Hello. I'm interested in a recommendation for a movie currently showing in theaters. What's out there worth seeing?\n
What type of movie do you enjoy?
Drama, but not horror movies. Comedy, but not campy humor or dumb plots.
At least four dramas are currently in theaters. Would you like to review them?
Okay. What are the movies?
Joker is a drama/thriller featuring a dynamic performance by Joaquin Phoenix.
What is Joker about?
Phoenix plays Arthur Flack, a failed comedian who adopts two different personas wearing a clown mask in Gotham City. The plot is grim.
Sounds like a '70's comic book flick. That one is out.
Got it. The 2nd drama is Gemini Man starring Will Smith, who plays two characters. Smith plays a newly retired assassin, who becomes the target of a mysterious operation led by a younger clone of himself.
What kind of review did Gemini Man get?
82% of Google users liked the movie, but Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a 24% rating. One critic called the film "a box office disaster".
Okay. Plot sounds too predictable. Gemini Man is out, too.
Right. The 3rd drama currently playing is Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt.
Tell me about Ad Astra.
Okay. "Ad Astra is Latin for "through hardship to the stars", which is appropriate for the plot of this father-son space story. Pitt plays Roy McBride who accepts a mission to Neptune to discover the fate of his father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who disappeared on a mission 30 years ago. Donald Sutherland also plays a key role.
Ad Astra sounds interesting. Is it primarily a fantasy?
Yes. It could be called a science fiction adventure, but it has a lot of dramatic twists.
I'm not crazy about sci fi, but I admire the actors you mentioned. I think I'll make this film my back-up pic. What other drama would you recommend?
Downton Abbey, a historic drama about the Crawley family, is a sumptuous film based on the hugely popular PBS series of the same name. Fans of the series will recognize a score of familiar characters, including the dowager countess, played by renowned British actress, Maggie Smith.
What's the movie about?
King George V and Queen Mary visit Downton Abbey. Trouble ensues with servants of the house vs the Kings' servants. It received a 7.8 out of 10 rating from IMDb. Good pic for a fan of the series. Bygone glamour. Plot a bit lacking, though. Set in 1927. Caps the series with a whimper, not a bang.