my time. All are available on either Amazon or Netflix, and VidAngel is available for all but The Dawn Wall and Undefeated.

Beautiful Boy - Ugh. This one was a tough one to get through emotionally. Stars Steven Carrell as Dave Sheff, a professional writer who's son gets involved in drugs. True story. Everything about this movie was well done. But if you have any experience with substance abuse or have a family member who is trapped in that cycle, it was gut wrenching. Don't do drugs, kids. I'll give it an A-

Brothers - Cool movie, not entirely unpredictable. Stars Tobey Macguire as the good brother, Jake Gyllenhaal as the loser ex-convict brother. Family dynamic shifts when MacGuire goes off to war and Gyllenhaal kind of fills that void. Pretty entertaining movie, but Tobey Macguire kind of killed it for me with his over acting. C+

The Dawn Wall - If you like Free Solo, you will like The Dawn Wall. I'm a big fan of Tommy Caldwell. I read his autobiography last year, and I've been waiting to see his monumental first ascent up the impossible Dawn Wall of El Capitan. It's fun to see the dynamics of living on a wall for three weeks and the psychology of elite rock climbing. The documentary does a great job of focusing on the emotions of such an accomplishment as well as the camaraderie and commitment of the climbers. Really a beautiful accomplishment. A-

The Edge of 17 - This movie reminded me of Juno. Same kind of witty writing and the main character was just as lovable and hatable. But definitely felt very "written." Lots of dark and wry humor, entertaining throughout with likable characters. I had qualms, as always with these types of movies, with the normalization of teenage debauchery. Kids partying, boozing, engaging in casual sex, all with zero real world consequences. Still a good movie with a positive message in the end. B

Silence - Wow. I haven't been this effected by a movie in forever. I'd heard good things about it, but I was avoiding it because of the long run time and it looked kind of like one of those boring epics that my Mom used to watch. This movie was not boring. I was fully captivated for the full 2 hours and 41 minutes. Watch this movie. For those worried about content, it's rated R for one extremely violent moment and some scenes of not-gory torture. I can't believe that this was made by the same person who created The Wolf of Wall Street since it is phenomenally pro-religion and faith. It was interesting to read that Scorsese was brought up as a devout catholic and even considered joining the priesthood. This movie was the other side of the coin to his more controversial The Last Temptation of Christ. It hit me in the heart strings. I appreciate that it portrayed the sincerity of missionary zeal and the devotion of true believers while leaving me with a feeling of deep grief and a good sliver of hope. Such a tragically beautiful story and film. A+

American Beauty - Kind of hard to get through content-wise, even with VidAngel. The story of an American family falling to pieces. I liked it, but its snark and cynicism feels a little cliche for this day and age. Spacey really did have some great scenes and probably deserved the best actor nod. I wouldn't call it a "best picture," however. B-

Undefeated - How have I never heard of this movie before? Found it on a random list of best documentaries on Netflix. Watch this immediately. If you've never heard of it before, it is the story of a high school football team from the slums of Memphis Tennessee and their quest to win the first playoff game of their 100+ year history. Bill Courtney, their head coach, is a real life Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights. When we move on from Sitake, we need to give Coach Courtney a call. My only qualm was that it was set in Memphis and the team were the tigers, so it felt like I was cheering for Memphis. Still have a bad taste in my mouth from the Miami Beach Bowl. But overall, this is an American classic. It actually won the best picture Oscar for a documentary in 2011, and well deserved. Such an inspirational film. A



For shimmy (Superkid, please do not read anything beyond this point): Mind you that I was in a flu-infused haze and seemingly more susceptible to emotions, but here is the cry-o-meter,

Beautiful Boy - Bawled like a baby.
Brothers - Got teary-eyed.
The Dawn Wall - Wept.
The Edge of 17 - Got a bit choked up.
Silence - Bawled like a baby.
American Beauty - Dry eyes throughout.
Undefeated - Bawled like a baby.