A staff report

June 16, 2024 – Happy Father’s Day! What better way to celebrate than by sitting down with your dad and enjoying some quality films together? Whether you’re looking for heartwarming classics or thought-provoking dramas, here are five movies that are sure to make this Father’s Day special:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Gregory Peck delivers an unforgettable performance as Atticus Finch, a principled lawyer in the American South who teaches his children valuable lessons about morality and justice. Based on Harper Lee’s novel, this timeless film is a poignant exploration of fatherhood and standing up for what is right.

Watch it: To Kill a Mockingbird on Prime Video

2. Moneyball (2011)  

For the baseball-loving dads out there, “Moneyball” offers a fresh take on the sport with Brad Pitt portraying Billy Beane, the innovative general manager of the Oakland A’s. This David-vs.-Goliath story, based on a true story and Michael Lewis’ book, showcases how unconventional thinking can lead to unexpected victories.

Watch it: Moneyball on Netflix, Prime Video

3. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

Chevy Chase stars as the well-intentioned but hapless Clark Griswold, who embarks on a disastrous cross-country road trip with his family to the elusive Walley World. Full of humor and iconic moments, this comedy is a perfect choice for a lighthearted Father’s Day movie marathon.

Watch it: National Lampoon’s Vacation on Prime Video

4. Minari (2020)

“Minari” tells the heartfelt story of a Korean American family striving for a better life in rural Arkansas. Steven Yeun’s portrayal of the father, Jacob, navigating the challenges of farming and family dynamics, is both tender and powerful. This critically acclaimed film offers a touching exploration of immigrant experiences and familial bonds.

Watch it: Minari on Max, Prime Video

5. Sr. (2022)

In this moving documentary, Robert Downey Jr. pays tribute to his father, Robert Downey Sr., a pioneering filmmaker known for his avant-garde works. Through personal interviews and archival footage, the film celebrates their unique relationship and explores themes of legacy and artistic influence.

Watch it: Sr. on Netflix

This Father’s Day, honor your dad with a cinematic journey through these diverse and enriching stories that celebrate the complexities of fatherhood, family, and the human experience. Whether you prefer classic tales of courage, inspiring underdog stories, or intimate documentaries, these films are sure to create lasting memories and meaningful conversations with your dad.

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I’m all for audiences embracing critically reviled films, that’s why I still regularly check out user scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, just to not be totally lost in my critical bubble, which is such an easy place to get sucked into.

Knowing the world of film criticism all too well, I realize that cliques happen, waves of peer-pressured bandwagon fervor wreak havoc. If it happens that you don’t agree with the flock, then you run the risk of being chastised and mocked. I couldn’t care less, but there are some who do. The hive mind mentality is most definitely part of today’s film criticism.

In 2017, critics seemed to be in universal agreement that David Ayer’s “Bright,” starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, was a terrible action movie. The film, which garnered a 26% on RT and 29 on Metacritic, was widely mocked by the critical community, with many proclaiming it to be the worst film of the year.

The critical response was so bad that Ayer ended up scolding a few of the detracting critics, including IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, going as far as daring Ehrlich to try to write his own script. One might understand Ayer’s ire, a lot was riding on his film which, at the time, was the most expensive Netflix ever produced at a reported budget of $90M.

In a rather surprising twist of fate, audience reactions for the film were the polar opposite of the critical community. “Bright” ended up receiving an RT audience score of 90% —which has since lowered to 84— and on Google the film was at 90%. On Netflix, based on 1,469 user submission, the reviews were also overwhelmingly positive, with most being 4 or 5 stars.

Speaking to Inverse, Edgerton is now opening up about Bright’s nasty reviews. The actor praises the film’s blend of high fantasy with the police procedural genre, but acknowledges the impact of the negative reviews, stating they may have derailed plans for a sequel.

I have a lot of feelings about “Bright”. I’m fascinated by the disparity between critical and audience responses to movies. Often, the audience score is low, but critics love it, or vice versa. Occasionally, you get a double win or a double loss. My brother’s TV series, “Mr Inbetween”, is one of the rare double wins. But “Bright” was in the low 30s with critics, yet it resonated with viewers. Netflix’s algorithms would confirm that, as many people rated it highly, showing a clear appetite for more. I think critics were a bit too harsh on it.

About that sequel to “Bright,” it didn’t happen for a number of reasons, but the movie’s critical reputation wasn’t one of them. It was delayed a few times, due to co-star Will Smith’s busy schedule and due to Netflix’s inability to find a director (Ayer didn’t want to return). Eventually, Netflix canceled the whole thing after Smith’s “Oscar slap” scandal.

Ayer has never been embraced by critics, “Bright” is just one of many films he’s directed that got panned — the others include the likes of “The Tax Collector,” “Suicide Squad,” “Sabotage,” and “Street Kings.”

Under Paris begins with a pre-title sequence where a group of marine scientists are dangerously close to a man-eating shark. Unsurprisingly, all but one member of the team survives the vicious attack. The surviving scientist, Sophia (Berenice Bejo), goes on to live far away in Paris with memories of the traumatic incident where she lost her husband. The shark, named Lillith for some reason, finds her way to Sophia once again after conservation activist Mika (Léa Léviant) spots her in the Seine River with a tracker.

From this point, director Gens seems confused about whether the shark must be treated as a monster or pet. This dilemma, which persists for an hour of the film’s runtime, is rather frustrating to watch. By the time the film makes up its mind, it gets hard to root for the protagonist, especially since good old logic seems to take a hit too.

Add to the proceedings a smug mayor (Anne Marivin), who doesn’t want anything hampering the triathlon Olympics in Paris, leaving you wondering how the Parisian cops let a bunch of 20-year-old activists foil their covert operation? It’s possible, sure, but the film needs to sell it. Even as the number of underwater deaths begin mounting, the Parisians are strangely devoid of any panic. Further narrative issues come in the way of a screwball subplot involving the discovery of active World War II artillery under the Seine. The shark may be kept under wraps, but how is the mayor keeping this a secret? Again, it’s possible, but the film does not attempt whatsoever to convince the audience of the plausibility of the premise.