Devotion (2022):

Sometimes a movie title gives us a good idea of what the film is going to be about - think "Top Gun," "Mission Impossible," or "Toy Story," ... and other times there is no clue as to what the title means, until you have seen the film. That's the case here, with "Devotion," really being meaningless until you see the movie, which follows a number of U.S. Navy pilots in the years following WWII, which they refer to as "The Big Show," and the time leading up to the Korean War in 1950, which many view as "The Forgotten War," or the non-war as the U.S. had never declared war and was in-country as part of what President Harry Truman called "a police action" under the auspices of the U.N. The focus is on Ensign Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors of the Oscar-nominated movie "Da Five Bloods" set in the Vietnam War era). Brown was the first African-American Navy pilot, having earned his wings after WWII's conclusion, and entering action in the Korean War as a Corsair pilot onboard the aircraft carrier the USS Leyte. Early on, before the war begins, we meet Brown's family, his wife Daisy (Cristina Jackson from "The Good Fight"), and his young daughter Pamela. We also meet his fellow pilot and wingman Tom Hudner (Glenn Powell from "Top Gun Maverick"). This is where the biggest surprise is of the story. I was expecting a shoot-em-up war story, which does happen eventually, but it's really a character study about Brown's love of family, and the friendship between Brown and Hudner that develops slowly. I was also expecting a story rife with racism, with the Black guy being letter-perfect and the Whites who taunted him being evil to the core, but much of that, when it occurs, is low-key and doesn't last. Also, we have a hard time really "getting" Jesse Brown, as he is not a likeable character, other than when he is with his family, where he is loving and strong. By the third act, the Navy pilots are flying sorties into South Korea and flirting with the border between North and South, when Brown's plane takes ground fire from Chinese soldiers, and begins to lose oil. It's winter, they are in the mountains, and the enemy is everywhere. Brown crash-lands his plane in a mountain clearing, it catches fire, and Hudner, who has remained on his wing, cannot let his friend burn, so he crashes his plane nearby, and attempts a rescue. Things do not go well, but we now understand the "Devotion" of the title. The story is true, the characters are real, the restored Naval aircraft are like flying museums, and the pre-credits scenes with the real people involved in the story are most touching. Excellent film! Rated 14A.

High Expectations (2022):

Sometimes a movie looks like a story that has to be told, and sometimes it looks like something taking advantage of a tax shelter and an attempt to cash in on a current trend. I have a strong feeling this film, which stars Kelsey Grammar (Frasier) is exactly that kind of film. I wasn’t far into it before I thought, “this looks like it was shot in Georgia.” A quick check verified that. The State of Georgia offers very generous tax incentives to film companies that shoot there, and a project can be completed on a budget that is very favourable for the producers. The other trend that seems like a slam-dunk, is the popularity of the series “Ted Lasso,” about an American coach working with a soccer team in England. Those two issues together seem to have spawned this movie that has Grammar as Coach Davis, a tough-as-nails leader of a soccer team that has a great opportunity to become the next big thing. Davis is so ruthless that he cuts his own son from the team. The son, Jack Davis, is played by Taylor Day. He is devastated by his father’s actions, which results in estrangement. The other family issue is the fact that Jack’s brother Sam (Adam Aalderks) is the team’s star goalie, which results in a great deal of strain between the siblings. Jack, after a terrible downward spiral psychologically, is inspired by the ambition of his ex-girlfriend who is bent on becoming a major recording artist. He dusts himself off and decides to try soccer again, this time with a rival team. Rated 14A.

Nocebo (2022):

This thriller, shot largely in the Philippines, has a small international cast, and a story that focuses on what happens to a woman named Christine (French actress Eva Green) when her career as a fashion designer is side-lined by a mysterious illness. Her husband is mystified as to what could be wrong with her, and the doctors have no clue as to what presents Christine with a series of symptoms that make living her old life impossible. All appears lost until she comes into contact with a Filipino “expert” in the kind of care he believes she needs, but as he treats her, it becomes clear that what ails her is the result of something terribly traumatic that happened to her body, something she has been unable to face. The folk-healing methods are helpful on one level, and become more and more frightening on another. A very “small” movie that was written and directed by a pair who have little experience and a short resume, the surprising outcome makes this almost worth the time. Almost. Rated 14A.

That '90s Show (2023) (TV Series):

Two decades have passed since a teenaged Eric Forman (Topher Grace), living with his family, and enjoying a life of 8 track tapes, the music of Led Zeppelin, and Farrah Fawcett posters, was the perception many had of what those days were like. To help make the transition to the '90s, a much more grown-up Topher Grace reprises his role of Erik in the first episode of this new series, not to be seen for the balance of the episodes of season one. The actors who played his parents, Red and Kitty Forman (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp) are back for the full 10 segments of this new show however. Wilmer Valderrama who played Fez in the original series also makes an appearance in the initial episode. The venue is still the State of Wisconsin, and it's 1995. Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon) pays a summer visit to her grandparents and is introduced to a whole new generation of friends, not-so-friendly teens, and some that will become friends for life in the town of Point Place. Rated 14A.

Slumberland (2022):

A good cast shows up for this adventure story that will appeal to children 8 or 10 and up. Based on the comic book series "Little Nemo in Slumberland '' by Winston McClay, we follow the adventures of a tweenage girl named Nemo and her eccentric companion Flip (Jason Mamoa) who come together after Nemo's father Peter (Kyle Chandler goes missing at sea. Set in the Pacific Northwest, but shot in Toronto, we follow Nemo as she is sent to live with relatives in the big city, a place foreign to her after the coastline life she had been living. While struggling in a new school with new people all around her, Nemo finds a secret map which hooks her up with Flip, and begins a challenging journey through lands of dreams and nightmares that she believes will help reunite her with her lost father. Rated PG.