Nobody

Actors: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Aleksei Serebryakov, RZA, Michael Ironside, Colin Salmon, Christopher Lloyd

Rating: 9 out of 10, The movie Nobody proves Hollywood is still there and kicking. In some real movie magic the dumpy lawyer, Saul, from Breaking Bad, and Jim from Taxi, are transformed into lethal killing machines. Huh? The Russian mob needs to look into their cinematic selection of potential victims as they once again run into a buzz saw when they pick on the wrong guy. Bob Odenkirk wouldn’t be your first thought when you’re asked about dangerous leading men but he delivers. He’s a seemingly nebbish businessman whom life is beating to a bored pulp when those unfortunate Russian mobsters decide to liven things up. This will rightfully be compared to John Wick for a lot of reasons but Odenkirk, as Hutch Mansell, comes out of nowhere. There are some incredibly funny dark comedic moments amongst all the havoc and death as well. I wasn’t sure what to make of this after the first few minutes but you slowly and effectively see the veil slipped off his character. A truly fun return to the movies, pure Hollywood escapism at its best.

MVP: Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell, the poor man’s John Wick

Wonder Woman 1984

Actors: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen

Rating: 8 out of 10, It’s tough to arrive as a sequel to a really good film but that’s why sequels exist. This is better than most despite having to climb the high standards set by the original Wonder Woman. Gadot is still the best thing about the film providing gravitas and physicality demonstrating her character has grown up since the first film. There’s a world weariness appropriately conveyed. As with most escapist lore there are huge plot holes but I like the send up of the 1980s as well as the reincarnation of her first love. The plot falters at the finish line with a fairly unsatisfying climatic confrontation but this is still better than most DC movies.

MVP: Gal Gadot owns this as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman

Tenet

Actors: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

Rating: 9 out of 10, getting a handle on Tenet is not an easy adventure. It’s another Christopher Nolan attempt to thoroughly confuse the viewer. I’m sure he has a lot of fun formulating consternation and this would have been a blockbuster, absent the pandemic, as ardent movie goers (guilty) would have paid to see it multiple times to figure out exactly what the hell was going on. Inside all the twists and turns it is a pretty cool action flick featuring Denzel’s boy in the lead role. My wife picked up some interesting physicality the two share, such as his gait and gestures. Washington plays a CIA operative who is brought into a shadowy organization that is fighting a time traveling war with an evil Russian tycoon bent on destroying the world. Kenneth Branagh does his usual reveling in a villainous role and seemed to emit rancor. Elizabeth Delbicki is kind of wasted in a supporting role, I kept expecting to get more from her. It took me three watches to finally believe I understand what happened and that is interesting in and of itself. Don’t watch this movie a first time if you’re not prepared to revisit it in the future to diffuse confusion. I guess it really is a time travel movie.

MVP: Robert Pattinson as rhe ever evolving Neil

The Sound of Music

Actors: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Eleanor Parker

Rating: 9 out of 10, I finally got around to buying this movie, mostly because I visited Salzburg, Austria last year and was reminded of the many landmarks that were featured the movie. When you consider Julie Andrews did this right after Mary Poppins you can understand why she was launched on her career. She’s perfect as the would-be nun who finds love and family with seven kids and a baron, singing all the way. There are so many moments that have become iconic in film history that I found myself almost surprised to see them all in one movie. The visit to Salzburg turned out to be a distraction as I knew some of the walking scenes were impossible as they went from one side of the city to another in a blink but it was still a bunch of harmless fun and Andrews at her very young peak is something to behold. Heart.  Family.

MVP: Ms. Andrews as the iconic Maria von Trapp

The Hunt

Actors: Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Amy Madigan, Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Hilary Swank

Rating: 8 out of 10, A very funny, very dark comedy. The premise has a bunch of rich, very liberal elites setting up a hunt for some red state “deplorables”, an update to the most dangerous game. There’s some very funny skewering of both ends of the political spectrum and I don’t see what all the fuss was about when this first came out. There are some very good actors involved, including two Oscar winners. Don’t get too comfortable, as I did, when a recognizable actor appears on screen because they’re probably about to be added to the body count. I hadn’t seen the star, Betty Gilpin, in anything but she’s someone to keep an eye on, very talented with great timing. Don’t watch this if cinematic heads getting blown off bothers you. It was sneaky fun to see the overblown idiots from both ends of the political divide get served up though.

MVP: Betty Gilpin as the very dangerous Crystal

Invisible Man

Actors: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Rating: 9 out of 10, This is a very, very good movie. It doesn’t go for cheap thrills and the tension is almost non-stop. It’s not as if she needs one after Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale but this also serves as a coming out party for Elizabeth Moss. She dominates in the lead role as a long-suffering girlfriend of a crazed, abusive scientist. She finally escapes only to have her supposedly dead ex starting to haunt her in his cleverly designed invisible mode. A lesser actress would have been more of a victim but Moss raises the game above the mundane. I actually laughed out loud at the very satisfying climatic scenes which was really a release of the tautness I’d held since the start. This is the best movie I’ve seen so far this year.

MVP: Moss owns this movie, as the resilient Cecilia

Birds of Prey

Actors: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor

Rating: 8 out of 10, This is a really good movie and Margot Robbie owns the character proving she’s so much more than just a pretty face. She plays the Joker’s now ex-girlfriend and has all of Gotham City underworld after her. She forms a bond with several other very dangerous ladies to protect themselves. The villain is played with very cunning style by Ewan McGregor. This isn’t your typical DC Universe trope but laced with a lot of dazzling color as well as Robbie’s personality. The fights are well done and it’s obvious the ladies didn’t shy away from the physicality required. This is as light as DC gets but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

MVP: Robbie as the completely crazed Harley Quinn