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Try as I might, I cannot shake how bewildered I am from having watched Eddington: Ari Aster's 4th feature film. I have been a huge fan since I watched Hereditary for the first time (ironically enough, during the pandemic). Aster has shown that he is more capable and gifted than many horror filmmakers twice his age. The concept of trauma has been what fuels his elevated horror, and in Eddington, he examines the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many would say that this is a period piece 5 years too early, but I would say COVID defines this decade in the same way that 9/11 defined the 2000's, and by 2005, we were seeing biopics emerge. But is this period something that Aster is built to tackle? Moreover, does he have something compelling to say about the socio-political minefield that the pandemic created? I'll say this, he almost does. But it's buried deep inside a confused and messy political satire that doesn't have the slightest clue as to what it wants to say.

Eddington, at its best moments, exposes the callous, selfish and greedy actions of politicians and influencers as they prey upon the tensions and fears people had during this time to benefit their own aspirations. Sheriff Joe Cross (played by Joaquin Phoenix) exploits the anger at lockdowns from the gun-toting, conservative population of Eddington to run for mayor. Mayor Ted Garcia (played by Pedro Pascal) exploits the anguished calls for racial justice to fuel his corporate-centric re-election campaign, all the while skirting quarantine lockdown rules, while enforcing them on everyone else. Vernon Peake, the Russel Brand-esque conspiracy theorist (played by Austin Butler) preys upon vulnerable young women (especially Joe Cross's long-suffering wife, Louise) to grow and form a doomsday cult with himself as leader. We even see a teenage boy, Brian, who urgently joins the local chapter of BLM in order to impress a girl he really likes. Nobody in Eddington, save for a few, has sincere intentions as they enter the political arena. As they say: never let a crisis go to waste. It's all about attaining power by any means. The problems we face in our country never change so long as people in power only act on their own self-interests. This, I think, is the message Aster really should have focused on. Instead, it is mired by sequence after sequence of Covid-era confrontations, portraying exactly how they occurred, without a shred of the humor, absurdity and self-awareness needed to make the satire work. If you want to relive seeing people crash out over wearing a mask or chaotic scenes of wild protesting, there are millions of videos on YouTube and TikTok to watch. Ari Aster has nothing new to say about any of this. What's the point? That America was coming apart at the seams? We know, Ari. We all lived it. He also doesn't take a side on any issue here, but it feels less like radical centrism and more like Aster approaching hot-button issues in the most cowardly way. If you can't effectively make a political movie, don't make one. I hope Ari Aster takes that to heart, because he's squandering so much of his incredible talent as a filmmaker.

Luckily, we see that talent here, big time. Ari Aster still knows how to build suspense and tension in a scene that calls for it. I audibly gasped about half a dozen times here. There are some truly unforgettable sequences here that left my jaw hanging. When Eddington morphs into a violent thriller by the film's halfway mark, this film absolutely comes alive in ways that so many movies these days don't. I wish I could tell you how beautifully shot and crafted these sequences are, but I really just want you to experience them for yourselves, because there is nothing like the experience of seeing them for the first time.

There is enough here for audiences to endure the sloppier aspects of Eddington. I recommend watching with caution and tempered expectations. You may have a better time if you do.

James Gunn may be the prescription drug needed to cure "superhero fatigue". Why? Because his brand of comic book genre films are so fun and accessible, you don't even need to know a damn thing about the source material. If you do, that makes the experience even more fun, but it isn't a requirement. I would say that it's because James is a true visionary filmmaker, first and foremost. Anyone could see him chart other paths in his cinematic career had it not been for his decision to dive into the deep end of the superhero movie genre. He has a singular voice: one that is childlike and mischievous. He has a twisted sense of humor that he isn't afraid to use. He can pull at your heart strings effectively and sincerely. This is so refreshing for a genre that has been exhausted by Hollywood executives for 20 years straight.

This is the Superman movie for everyone. It's just a silly, breezy good time. The original Christopher Reeves films of the 70's and 80's have its place in history and served its purpose well to reinvigorate American patriotism in the years after Watergate and Vietnam. This Superman is the perfect fit for this decade. It's a long, relived, well-deserved laugh. It knows how exhausted we are the state of the world and wants to let us know that it's ok to loosen up. This is the first Superman movie that doesn't take itself seriously at all. It wants you to point and laugh at Superman's skintight suit and ridiculous cape just as much as it wants you to see him as the handsome hero of the universe that he is. Lex Luther, though evil, is portrayed here as a pathetic man-child of a tech oligarch who truly isn't this impossible thing to defeat. We also see Superman's canine companion, Krypto, who acts more like an ill-disciplined rescue dog than his portrayals of the past. Superman is put through a gauntlet of challenges from forces trying to bring him down, but he rises above it all as a happy warrior. You'll leave the theater not only feeling happy that you've seen this film, but also a bit more lighter on your feet too.

Superman might not even be the "superhero movie" of the summer, but it deserves to be.

Elio is one of the rare cases of a film with a troubled production coming out on the other side as a winner. Usually, when a film's story gets dramatically reworked after bad test screenings, that is the kiss of death. Nothing can be done to save it. You might as well throw it all out and start over from scratch. Elio should be seen as a triumph in that regard. Even if there is nothing groundbreaking here, Elio is a solid family adventure movie, really reminiscent of the kinds we all grew up with. Elio bonding with his intergalactic BFF Glordon really reminded me of the lost dinosaur children of The Land Before Time. If the goal was to capture the sense of wonder that a little boy would have in discovering the cosmos all on his own, Elio did what it had to do. It's enough to put aside some of the glaring lack of character development for characters such as Lord Grigon, and believe me, that doesn't go unnoticed.