Argylle

• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Writer: Jason Fuchs
• Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jackson, Ariana DeBose

Grade: C

Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle is the kind of film that would cause a much bigger uproar if it weren’t released in the first quarter of the year, when studios tend to dump the projects they have the least faith in. It’s the kind of easily digestible popcorn film to see when you’ve already seen the remnants of the previous year and have caught up with the crop of Oscar nominees still hanging around. It shamelessly pays homage to the spy thrillers of yesteryear, along with films like Romancing the Stone or the recent The Lost City, without really carving out its own space in the genre.

The Kitchen

• Director: Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe Tavares
• Writers: Daniel Kaluuya, Joe Murtagh
• Starring: Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Henry Lawfull, Rasaq Kukoyi, Richard Lawrie

Grade: C+

January of any year typically serves as a bit of cinematic wasteland, a time when studios dump their projects in the hopes that they’ll generate a quick buck or two – and Netflix is no different, as evidence by their latest release, The Kitchen. From trashy genre films to failed Oscar bait, it’s usually difficult to find a worthwhile new release that will stick in the culture past winter. Thankfully, the film, from first-time directors Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares, has a number of thoughtful ideas at play that makes it more than just background noise.