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Irresistible is a satirical comedy about an out-of-touch political strategist (a predictable Steve Carell, Beautiful Boy, 2018) who moves from Washington D.C. to rural Wisconsin to help a conservative farmer (a laconic Chris Cooper, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019) run for mayor.

When the opening shot of a film is a close-up of a young woman's face screaming an expletive slightly above the camera, it's a good sign viewers have started a crass, biting comedy that will keep them mostly entertained. Actress Zoey Deutch (Zombieland: Double Tap, 2019) plays a loud, street smart hustler determined to get out of her blue-collar life in Buffalo, New York through her passion for money and her even bigger passion for scamming people.

I usually address a newly released film in my weekly reviews, but this week I'm writing about a brilliant 2018 film called The Kindergarten Teacher currently available through Netflix. Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, 2008) plays an unsatisfied kindergarten teacher in New York City who thinks one of her students is a gifted prodigy of original poetry. But the teacher's nurturing guidance slowly, and unnervingly, transforms into passionate infatuation.

Actress Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man, 2020) appears to be on a mission continually portraying serious female roles in dark, emotionally arduous films (like The Invisible Man from earlier this year, The Kitchen from 2019, Us from 2019, and The Handmaid's Tale TV series from 2017 to today). And like a contemporary Greta Garbo, Elisabeth has succeeded again diving bravely into a richly complex, unlikeable, unglamorous title role in Shirley.

The Painter and the Thief is a documentary released on May 22nd of this year and available on Hulu. When two expensive paintings are stolen from an art gallery in Oslo, Norway, the artist privately reaches out to one the convicted thieves to try and locate her paintings. But the thief does not remember anything about his crime.

When watching the R-rated comedy, The Lovebirds, it starts out with a very romantically casual mood, but that mood is soon smashed like a cockroach under a boot as a loving couple (a.k.a. lovebirds) is launched into a dangerous mystery of dead bodies, hot bacon grease, and a secret sex cult.

Sometimes a film gains attention for great acting performances or for new special effects technology, and sometimes a film gains attention for controversy. Adam has made a mark as a controversial film.

Although the weather outside is sunny and breezy right now, it makes for an interesting time to watch a film full of snow, ice, and terror.

Oftentimes film critics describe what they see by categorizing films into genres or styles. But then films like Give Me Liberty come along that achieve such a uniqueness it's difficult to specify any genre boundaries. First released in August 2019, and now available through Netflix, Give Me Liberty is a gem of independent filmmaking that takes viewers on a hectic, crowded, one-day journey.

Writer-director Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night, 2017) is successfully spreading his roots in telling interesting, rich, current stories. Waves is Shults' latest entry in the independent film canon, and like a hot slice of lasagna, it is layered, filling, and wonderful.