“Smile” (Horror/Thriller: 1 hour, 56 minutes)

Starring: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert and Karl Penn

Director: Parker Finn

Rated: R (Strong violent content, grisly images and language)

Movie Review: Not many modern movies stay with you after you leave a cinema but “Smile” does.

It is scary in an eerie manner via psychological means. It gets in your head by making audiences as creeped out as this movie’s main character.

Dr. Rose Cotter (Bacon), a psychiatrist in a psychiatric ward, prepares to leave work when her boss, Dr. Morgan Desai (Penn), assigns her an incoming mental patient, Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey).

Weaver witnessed a professor’s death about seven days earlier. The young woman kills herself in front of Dr. Cotter. After witnessing the brutal traumatic incident, Cotter’s mind is fractured. She begins having similar occurrences happen to her as Weaver described — observing people with a hunting smile and observations of other phenomena only she can see.

The story, creepy characters and even the music provide chills. The predictable cheap thrills exist where something causes loud sounds and something unexpected jumps out of the dark, but the greatest attributes of this movie are the contemplative bits where one anticipates a frightful event.

That causes anxiety, the intense moments of this tale.

The plot works because of Sosie Bacon. She makes Dr. Cotter captivating. As her fragile mind breaks, audiences see her mind dwindle and the hallucinations thrive.

The movie is an impressive attention-getting thriller. and like Dr. Cotter, one must endure the evil being that haunts her.

Grade: B (The frights give you a reason to smile.)

Playing at Valdosta Stadium Cinemas

“Don’t Worry Darling” (Drama/Thriller: 2 hours, 3 minutes)

Starring: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris pine, Olivia Wilde and Gemma Chan

Director: Olivia Wilde

Rated: R (Sexuality, violent content and language)

Movie Review: Olivia Wilde proves she is just as capable a director as she is an actress. She directs a neat movie here, an engaging mystery.

Alice (Pugh) is a 1950s housewife married to Jack (Styles). They live in an experimental, idealistic community. After some strange occurrences, she begins to realize the company and its leaders for whom her husband works, may be hiding major secrets.

This enigma is further propelled by the community’s charismatic leader, Frank (Pine).

Think of this movie as a “Matrix” (1999) and “The Stepford Wives” (1975, 2004). At the heart of this thriller is Florence Pugh. She is fascinating as the lead character.

As her character, Alice, contemplates reality, audiences must do the same. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the plot becomes more substantial.

The cast is a nice size group that renders good performances. Pugh and her fellow cast mates, which include Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan and this film’s director, Olivia Wilde, are intriguing. They and screen-scripter Katie Silberman craft a movie that holds one’s attention until the end.

However, the conclusion is not as fulfilling as everything leading up to it.

Grade: B (Don’t worry, it is good.)

“Lifemark” (Religion/Drama: 1 hour, 39 minutes)

Starring: Kirk Cameron, Dawn Long and Raphael Ruggero

Director: Kevin Peeples

Rated: PG-13 (Thematic material)

Movie Review: This is based on a true story. It is an adaptation of the documentary “I Lived on Parker Avenue” (Director Philip Braun, 2017).

It rests on sentimental moments. Although emotive story overall, the sentimental moments fail to resonate beyond the movie because a sermon lurks that interferes with the storytelling.

Now 18, David’s (Ruggero) life with his adopted parents is good. His world becomes less certain when his birth mother, Melissa Cates (Long), contacts him wanting to connect.

“Lifemark” is another addition from the Kendrick Brothers. They gave audiences “War Room” and “Fireproof.” “Lifemark” is about good, reconciliation and love but that goodness is lowered by agenda-laden messages.

Grade: C+ (It does not leave a lasting mark beyond its emotive plot.)

“On the Come Up” (Drama/Music: 1 hour, 56 minutes)

Starring: Jamila Gray, Sanaa Lathan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Method Man

Director: Sanaa Lathan

Rated: PG-13 (Strong language, sexual references, thematic elements, violence and drug material)

Movie Review: “On the Come Up” is an engaging adaption of Angie Thomas’ novel.

It follows 16-year-old Brianna ‘Bri’ Jackson (Gray). She attempts to get into the rapping genre of music, following in the footsteps of her famous father.

Her mother, Jay (Lathan), does not want Bri in the music profession at all, preferring the young lady try another path. Despite numerous obstacles, Bri decides to make an original presence in the rap industry and not some falsely prescribed persona.

This photoplay is an urban-based narrative directed by actress Sanaa Lathan of “Love and Basketball” fame. Lathan follows in the footsteps of her father, director Stan Lathan, and actress Eleanor McCoy, so this movie is art imitating life for the beautifully elegant Lathan. She shines behind and in front of the camera.

Of course, the star of this story is Jamila Gray. This young woman is exceptional. She brings certain hardcore emotive elements to her character, Bri. This works for the setting and the style of rap Bri performs.

Although a music-based movie, the cast acts their part while the music accompanies their struggles and their accomplishments. The result is an inspiring movie, even if it feels like something familiar.

Grade: B (Coming on up …)

“Bros” (Romantic Comedy: 1 hour, 55 minutes)

Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane and Dot-Marie Jones

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Rated: R (Strong sexual content, strong language and some drug use)

Movie Review: The romance genre rarely features a homosexual couple. This one has two men who find a loving relationship.

They are decent-looking men comically stumbling through the dating world. That part is new to many audiences still, but this rom-com is just as formulaic as heterosexual movie romances.

Intellectual geek Bobby (Eichner) and attractive masculine, gym enthusiast Aaron (Macfarlane) are two men who start as friends but become lovers.

They are professional men who have commitment issues. As they try to make their relationship work, they realize they view life very differently.

Realistic or not, many movies when dealing with a new or emerging part of society often make that group stereotypical personas. With gay men, movies often focus on sex with multiple partners, clubs and societal observations of queer society. This purports all gay men behave similarly.

“Bros” misses a key moment to show two people in love without the typical shenanigans seen in straight and gay movies. Romances never just let people fall in love with soap opera tactics.

These are two very attractive men, one for his intellect and the other, also intelligent, but physically attractive. They are different people. They irritate each other and their audience. They are mismatched pairings, yet one wants to see them make it work.

However, they argue over silly matters enough that one wants them to go their separate ways for peace.

As much as they aggravate each other, “Bro” still has its moments. The funniest is the committee of the LGBTQIA museum board trying to settle loose ends before the grand opening, a subplot of this screenplay. They carry when the romance becomes arguments. Although the board’s jokes appear repetitive.

As noted earlier gay relationships are prevalent in movies and on television more, yet the relationships still fall prey to the same romantic tropes as straight couplings. “Bro” follows accordingly.

Grade: C+ (A comical but childish bromance.)

“The Greatest Beer Run Ever” (Adventure/Comedy: 2 hours, 6 minutes)

Starring: Zac Efron, Russell Crowe and Bill Murray

Director: Peter Farrelly

Rated: R (Language and violence including war engagement)

Movie Review: Based on a true story as told in John “Chick” Donohue’s book, “Greatest Beer Run” is the work of Peter Farrelly, who directed the Academy Award for Best Movie recipient “Green Book” (2018).

“The Greatest Beer Run” feels like a fraternity dare. Its comical moments downplay the severity of the greater Vietnam War narrative that plays in the background.

Chickie Donohue (Efron) decides to deliver beer to his childhood Army friends fighting in Vietnam. He leaves a 1967’s Inwood, New York, and heads overseas to commend his friends with his unplanned arrival to a war theater.

A devout patriot who supports the war movement, media and seeing events personally has an affect on Donohue, a veteran himself. He begins to see the war differently, especially after spending some time trailing war photographer Arthur Coats (Crowe).

This movie plays like a comedy at first, despite the severity of what it displays about the war in its second half. The more serious tone during its latter scenes is more engaging than the first half. Once Donohue is in Vietnam, this movie gains more respect to equal the messiness of the early New York scenes.

Grade: C+ (An interesting but “light beer” run.)

“The Good House” (Drama/Comedy: 1 hour, 44 minutes)

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline and Morena Baccarin

Directors: Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky

Rated: R (Sexuality, strong language and thematic elements)

Movie Review: “The Good House” is a fixer-upper but Weaver is sensational as Hildy Good, a realtor in Wendover, Massachusetts.

People in her town for her real estate ventures and her exploits as the town alcoholic. Just as she is failing on multiple fronts at work, her family and friends stage an intervention. Her life becomes better when a romance ensues with Frank Getchell (Kline).

This screenplay is the third collaboration for Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline in a movie. Their previous ventures together, “Dave” (1993) and “The Ice Storm” (1997), are much better movies but “Good House” is interesting although the execution is terrible.

The non-chronological scenes are off-putting. The movie jumps from past to present at quick intervals. One must keep track of time shifts constantly, some very subtle transitions.

Weaver and Kline save the movie. The romance is refreshing. Weaver is particularly keen, carrying this movie until it gets to the good moments of this story. Too bad, the story did not have a chronological sequence that starts in the past and progresses to the present.

Grade: B- (Weaver is good but the house has a shaky foundation.)

“Amsterdam” (Comedy/Drama/History: 2 hours, 14 minutes)

Starring: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Rami Malek and Robert De Niro.

Director: David O. Russell

Rated: R (Violence and bloody images)

Movie Review: “Amsterdam” boasts a large cast of well-known actors. Like the cast, the plot is many stories intertwined.

This is sad considering the historical part of this screenplay is the more impressive element of this movie. Instead, all is a convoluted turn of events that inspires laughs but unconvincing associations among the characters also.

In the 1930s, war veteran Dr. Burt Berendsen (Bale), attorney Harold Woodman and artist Valerie Voze are three friends who witness a murder. Corrupt corporate agents frame the three friends for the murder and the trio must now clear their names.

Along the way, they stumble upon one of the most sinister plots to threaten American democracy.

David O. Russell directed two attention-getting movies last decade: “American Hustle,” 2013; “Silver Linings Playbook,” 2012. Here, he allows a large cast playing eccentric characters to become distractions from what is an intriguing plot based on several historical events.

The humor is present but it is not always funny. Often, the laughs are slight moments that fail to resonate. It is good with a few characters, such as the ones played by Rami Malek and Robert De Niro are present. They provide a tangible reality to this tale.

Grade: C (Amsterdam, visit and leave.)

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar has reviewed movies in South Georgia for more than 20 years.