Critical Score: 85
Starring: Viggo Mortenson, Mahershala Ali, Linda Carellini
Director: Pater Farrelly
Viggo will probably get nominated for best actor; Mahershala was excellent too. Very entertaining – might have been a little far fetched at times, but overall very good.
Critical Score: 60
Starring: viola Davis, LIam Neeson, Colin Farrell
Director: Steve McQueen
It’s a little slow.
Critical Score: 85
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant
Director: Marielle Heller
Very well directed and performed comedy/drama based on the true story and book of the same name. Lee Israel (McCarthy) began forging letters from famous authors and selling them to book stores, collectors, historians, etc. It’s estimated that she sold around 400 such artifacts. Amazing that she got away with it for so long, but was finally called to testify and admitted to her crimes. Her friend Jack (Grant) who was homeless and fairly helpless added some color to Lee’s circumstance. Fun to watch just to see who Lee was, how she lived her life (after publishing a NYT bestseller) and how all of Lee’s criminal behavior was going to end.
Critical Score: 65
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Common, Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall
Director: George Tillman Jr.
The title of the movie is based on lyrics from Tupac: THUG LIFE – The Hate You Give Little Infants F Everybody. So many scenes are overly dramatic, but it’s hard not to get drawn into them. The film displays a situation we are all familiar with – a young black man is mistakenly shot when a white police officer pulls him over for not signaling a lane change. The problem is that this movie is short on answers; sometimes the main characters resort to violence, sometimes (particularly at the end of the movie) they don’t. It’s a complicated dilemma that can really only be handled situation by situation. A lot of the acting seems forced at times and the viewer is taken out of the experience due to this. Amandla has a big role to fill here and overall does a pretty good job. It seems to me that the best way for African Americans and all minorities to be treated the same is to do good work – regardless of the subject matter of the film or project or business endeavor. This movie is kind of like “Crazy Rich Asians” in a way that says Look ! we are all Asians and we are making a big Hollywood production !! “The Hate U Give” is too obvious in it’s attempt to level all racial playing fields. The messaging would be better if if were more subtle. It’s possible that this film could stir emotions and cause a greater divide from African Americans and whites. In short, I thought it was a little short on solutions to the racial issues in our country today and a little awkward to watch.
Critical Score: 80
Audience Score: n/a
Starring: Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck
Director: David Lowery
Robert Redford says this is his last movie, but who really knows; he could change his mind any minute. This is overall very entertaining and really tries to break down the motivation of Redford’s Forrest Tucker as to why he continues to rob banks over and over again. Spoiler alert – it’s because that’s what he knows, that’s what he’s good at and that’s what he loves. It’s kind of a tempting lifestyle as there would definitely be a rush if not addicting quality to the act itself and for outwitting law enforcement. However, there is really no chance for much of a life in the end because Forrest is always running from the law and from people he cares about.
Possibly, the more interesting character and a bit of a surprise in the movie is Casey Affleck as the detective who at first seems to be trying to catch Forrest, but may have decided that catching him isn’t that important. I guess the detective feels a little sorry for Forrest while respecting the love he has for his craft at the same time. At least this is a different perspective than that of an obsessive and angry law enforcer going after the criminal at all costs whatsoever. This detective seems to have a life that he likes, and doesn’t need to obsess about catching Forrest; he is intrigued though and interested in the case. He also seems to really care about Forrest. Overall a solid movie, excellent acting and worth a look.
Critical Score: 90
Audience Score: n/a
Starring: Alex Hannold, Jimmy Chin, Sanni McCandless, Tommy Caldwell
Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
This documentary is incredible. The feat that Alex is attempting to conquer is perhaps the most difficult ever attempted in the world of free solo climbing – climbing with no rope or gear except some white chalk. The level of detail that is involved with Alex’s preparation – down to how and where to put each of his fingers on various sections of rock on the 3000 ft tall El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. El Cap is the epicenter of climbing; it’s a stunning visual. Pretty much perpendicular to the ground from bottom to top. This climb without rope has never been tried much less accomplished. Even harder is to accomplish this feat while being filmed with a 4 or 5 man film crew. The pressure doesn’t get much more intense, yet Alex breaks everything down into small puzzles until he thinks he can give it a go. This doc is not one to be missed.
Critical Score: 85
Audience Score: n/a
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy
Director: Damien Chazelle
Damien Chazelle has done it again. After the critically and commercially acclaimed ‘Whiplash’ followed by ‘La La Land’, Damien has once again proven that he is one of the best writer / director / producers in the business. The story is interesting and underrepresented in our history of space exploration and space travel; he brings this unbelievably dangerous and experimental mission into the light of the present time. The danger of prior flights and tests and the deaths that came before Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon are all on display here. Technology was not near as good back in the 1960’s and this feat was very much a miracle. Ryan Gosling plays Mr. Armstrong while the story really does show the extraordinarily driven man; the toll it took on him and his family; his relentless focus to accomplish his mission; and his determination to reach the moon. Very interesting and entertaining movie from start to finish and I’m looking forward to reading the book by James R. Hansen from which the movie was based. Metacritic scores it a 85 as well; Rotten Tomatoes a 8/10.
Critical Score: 90
Audience Score: n/a
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga
Director: Bradley Cooper
This movie is very entertaining right off the bat. Bradley Cooper transforms himself into a very believable rock star who meets Ally (Lady Gaga) while singing a number at a bar on drag queen night. Bradley Cooper is excellent again in this fantastic remake of the same movie where Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland star decades before. There have been 5 remakes of this story. Bradley Cooper also directs. This movie was made for Lady Gaga as she nails the acting bits and her singing speaks for itself. She was fantastic. There will be many Oscar nominations here; seems like Lady Gaga should already be a favorite. What a great directorial debut for Bradly Cooper. The pace is quick and there are not many if any wasted scenes. It’s definitely a tearjerker and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend !
Critical Score: 100
Starring: Michael Moore, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Director and Producer: Michael Moore
Michael Moore has created another great documentary. This is his best yet. He breaks down how and where the democratic process went wrong, who was involved and the extreme dangers of the current administration. It was enlightening to learn that Bernie Sanders may have really won the Democratic Primary; to learn the dangers of candidates accepting money from large corporations and millionaire / billionaire special interest donors among both the democrats and republicans; to learn about the joke of the Obama press conference during the Flint water crisis.
Michael Moore highlights the statements made by Donald Trump of ending term limits and possibly not even having an election in 2020. He also parallels the current Trump administration to the political and economic environment of Germany in the early / late 1930’s and illustrates the extremely disturbing similarities of these two critical points in time. Moore again highlights Trump’s view of how great the President of China is and how he is President “for life” and that maybe we (meaning the U.S.) should try this too…. of course all in a joking manner (Now), but it looks like Trump wants to plant the seed for possibilities later on — not so funny. Moore talks to Parkland students; the impact they have had and the progress they continue to try to make amidst the corruption, funding and deep pockets of the NRA. Above all Mr. Moore describes a democracy that may not even really be a democracy and how the U.S. desperately needs to change in many ways to become a much more democratic, accountable and fair society.
Critical Score: 60
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding
Director: Paul Feig
This movie is kind of a mess. It doesn’t know if it wants to be a psychological thriller, murder mystery or comedy and it just can’t really be taken seriously. It seems like there were about 10 people who wrote the plot and it wouldn’t be surprising if the plot line changed many times throughout writing and shooting. Anna Kendrick is funny; Blake Lively and Henry Golding show their acting chops, but the movie just takes too many unbelievable twists, you don’t know whether to feel threatened or if it’s all a joke. Anna’s character reminds me of “drunk girl” cooking on her many Youtube VLOGs (My Drunk Kitchen) which must have “inspired” Anna’s character. It seems a little too derivative; a little too similar to the real thing (Anna kind of looks like star on My Drunk Kitchen) without giving credit to the original or even acknowledging its existence. Metacritic gives this movie a respectable 68 while RT scores it a 70 from top critics. Probably best to take a pass on this one.