Warcraft

Actors: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Daniel Wu

Rating: 7 out of 10, I’m totally clueless as to the background mythology on the whole Warcraft world but they promised orcs fighting knights so you knew a dedicated geek such as myself would not pass it up. I think my lack of knowledge hurt in understanding the plot which wasn’t helped by some mumbling of lines that should have been policed up in the editing room. Paula Patton can even make green skin with protruding tusks look good and she was one of the best things about the entire movie. I left with the impression this entire film was simply an opening chapter in a series. I’m not sure it’s doing well enough in theaters to justify any sequels, especially given the cost of CGI. I enjoyed the battle scenes and a couple of the very many story lines but when you try to do too much sometimes you don’t do enough.

MVP: Patton looking good in green

Captain America: Civil War

Actors: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

Rating: 9 out of 10, As the title suggests this one has the long simmering rivalry between the stalwart Captain America and the narcissistic Iron Man finally flower into full-fledged war. The point of contention is turning authority over the Avengers to the United Nations. The plot was kind of dumb, I mean who in their right mind would grant any real authority to that benighted organization? At the same time we have super heroes zooming around, spells being cast, and 100 year old soldiers so suspending disbelief shouldn’t be that hard. Marvel does what they do best. They give heart and depth to these comic book icons and make even semi-believers care. There’s also non-stop action along with an examination of the repercussions of all their prior city busting exploits. The conflict seems forced as none of them truly hate each other but it does lead to a lively, if very crowded confrontation. The nicest surprise is the introduction of Spiderman which they’ve finally figured out, returning to his comic book personae. So a really, good, movie but that’s what you’ve come to expect when this bunch gets together.

MVP: Evans lends some real depth to the deep thinking Captain

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Nick Frost, Sam Claflin, Emily Blunt, Rob Brydon Jessica Chastain

Rating: 7 out of 10, This isn’t as bad as the current scouring it’s undergoing in popular media. The filmmakers did the right thing by removing Snow White and going to the only thing watchable in the original movie – Thor with axes instead of a hammer. They then tried to tap into the popularity of Frozen by creating an evil ice queen to hold the fort/ice palace until Charlize returns late in the movie to chew up some scenery. As stated above, I kind of liked the movie but there was a lot to forgive. The shoe horned prequel/sequel plot didn’t help but let us remind ourselves this is fantasy and stories should be allowed some leeway to breath. Thor’s bemused action credentials are fully redeemed and he seemed to be having a lot of fun. Of course, that’s easy when you’re surrounded by Blunt, Charlize, and especially Jessica Chastain who dominates as the love interest. The four leads and some feisty dwarves made this watchable if not memorable.

MVP: Chastain as the dangerous Sara

Nice Guys

Actors: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Kim Basinger

Rating: 9 out of 10, If anyone was wondering what Russel Crowe has been up to for the last couple years I learned the answer last night – he’s been eating donuts. He and Ryan Gosling who they now allow to actually speak in movies were a terrific pair together. The semi-fondly remembered 1970s also got the obligatory skewering. They play a pair of L.A. private eyes who are drawn into a convoluted missing person’s case. The tone is irreverent from the start when a nude porn star drives her car through an adolescent boy’s house. If nothing else this movie points out the danger of hillside living in L.A. but I found it incredibly funny and entertaining. It veers shamelessly between slapstick and action and never forgets to be fun. It’s the best thing Crowe has done in a long while and maybe the best thing Gosling has ever done. I really liked it.

MVP: Russel Crowe as the lovable, but dangerous Jackson Healy