about passes muster as homage and not muddle, there are enough noir trappings here to keep the movie slinking along well enough, even if it ultimately isn't nearly as memorable as Marlowe’s previous screen incarnations.

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alan Cumming, Alan Moloney, Colm Meaney, Daniela Melchior, Danny Huston, Darrell D'Silva, Diane Kruger, François Arnaud, Gary Anthony Stennette, Ian Hart, Jessica Lange, Julius Cotter, Kim DeLonghi, Liam Neeson, Mark Schardan, Michael Garvey, Minnie Marx, Mitchell Mullen, Patrick Muldoon, Roberto Peralta, Seána Kerslake, Stella Stocker, Tony Corvillo

Director: Neil Jordan

Rating: R

Crypto Boy may seem, at first, to primarily warn against the allure of cryptocurrency, but at heart, it’s a family drama centered around an ambitious man and his immigrant Egyptian father. The Dutch Netflix film is actually a whole family affair, with writer-director Shady El-Hamus casting his brother Shahine and their father Sabri Saad in a real and relatable struggle between generations. That being said, the film is definitely less interested in the actual cryptocurrency scam presented. It takes such a predictable route that the protagonist comes off as foolish, rather than understandably ambitious. With his parallel to the villain, the film seems like it wants its viewers to empathize with the rich Mark Zuckerberg-wannabe, rather than cathartically put him through the consequences. This makes the film feel as disappointing as the crypto promises, as viewers are lured into the film for this, but come out with another thing entirely.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Aus Greidanus, Hannah van Lunteren, Jonas Smulders, Kendrick Etmon, Leny Breederveld, Loes Schnepper, Manoushka Zeegelaar-Breeveld, Minne Koole, Raymond Thiry, Shahine El-Hamus, Tobias Kersloot

Director: Shady El-Hamus

For a film with virtually no plot, there’s a lot of fuss going on in Oregon. The characters are constantly yelling and complaining, but the noise—like the plot, the set, and everything else about the film—is empty. The beauty of a Turkish summer is reduced to indoor sets, where much of the film takes place, and there here’s barely any movement, leaving us stuck with dialogue and half-baked backstories that don’t seem to serve any real purpose other than to fill in the film’s overlong runtime. The problems are superficial and solved almost immediately, purely by talking it seems, and there’s no attempt to connect the many disparate stories it shows. A farce like this could’ve worked if it got sillier and more ridiculous by the minute, but Oregon just goes in repetitive, unfunny circles. 

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Ali İpin, Alper Saldıran, Aslı İnandık, Burcu Biricik, Ferit Aktuğ, Nazlı Bulum, Nejat İşler, Nevra Serezli, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Serkan Çayoğlu, Zihni Göktay

Director: Kerem Ayan