Midlife Musings | Seen any good movies lately?

Aug. 15—Part of what makes summer, summer is blockbuster movie season. This summer had quite a few offerings that piqued my interest. I actually wanted to "go out" to the movies. After three years of "unprecedentedness" which greatly affected our ability and even desire to venture out — attending movies at the theater is definitely back! Or at least it is for me.

I spent more time in movie theaters over the past few months than I did in the last three years combined, and I have the reviews to show for it. Many may ask: "Why venture out to the cinema when it's so easy to just park yourself on the sofa and dictate viewing preferences into the remote control?"

Here's why. There are those times, and those pictures, that merit the big screen experience — along with the overpriced popcorn and even the annoying laughter, shrieks and commentary from fellow movie-goers. It's all part of the "real" movie experience.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of professional movie reviews easily accessible for those who care to google — but if you'd like some local, homegrown critiques, you've come to the right place.

Following are reviews of three movies I've seen so far this summer, along with input from friends and readers who were willing to share their opinions.

'Indiana Jones'

My movie marathon began with "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." This was a date night and my husband and I splurged on comfort seating, allowing us to recline while also providing convenient cup-holders. It's well worth the few extra bucks.

I'm a huge Harrison Ford fan and loved the original Indiana Jones installments. I really wanted to love this one too — but as soon as the opening scenes depicted an old sad-sack Indy, I knew it just wouldn't be the same.

The sidekicks and villains were colorful characters and there were plenty of supernatural effects, artifacts and action scenes. It just wasn't the blockbuster I was expecting. Maybe too much hype ruined what could be a perfectly good film, or maybe sequels just aren't always a good idea? It did end on a positive note, wrapping things up nicely for old Indy.

Others' reviews of the final chapter in the Indy saga:

— Nelena Neff: "As a GenXer, it was a great nostalgic movie. I loved those movies when I was younger so taking my kids to one was pretty cool!"

— Tera Holm: "A good, action-packed movie."

— Joan Price: "If you were a fan of the originals, it is a satisfying conclusion."

— Dave Barr: "For me, kind of meh."

'Mission: Impossible'

For our second date night movie, we chose "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part One," again reserving the comfort recliners. My husband settled in with a giant bag of popcorn and matching gargantuan diet soda, while I tried — unsuccessfully — to avoid indulging in the "tub-o-corn." Once you start, it's impossible to stop.

After about 15 minutes of trailers, "Mission: Impossible" opened with a gripping submarine scene followed by nearly three hours of nonstop action.

The plot centers around an artificial intelligence "entity" that is infiltrating technology worldwide. If you aren't already a little freaked out about AI's nefarious side, there's a good chance you will be after watching this movie.

As with all "Mission: Impossible" films, there are plenty of villains, along with pretty girls, and pretty girls who are villains — but the "entity" is the real enemy in this film. The special effects and stunts do not disappoint and there's lots of footage of Tom Cruise running, and running, and — running.

It goes without saying that Cruise is a great role model for those of us heading towards, or perhaps already firmly planted in our sixth decade and beyond. I'll be buying tickets for Part Two as soon as they are available. The comfort seats, of course.

More reactions:

— Joel Prichard: "A great action movie — well worth the overpriced popcorn."

— Holly Martin: "I loved it! I was tense and on the edge of my seat for the entire movie."

— Kent Gardner: "It didn't really stand out from all the other action movies I've seen."

— Debbie Schmidt: "Nonstop action."

'Barbie'

The third movie of my summer viewing trifecta was part of a girl's night out. Yes, we did the "Barbie" thing. How could we not? The film is breaking box office records and single-handedly catapulting the color pink into, well, everything.

My friends and I even wore pink tops that some of us had to pull from the depths of our closets. We had a complete stranger take pictures as we posed in front of the movie poster — for posterity's sake or possibly future bribery?

I wasn't sure what to expect considering all the hype — with topics of patriarchy, feminism and political messaging swirling around, but my take on "Barbie" is that of a funny and enjoyable mash-up of amazing sets, costumes, clever song and dance numbers and well-cast characters.

The movie is part musical, part comedy, part coming of age and part social treatise. In the storyline, both Barbie and Ken wrestle with finding their true purpose in life, both in Barbieland (which temporary became Kendom) and in "the real world."

I enjoyed the nostalgia brought back by the living "dolls" and their many accessories — perfectly recreated down to the artificial waffle and whipped cream — but my favorite character had to be "Allan," Ken's trusty (and nerdy) sidekick. I tend to root for the misfit who ends up doing something heroic.

Kate McKinnon as "weird Barbie," complete with hacked-off hair, was perfection. I found myself laughing quite a bit, somewhat surprised by the thought-provoking dialogue, and overall entertained by a healthy dose of escapism.

Here's what others thought of Barbie:

— Libby Herr: "My daughter and I went and laughed ourselves silly. It's very funny and the costuming and set design were great. I did wear pink but didn't realize it was a Barbie movie thing — over half my closet is pink."

— Rhonda Handley Fallon: "I wore pink and I liked the film. A feel-good movie with messages of empowerment. Loved the music, dancing, attention to details in all ways."

— Kristen Fedderson: "My husband even went out to buy a pink shirt to wear to it."

— Dave Barr: "'Barbie,' brilliant. Not what I expected. A lot going on. Made you think, I won't be surprised if multiple Oscars come out of this."

— Kathy Rhoads: "I enjoyed seeing the older Barbies because I played with lots of them as a kid. I'm the same age as Barbie, 64! It was depressing to have it reinforced that men and women are still not equal — neither side should win. We should work together and not against each other!"

— Greg Meyer: "Two hours of my life I will never get back. In a strange way, I'm glad I went because I at least get the jokes!"

These three movies had one thing in common for me: sensory overload. Car chases, fight scenes and special effects for the "Mission: Impossible" and "Raiders" sequels, and pink everything — along with endless choreographed song and dance numbers — for "Barbie."

I'm now craving something with less distraction and a more serious, perhaps real-life storyline — complete with characters who aren't caricatures. With that in mind, I asked friends and readers for additional movie suggestions. Here are two options that came highly recommended.

'The Sound of Freedom'

This is the true story of a government agent who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Columbia.

— Barb Kuhl: "Very well done and enlightening. Amazing job presenting a tough topic. Highly recommend — it will open your eyes to a significant problem. "God's children are not for sale."

— Lou Liay: "Makes you think and makes you mad. These are kids."

— Debbie Benz: "It was gripping and inspiring watching Tim Ballard's journey unfold."

— Cindy Magsamen: "Well done and a must see."

— Tera Holm: "Excellent, but a tough topic."

— Marcia Williams: "Relevant and true."

'Oppenheimer'

This film chronicles the career of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his involvement with the Manhattan Project during World War II.

— Trevor May: "Exceptional cinematography, character direction and storytelling. Held my attention the entire time — which is hard to do."

— Gail Rooney: "Very good — learned a lot and did more research when I got home. Very long movie — buy a larger popcorn!"

— Rhonda Handley Fallon: "We thought it was excellent in all ways and found it hard to believe it was three hours. We then watched a 1980 documentary about Oppenheimer."

— Maureen Brown Thomas: "For what it's worth, I could watch Cillian Murphy sitting on a stool watching paint dry for three hours. My significant other who is an engineer was looking forward to all sorts of 'sciency' things and didn't feel there was enough of that."

— Randy Inman: "Outstanding smart movie. See it on IMAX or a bigger screen."

This is but a sampling of summer 2023 movie offerings — albeit some of the biggies. There are plenty more out there just waiting to be seen. I'd love to get more readers' reviews — along with preferences on viewing at movie theaters versus streaming from home.

And, more importantly, would you like extra butter on that popcorn?