Gringo

There have been a lot of these movies. You know, pick from the following create-a-story list: the hapless protagonist, the crime, the double-cross, the mistaken identity, the triple-cross, the bigger crime, the mobsters/cartel, the feds, the plot twist, etc. It becomes a comedy of errors, on one level or another. You know. There have been a lot of them. But the films that can spin enough of those a la carte plates to keep things interesting without making a mess are really good. Like “Gringo” (2018). David Oyelowo is the perfect hapless protagonist. Please ignore the violations of car-wreck physics.

Shade

Movies with poker-playing con artists are always kinda fun. Thus, “Shade” (2003) is kinda fun. The film also sets a world record for the number of cigarettes lit in a single movie (I counted 10 bazillion). But like a chain-smoking teen, it’s trying too hard to be cool. The silly graphics, the cheesy techno music, the one-too-many double-crosses. It’s so unsophisticatedly noir, it ends up blanc. Pronounced, blah. Which is too bad, because like I said, there’s some fun. Jamie Foxx appears, then disappears. And Sylvester Stallone plays a veteran card sharp trading Bogart and Bacall lines with Melanie Griffiths.