The Gentlemen

Actors: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch  

Rating: 8 out of 10, This was Guy Ritchie attempting to return to his earlier themes of quirky British criminals. Matthew McConaughey leads off as a career marijuana impresario assaulted on all sides from one Ritchie’s typical mixture of bad guys - Chinese mobsters, Russian mobsters, and American mobsters. The cast is genuinely superb and this is the first movie I really enjoyed Charlie Hunnam in as he makes his way from the small to the large screen. He plays McConaughey’s second in command who has to manage the chaos swirling around the various sub-plots. Michelle Dockery also shines as the more than capable wife. Colin Farrell however steals the movie as possibly the one sort of good guy. He nails every scene he’s in as a hyper boxing trainer trying to shield his charges from the criminal world. The thick British accents were a challenge at times for a Yank but it’s definitely one of the movies I’ll see again, knowing I missed some things during the rapidly evolving plot. It was the funniest movie I’ve seen in a while and definitely a return to form for Ritchie.

MVP: Hunnam as Raymundo, the understated but very lethal consiglieri

1917

Actors: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch  

Rating: 10 out of 10, The buzz is real and well earned. A fascinating look at a small unit action from the trenches of World War 1. Two British lads are given a mission to sneak across no-man’s land to warn another unit about an impending disaster. This is one of the movies you leave wondering how the hell they did it. The movie is basically one long shot of continuous action with only one pause during a period of unconsciousness. The camera moves around the two guys as they travel and encounter a variety of challenges and there never seems to be a break. They used two relatively unknown actors for the lead roles but some distinguished actors show up throughout the movie in very small parts, a very cool technique. The film is also an eloquent comment on the brutality of war along with glimpses of humanity, courage, pride, and nobility. It’s a movie that will stay with you for a long time and not just because you’re still trying to figure out how they did it.

MVP: MacKay as Lance Corporal William "Will" Schofield, well done lad

The Rise of Skywalker

Actors: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Kelly Marie Tran, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams

Rating: 10 out of 10, Everything I hoped it would be. I fell in love with the first movie back in 1977 and subsequently heard a total of nine films were planned. When that information came out the 9th film couldn’t’ be expected before the early 2000s which seemed like a really distant future back in 77. We ended up having to wait even longer but it was worth it, except for losing Princess Leia all too soon. This last move connects all the dots and answers all the questions with the usual combination of action, humor, and pathos. We learn why Rey’s parentage was so closely guarded and how Kylo Ren was turned. There are subtle homages to the earlier films liberally spread throughout and I’ll definitely see the movie again to catch the ones I missed. I know some critics are unhappy with the movie but this was never intended to be Citizen Kane. It brings the beloved franchise home in spectacular fashion. Ignore the critics for a poignant ride back in time to that distant galaxy.

MVP: Daisy Ridley as Rey really comes into her own carrying this massive franchise to the finish line

Jumanji The Next Level

Actors: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Awkwafina, Rory McCann, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito

Rating: 8 out of 10, This is a literal continuation of the same plot from the first movie with just enough change thrown in to keep it fresh. The Rock is back but is inhabited by a senior citizen this time instead of a hormone plagued teenage boy. Both the Rock and his pint sized buddy Kevin Hart are dominated by Karen Gillan who returns as Ruby Roundhouse. She and newcomer Akwafina provide the needed life into the group as the Rock and Hart deal with senior citizen issues, which, considering my age, shouldn’t be dismissed so blithely. This time out the avatars are trying to chase down Sandor Clegane who’s stolen an important jewel. The characters are easy to invest in and this is a nice, familiar ride that’s worth the watch for the stunts involved and the likable actors running through their paces.

MVP: Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse

21 Bridges

Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Stephan James, Taylor Kitsch, Sienna Miller, Keith David, J. K. Simmons

Rating: 8 out of 10, This is a fairly straight forward cop movie elevated by the Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman. He truly hoists what could have been silly otherwise. He’s charged with finding two killers who just offed seven NYC cops and chooses to close off the island of Manhattan to do it. Those of you who’ve been to the Big Apple will understand how inane that premise is but let’s go with it. Sienna Miller is glammed down to play his partner. I would have loved this movie except for the musical score. It was so jarring and amateurish as to distract from the movie itself. I think that defines failure for whoever was responsible for it. It felt like a 1970’s TV movie musical score was copied and then amped up at precisely the wrong moments throughout. Despite this almost constant irritation it’s easy to engage with Boseman as the lone knight fighting in a sea of corruption. Good flick.

MVP: James as Michael Trujillo – the conflicted cop killer

Knives Out

Actors: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer

Rating: 10 out of 10, Clever. That’s the word I’m searching for because this flick was that as well as a serious amount of fun. Director Rian Johnson takes the well-trod murder mystery film milieu and makes it his own with a serious stock of red herrings as well as well-turned twists. 007 displays a serious southern drawl flawlessly as a private eye charged with solving the murder/suicide of a prominent mystery novelist. How this guy got any work in New England with that accent is one of the unanswered mysteries. The rest of the very talented cast delivers as well as the totally dysfunctional family of the victim. There are some real laugh out loud moments as the pieces come together assisted by what must be the first use of a projectile vomiting lie detector. Trust me – it works. It’s the kind of movie I want to see again right away so I can spot the clues that I missed. A very entertaining and grown-up mystery. I loved it.

MVP: de Armas as Marta – the best of the bunch

Midway

Actors: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Tadanobu Asano, Woody Harrelson.

Rating: 9 out of 10, a truly epic retelling of the turning point battle of World War 2 in the Pacific. I wasn’t sure why this needed to be redone but I’m glad they did because this is case where the real events didn’t need to be embellished and CGI technology brings you right into the pilot’s seat as they dodge flak on their bombing runs. The plot is loyal to the actual history depicting the futility of the early American failures in the initial attacks followed by the sublime courage of the naval aviator attacks on the Japanese carriers. It was a little jarring to see Ed Skrien with his heretofore very British personae sporting a Brooklyn accent but he carries it off. The rest of the cast is equally good with a real attempt to be historically accurate with every aspect, including hairstyles and uniforms. It was an almost impossible task to capture the sweeping world changing events of the short months from Pearl Harbor to Midway but the filmmakers accomplish this and get you to invest in a couple of the well-defined characters as well. I found myself actually gripping the arms of my seat when the dive bombers started their runs through the flak – awesome war movie.

MVP: Wilson as Commander Layton the intel officer who put it all together