Cry Macho (2021):

Clint Eastwood directed and stars in this touching story of a long-ago washed-up has-been of a rodeo rider and horse-breeder who fell on hard times after a personal tragedy changed his life. Now, more than 40 years later when this tale begins, we meet Mike Milo (Eastwood) who is in the process of being fired by his rancher boss Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakum) for being late yet again. Milo is a man of few words, and as he walks wearily towards the door, Howard asks if he has anything to say. "I'd say that you are a small-minded weasel of a man with no understanding of people, but why aggravate the situation any further?" We learn that Mike has a storied history as a rodeo rider, and was at the very top of his game in the 1970s when a bronco he was riding fell on him, breaking his back. What followed was the usual tale of rehab, prescription drugs, the personal tragedy that took his family from him, and a descent into alcohol. Now, at an age we gauge to be near 90, he is sent packing from the only work he really knew and understood. A year passes, and Howard shows up in Mike's home. Howard has a proposition - "Go to Mexico City and bring my son back to me." A picture of a six- or seven-year-old is the only visual clue, but Howard tells Mike that the mother has allowed the boy, now in his early teens, to be abused. He wants him back home on the Texas ranch. Mike doesn't want to do it, but some emotional blackmail on Howard's part changes everything. He makes his way, in an old truck, to the boy's home, finds that the mother is very well-heeled in a surrounded-by-bodyguards kind of way, learns that the boy has run away, and so begins his search. He finds the boy played by Mexican actor Eduardo Minett, and begins the long process of getting him back to the States, pursued by the mother's henchmen, the Mexican Federales, and other shadowy characters. This is a small, simple movie in which Eastwood directs as sparingly as he acts, and it has warmth, humanity, tension, and heart. A beautiful film with the soul of a cowboy. No real profanity, no sex, no real violence. A rare treat. Rated 14A.

Dear Evan Hansen (2021):

Added to the recent musical versions of "Cinderella," "The Heights," and the soon-to-come remake of "West Side Story," is this story of teenage angst and social difficulties that opened the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, and is now in theatres everywhere. The drama in this story of a high school student, the Evan Hanson of the title, involves the boy, played by Ben Platt, who also originated the role on the Broadway stage, who struggles with an acute social anxiety disorder and who, in a case of a mistaken conclusion, is thrust into the midst of a grieving family whose son has committed suicide. He was found with a letter in his pocket that his parents thought was from the deceased boy to Evan, which was not the case ... but Evan goes along with it, heaping deception upon deception and lie upon lie, all designed to get to the boy's sister Zoe, played by Kaitlin Dever (Eve on "Last Man Standing"). The film is being sold as a journey of pain and redemption, but in watching the very capable Ben Platt go through his paces, the subtext is more that of a liar building upon his lie at the expense of a grieving family. Amy Adams is excellent as the mother of the dead boy, as is Julianne Moore who plays Evan's mother, but you have to get used to the heavy drama being punctuated by music as the characters break out in song. Despite the excellent performances and the pedigree of this movie, many found it somewhat distasteful because of the behaviour of the lead character. Rated PG.

Ron's Gone Wrong (2021):

This animated feature is designed to fit into today's wi-fi and AI world like a blue-tooth headphone to a handheld device. Barney is a student (voice of Jack Dylan Grazer of the "It" movies and "Luca"), and has a walking, talking, artificially intelligent mobile device named Ron (voice of Zach Galifianakis) that keeps him connected. It isn't a little handheld item though - it's big enough to walk him to school and to be almost like a friend to him. When the friend goes awry everything changes. Ron isn't working properly and it sends Barney and his device into an exploration of friendship, social media, and communication among young people that really sends a mixed message about social media and technology that I found a little disturbing. Not sure that the kids that are the target audience will get that though. Rated G.

Tick, Tick ... Boom (2021):

This Netflix original marks the debut of Lin-Manuel MIranda as a director, spelling out the answer to the question, "what do we do with the time we have?" The story follows Jon (Andrew Garfield) who is a promising young theatre producer on the cusp of his 30th birthday. He waits on tables in New York City while waiting for what he hopes with be his big break, but pressure is everywhere in his life - pressure from his girlfriend who wants to leave New York and the arts community behind, pressure from his best friend who has just left the arts community for the financial security of a real job, and the pressure of an artistic community being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. What does he do? Where does he turn? Stars include Vanessa Hudgens, Joel Grey and Judith Light based on the story by the late Jonathan Larson ("Rent"). Rated 14A.

Robin Robin (2021):

This stop-motion animated film from the UK tells the story of a little baby robin who rolls out of her nest onto the ground, and who is saved, and then raised by a family of mice. As Robin gets older, she begins to realize that she is not a mouse, and that maybe she doesn't really belong with this family. A heart-warming story with an excellent message that both children and parents will enjoy. Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") provides one of the major voices in this British made film. Rated G.