The Sugarland Express (1974)

When I saw that this was about to leave Netflix, I finally got curious about it. I knew only that it was the first wide-release feature directed by Steven Spielberg and probably the most popular of the few that I hadn't seen, most of which are from early in his career. Indeed, I doubt he was a household name before Jaws. Would I even recognize his style?

In Texas, twenty-something Clovis Poplin (William Atherton) is eight months into a one-year sentence. His wife, Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn), has her own criminal record and thus has lost custody of their toddler son. Clovis reluctantly agrees to her plan to bust him out, drive to Sugarland, reclaim their son illegally, and head to Mexico. Phase 1 goes smoothly, but then their driver gets pulled over for reasons unrelated to the passengers. One thing leads to another, and for most of the picture, the Poplins hold Patrolman Maxwell Slide (Michael Sacks) hostage, followed from a slight distance by dozens of cops under cautious Captain Tanner (Ben Johnson).

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

I was a little surprised when this became slightly more popular than its predecessors, especially with critics. I thought that Shadow the Hedgehog's star had faded, judging by his near absence from recent video games and TV shows. But perhaps his signature angst really speaks to modern cinema's favorite demographic, teens. When the movie came up on a menu at the Red Cross, I went right for it.

The three ET friends who make up "Team Sonic" -- Sonic (Ben Schwarz), Tails the Fox (Colleen O'Shaughnessey), and Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) -- are not world-famous yet, but the government has an improved opinion of them, as evidenced by a request that they help neutralize a powerful threat. Shadow (Keanu Reeves, once again playing an alleged ultimate life form) has escaped from a secret facility, and despite 50 years of stasis, he can hold his own against all of Team Sonic together. Also newly free after 50 years is the spry grandfather of Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (Jim Carrey), Prof. Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey), who used to study Shadow with his consent. Both of them are so furious at what the government unjustly did in connection with their project that they plan to kill far more than the guilty parties.

Now You See Me (2013)

When I picked this out, I did not know that it had a threequel coming this year. I just wanted something rather different from what else I'd been watching lately. This one has been moderately popular among the general viewership, but critics are almost evenly split on it.

An anonymous, faceless source assembles four magicians -- famous card trickster Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), backmailing mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and pocket- and lock-picking prestidigitator Jack Wilder (Dave Wilder) -- to pull off a series of heists in exchange for membership in an elite society. They're actually quite open about parts of it, working robbery into their stage shows and winning mass approval as Robin Hood types by paying the live audience; the authorities can't easily prosecute them without insinuating a belief in real magic. FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is assigned to catch them somehow, with help from INTERPOL's Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) and possibly from long-time debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman).

Matilda the Musical (2022)

I saw the 1996 adaptation of the Roald Dahl book at camp twice in two weeks, because I had little choice. As a result, I remember it well despite disliking it in my teens. But the underwhelming '97 movie The Borrowers didn't stop me from wanting to check out more Borrower stories, which paid off. Similarly, I suspected that a musical version of Matilda, while about even with the '96 version on ratings sites, would appeal to me more.

Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) gets a late start on school thanks to her negligent, emotionally abusive parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough), but she already knows a lot thanks to supportive librarian Mrs. Phelps (Sindhu Vee) and a ridiculously advanced brain. She gets a sweet teacher in Miss Jenny Honey (Lashana Lynch), but the school overall is prison-like thanks to vicious headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). Matilda gains the courage and resourcefulness to stand up to wrongful authority -- especially after her psionic powers awaken.

KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

This may be the most on-the-nose movie title since Snakes on a Plane. I wondered if it would be similarly stupid in a self-aware way. When I saw that it was partly comedic and had a warm reception, I took a chance on it.

Korean pop girl group HUNTR/X, consisting of never-relaxing lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho for speech/Ejae for singing), dour dancer Mira (May Hong/Audrey Nuna), and eager-to-please rapper Zoey (Ji-young Yoo/Rei Ami), has a rare secret reason for performing: Their music and extreme popularity reinforce a mostly invisible barrier to keep soul-sucking demons out of the land. They also use mystical melee weapons to kill demons they meet on the wrong side of the barrier. They are on the verge of fully sealing away Demon Lord Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun) when things start to go wrong. First Rumi's voice keeps cracking in rehearsals. Then a faux-friendly, disguised demon band, the Saja Boys, debuts to steal their fans, and the heroines don't dare fight in public. Then Saja Boys leader Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop/Andrew Choi) discovers compelling evidence that Rumi had a demon parent, which she hasn't told even Mira and Zoey -- but Jinu doesn't either, because he now feels kinship with Rumi. Their interactions become...complicated....

Slap Shot (1977)

I have never watched an entire hockey game in my life, nor had I watched a movie that concerns hockey principally. I don't recall who recommended this one. But I trusted that it would be easy to follow with even a rudimentary knowledge of the sport. Indeed, the first scene clarifies a few terms that hockey fans probably know well.

Under near-retirement Coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman), the fictitious Charlestown Chiefs are the least successful NHL team. Then the manager (Strother Martin) recruits three young brothers (David Hanson, Steve Carlson, and Jeff Carlson) who look like wimpy dorks but play with a super-bellicose style that garners wins despite frequent penalties. Reggie decides to have the team in general adopt a policy of aggression, which makes them popular with their hometown and pretty much no one else. Only the star player (Michael Ontkean) declines. Can the Chiefs save themselves from dissolution?

Pete's Dragon (2016)

Amid all the hype for How to Train Your Dragon, I thought I'd watch a different live-action remake of a family flick about a boy and his nonverbal, flying, fire-breathing, reptilian secret friend. It's not the most popular Disney remake, but it may be the only one more popular than its predecessor.

When Pete is five years old (and played by Levi Alexander), he loses his parents in a car crash on a woodland road. He wanders and meets a curiously friendly dragon (grunt-voiced by John Kassir) who can turn invisible at will. For the next six years, Pete (now played by Oakes Fegley) lives with Elliot in the woods, healthy but only slightly more civilized than another feral boy from a Disney remake that year. Fellow preteen Natalie (Oona Laurence) discovers Pete, and her lumberjack father Jack (Wes Bentley) and his ranger girlfriend Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) try to give Pete a more normal life, by adopting him if necessary. They don't readily believe in Elliot, who doesn't take well to separation from Pete. And when Jack's unruly brother Gavin (Karl Urban) and coworkers see the long-rumored dragon of the area, they plan to capture Elliot for some means of profit.

Tár (2022)

I was surprised to discover that this is not based on a true story or, indeed, any preexisting thing. It also is a primarily American production and attaches no importance to the protagonist's nationality. So why pick such an uninformative title that could easily confuse English speakers, especially if presented in a format that doesn't support an accent? That factor may have contributed to me waiting this long to check out the Best Picture nominee.

The story begins with Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) at the peak of success as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, citing Leonard Bernstein as inspiration. Alas, as a major concert approaches, one thing after another goes badly. Tensions rise between her and her wife (Nina Hoss), her secretary (Noémie Merlant), her assistant conductor (Allan Corduner), and pretty much everyone else except her daughter (Mila Bogojevic). On top of that, she develops physical and especially mental issues, including apparent hallucinations.

Touchez pas au grisbi (1954)

I wondered why I found this DVD in the H section of my library. The answer came at the title screen when the British subtitles read, "Honor Among Thieves." (No relation to a recent movie.) To make matters more confusing, it was released in the U.S. as Grisbi but appears on IMDb by its literal translation, Don't Touch the Loot.

Big-time crook Max (Jean Gabin, long after his heyday) has recently stolen gold bars, planning to retire on them. Unfortunately for him, partner in crime Riton (René Dary) has an unfaithful girlfriend (Jeanne Moreau) who lets their secret slip to her other boyfriend, Angelo (Lino Ventura). Angelo's men abduct Riton for ransom, so Max enlists two more partners (Paul Frankeur and Michel Jourdan) to help confront them....

Heat (1995)

Another movie I liked before but couldn't remember well. This one stops streaming on Netflix at the end of June. Only after I started rewatching did I realize the appropriate timing: It features a public clash with authorities in L.A.

The story begins with an armored car heist led by Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). Alas, one of his partners (Kevin Gage) is a loose cannon, so everyone from the armored car is unnecessarily killed. LAPD Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) heads a hunt for the robbers, who face quite enough enmity from fellow crooks already, not least a treacherous money launderer (William Fichtner).