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