Night of the Hunter

Actors: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe, Gloria Castillo, Billy Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce

Rating: 8 out of 10, Mitchum plays against type as a homicidal bible thumper in Appalachia during the depression. He is so cooly evil that he’s genuinely scary. The film itself is incredible as the staging of some of the scenes grabs the eye. Mitchum is hunting for money hidden by a soon to die father with his two children. Mitchum slimily inserts himself into their mother’s life and the killing begins. Gish is particularly effective as the counterpoint to Mitchum’s pervasive evil. A great watch.

MVP: Mitchem as the deranged Harry Powell

Stagecoach

Actors: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Louise Platt, George Bancroft, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, Tim Holt

Rating: 9 out of 10, Arguably the best western ever made where John Wayne establishes himself as a leading man. You can almost feel the camera gravitating towards him as soon as he appears. He joins a stagecoach full of questionable characters heading through Indian country towards the inevitable gunfight. Each the characters get an arc and since John Ford was helming the camera work is unmatched. Just a great film that has aged remarkably well.

MVP: Wayner dominates and becomes a star as the Ringo Kid

Red River

Actors: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, Coleen Gray, Harry Carey, John Ireland, Hank Worden, Noah Beery Jr., Harry Carey Jr., Paul Fix

Rating: 7 out of 10, A true classic with Wayne playing against type for the first time as a true heel who undergoes a mutiny by his cowboys while leading a cattle drive. Clift just oozes charisma as the hero, adopted son, who saves Wayne from himself and picks up a gal along with way. Classic shots of the cattle drive through tough terrain, even more so as it was done without CGI. Great movie.

MVP: Clift as the gifted Matt

Blue Beetle

Actors: Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle alongside Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez.

Rating: 9 out of 10, While this super hero movie certainly has its flaws, and it does, it’s saved by the very appealing cast. I’m married to a Hispanic lady and we both laughed continuously as we heard so many of the sayings and issues that arise when our respective cultures clashed over the years. The movie focuses on a Hispanic family’s trial and tribulations as the son unwittingly becomes a superhero pursued by Susan Sarandon (good work if you can get it). George Lopez is hysterical as the weird uncle and steals every scene he’s in. The message of family permeates the plot and serves it well. Abuelas are tough. Loved the movie.

MVP: Maridueña as Jaime Reyes

The Flash

Actors: Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Michael Keaton

Rating: 9 out of 10, I know Ezra Miller, the actor in the title character role in this has had a very rocky personal life for the past couple years but I’ve always liked him in this role. He delivers once again as the DC Universe must have taken notice of the popularity of the multiple Spidermans (Spidermen?) in the multiverse and decided to give it a go as well. They have a rich cinematic history of the various Batmans, Supermans (real and imagined), and other superheroes to delve into. I won’t ruin the very cool (sometimes hilarious) reincarnations that are imagined into being. In this stand-alone film, the Flash decides to use his speed to go back in time to save his mother from the murder his father is imprisoned for. We all know from too many movies that changing history through time travel is never a good idea with way too many ways for Hollywood writers to make it painful. This movie has the best CGI I’ve ever seen and Miller, for whatever his other faults, still portrays a likable, if a bit off kilter, hero. The movie is long but was still a lot of goofy fun. I loved it.

MVP: Keaton as refurbished Wayne/Batman

Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3

Actors: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, Sylvester Stallone

Rating: 10 out of 10, This is purported to be the final installment of this beloved Marvel franchise and it goes out with a bang. All of the lingering questions, some I didn’t know I had, were answered. It features the usual mix of humor, action, and heart along with great oldies. The flashback of Rocket’s origin story was heartbreaking but explained more than a lot. The skillful mixing of plot lines and the length of the movie gives the audience a chance to see off each of the iconic characters, although some of the reasons seemed forced. Still, a big, wild Guardians movie which is all I could have hoped for and I hoped for a lot. Loved it.

MVP: Cooper as Rocket, it’s his film

No Hard Feelings

Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, Matthew Broderick

Rating: 8 out of 10, An absolute riot of a raunchy comedy. Jennifer Lawrence can do anything and proves she has incredible comedy timing along with her other, obvious capabilities. She plays a down and out, incredibly immature, but hot, 32-year-old hired by some helicopter parents to “school” their Princeton bound son. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief to buy the concept but Lawrence and the young actor make it work. The success of any comedy depends on the supporting cast and the couple playing Lawrence’s friends are hilarious. It was nice to finally see another R-rated comedy come out since it seems Hollywood has been trying not to offend anyone which is basically impossible and a comedy is guaranteed to offend some overly sensitive group. This was a great watch.

MVP: Lawrence, who else?, as Maddie