Last Christmas (2019)

Emilia Clarke stars as a disillusioned "elf" who works at a year-round Christmas shop, and falls for the perfect man, who rides his bike everywhere and volunteers at a homeless shelter. This is a very predictable movie, but only if you know the song inside and out. That doesn't mean it isn't effective. Emotionally manipulative, sure, but it still managed to stir those long dormant feelings within me. This is one of those movies I wouldn't accept any other time of year, but since it's Christmas, I'm feeling charitable.

3 Wham!s out of 5

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

Adding explosions and panache to the real life story of Operation Postmaster, a group of special forces soldiers are secretly recruited by the British government to carry out a black ops sabotage mission to hijack and infiltrate a Nazi stronghold in 1940s German-occupied Europe. Guy Ritchie is usually more hit than miss, but this was a misfire on all counts, from its lackluster action sequences to its dull, hollow execution. If you like shallow action flicks that go boom, this one is for you. The heavily fictionalized events portrayed here were also apparently the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond character. 

1½ U-boats out of 5