February movie roundup!

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1. Miss Bala -Gloria finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength. Based on the Spanish-language film.

Is it going to win any awards? Probably not. Is it action adventure with a female lead who's not ridiculous? Yes. Bonus points for Anthony Mackie, though he's probably only in it for like mins.

I liked this article which pretty much hits it, I'm just easy to please: Gina Rodriguez Thriller 'Miss Bala' Tries To Have Its Cake And Eat It Too

I still liked it, it hit a lot of my fiction buttons, and in the end Gloria is boss. It's definitely not torture or violence porn, though it has both. The bad guy threatens to rape Gloria several times, but though luck and quick thinking, she manages to escape. The narrative flirts with something similar to Stockholm Syndrome, but derails at the end and the bad guy is never truly sympathetic he consistently shows the worst of humanity. There's all the violence, all the betrayal - white people suck, brown people suck, men suck, women . . . actually, the women were all pretty good.


2. Happy Death Day 2U - Tree Gelbman discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.

The first one was objectively a good horror movie. This one was ridiculous, but still watchable. The plot is trying to explain why she got caught in the time loop in the first place, and it was a thousand 'I don't want this' from me. I still really like the character Tree, and the actress is energetic and empathetic. I like that she's the ultimate "I Got This" character.

Um, just skip the credits scene though, and then sacrifice a bucket of chicken in the hopes that no one is dumb enough to make a third one.


3. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - When Hiccup discovers Toothless isn't the only Night Fury, he must seek "The Hidden World", a secret Dragon Utopia before a hired tyrant named Grimmel finds it first.

I really liked the first two movies, but it's been a looooooooooong time since I watched them. The group in the theater was a mix of kids, teenagers, and older type adults. The oldest group seemed to like it the best, and I didn't hear much of a peep out of the kids. The plot is heavy and sad, and about finding a female dragon and convincing her to give you the time of day. IDK, I didn't have much fun.


4. Fighting With My Family -A former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.

This is my winner for the month, even though it does have some super awkward parts. I was entertained, I liked the way Saraya/Paige grew up during training, and the other women vying for the Diva spot were also awesome. Some parts were just hilarious, and then the touching family parts broke it up, all crowned with glorious achievement!

Probably not something you have to see in theaters, but I think lots of people will find it entertaining.

In other wrestling news: Chris Hemsworth to play Hulk Hogan in a movie focused just on the wrestling parts of his life. Listen, I am all in for the handle bar mustache and the wrestling panties, okay?