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.

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.