The Mule: Stubbornly substandard

Here we go again with a based-on-a-true-life story that doesn't quite make it movie-wise, despite Clint Eastwood in the starring role.

It's a cool caper about a down-and-out 90-year-old guy who winds up as a courier for a Mexican drug cartel. But somehow it falls flat. The Movie Slut isn't sure who to blame. Is it the script? The actors that include Bradley Cooper (who seems to be phoning it is), and Alison Eastwood, Clint's daughter.

Let's just say it doesn't gel. Kinda like pudding left out in the sun.

Bumblebee: A touch of honey

On her 18th birthday, Charlie buys herself a junkyard yellow VW Beetle and learns that sometimes you receive more than you ever dreamed of.

It turns out her little fixer-upper is a transformer, a huge yellow robot from another universe that's fleeing evil enemies.

Charlie names her car-bot Bumblebee, the two bond, and save the Earth. What more do you need to know?

Sure there are other transformer flicks, some better than others. But in the Movie Slut's estimation, this flick is a standout thanks to endearing performances by Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie and the lovable Bumblebee voiced by Dylan O'Brien.

The Movie Slut doesn't want to get all feministy here, but she totally appreciated seeing a female action hero

Mary Poppins Return: A spoon full of pablum

The Movie Slut and 8-year-old Sid left the multiplex singing "A Spoon Full of Medicine."
"Great," you say.
Not so much.
That song from the original Mary Poppins movie was not in this remake. Neither were any of the other tunes that have become beloved classics. As for the new music—feh.
Sid and Slut were underwhelmed by the entire production. So maybe you're thinking they were misremembering the first movie, letting nostalgia color their assessment.
Nope.
As it happens, the original was on the plane MS took home from her visit with Sid. And even on the small airplane screen and with substandard ear plugs, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and the wonderful soundtrack and story soared leaps and bounds over the sorry sequel with Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Mirander. In fact, when Van Dyke appeared in a cameo near the end of this disappointment, the screen was finally electrified.
The moral of this review: There's no improving upon perfection.

Instant Family: Instant Fun

In an instant, this flick could have devolved into an infomercial for foster care parenthood. But like a mighty retaining wall, Mark Wahlberg is on hand to make sure that doesn't happen.

He's Pete,  one half of a couple who are moved to bring unwanted children into their family. Not because they can't have kids of their own, but because they're motivated by the plight of the youngsters. Next thing you know, he and his wife Ellie (Rose Bryne) are contending with a teenage girl and her younger siblings, each with problems that would test the mettle of the most experienced parents.

Does this flick sugarcoat foster care parenting. At times, yes. At other times, it appears to be a honest account—funny and sad— of the foster care process, from beginning to never-ending relationship.

The World Before Your Feet:

Eight thousand miles.
Six years.
Five boroughs.
Two feet.
One guy.

Matt Green is the walking man. For some reason, not completely clear even to him, he decided to walk on every street in New York City. Why not? He'd already traipsed across the country.

The Movie Slut thinks it was a nifty idea. And appreciates his passion to undertake a project with no reward in sight. She also loves walking and is a major fan of the city.

She thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and yet, at the same time, thought that it was a missed opportunity. She would have loved to see him walking by some of the city's little known treasures like the street where she lived for five years: Chittenden Avenue. High above the Hudson River with sweeping views of the George Washington Bridge and the bridge formerly known as the Tappan Zee, this unique one-block street also figures in MS's soon-to-be-published mystery: Men, Madness, Murder. Look for it soon on Amazon.com.