Death Becomes Her

Actors: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini

Rating: 7 out of 10, Fun to watch this again after so many years and to see Bruce Willis hold his own against two academy award winning actresses. He’s so immersed in action roles that I’d forgotten how funny he can be. He’s hilarious as the hapless pawn caught between two immortal females bent of blowing holes in each other. The special effects were groundbreaking at the time and are still eye catching but more commonplace in today’s cinema. Seeing Meryl Streep maneuver with her head completely turned around is worth the price of admission. She handles this exorcist moment with her usual aplomb and style – how is that even possible! Finally I would have bought anything Rossellini was selling if she wore that outfit.

MVP: Willis showing off his comedy chops as Dr Ernest Menville 

How the West Was Won

Actors: Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark

Rating: 9 out of 10, A welcome venture into the past when movies at least tried to be epic without the use of CGI. This film tries to capture the critical phase of American history when we expanded to the west coast. A big favorite from my youth that has aged really well and still stands on its own. Every scene seems to boast a Hollywood legend and while there may be a little too much song and dance (whenever Debbie Reynolds appears) the story still appeals. The history is traced through three generations of a westward moving family and doesn’t hide the mis-steps along the way.   

MVP: Jimmy Stewart as the Mountain Man Linus Rawlings out to see the varmint 

Play Misty for Me

Actors: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills

Rating: 8 out of 10, Eastwood’s first directing gig and you can see the promise that’s been redeemed so many times in subsequent films. He plays a laid back radio DJ with vintage late 1960s aplomb who picks up what he thinks will be a casual one night stand. Of course, its anything but that with Jessica Walter, (yes the Bluth matriarch herself) going all fatal attraction on him without any rabbits around to boil. Eastwood does a superb job of building tension and finally delivers the punch we’ve all been waiting for. Eastwood also makes great use of his Carmel by the Sea home as the setting. I visited there a few years ago and think I did it in large part because of seeing this movie all those years ago.

MVP: Walter as the maniacal Evelyn

Suicide Squad

Actors: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Cara Delevingne
Rating: 9 out of 10, I am seriously worried about the state of movie critics who have almost universally panned this anti-hero centric endeavor because I thought it truly rocked. There were engaging, if demented characters, and gallows humor generously laced throughout. The plot is a little thin but this is a superhero movie not Shakespeare and while the “heroes” aren’t generally admirable, they’re certainly watchable. Will Smith proves he’s remains a bona fide movie star while still being generous with the other actors in the ensemble. Harley Quinn wears the hell out of a pair of shorts as Margot Robbie continues her white hot streak. I thought the only miss was Joel Kinnaman as the supposedly good guy leader; he doesn’t have the screen presence to pull off the part, especially in this cast. Everyone else, and I mean everyone, was awesome. Don’t listen to the self-important gas bag critics, go see this rowdy, no holds barred excess of a flick. I loved it. 
MVP: Smith as Deadshot leads by mere presence, tough call though after seeing those shorts again

Vanishing Point

Actors: Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger, Gilda Texter
Rating: 8 out of 10, This film was very interesting to see again after all these years. I first saw it as a high school kid when kit first came out and it has stuck with me ever since. It feels like a farewell to the 1960s and everything that era represented. Kowalski picks up a car on Friday night in Denver and decides he has to be in San Francisco by Monday. His subsequent streak through the American southwest with various and sundry police agencies hot on his tail works on so many levels. Kowalski's ride almost becomes a mystical journey towards freedom contested by the forces of evil - The Man.The nude motorcycle rider made the most serious impression on the high school version of myself and nothing over the years has dimmed that opinion,. She remains an almost perfect example of the 1960s dream girl. Unfortunately the 1970s and bulldozers always seem to win.
MVP: Newman as the legendary Kowalski

The Birds

Actors: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright.

Rating: 9 out of 10, This is the first “horror” movie I can remember be allowed to watch. It scared me then and continues. Hitchcock was truly the master of building suspense gradually to a terrorizing finale. I was too young to appreciate the charms of Ms. Hedren at the time but I can now fully understand why Mr. Hitchcock was so severely smitten. She had screen presence to spare and teamed up with one of my favorite actors of the era, Rod Taylor. Taylor’s weird relationship with his mother was a little distracting but this was the sixties. I think the last scene of the movie could go down as the most tension laden ever filmed. This movie has aged well and is still eminently watchable, a tribute to Hitchcock’s genius; so tough to look away when Hedren is on screen as well.  

MVP: Hedren as Melanie Daniels luminous and smart bird food 

Andromeda Strain

Actors: Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, David Wayne

Rating: 6 out of 10, This hasn’t aged well which is not surprising as it highlights the leading edge technology of 1971 which is laughable in today’s society. The reveal of the town killed off by exposure to the extraterrestrial bug is startling but the dialogue is stilted to the point of unintentional comedy. While this was a fresh and thoroughly interesting story thirty years ago it comes across as almost quaint nowadays. The supposedly dramatic race to turn off the nuke was ridiculous.

MVP: Reid as the butch, epileptic scientist steals every scene she’s in 

Hands of Stone

Actors: Édgar Ramírez, Robert De Niro, Usher, Ruben Blades, Ellen Barkin, Ana de Armas, Oscar Jaenada, John Turturro.

Rating: 7 out of 10, I am certainly no stranger to US-Panamanian relations and the inherent tension since I’ve been married to a lovely Panamanian lady for more than three decades. I was in Panama during the height of Duran’s career so I could relate to some of what was depicted although they took severe license with how Panamanians were treated, probably in an effort to excuse Duran’s boorish behavior at times. This movie belongs to Edgar Ramirez who is nothing short of amazing as Roberto Duran. I really enjoyed the film which, if even a bit true, provided some context for the enigmatic Panamanian boxer.

MVP: Ramirez as Roberto Duran, an actor to keep an eye on in the future

Comancheros

Actors: John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin, Lee Marvin, Nehemiah Persoff, Bruce Cabot, Jack Elam, Patrick Wayne, Edgar Buchanan

Rating: 9 out of 10, Once again into my recently acquired stack of beloved old movies with one of Wayne’s best. It’s a Western, duhh, with the usual early sixties lack of any historical accuracy but when Duke strides onto the screen much is forgiven. He has Stuart Whitman as his foil and continuously pokes fun, labeling him, “Mon-Soor” as the foppish Whitman is thrust into the midst of Texas Rangers fighting Indians and bandits. Another great stroll down memory lane with a movie that holds up remarkably well.

MVP: Wayne, the Duke, of course 

Lion in Winter

Actors: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, John Castle, Anthony Hopkins, Jane Merrow, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Terry

Rating: 10 out of 10, One of the truly great films of all time and the first I watched after receiving a bunch of old favorites for my birthday. This could be the most quotable film ever made with line after great line just rolling out from possibly the most talented casts ever. Headlined by Peter O’Toole and Kate Hepburn at her height of dramatic prowess but also featuring the cinematic debuts of both Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton. The non-stop banter and conspiracy is almost dizzying to watch as King Henry and Queen Eleanor vie with each other and their children during a Christmas court in the late twelfth century. I’ve seen this so many times that I could almost repeat the lines myself but that would be blasphemy when they’re being uttered so flawlessly by true masters of the spoken word. Great, great movie.

MVP: Hepburn as Queen Eleanor spinning so many webs in a male dominated world and ultimately surviving by intellect 

Star Trek Beyond

Actors: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella

Rating: 10 out of 10, it is special. I was fortunate to see Gene Roddenberry make a presentation live when I was in college. He laid out his vision of the Star Trek universe and I think this is one of the few films that honors that vision. This is a film about the possibility of human endeavor. While it is anti-military in tone – I loved it. Any real Soldier would love to see the military become obsolete. This was a return to some of the best features of the original series. While there was almost non-stop, amped up action this is a character driven movie. The large cast is each given a chance to shine as the plot has the survivors of yet another Enterprise disaster strewn about a planet. Faced with impossible odds the crew figures it out, of course, in time to save the universe. The scarily deadly female assassin from Kingsman, Sofia Boutella, has legs this time out and plays a stranded ally, while stealing every scene she’s in. In addition to the action the goofy humor the original Star Trek was so good at is liberally sprinkled throughout. You finally have a sense of comradery and they let the Kirk character grow up as well. This is definitely the best of the new series.

MVP: Pine, finally filling Shatner’s shoes as James T.

Bad Moms

Actors: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Jada Pinkett Smith, Christina Applegate.

Rating: 8 out of 10, This movie was absolutely hilarious. Three suburban moms decide to forego their expected PTA-centric roles and enjoy life. This is superimposed upon society’s expectations while affirming how moms feel about their children on a fundamental level. My wife did not stop laughing for the entire length of the movie. The whole female audience was in tune with the jokes/sentiments and though I felt like an outsider the laughter was infectious. It was turnabout fair play as the only males in the cast were either stupid or used as sex objects. This follows a pleasing stretch of R-rated female comedies that dominate. Speaking of dominating Kathryn Hahn owns every scene she’s in and should be charged with grand theft by the other actors; she’s the best thing about the movie which is already one of my favorite movies of the year. It definitely earned the R-rating though, so don’t bring the kids. You wouldn’t want to share mom tradecraft secrets with them anyways.

MVP: Kathryn Hahn as Carla the over the top sexpot 

Independence Day: Resurgence

Actors: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Travis Tope, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, Sela Ward

Rating: 8 out of 10, The original almost defines a successful summer blockbuster requiring no thought and a completely impossible plot that is somehow rendered believable. The believability comes in large part due to the actors involved. I was excited to see this with the advance of CGI since the original and know they’d have to go bigger. They certainly tried as the aliens return for a second round with an immensely dangerous new array of capabilities. A lot of the original cast was back although, with the exception of Goldblum, without the same survivability quotient. There was almost non-stop action but it was basically the same story without the same investment from the audience. The young generation of actors certainly didn’t have the same appeal as their predecessors (definitely missing Will Smith) and the returning ones just looked old. All that being said, I enjoyed the ride.

MVP: Hemsworth as Jake, the designated hunk who still carries the role

Ghostbusters

Actors: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth.

Rating: 8 out of 10, I was a little leery of, given my 1980s pedigree when the first movie captured a much younger version of myself. I tried to not be misogynistic when I heard they were going with an all-female cast but it was hard to imagine a female Peter Venkman. I shouldn’t have worried because this new take is hilarious, helped by state of the art special effects, but more so by an insidiously funny script and really talented actresses. Wiig and McCarthy continue their strong run in female centric comedies but this really wasn’t that at all. It was just a very funny movie using an almost cine-sacred concept and taking it in a new direction. There were some very cleverly inserted homages to the original movie, including some welcome cameos and a Spengler statue. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it is possible to love both the 1984 version and this new one, because I did, despite the annoying group of too young children who took up residence directly behind me.

MVP: McKinnon as Jillian, taking up the Spengler flag of wierd genius

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Actors: Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza

Rating: 7 out of 10, certainly tries to set a new F-Word record and while moderately uneven this movie belongs to Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick who absolutely dominate their male counterparts in this very raunchy comedy. The plot revolves around two losers who try to find respectable girls for their sister’s wedding. Enter Plaza and Kendrick as their worst choice possible, feigning respectability to travel to the Hawaiian wedding scene. Once there the predictable hijinks ensue and you’d have to be a certified idiot not to realize where they’ll all end up but the very engaging actors make it work. If you’ve seen the trailer then you’ve seen all of the funniest gags but this was still worth the time, as long as you’re immune to serial profanity.

MVP: Plaza as Tatiana making a very annoying character actually likable

X-Men Apocalypse

Actors: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Lucas Till.

Rating: 7 out of 10, This is the newest saga of the early days of the X-men and was full of the usual otherworldly special effects and bloodless minion deaths. There was almost too much going on but it was a superb ride. Jennifer Lawrence is way too talented for her limited role and I’m glad she got spend more time out of the blue makeup. The story has an ageless super mutant from Egyptian times emerging to threaten the world. I think this is the first miss for Oscar Isaac who wasn’t his usual remarkable as the super-mutant, maybe due to the weight of the makeup and costume. We do find out how Professor X loses his hair and Olivia Munn wears the hell out of a costume (but they should really limit her need to emote). So a lot of flashes and bangs but this felt a little shallower than some of the other entries; still highly entertaining.

MVP: Peters as Quicksilver defying physics as a very fast son of Magneto

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

Crossing Over

Actors: Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess, Cliff Curtis, Alice Braga, Alice Eve, Justin Chon, Summer Bishil

Rating: 7 out of 10, A movie that aimed at Traffic territory by creating a series of eventually interlinking plot lines generously peppered with some very good actors. I hadn’t heard of this but felt compelled to learn if the Alice Eve Star Trek bikini was CGI or not. That would be a definite “not”. While Ms. Eve’s generously displayed talents were remarkable enough this wide ranging story about illegal immigrants and their different struggles to remain in the USA was kind of “ehh”. Tough to make a young Muslim girl who defends the 9-11 terrorists as a sympathetic character but the rest of the stories were interesting. Harrison Ford plays a decent man trying to do the right thing as an immigration officer despite rules against same. The ending “bridge” to bring all the plot lines together was kind of forced and completely unbelievable but there were a number of nice moments.

MVP: Alice Eve proving that stuffed Star Trek bikini was not CGI

Hardcore Henry

Actors: Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth

Rating: 7 out of 10, If the opening credits of a movie features bullets entering faces and throats being cut than you have a pretty good idea what’s in store. Non-stop shooting, stabbing, fist fighting, and the odd humorous Sharlto Copley appearance ensued; all told from the point of view of the hero, literally. I was reminded of watching my son play video games which I was too old to be trapped into. It was interesting to watch him venture down passageways dispatching all who came into view with a variety of weapons – that’s Hardcore Henry. It was jarring at times trying to figure out what exactly was happening as the view swung wildly as Henry mowed his way through a horde of Russian gangsters and Moscow subway crowds. He’s a cyborg trying to find his kidnapped wife while Copley plays a mysterious helper who rebounds nicely after getting killed in a number of gruesome ways. I liked this which I’ll probably have to apologize for at some point in the future but the movie makers took chances to really imbed the viewer into the eyes of the action hero. It doesn’t always work well but it was a hell of a ride. When Henry finally reaches the end of the long line of people trying to kill him, he pulls his own electronic eye out of its socket and uses the wiring to decapitate the villain, like I said, kind of a violent movie. It was all very Russian.

MVP: Ciopley as the ever reincarnated Jimmy

Criminal

Actors: Kevin Costner, Gal Gadot, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Alice Eve, Michael Pitt, Jordi Mollà, Antje Traue.

Rating: 9 out of 10, I thought this was much better than most critics are giving it credit for. Costner does evil way, way better than most leading men (see Mr. Brooks) and he chews up a lot of scenery here. Once you get over the hump of accepting the impossible science involved in transferring a recently deceased secret agent’s memories into an uber-violent sociopath, it’s a great ride. Costner does an interesting job of displaying the inner conflict of a lifelong criminal having a conscience imposed upon him. The only thing criminal in the movie was the underuse of Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman going a little (lot) over the top. The best scenes involve the dead agent’s wife, played by Gal Gadot, who seems to get better each time out. There’s funny (if very violent) scenes where very polite English society, where the movie takes place, is exposed to the ruthlessly inappropriate Costner character, probably every Englishman’s secretly held opinion of Americans in general. So, ignore the critics and go see this very passable action flick with Costner refusing to wait in any queues to the abject horror of all.

MVP: Costner as the dually minded anti-hero Jericho Stewart

Batman Versus Superman, Dawn of Justice

Actors: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot

Rating: 8 out of 10, I know Batman versus Superman, Dawn of Justice is not getting a lot of love from critics but I actually liked it. It was certainly a departure from the Marvel format of action and hijinks. It was very dark and almost morose at times but the story worked. I didn’t know how they would stage this obvious mismatch – figuring there had to be some kryptonite involved. It’s tribute to Cavill and especially Affleck in the lead roles. I know there was a lot of consternation when Affleck was announced as Batman but he’s very, very good. He plays an older Batman weighed down by the seeming ineffectiveness of his lifelong fight against crime. Gotham City is placed directly adjacent to Metropolis with their competing superheroes on a collision course engineered by Lex Luthor. While every other actor, even those with limited roles like Holly Hunter, shines, it was surprising that Eisenberg was so bad as Lex Luthor. He was so over the top and blatant that you wonder why he wasn’t squashed early on. The villain can be deliciously evil (see Kevin Spacey’s take) but he should not be clinically annoying which Eisenberg certainly was. The movie seemed to take place almost entirely at night but that could just have been the mood the movie makers instilled. Don’t go into this expecting Marvel as this takes an entirely different tone and that’s not a bad thing. The movie works on a number of levels; don’t listen to the critics – go see this nuanced superhero movie.

MVP: Affleck as the aging and conflicted caped crusader

Brothers Grimsby

Actors: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, Annabelle Wallis, Gabourey Sidibe, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane.

Rating: 7 out of 10, I’m almost ashamed to admit that I went to see The Brothers Grimsby last night. I’m certainly ashamed to admit that I laughed for almost the entire length of the movie. Cohen does that to you, he goes lower than even the most modest standards and can make you laugh out loud while cringing at the same time. It isn’t low brow, it’s subterranean brow and it is funny. I’m sure some of the very British jokes eluded me. Cohen plays a clueless British soccer buffoon who reunites with a long lost brother, played by the always awesome Mark Strong, who’s a 007 like spy. I was a little troubled by Cohen’s seeming over focus on anal cavities but with Cohen you forgive a lot. If you’re comfortable leaving the preening umbrella of political correctness behind, go see this and I guarantee you’ll laugh; just never admit to it in front of progressive friends.

MVP: Strong as the brother having Nobby intrude on his life

Allegiant

Actors: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Zoë Kravitz, Maggie Q, Ray Stevenson, Bill Skarsgard, Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts

Rating: 6 out of 10, It is as bad as you’ve probably heard. They followed the tried and true method of splitting up the last book in a trilogy in the interest of making more money on two versus one film. Hopefully this will crash and burn so badly that Hollywood abandons that flawed concept. Losing Kate Winslet really hurts because surprisingly Naomi Watts as one of the lead villains fails miserably. They also kill off Maggie Q early which I took a personal affront to. Our jolly band of angst filled teenagers is bound and determined to escape the walled in existence in Chicago to investigate the burned landscape outside. Of course they discover an even more sinister threat beyond the blasted lands, led by eerily evil bureaucrat (I know – redundant) Jeff Daniels. They spend way too much time in CGI world instead of with the fine actors which was the strength of the earlier movies. If you saw the trailer for this movie (hard to avoid that) then you know the entire plot, which really is just a placeholder for the final (they promise) movie in this series.

MVP: Theo James as he plucky Four, who takes a beating and still keeps kicking

London Has Fallen

Actors: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman, with Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Sean O'Bryan, Waleed Zuaiter, Charlotte Rile

Rating: 8 out of 10, is not as bad as most critics would have you believe. Gerard Butler returns to an action role as a secret service agent incapable of missing with any weapon that falls into his hand. This is in stark contrast to the veritable army of terrorists he’s up against who would probably shoot and miss the water from the beach. With this type cast, which is loaded with talent, you would expect something loftier but this is a simple shoot ‘em up action flick with the greater London area blowing up spectacularly in CGI. If you like this type action then you’re going to like this, I did, but I am one of those peasants serious movie critics hold in such disdain. It wasn’t a cake walk though as some of the editing, especially early, before things started blowing up, was a little jarring. There was also a criminal underuse of the Washington based characters, which included Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Jackie Earl Haley. Criminal. As long as you leave the logical part of your imagination at the door, which you always have to with this type movie, you’ll be fine. For those of us who miss Jack Bauer, this was a great addition to our nonsensical movie repertoire. Critics be damned, let’s go blow something up.

MVP: Butler as the incredibly accurate Mike Banning

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Actors: James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Toby Stephens, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Freddie Stroma, Alexia Barlier.

Rating: 9 out of 10, While the actual events of the Benghazi attack have become political fodder for the past few years this is apparently an accurate portrayal of the events in 2012, blissfully stripped of all the politics, well except for a CIA station chief with a stick firmly up his posterior. I thought this would be an attack on Clinton but it’s not that at all. It’s the story of some true American heroes, former Special Forces soldiers contracted for security of the CIA post. They respond to the attack of the ambassador’s house and then return back to the base to defend it against a horde of radicals attacking from all sides. The battle scenes are very realistic along with human foibles always involved. The actors obviously spent some time with great coaches for their roles because they had the lingo and movements of operators down cold. I was wondering why a director like Bay would step into the political mess that is the aftermath of this affair but I honestly believe he was trying to honor the sacrifices of these special men which has been lost in the politics. Go see this movie to honor them and their incredible toughness and sacrifice. Best movie I’ve seen so far this year. I read an interview with one of the actual heroes and he was asked if he blamed Clinton for Benghazi. He responded simply that, no, he blamed the radical Islamic terrorists who attacked that night; kind of refreshing to hear an opinion like that in this most political of all seasons.

MVP: Dale as the tragic leader of the GRS - Rone

Gods of Egypt

Actors: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Élodie Yung, Courtney Eaton, Rufus Sewell, Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush.

Rating: 7 out of 10, A glorious mess of a movie. It purports to show ancient Egypt at a time when the actual Gods lived amongst the people; granted they were all ten feet tall, bled gold, and spoke with a variety of European accents. I say a mess because this movie is totally incomprehensible at times with a leaden plot and wooden actors. Some films (Sin City and 300 to name a couple) embrace total immersion in CGI and make it work. Whoever made this did not. By trying to do too much they ended up not doing enough, if that even begins to make sense. With an all-CGI movie you have to care about the characters and outside of the sprightly human duo, all the “gods” were just kind of there. Gerard Butler as the bad god chewed up his usual amount of scenery but his Scottish brogue was so thick at times as to be unintelligible. Coster-Waldau as the hero doesn’t connect with his plucky human sidekick or the audience. I think this was supposed to be his big “coming out” film but he fails at almost every turn. So a disaster of a movie but visually stunning, at least we see who’d win a fight between Jaime Lannister and King Leonidas

MVP: Thwaites as the plucky Bek, more luck than ability

Deadpool

Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggam, Brianna Hildebrand

Rating: 10 out of 10, I don’t think I’ve laughed as much at a movie in years as I did at Deadpool. The filmmakers took some real chances and while that doesn’t always work – it certainly does here. This is firmly Ryan Reynolds’ movie and he nails the sardonic, witty, hero-challenged title role. The pointed and very funny lines are relentless and would seem silly if it wasn’t backed up with a solid plot and fantastic action sequences. Reynolds doesn’t just break the “Fourth Wall” he desecrates it which ends up being some of the funniest moments in this hilarious film. This won’t be a film for everybody as it more than earns its “R” rating on as many levels as you can imagine, but it’s smart and innovative. It was nice to see a superhero movie overcome the corporate need to tranquilize itself down to PG-13 levels. Hopefully Deadpool’s obvious success will lead to more adult oriented fare. I loved it, favorite movie of 2016 so far.

MVP: Reynolds in the title role owns this movie.

Dirty Grandpa

Actors: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza

Rating: 8 out of 10, Deniro plays a retired Army officer trying to mold the future of his grandson. Zac Efron is unfortunate enough to play the grandson because he gets the hell beaten out of him for the entire movie. I know the script will have the PC police out in force but there’s some really funny moments in this. Deniro is excellent as the randy senior citizen cutting a major swath through Jacksonville Spring Break a couple days after losing his wife. Efron’s main job seems to be getting punched and finding ways to lose not only his shirts but his pants repeatedly. It’s an excellent send up of several aspects of modern life but I’m sure that’ll be lost to most people who will rail against the almost non-stop lack of appropriateness, God forbid we actually offend someone with sarcastic humor. It’s like kids and mud puddles – sometimes it’s just fun to jump right in and get dirty. If you can handle humor that will push your level of discomfort then go see this. If not, run screaming away and I’m sure complaining the entire way.

MVP: DeNiro as the randy grandpa

The Revenant

Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter

Rating: 8 out of 10, An updated version of the old Richard Harris movie Man in the Wilderness. It recounts the incredible survival story of Hugh Glass after he was mauled by a grizzly bear in the 1820s. He’s left for dead but somehow travels hundreds of miles through the frozen Upper Missouri River country pursued by Indians and an occasional Frenchman. I’d heard all the hype about this movie and DiCaprio’s performance. I’ve never been a big fan of Leo, especially in tough guy parts, because I’ve always thought a fit teenage girl could probably kick his ass. I have to admit though, in this, probably the toughest of tough guy parts, he nails it. He and Tom Hardy as the repugnant villain tower over the movie which is difficult because the cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Wear an extra layer of clothing to watch this because you’re going to feel cold as Leo never meets an ice laden stream he doesn’t want to wallow in. The director Iñárritu is back with his usual hijinks with innovative camera shots. While those shots were one of the best things about Birdman, here they felt a little more distracting. For once the buzz about a movie is well founded, especially DiCaprio and Hardy. This is one of those flicks where you want look away from the carnage but it’s impossible to do so; a great movie. Who knows I may even become a Leo fan. That would make my daughter happy.

MVP: Leonardo finally convincing in a tough guy part as Hugh Glass

Star Wars, The Force Awakens

Actors: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow

Rating: 10 out of 10, I am a victim of my youth and the promise exhibited in the First Star Wars trilogy that was never redeemed in the prequels. The less said about Mr. Binks and the Portman-Christensen acting chemistry the better. My wife was fully prepped; brought into the galaxy far, far away fold by viewing the first six films over the past couple weeks. She’d resisted my geekiness until overpowered by the constant marketing we’ve all been exposed to. At least it kept the politicians at bay for a while. The promise is redeemed. The Force Awakens completely recaptured the feel of that first Star Wars movie before Lucas “updated” it with CGI. All of the original characters are back, appropriately aged and arced. The story itself is disturbingly similar to the original but that too is forgivable since the new actors, especially Ms. Ridley, are so engaged and likable. There is CGI but it doesn’t become the end all be all that so damaged the prequel trilogy. It was everything I could have hoped for (which is saying a lot) and more. There is a cleverly developed shock near the end but the overall feeling of hope against a monolithic evil is preserved. When the screen went dark followed by the iconic John Williams score and the letters disappearing into the immense star field I was transported back to 1977 and that youthful sense of wonder. It takes a lot for this jaded version of that 1977 moviegoer to be giddy but last night I was and still am. The semi-suppressed inner geek is in full flower today.

MVP: Ridley as the millenial’s answer to Luke as Kylo Ren – kicks serious ass all movie long

The Hateful Eight

Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum

Rating: 8 out of 10, This was vintage Tarantino with singular characters that he somehow weaves together for an interesting narrative as well as the obligatory blood and violence. Each character is fully formed and the movie doesn’t lose its way trying to tell everyone’s story but by the end of the film you know them all. Kurt Russell can’t do anything bad in my book and he dominates as a grizzled bounty hunter who reluctantly teams up with counterpart Samuel L. Jackson back to chewing up scenes for Tarantino. They are escorting Jennifer Jason Leigh to the hangman and she is sneakily the best character in the outstanding cast. While this isn’t Tarantino’s best work I walked out amazed that three hours had passed because it was mostly conversation with the odd head being blown off.

MVP: Jackson, as usual when teamed with Tarantino, shines as Major Warren

Point Break

Actors: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Delroy Lindo, Ray Winstone

Rating: 7 out of 10, A remake of the classic Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze movie of the early 1990s. While we still had FBI agent Johnny Utah versus the spiritual Bodhi, the plot (what there was of it) is completely different. The best reason to go see this movie on the big screen are the stunts, mainly involving extreme sports. I’m a pretty jaded movie goer but I was genuinely gasping as some of the views, especially during the surfing, wingsuit, snowboarding, and cliff climbing (see what I mean). Given all the excitement that is expertly translated to the screen it was sad to see the characters lack the texture of the original. Pretty sad to say to an actor – “You’re no Keanu Reeves”, but I’ve always said Reeves was better than he ever receives credit for. The bromance that’s central to the plot lines in both movies is never exploited and both Teresa Palmer and Ray Winstone are criminally underused. Still, go see this movie on the big screen for the epic camera shots I described above.

MVP: Teresa Palmer as Sansara, only real person in the  cast

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland.

Rating: 8 out of 10, This ode to teenaged angst was supremely well made and Jennifer Lawrence will elevate anything she’s in well above the mundane. This final movie strays just enough from the literary source material to keep some suspense for those who read the books. The anti-war message is as subtle as a thermo-nuclear weapon and the resulting somber feel keeps the movie from soaring. Katniss and her merry band of sycophants launch the final assault on Donald Sutherland’s capitol and the military guy in me was struggling with the inept planning involved from both sides. This however allows them to introduce the devices of the capitol’s game designers which, while deadly, did lend the needed action around the near constant hand wringing. Katniss ends up in the same heart wrenching final battle as the literal “girl on fire” with enough of a twist thrown in. Entirely too funereal to embrace totally but still a well-executed and satisfying conclusion to the Hunger Games.

MVP: Can only be Lawrence as the difficult Katniss

Spotlight

Actors: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, Billy Crudup

Rating: 10 out of 10, Spotlight just jumped to the top of 2015 movies for me. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact this film subtly punches you in the face with. It doesn’t go for cheap thrills but builds up momentum constantly as more and more facts are discovered by the news team investigating clergy abuse of children in Boston. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see this evil allowed to persist as the powers to be refused to accept responsibility and deal with it. I’ve never been a big fan of investigative journalism as all too often they seek to make a story where none exists. In this case they perfectly performed the reason a free press is the backbone of a free society. It was poignant to see the horror of the situation unveiled step by step. The familiar Boston landscape made the whole film all the more impactful for me. I left the movie angry with a new born respect for the Boston Globe and a deep sadness for the all the young lives ruined. It’s rare that a movie really touches me but this one landed a serious body blow. Go see this movie, even if you’re a good Catholic. Too many “Good Catholics” played a role in covering up or ignoring the abuse. Sometimes, with the danger of sounding too pretentious, a movie can be important. This one is.

MVP: Ruffalo stands out as Joe Resendez, the best in a very good cast at the top of their game

The Night Before

Actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Michael Shannon, Mindy Kaling

Rating: 7 out of 10, A Christmas buddy movie where three friends gather each year on the night before Christmas. This year will be the last one as each ages away from the tradition. Rogen, along with Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt demonstrate some real chemistry as the three friends. As with most of these type films not all the jokes land but enough of them do for the movie to be genuinely funny. There are the usual celebrity cameos including Rogen's customary obsession with penis pictures and James Franco; so not the kind of holiday film you want to take the kids to. Gross out comedy but after a string of clear misses this one was a lot of fun; if for no other reason than to see the uber-Hebrew Rogen attending a midnight Christmas catholic mass.

MVP: Rogen as Isaac Greenberg, the drug addled future father

Sicario

Actors: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Vincent Garber, Daniel Kaluuya

Rating: 9 out of 10, I was wrong about this movie when I saw it in the theater. I bought it on a whim and after watching it I have to admit, it’s a great movie. I must have been in a bad mood or something but this movie crackles. I was excited about this because it featured Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro, two of my favorite actors. I’m a firm believer that a movie should be entertaining even its trying to make a heavy handed “message”. The director is obviously in love with daring camera shots and long aerial views of terrain but there was a pretty good story hidden amongst all his posturing and this time I wasn’t distracted by all the posturing. Blunt and especially Del Toro were excellent, if he doesn’t’ get an Oscar nod for this something’s wrong. It’s an eloquent comment on what evil can do to good people. The truly outrageous and unbelievable scenario he employs savages his credibility; but at least we got long loving looks at the barren Arizona desert to compensate. Seer this movie twice, I guarantee the second viewing will make you appreciate it more.

MVP: Del Toro as Alejandro the riveting anti-hero

Salt

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Rating: 7 out of 10, I decided to give this movie another shot after really disliking it when first released. The sub-$5 price tag on the Blu Ray didn’t hurt either. My initial animus towards it involved the seemingly frail Jolie given too much to do in the action scenes. She’s just not athletic enough to carry them off convincingly. This is strange because she was excellent in Wanted in a similar role. There’s a very convoluted plot with deep cover Soviet agents popping up in the most inconvenient spots and Jolie rushing around to dispatch world leaders and boatloads of terrorists. There’s a very interesting final confrontation in the basement of the White House. The movie really grew on me during this second viewing. Jolie is still frail, almost sickly looking, but Schrieber and Ejiofor chew up some impressive scenery.

MVP: Schreiber as the supposed friend with secrets of his own

Creed

Actors: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashād, Tony Bellew, Graham McTavish

Rating: 9 out of 10, Hollywood found a new way to make me feel old last night. I was in college when the first (and best) Rocky film came out. The newest addition to the seemingly endless saga, Creed, takes on a new generation since Rocky (and I) are aging beyond even the ability of special effects to fool anyone. If this is the last (not a safe bet) then the series started and ended with absolute gems. Rocky appears here as a senior citizen weighed down by life and the loss of everyone close to him. Michael B. Jordan continues his streak of amazing performances and pulls off the cocky youngster without being annoying. Stallone has become such a caricature of himself with his film roles that you can forget what a good actor he is capable of being. The best parts of the movie were the scenes between Jordan and Stallone, just permeated with realistic emotion. Jordan plays the illegitimate son of Rocky’s long dead friend/rival Apollo Creed. He seeks out Rocky to become a fighter while trying to dodge riding on his father’s coattails. It’s not easy being the son of a great man and the director shows a deft touch in not allowing that to become a distraction. He allows that the audience is intelligent enough to figure that out. The fight scenes were every bit as realistic and exciting as even the bad Rocky movies produced. I’m not doing justice to this film – it soars, one of the best of the year. It was nice to see the lovable character of Rocky granted some peace in later life; especially handing off to such an exciting replacement in Jordan. Go see this flick.

MVP: Michael B. Jordan in the title role, carries movie flawlessly

Last Witch Hunter

Actors: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, Michael Caine, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson,Julie Engelbrecht

Rating: 8 out of 10, I liked this a lot better on my second viewing. Vin Diesel smirks his way through as an immortal hunter of magically endowed broom riders and is the only redeeming aspect to the film, well he and the odd Wilding, red headed witch. Michael Caine is only around for a couple scenes before sleeping off the rest of the plot. There are some good action scenes but the director then slows the momentum to a virtual standstill, for no appreciable reason. They obviously toned this down to achieve the PG rating. I think it would have made a kick ass R rated action movie, but we’ll never know. Frodo’s around looking decidedly less dangerous than the 90 year old Caine and Walter Mitty’s drunk helicopter pilot is appropriately scary. They were definitely aiming at a series of movies with this character – I think that hope died with the release of this. It’s a shame because Diesel has screen presence to spare and totally inhabited the 800 year old hunter.

MVP: Vin Diesel as Kaulder the immortal hunter

Spectre

Actors: Daniel Craig, Christophe Waltz, Lea Sedoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott

Rating: 8 out of 10, I’d heard dire things about Spectre but I really enjoyed this latest 007 outing. When I heard Sam Mendes was directing Skyfall I was concerned he would go all artsy and abandon the time tested Bond formula for success. I was wrong as Skyfall was fantastic. He was apparently emboldened by his success there because there were several elements to Spectre which I found annoying. One of the signature aspects of a Bond film are the exotic locales but Mendes had the background out of focus. A lot of the movie was out of focus and blurry – I assumed intentionally. He also used one of the most irritating techniques in modern filmmaking (something I thought was abandoned in the 1980s) – using dust rising from most interior scenes. All this being said and the complete lack of chemistry between Bond and the leading lady I really liked the movie. A fantastic opening sequence in Mexico was followed with an engaging plot as Bond walked the clues back to head of a secret organization bent on world domination. Along the way there were constant odes to prior incarnations of 007 ranging as far back as Dr. No and From Russia with Love to more modern versions. I’m kind of a nut about James Bond so I relished this aspect. The more I thought of it though is seemed like a sendoff salute. I’ve heard rumors that Daniel Craig is giving up his Walther but I hope Bond will return.

MVP: Craig in maybe his last outing as Sir James

The Intern

Actors: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Anders Holm, Andrew Rannells, Adam DeVine, Christina Scherer, Zack Pearlman

Rating: 9 out of 10, I really liked this precisely because it didn’t go for the big reveal or major plot twist. It stars Robert Deniro as a retired successful businessman who signs on as an intern for an internet based company run by a driven young women played by Anne Hathaway. New York City also stars as the location for the collision between baby boomer and millennial cultures. Of course, I log in on the Deniro side of the ledger, agewise, as this was reminiscent of the earlier times when crowds of friends of either my son or daughter descended on the house. Deniro and Hathaway are so good in this, both likable and chewing serious scenery. The middle of the film struggles a little, gets a bit episodic, but I liked the message of both generations contributing to growth on many levels. I may be a bit prejudiced about Hathaway as she looks so much like my daughter but this was an easy movie to like; a nice departure from my usual CGI explosions and blood splattering. The jokes were funny, the plot sincere, and it felt like hanging out with friends.

MVP: Deniro, who else, as the aging but wise intern