Doctor Sleep

Actors: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis

Rating: 8 out of 10, I was excited to see what the filmmakers would do with this sequel to The Shining after enjoying the book so much. It’s excellent. They pick up the story of Danny, the kid driving the hotwheels through the hallway forty years later. He’s still haunted by his childhood adventures with mom, dad and room 237 resulting in severe alcoholism. He’s drawn to New Hampshire (but aren’t we all) where he cleans up his act and connects with another physic, a young African-American girl from a nearby town. Their peace is shattered when a roving group of semi-immortal “shine vampires” (Stephen King – don’tcha know) latch onto the girl’s powers and want to devour her. Ewan McGregor , if you’ll excuse the expression, shines as Danny lending both heart and depth. Rebecca Ferguson, rapidly becoming one of my favorites, is diabolically evil yet incredibly attractive as the leader of the vamps. It’s a story where you truly invest in the characters which is a tribute to the actors involved. The climatic scenes take place in the decrepit remains of the Overlook hotel, scene of the first movie. There are numerous odes to the first movie but a clear miss when they try to replicate Jack with a stand-in. King is sometimes a hard creature to translate to the screen but they hit the mark here. Just different enough from the book to keep you engaged, scared and thrilled for the entire, long movie.

MVP: Ferguson deliciously evil as Rose the Hat

Terminator Dark Fate

Actors: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna

Rating: 8 out of 10, A very good reboot of the iconic movie franchise. Both Linda Hamilton and the Governator return in age appropriate roles. They were the best part of the original two movies and Hamilton is outstanding continuing her kick ass mentality well into her senior years. The script does a very good job of weaving the plot into the original mythology and tells the same type of story although the John Conner role is assumed by a feisty Mexican gal. Her savior from the future isn’t a terminator but an enhanced human warrior, also female. You do not want to piss these women off. They’re pursued by yet another upgraded terminator who combines the scariest aspects of all prior incarnations. The action is almost non-stop but there’s a liberal amount of sly humor injected, especially when Arnold shows up as a drape salesman. Yep. I also loved the small tributes to the original movies liberally laced throughout. I thought the franchise was dead but like the damned terminators themselves, there is life yet. I loved it.

MVP: Schwarzenegger reprising his role as a T-800

Zombieland 2

Actors: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch

Rating: 9 out of 10, This retains the very fun attitude of the original. Our Oscar nominated crew of zombie killers have taken up residence in the ruins of the White House which lends itself to some serious gags. I missed Woody’s obsession with Twinkies but it’s been replaced with an Elvis mania which leads him to Rosario Dawson – never a bad thing. It’s all escapist fun despite the constant zombie attacks with some really funny zingers aimed at millennials. I know critics who take themselves way too seriously will be upset with actors of this caliber taking up this kind of fare but it is pure unadulterated fun and would have been really silly (alright more silly) with lesser actors. Make sure to stay for all of the credits for your Bill Murray fix, who re-appears despite the hole blown in his chest in the first movie.

MVP: Eisenberg as the geeky but effective Columbus

Gemini Man

Actors: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong

Rating: 7 out of 10, I know this isn’t getting a lot of love from the critics. Ang Lee does get carried away with trying to be too cute with his camera angles, action flicks may not be his best outlet. We get a whole lot of Will Smith, obviously since it stars both his current self and a computer generated younger version as well, which is never a bad thing. It seemed the computer generated younger version was limited in facial expression because he had none of Smith’s usual charisma. The older version more than picked up the slack though. Smith plays a world class assassin who tries to retire (never a cinematically easy task) and finds himself hunted by his much younger clone. There are plot holes galore but that comes with the territory and the action scenes were excellent. There was a tendency to come to screeching halts for a little too much naval contemplation but Smith is good enough to carry you through that. He’s ably assisted by Mary Elizabeth Winstead who kicks some serious ass on her own. This is well worth the watch despite what you’re hearing from the critics.

MVP: Winstead as Danny, the more than capable assistant

Joker

Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Marc Maron

Rating: 10 out of 10, There is something about the character of Batman’s Joker that brings out extraordinary performances but Joaquin Phoenix has outdone all predecessors. He totally inhabits the role and it was mesmerizing to behold. This is an origin story but it doesn’t involve a descent because he’s already psychotic when we first meet him. He plays an unsuccessful clown/comedian in a crumbling Gotham City. You can almost root for him as his desperately lonely life dissolves into chaos. Phoenix’s performance lends the perfect amount of unease to the audience as we watch the train wreck that his mind is unfold in slow motion. The sudden violence is unvarnished and pointed straight at those who would lionize the comic criminality the Joker is usually surrounded by. This is a very bad man; despite the challenges society and his warped life have thrown at him. I’ve always thought Joaquin Phoenix was kind of an acquired taste but you can see the pain and madness permeating his character and it’s impossible to look away. One of the best movies I’ve seen in a while but don’t go if you’re not ready to be figuratively smacked in the mouth.

MVP: Phoenix mesmerizes as the Gotham City’s preeminent bad guy

Bad Times at the El Royale

Actors: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Chris Hemsworth

Rating: 9 out of 10, I’m not sure what I expected but this was something new and very interesting. The film involves a series of characters who in the late 1960s check into a kitschy hotel that straddles the Nevada-California border. The various back stories are told by room number and eventually they all come together for a vibrating finale with a completely unexpected hero emerging. The cast is uniformly strong with Cynthia Erivo as an aspiring lounge singer and Jeff Bridges as a priest/felon particularly standing out. I think many younger viewers will miss some of the pop culture references from that period of time but that was one of the most interesting aspects for me. There are times when the pace may seem to crawl but that’s an illusion and necessary to get you to the “sit up moments” and the dizzying finale. Great flick.

MVP: Cynthia Erivo as Darlene Sweet the singer/conscience of the group

Creed 2

Actors: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad

Rating: 8 out of 10, Michel B. Jordan has so much screen presence that you almost don’t notice the presence of Stallone in this Rocky generated sequel. Creed is a compelling character as he struggles to forge his own way through the same challenges that cost his father his life. The Russian superman Drago from Rocky 3 has raised a son who is every bit as damaged as a Rocky themed movie opponent is required to be. This wasn’t the formulaic fight picture as there is real depth to all the main characters but this movie truly belongs to Jordan. I’m excited to think about the future of this young actor – he’s really that good. The final fight was everything you’d expect and hope for in a Rocky film but it still somehow entertained.

MVP: Jordan continues to be automatic as Adonis Creed