Review: Lightyear, Spiderhead, Good Luck to You Leo Grande, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Brian and Charles

Lightyear heads to infinity but doesn’t push beyond a very basic story. Spiderhead is a web of hot mess. Emma Thompson gives her Emma Thompson best in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Cha Cha Real Smooth is a smooth and safe choice. Finally there’s the eccentric genuineness of Brian and Charles.

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More about Lightyear:

A sci-fi action adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, “Lightyear” follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence wiht an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.

Starring: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Efren Ramirez

More about Spiderhead:

Two inmates form a connection while grappling with their pasts in a state-of-the-art penitentiary run by a brilliant visionary who experiments on his subjects with mind-altering drugs. Based on The New Yorker short story, “Escape From Spiderhead,” by George Saunders. Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett

More about Good Luck to You, Leo Grande:

In GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE, two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson (Love, Actually) embodies the candor and apprehension of retired teacher Nancy Stokes, and newcomer Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders) personifies the charisma and compassion of sex worker Leo Grande. As Nancy embarks on a post-marital sexual awakening and Leo draws on his skills and charm, together they find a surprising human connection.

Starring: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack.

More about Cha Cha Real Smooth:

Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew is stuck back at home with his family in New Jersey. But if there’s one thing that belongs on his nonexistent résumé, it’s how to get a party started, which lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. When Andrew befriends a local mom, Domino, and her daughter, Lola, he finally discovers a future he wants – even if it might not be his own.

Starring: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, Vanessa Burghardt, and Evan Assante.

More about Brian and Charles:

BRIAN AND CHARLES follows Brian, a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his lack of success, Brian attempts his biggest project yet. Three days, a washing machine, and various spare parts later, he’s invented Charles, an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages. What follows is a humorous and entirely heartwarming story about friendship, family, finding love, and letting go.

Starring: David Earl, Chris Hayward, Louise Brealey, James Michie and Nina Sosanya