The Slimmest of Slim Pickin’s

Pexels

Mmmmmkay, I’m back after that little hiatus, and to be honest, I was sort of dreading coming back because I knew the stupid editing window is still there. I’ve left a comment on WordPress’s forum, but the window doesn’t seem to have generated much buzz.

So yeah, I’ll still be processing this one. I really don’t want to port the blog if I don’t have to, which means my alternatives are to either end Taking Up Room or just live with the window. We’ll see what happens over the next month or so, but either way, this stinks.

Anywhoo, here we go with January’s movies, and while there were some OK things to boot, most of it was just meh, as January movies often are. As usual, click the images for the full reviews.

Mercy

While this seems like a sorta-ripoff of Minority Report, it’s yet another of the screenlife films that seem to be so popular in January, and it follows Chris Raven, who’s on trial for the murder of his wife, and since it’s a dystopian future, justice is administered by an AI judge named Maddox.

This movie is a bit worse than it could be. It limits itself, it doesn’t take advantage of the questions it asks itself, and Maddox seems to forget that she’s a judge and not a VR machine. At least there’s a countdown clock so we know roughly when the movie is over.

Center Stage

A peek inside the world of ballet, Center Stage follows a group of hopefuls vying for spots in the American Ballet Theater. Yeah, it’s a lot like Fame or A Chorus Line. These characters are all types, and it’s a pretty typical backstage story, but it gives a pretty good idea of what it takes to get one’s foot in the door. We also get a crash course in how ballet dancers break in their pointe shoes, which is something I didn’t know about until I started following various ballet companies on Instagram.

It’s not the greatest movie, but there are a lot of fun moments, and we get to see Zoe Saldaña dance, which is cool.

People We Meet On Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation

Romcoms are an endangered species in Hollywood nowadays, and while I long for a good Ephron comedy, this one sorta fills the void.

Greenland: Migration

Sidelined 2: Intercepted

Another post is coming up tomorrow. Thanks for reading, all, and I hope to see you then…


If you’re enjoying what you see on Taking Up Room, please subscribe to my Substack page, where you’ll find both free and paid subscriber-only reviews of mostly new and newish movies, documentaries, and shows. I publish every Wednesday and Saturday.

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