There are a couple new more recent movies out that we should take a look at today. Both with A-List stars.

News Of The World   (Theaters and on some streaming platforms  - $$)

This has been out a few weeks with Tom Hanks. This is Hanks as we have never seen him, in a Western of sorts, but this is not typical of the genre. It is far more than simply a Western.  I always give props to flicks that have an original story and this one does.

Hanks plays a character in post Civil War America about 1870, who goes from town to town in Texas and reads the newspapers from other parts of the young country. People pay him to hear the news who can't get it, and he roams alone doing this. Clearly the Civil War has taken a heavy toll on him and he finds himself alone.  He then meets up with a young girl (Helena Zengel -who is great)  who has been raised by Native Americans, who is NOT Native American. She too is alone in the world as the stagecoach she was riding in was robbed and she was left for dead.  These two head out on an adventure to get her back home, but it's not an easy world, or easy country.  And she speaks no English.

As interesting as this is, NOTW is slow at times and that's too bad. Hanks is great and does not look out of place in a place he has not been before.  Our supporting cast is fine and the idea is very original, but beware, this movie hits some dead zones, all leading to a finish you more than likely will see coming.  But it is good to see Hanks in a role and movie setting you have not before.

NOTW -  Points for Hanks, the idea and Zengel.  It's good, could have been great.

The Little Things  (Theaters and HBO Max) 

Denzel Washington to me is always mandatory movie watching and this one the surface looks really good.  And the shame here is, with three Oscar Winners in this, it should have been great! But it's not.

Washington plays a cop in California that clearly has a checkered past and has moved into rural law enforcement.  He ends up running a police errand back into the big city, and finds himself in the middle of a big time, big city case, as he's sort of asked to tag along with younger cops. In the same department he worked in years ago.  It was hard for me to tag along with that whole premise, and it didn't get a lot better.  The movie is supposed to make you wonder what his deal really is, and you can if you wish. I was just trying to stay awake.  BUT - the opening 10 minutes of this are really terrific!  Fact, very compelling.

The cast is great, but even there, there are problems. Jared Leto is AMAZING as this very strange, but well defined suspect, and his performance really helps to save the day. He is the movies best thing outside of
Washingtons presence and not by a little.  Rami Melik is as a young, tough cop, and the writing is weak and he doesn't really have a strong character to bring to life.  He can't be the powerful presence he can be on screen, because of bad writing and a movie that looks for a direction. This too has some dead zones, and drags along as well.

I love Denzel but I will not be catching this one again, and that's a shame. A good cast, but a movie that disappoints.