Critical Score:  2

Starring:  Nicolas Cage

Director:  Panos Cosmatos

This is the worst movie I’ve seen in a long, long time.  I walked out after about 20 minutes.  It’s a combination of science fiction, horror, religious cult nightmare.  It’s painfully slow to get going, the talking is slow, the special affects are incredibly annoying (red lighting, yellow lighting, blurred images) and the sound / “music” is deafening and distracting throughout.  Nicolas Cage is always fun to watch and a great actor, but he really isn’t in the movie much (at least in the beginning).  Metacritic gives this movie a 81 for some unknown reason while Rotten Tomatoes scores it 7.8/10 from the top critics.  The lighting and pace was just too much.  If you were tripping, drunk and high all at once, this might be somewhat entertaining.  It looks like the director was all of the above when he wrote and directed it.

Critical Score:  85

Starring:  Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne, Chris O’Dowd

Director:  Jesse Peretz

Duncan is obsessed with the long lost rocker, Tucker Crowe, who is not really lost – he just hasn’t recording anything in many years and is living a quiet life with his ex-wife and son somewhere in a small town in the U.S.  Annie, Duncan’s girlfriend, happens to meet Tucker and starts up a friendship unbeknownst to Duncan.  Tucker has a storied past and is trying to make the best of his life while Annie is a little bored with her life as well.  Ethan Hawke and Rose Byrne are fun to watch in this romantic comedy and the story is very entertaining.  Metacritic gives it a 67 while 81% of approved critics at Rotten Tomatoes gave it a positive review.  Audience scores are higher as they should be as the critical reviews seem underrated.  This movie is very well made and the acting is superb.  Ethan Hawke has a nice little run going lately with this movie as well as First Reformed (also 2018), which was excellent.

Starring:  John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La

Director:  Aneesh Chaganty

Critical Score:  75

What is most interesting about this movie is the use of social media and the internet in general for searching, storing, collaborating and communicating with others around the world.  Margot goes missing and her father is desperately searching and in the process needs to access her social media accounts, email, bank information – all online – to follow the trace.  The movie takes many unexpected twists and turns and is almost impossible to predict.  The only negative I have to say is that the media coverage of missing Margot seems a little far fetched.  However, this film was definitely well thought out and the acting is excellent.  It kept me very interested and entertained for the entire film.

Critical Score:  80

Starring:  Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise and Tom Cruise

Director:  Christopher McQuarrie

This is a typical Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movie where the plot is basically impossible to follow.  The stunts and special affects are excellent as you might expect and it is action packed from beginning to end.  Acting is fantastic and all in all a fun movie going experience.

Critical Score:  75

Starring:  Ben Foster, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie

Director:  Debra Granik

This movie is highly rated on Metacritic (88), but for me it was a little slow and kind of depressing.  It is well acted and definitely reminds me of Debra’s Winter’s Bone with Jennifer Lawrence due to it’s scenes mainly performed outdoors in deep wooded areas.  Will and Tom live on state land where they are eventually found out and required to move to a legal arrangement in a small town.  Adjusting is hard and they are eventually on the move again due to the psychological needs of Will, however, Tom is losing interest in this constant moving and will have to make a decision for herself if she wants to break free of her fathers suffering – a suffering which she does not endure herself.

Critical Score:  85

Starring:  Constance Wu, Henry Golding

Director:  John M. Chu

Every character in this movie is Asian and it was produced by a large Hollywood studio (Warner Brothers) which makes it somewhat groundbreaking, although it really shouldn’t.  Of course Asians can act direct and create great movies.  It’s just that Hollywood is probably a little bit stuck in it’s old ways.  All of the acting is great along with the writing and the story line.  It’s definitely a little trite and a feel good romantic comedy, but does have it’s own interesting twists and turns.  Well worth seeing and one of the better movies of the summer.

Critical Score:  80

Starring:  Adam Driver, John David Washington

Director:  Spike Lee

Set in the days of the KKK – early 1970’s; tells the story of 2 detectives in Colorado Springs who infiltrate the KKK.  Definitely typical of a Spike Lee movie that deals with race, but doesn’t exactly say how to fix it or what to do about it – just exposes it.  Well acted throughout the movie and an interesting story with David Duke, played by Topher Grace, expressing his racist views and the rituals of the KKK.  Mr. Lee ends the movie with actual footage of the real David Duke and the 2017 scene in Charlottesville, VA; he also reveals Donald Trump justifying the actions and the quality of the protesters on “both sides”.