Rambo Last Blood

Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Genie Kim, Joaquín Cosío, and Oscar Jaenada.

Rating: 8 out of 10, Old friend John Rambo certainly wears his years and scars in full evidence. We last left him finally making his way home to the Arizona ranch of his father. This latest movie picks up his story a decade later and he evidently spent that time tunneling around underneath the ranch and dealing with PTSD which makes a whole lot of sense considering what his character has been through. A Mexican drug/human trafficking cartel makes the mistake of taking someone close to Rambo and the bodies are soon piling up. There seemed to be a rush to the signature revenge porn without the semi-necessary buildup. We all know Rambo is going to spend the last third of the movie eviscerating the bad guys but, again, it all seemed a little rushed. The bad guys are certainly qualified to appear in one of Rambo’s patented kill montages through their brutal acts. I wish they’d spent some more time exploring the life Rambo built up in the preceding decade to highlight what was lost but that may be just me wishing the poor bastard got a little bit of a break. This would be a good place to end the series with Rambo literally riding off into the sunset. We don’t need to see Rambo on Mars as an octogenarian dispenser of justice.

MVP: Stallone as the once and forever tarnished knight – Rambo – John J

Ready or Not

Actors: Samara Weaving, Mark O'Brien, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell

Rating: 8 out of 10, A lot of fun, a true dark comedy and scathing comment on the uber-rich (so not a bad thing). A young gal is marrying into a very rich family of game makers only to learn on her wedding night that she has to play a midnight game to truly join the family. The game, hide and seek, involves the rest of the family trying to kill her before dawn, so there’s that. It seems the family made a deal with the devil codifying this entry requirement which is embraced with varying degrees of commitment by family members. This movie belongs to Samara Weaving as the unfortunate bride who shows some real depth fighting the curiously inept hunters. There are some very funny (darkly so) moments involving accidental deaths. You do not want to be a maid for this family! You can’t help but root for Weaving as she deals with turn after turn in her fortunes. You leave the movie wondering how many of the rich in real life made similar deals with Satan and can only hope they end up like the ones depicted here in the explosive finale.

MVP: Samara Weaving as the fiesty newlywed

Angel Has Fallen

Actors: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Tim Blake Nelson, Piper Perabo, Nick Nolte, Danny Huston.

Rating: 8 out of 10, Agent Mike Banning is back in action after surviving the falls of Olympus and London. He’s obviously much worse for the wear after the multiple explosions and gunshot wounds suffered in the first two movies. This was formulaic and everything I expected which was a welcome escape from reality. Banning is framed for the spectacular assassination attempt on President Morgan Freeman and pursued across West Virginia by horribly miscast FBI agent Jada Pinkett Smith. I caught her smirking a couple of times at the gaping plot holes she was charged with selling – like instant DNA testing amongst other issues used to keep the plot moving. Nick Nolte is superb as Banning’s long lost father living a hermit’s existence but he’s only on the screen for a little bit. As noted above Gerard Butler is a too removed from his Leonidas days to truly sell everything he has to do in this movie. He was totally believable in the first two but time seems to finally be catching up with him. That doesn’t distract too much from the action packed movie with bodies strewn up and down the east coast, again, it’s pure escapism – a summer popcorn movie at its best.

MVP: Nolte as the Unabomber dad

Good Boys

Actors: Jacob Tremblay, Keith Williams, Brady Noon, Molly Gordon, Midori Francis

Rating: 9 out of 10, An incredibly funny movie exploring the coming of age for sixth graders seen through the eyes of three boys invited to their first ever “kissing party”. There are some uncomfortable moments as the boys skip school to experience adventures as they try to make their way to the mall. There are some almost sweet and incredibly funny scenes when they run across sex toys of their parents and assign innocent functions to them. It could be a cinematic first to have anal beads play a prominent role. This movie also boasts what might be the funniest paintball shootout of all time. The schemes are outlandish and totally unbelievable but you can’t help but root for these guys trapped between the elementary school and the onslaught of teenage years. I loved it even though I ended up having to explain why certain things were so funny to my date which turned out to be interesting.

MVP: Jacob Tremblay as Max, best actor of the little guys

Hobbes and Shaw

Actors: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Eiza González, Cliff Curtis and Helen Mirren

Rating: 7 out of 10, Hobbs and Shaw, spawn of that noted thespian proving ground – The Fast and the Furious series. This is everything you would expect from a summer action flick featuring two of today’s biggest purveyors of same. The Rock and Statham fit perfectly into their rivalry and spend most of the movie (maybe a tad too much) bad mouthing each other while simultaneously carrying out the fantastical stunts required of them. A welcome and needed injection of femininity is supplied by Vanessa Kirby, playing Statham’s sister certainly helped immensely. She is very good and more than hangs with the big boys during the action. Idris Elba is incapable of ineptitude and he is perfect as a cyborg like villain testing the boys. The plot jumps all over the place with holes you could drive the Rock through but with this kind of movie you forgive a lot. I mean a whole lot. Those of you who had a need to see the Rock running around in a skirt wielding a Polynesian war club will get that as well. There are some very funny cameos from Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart thrown in as well. All in all, a lot of fun and some great action since you suspended your disbelief (absolute requirement for a F&F movie) at the door.

MVP: Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw, stealing scenes left and right

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Actors: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhall

Rating: 8 out of 10, The action takes place shortly after the events of the Avenger Infinity War and there are some very funny bits about the five years half the population went missing. Tom Holland really inhabits the part now although he can be a bit whiny at times. Luckily he has Zendaya around to give him a needed edge. The plot is timely as it explores deceptions within illusions as to what people think they’re seeing both in the news and directly in front of them. Who can you trust to tell the truth could be the defining lament of the current era. Peter Parker is on a school trip to Europe and trying to avoid responsibility as any self-respecting high school senior would. This follows the well-worn but still immensely entertaining Marvel formula of well-paced action and sneaky bits of humor liberally laced throughout. In the end this felt more like a resetting of the Marvel universe following the climatic events of the Infinity War and they did it with their usual aplomb. Marvel has lost nothing off their fast ball, loved it.

MVP: Tom Holland as a little whiny Peter Parker / Spider-Man

Yesterday

Actors: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Joel Fry, Kate McKinnon, Ed Sheeran

Rating: 9 out of 10, This sported a very interesting concept. After a worldwide blackout certain aspects of culture disappear from people’s memories – including all memory of the Beatles. Except for the hero – a struggling English singer who’s hit by a bus during the blackout. He starts singing some of the well-known tunes and is immediately hailed as a musical genius while struggling with guilt over knowing the truth. Since the Love Actually guys were involved there was a serious grasp for the heartstrings but the true star of the movie was the music. The Beatles music is so ubiquitous that I’d forgotten how poignant and just flat enjoyable their huge legacy of songs really is. The love story is a little too cute as I consider it a gaping plot hole why anybody wouldn’t immediately be in love with Lily James. There are some very funny moments as the singer discovers several other items have also disappeared. This was a nice escapist romp and a very fitting ode to the musical genius of the Beatles, reminding millennials what all the fuss about the Liverpool gents is all about.

MVP: Lily James as Ellie, immense screen presence

John Wick 3: Parabellum

Actors: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane.

Rating: 10 out of 10, You really have to credit how much mileage the filmmakers have gotten out of the melancholy hit man prone to cartoon level violence. I should have bought an interest in whatever company makes the blood squibs for the movie industry. That mileage has been attained by keeping the story fresh and achieving significant forward momentum. A large dose of the credit should also be given to Mr. Reeves who draws you into his world and makes you share every punch he takes despite his seeming indestructability. This movie picks up where the last one left off with John running to meet his fate at the hands of a virtual army of assassins. The body count meet the usual “Wickian” standard but, once again, doesn’t feel stale, although I could have done without the close-up of the knife puncturing the eyeball (yep – John Friggin Wick). Wick starts out the movie by proving the power of the written word against a massive opponent. The dogs also finally get a piece of the action which, along with Halle Berry, makes for one of the most entertaining action sequences ever. New York City should get billing as a supporting actor as most of the killing is done there and at the mythical hotel for criminals where the climatic scenes take place. We are also brought further into the murky world of the higher power that’s after Wick because his sins of the second movie. Keeping things interesting, the androgynous actor/ress from Billions appears as adjudicator and did everything in his/her power to set her/himself up as target #1 (probably more 1A) in John Wick 4, because that’s going to happen. This has been way too much fun to stop now. Reeves may look a little weary but he’s found the role that will define him and he’s awesome.

MVP: There can be only one John Wick – Keanu, of course

Black Hole

Actors: Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, Roddy McDowall, Slim Pickens

Rating: 6 out of 10, This has not aged well, a victim of the advance of special effects in the years since it appeared. I get the impression this was done at Disney to capture some of the audience following the initial Star Wars craze, but it missed the boat, or starship I guess. A small spaceship discovers a massive black hole in space haunted by an equally massive spaceship crewed by the typical mad scientist bent on discovering the secrets of the universe, no matter what the cost. One of my childhood crushes, Yvette Mimieux, plays an ESP capable scientist who can commune with a Roddy McDowall voiced floating robot, so there is that. This is one of the movies that is so impressed with its own special effects that it forgets to have characters the audience can invest in. Note to Tony Perkins, when a robot slowly approaches you with a wickedly sharp spinning knife, duck. I loved this movie when it first came out, call it the Mimieux effect, but it now seems more than a little silly.

MVP: Yvette Mimieux, who else, as Dr. Kate McCrae 

MIB: International

Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Ferguson, Rafe Spall, Laurent & Larry Bourgeois, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson

Rating: 7 out of 10, This was every bit as silly as it was fun. Thor was back with his Avengers Valkyrie buddy and they still have chemistry. This was a coming out party for Tessa Thompson and she passes with flying colors in a lead role. She plays a hyper-smart gal who worms her way into the black suit after a lifelong pursuit. She’s teamed up with Thor who’s seen better days as an English agent. This was everything I hoped it would be and as long as you don’t take it seriously, c’mon it’s a MIB movie, truly enjoyable. The plot was a little predictable but provided a great ride around the globe as the agents tracked down in inter-dimensional mole in the agency. I did say it shouldn’t be taken seriously, right.

MVP: Thompson as agent M, sprightly, yet deadly

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Actors: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O'Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi

Rating: 7 out of 10, This was a very fun ride on the absurdity scale which is what makes these movies so entertaining. It could have been better if the humans could have stayed out of the way a little more. Coach Taylor seemed in a perpetual frenzied state whilst 11 from Stranger Things, as his on screen daughter, proved she is ready for bigger things. I guess the frenzy is understandable as the world reels from an onslaught of immense monsters started by his estranged wife but he could have toned it down. Godzilla is the hero here fighting against a three headed space dragon (yep!). The script must have been penned by a frustrated Yankee fan because poor Fenway Park takes a savage beating in the climactic battle. The advance of CGI technology means the monsters are more “realistic” than the iconic 1960’s versions but this is still a lot of harmless fun (except if you were standing near the real Green Monster).

MVP: Watanabe who gets to utter several trademark “godzillas” which should only be uttered with a Japanese accent

Long Shot

Actors: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgård

Rating: 9 out of 10, After seeing this movie I am more convinced than ever that Charlize Theron can do anything. She is so good as a high powered secretary of state working for an extremely low power president. This movie could be classified as extremely high fantasy to believe that Seth Rogen would stand a smidgen of a chance as a romantic interest for Theron. However it works and that’s a tribute to both actors although most of the heavy lifting is done by Theron. Theron’s character was Rogen’s babysitter back in the day and hadn’t seen him before he literally stumbles into her life as a speech writer. Rogen, to his credit, holds his own and somehow, against considerable odds, their relationship works. There are some really funny moments laced throughout as well as a lot of heart. I really enjoyed this.

MVP: Theron as the Sec State from heaven

Avengers: End Game

Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Brolin

Rating: 10 out of 10, I’m still a little stunned. Blockbuster just doesn’t seem adequate to describe what Marvel filmmakers have accomplished here. How do you take the seemingly endless plot points from twenty one movies spread over a decade with beloved characters the audience has totally invested in and bring it to a close (sort of)? This would so easily have been a train wreck but it is certainly not. It is epic. It is fun. It has everything we’ve come to expect from Marvel and somehow, more. I was worried at the beginning we were spending too much time experiencing superhero angst following the losses in Infinity War but it was needed for the emotional roller coaster that followed and soaring finale. This film was up against almost impossibly high expectations and somehow exceeded them. That is not just hard, it nigh on impossible. Go see this movie even if you’re not a dyed in the wool geek such as myself. This was epic filmmaking that also drew in heartfelt emotions. Those emotions are an indication of just how successful Marvel has been strip mining our souls over the past decade. Finally it serves as a more than fitting farewell to some of these incredible characters without getting too sappy. It didn’t feel like three hours because you’re immersed in the struggle with old friends. No spoilers here but there is no post credit scene which kept my wife wondering why we were still sitting in the theater for (along with most of the rest of the audience).

MVP: Downey & Evans, as Ironman and Cpt America respectively, these two have always been the heart of this series and their sendoff was spot on

Hellboy

Actors: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, Thomas Haden Church

Rating: 8 out of 10, I don’t know why this had to be remade and I found myself constantly comparing the new Hellboy, David Harbour, to Ron Perlman, who would be a tough act for anybody to follow. I know this movie is garnering almost universal scorn but I thought it was sneakily entertaining. I think they went a little overboard with graphic dismemberments which must have set some sort of cinematic record for a single movie. The plot jumped around a little too much but the action was constant and well done. The subtle humor of a huge demon stalking around was well handled and the supporting cast uniformly good. Milla played a helluva good dismembered witch queen if there is such a category. In the end I enjoyed the movie because it was a lot of good old stupid fun which is sometimes a welcome addition in this all too serious world.

MVP: Harbour in the title role brings just the right amount of world weary attitude to the demon lord

Alita: Battle Angel

Actors: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson

Rating: 9 out of 10, I’m completely unaware of the manga series that served as the basis for this sci fi action flick which probably helped. I thoroughly enjoyed this mostly CGI adventure which was so expertly done that I soon forgot who was CGI and who wasn’t. Set in the distant future as a downtrodden city is controlled by another city hovering above and almost everyone seems to have cybernetic limbs. We are quickly introduced to a sprightly teenaged girl seeming cyborg. She figures out she’s an advanced combat model and severed cybernetic limbs are soon flying across the screen. The supporting cast was uniformly awesome led by the incomparable Christophe Walz and Mahersala Ali (who it seems is in every movie lately). The action is non-stop and expertly staged as long as you suspend your disbelief in the computer generated nature. Loved it.

MVP: Salazar, great voice really gave Alita texture

Mr. Right

Actors: Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, James Ransone, Anson Mount, Michael Eklund, RZA

Rating: 9 out of 10, This movie literally snuck up on me. I didn’t see it in the theaters but caught a bit of it on HBO and was hooked. Both Rockwell and Kendrick are personal favorites so that wasn’t a surprise but this quirky dark comedy stands on its own. Rockwell plays a semi-crazed but extremely deadly assassin who’s turned to killing those who try to hire him. He discovers a kindred spirit in Kendrick and love blooms in the most unlikely of situations, such as throwing knives at each other. Kendrick especially shines demonstrating a nice edge when needed. So a pleasant surprise and well worth the watch.

MVP: Kendrick as Martha, not someone you want to take your eyes off of

Shazam

Actors: Asher, Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou

Rating: 8 out of 10, This movie is a lot of simple fun laced with a serious amount of heart. I hadn’t heard much from Zach Levi since his Chuck days and this movie adds to the mystery because he is fantastic as the superhero inhabited by a fourteen year old boy. That’s a funny premise on its own but the filmmakers don’t fall prey to the Hollywood need to mature the character for the climatic scenes. He fights the bad guys armed only with adolescent innocence and motivations, just a lot of fun. This is all a big tribute to Levi who blends the obvious humor the part calls for along with the needed physicality. Mark Strong is along to play the villain and is DC suitable with all the required dourness. He’s also very good but needed to lighten up a bit to make some of the laughs work better. I really liked the message of the everyday heroism of foster parents. In all this was a very fun movie that I would defy anyone seeing not to laugh. If you can’t at least crack a smile at some of the antics, seek help. Loved it.

MVP: Zachary Levi as the adult super-hero – funny and physical

Captain Marvel

Actors: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law

Rating: 9 out of 10, Thoroughly impressed. The best part was I didn’t even stop to think about the fact it was a female lead in a superhero movie. The earlier work of Natasha Romanov and Diana Prince made that possible. A lot of credit should go to Brie Larsen who was as understated as you can be with fire spurting out of your hands but leavened that with the trademark Marvel humor amidst the almost non-stop action. I know nothing of the background mythology surrounding this character which served me well as I enjoyed this latest background story for a Marvel superhero. The filmmakers also did a good, and at times subtle, job of inserting her story into the Marvel universe. Samuel L Jackson was very effective as a younger version of Nick Fury and it was laugh out loud funny to learn how he lost his left eye (err, as funny as losing an eye can be). Another Marvel success which shouldn’t surprise me at this point.

MVP: Brie Larson as Danvers

A Star is Born

Actors: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay,Sam Elliott

Rating: 8 out of 10, This was much better than I expected. I think this is the first time I’d ever seen Lady Gaga without a mountain of strange makeup and/or dead animal flesh covering her. She’s very, very good and there is no denying the voice which is incredible. This was Bradley Cooper’s first directorial film and he also stars as the inevitably tragic major star who discovers the plucky struggling artist and falls in love. This was so much better than the Streisand effort in the 1970s as Cooper is tone perfect and the scenes between him and Sam Elliott who plays his much older brother just crackle. There is undeniable chemistry between Gaga and Cooper as well which is integral to the story. Even though you know where it’s headed after the prior three versions this was still wildly entertaining. Gaga should wear less makeup as she has screen presence to spare and more than held her own with the top notch actor she was on screen with.

MVP: Lady Gaga dominates as Allie, the star crossed singer

Cold Pursuit

Actors: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, William Forsythe, Tom Bateman

Rating: 7 out of 10, This was kind of a strange combination of action, revenge and dark humor. It never rose to the level of being a true dark comedy but had its moments. It would have been fun to see what the Coen brothers would have done with this material but I’m not certain Neeson would have been right for that. He plays a Rocky Mountain snow plow driver whose son is murdered by a smarmy Denver drug cartel. He sets about revenge by killing his way to the top even though he doesn’t have any discernible skills in that department. He proves a quick learner and is soon depositing bodies into picturesque mountain locales. The movie is all over the place with subplots involving a rival Native American drug cartel and a totally inept police department. Neeson delivers his usual amount of heart and gravitas but Laura Dern, as his wife, is criminally underused. There was some truly impressive camera work capturing the stark beauty of the Rockies. In the end, after thinking about it (which I shouldn’t have had to) I liked this.

MVP: Forsythe in a very small part as Neeson’s brother

The Kid Who Would Be King

Actors: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Tom Taylor, Rebecca Ferguson, Patrick Stewart

Rating: 7 out of 10, This was the Goonies updated and inserted into the Arthurian legend. There was no way this should have been as entertaining and enjoyable for an old fart like me but it certainly was. I think it’s every kid’s dream to find Excalibur sticking out of a stone and being the only one able to pull it out before setting out on an adventure fighting the forces of resurgent ancient evil. If not, it should be. This film grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t lose its grip until the slightly overdone finale. The young actors deserve all the credit as Gollum’s kid proves to be an able actor in his own right and the multi-cultural group of friends form a very real seeming dynamic. A nice little surprise of a movie that works.

MVP: Serkis as Alexander and once and future Arthur

Bumblebee

Actors: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon

Rating: 8 out of 10, I’ve seen all the Transformers movies understanding going in what was in store. In that regard this movie surprised me because it had a little bit of depth and a lot of heart which is due in large part, if not entirely because of the luminous presence of Hailee Steinfeld. She plays a plucky teenager who finds a broken down VW bug which turns out to be the venerable Bumblebee of Transformers lore (I guess at this point there is lore). Her feelings for the huge robot may be a touch over the top but Steinfeld makes you care which is a true rarity in this Hasbro inflicted universe. John Cena is around to play the befuddled military type in some true typecasting but the rest of the supporting cast is invisible for the most part. I blame Steinfeld. A nice, family appropriate escape.

MVP: Steinfeld as the plucky Charlie, once again dominating

Aquaman

Actors: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman

Rating: 9 out of 10, The DC universe may have finally found the charismatic male superhero they’ve been searching for in Jason Mamoa who carries this immense movie with ease. His readily apparent physical presence is softened with a true comedic touch as DC finally stops taking itself so seriously. There are probably too many subplots as the main plot delves into the internecine politics of sub-surface civilizations and shoe horns in Black Manta which would have made more sense for a sequel. Oh, and when did sharks learn to growl? There are a lot more important questions left for the viewer but all in all this was a great, very entertaining ride as Amber Heard displayed real chemistry with Mamoa. There were almost too many stars as Nicole Kidman teamed up with one of those pesky Star Wars clones as Aquaman’s parents and his younger brother is portrayed by the older Patrick Wilson. It all, somehow, works and credit should go to the director for keeping the tone light and mobile through the long running time.

MVP: Mamoa as the title character is funny, imposing and perfect

Mortal Engines

Actors: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, Stephen Lang
Rating: 8 out of 10, I finally got around to seeing Mortal Engines as well. I really wish I’d seen this on the big screen because it is truly epic in scope. Once you get past the incredible and frankly ludicrous notion of “predator cities” this was a very enjoyable post-apocalyptic jaunt. Peter Jackson’s New Zealand bunch know how to throw a party and the two young leads in this were allowed to shine despite the motorized cities constantly trying to run them over. I found myself caught up in their very unconventional love story which included a stint in a slave auction and pursuit by a lovelorn super zombie. I did mention this was science fiction didn’t I. Hugo Weaving is along (again a Jackson movie – so a required element) as the bad guy who goes all Darth Vader on the young heroine. I know this movie was almost universally scorned and avoided but I really enjoyed it and encourage you to give it a chance.

MVP: Sheehan as Tom Notsworth, the plucky museum curator who becomes a hero, almost accidently

Bohemian Rhapsody

Actors: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, Mike Myers.

Rating: 9 out of 10, This was a lot of fun as Remi Malek continues his impressive start to a career. He totally nails the complicated and, at the time, controversial lead singer of Queen, Freddy Mercury. The film follows the formation of Queen and Mercury’s ups and downs over the ensuing years. I’d forgotten just how many iconic songs Queen was responsible for and I found myself transported back to the many memories of my youth the songs evoked. Mercury thrived during the time before all of a celebrity’s life was considered public domain or maybe he was one of the first victims of the information age’s intrusive ubiquity. While the film does descend into some tepid melodrama the music and Malek transport it to another level. In the immortal words of Conner Macleod and Queen – “Who Wants to Live Forever!”

MVP: Malek further distinguishing himself channeling Freddy Merc

Widows

Actors: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson.

Rating: 9 out of 10, I loved this movie because it was smart and didn’t fall for cheap sensationalism just because it involved a crew of women trying to pull off a heist. Viola Davis towers over the plot, as she is wont to do, but the gold plated queen from Guardians of the Galaxy, Elizabeth Debicki, also proved she is much more than just a pretty face. A high end heist crew is killed during a rip off of a crime lord who demands recompense from their surviving spouses. There is a series of subplots involving Chicago city politics as well which is expertly knitted into a movie for adults. I know the attention span challenged will have problems with this film because it does require a little patience but that patience is needed as actors build their characters into someone you can relate to. This is a very good movie.

MVP: Debecki as Alice, much deeper than she looks

A Star is Born

Actors: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Elliott

Rating: 8 out of 10, This was much better than I expected. I think this is the first time I’d ever seen Lady Gaga without a mountain of strange makeup and/or dead animal flesh covering her. She’s very, very good and there is no denying the voice which is incredible. This was Bradley Cooper’s first directorial film and he also stars as the inevitably tragic major star who discovers the plucky struggling artist and falls in love. This was so much better than the Streisand effort in the 1970s as Cooper is tone perfect and the scenes between him and Sam Elliott who plays his much older brother just crackle. There is undeniable chemistry between Gaga and Cooper as well which is integral to the story. Even though you know where it’s headed after the prior three versions this was still wildly entertaining. Gaga should wear less makeup as she has screen presence to spare and more than held her own with the top notch actor she was on screen with.

MVP: Gaga dominates in a tough cast as Allie

The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Actors: Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, LaKeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, Stephen Merchant

Rating: 8 out of 10, The latest version of Lisbeth Salander. If you count the Swedish trilogy of films this marks the fifth incarnation of the girl with dragon tattoo and she’s no less compelling here with Clair Foy in the title role. I appreciated the decision to focus almost completely on Salander this time and marginalizing the Blomquist character because she’s where the story resides. She takes a break from torturing abusive men long enough to steal an ultra-secret from the NSA and then her dysfunctional family raises its head and the body count skyrockets. There are some gaping plot holes that can be forgiven in order to keep the plot moving at the relentless pace needed. The movie does cause some serious pause at buying a car loaded with electronic features though.

MVP: Hoeks as the mysterious Salander sister, haunting

Hunter Killer

Actors: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Michael Nyqvist, Common, Linda Cardellini, Toby Stephens

Rating: 8 out of 10, Hunter Killer gets Gerard Butler out of his secret service gig to confront the Russians as a nuclear sub commander. The concept was so outlandish and totally impossible that it should be labeled as pure science fiction but this was still a lot of fun, even with my wife constantly whispering in my ear asking if what they showed the military doing was possible (a lot wasn’t). Butler still oozes screen presence and makes this watchable despite the trite and extremely predictable dialogue he’s forced to utter and endure. The Russian military has staged a coup and want to start a war for some unrevealed reason. Butler commands a sub running around underneath the ice while a Seal team infiltrates a nearby Russian base so the powers in Washington can watch everything going on. The only miss in the cast was Gary Oldman who plays a CJCS in his unhinged mode and it doesn’t work. Common is startling good as a navy admiral countering Oldman’s over the top delivery. This won’t win any critical acclaim but it was a great popcorn ride of an action flick.

MVP: Nyquist as the Russian sub Capt. Andropov, says so much with just his eyes

Trail of the Pink Panther

Actors: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk,Harvey Korman

Rating: 5 out of 10, While Sellers stars in this, the movie was put together after his death as a sort of tribute (or attempted money making grab). They cobbled together a bunch of deleted scenes from earlier movies around a scarily bad plot as we follow a French TV journalist tracking down former colleagues and adversaries to talk about the missing indomitable Clouseau. The only truly poignant scene is the end where we see Clouseau’s encounter with a “swine seagull” followed by a montage of memorable antics.

MVP: Sellers, the one and only Clouseau

Revenge of the Pink Panther

Actors: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk, Robert Webber, Dyan Cannon, Tony Beckley, Robert Loggia

Rating: 5 out of 10, Clouseau takes on the French Connection this time out which is somehow headed by Blake Edwards favorite Robert Webber in a funny role. They think they’ve finally killed in the indestructible Clouseau only to find out he’s traded clothes with a random French transvestite. Clouseau comes to America for the first time in a godawful Godfather disguise. While this had a few funny moments I struggled to stay with it. Sellers mailed this performance in.

MVP: Kwouk, as Kato the long abused attack butler

The Pink Panther Strikes Again

Actors: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Leonard Rossiter, Lesley-Anne Down, Colin Blakely, Omar Sharif, Burt Kwouk, Graham Stark

Rating: 6 out of 10, This is where the Pink Panther movies officially jumped the shark as long suffering Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfus becomes a 007 level villain complete with UN dissolving death ray. Clouseau is pursued by an army of assassins as he tries to track down Dreyfus. They all fail through no skill by Clouseau which only adds to his legend and Dreyfus’ madness. There were some funny moments but this is where the series seemed to lose a lot of its fun.

MVP: Ms. Down, as the British assassin, forgot how gorgeous she was

The Return of the Pink Panther

Actors: Peter Sellers, Christopher Plummer, Catherine Schell, Peter Arne, Graham Stark, Burt Kwouk

Rating: 8 out of 10, This is my favorite Clouseau movie as I watch my way through the entire series. Sellers is spot on as the totally inept and yet somehow completely successful French police inspector. Plummer replaces Niven as the Phantom and has his moments in a Saharan sub-plot but this movie belongs to Sellers as he makes his through increasingly outlandish disguises. Poor Herbert Lom, as Closeau’s supervisor continues his march into madness as the supervisor of the criminally unaware detective. This was a nice insertion of comedic nostalgia.

MVP: Sellers, of course

A Shot in the Dark

Actors: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Tracy Reed

Graham Stark Rating: 6 out of 10, The quick follow up to the pink panther with Inspector Clouseau as the central character. We see for the first time his long suffering boss Commissioner Dreyfus as well as his attack butler Kato. There was some obvious tongue in cheek casting with Nordic goddess Elke Sommer as an Italian maid and the uber-English Saunders as a French aristocrat. This seemed more like a theatrical play with a series of murders laid at the feet of the hot Italian maid whom Clouseau (and every other male viewer) is falling in love with. It doesn’t help that he is Clouseau with the world literally imploding in his wake. Funny, but a little forced.

MVP: Sellers as Jacques Clouseau, the worst successful detective ever

The Pink Panther

Actors: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale.

Rating: 8 out of 10, The very first Inspector Clouseau movie and I was surprised that he was obviously just a supporting character in the movie that went on to spawn the innumerable sequels featuring him. It’s understandable why because Sellers steals every scene he’s in as the bumbling French detective although it was hard to look at anything else whenever Claudia Cardinale was on screen. David Niven is the lead as a suave jewel thief hunted by Clouseau while also having an affair with Clouseau’s wife. An impossibly young Robert Wagner shows up as the literal American nephew and hijinks ensue ably managed by director Blake Edwards.

MVP: Cardinale as the princess Dala, amazing screen presence

Legend of Billy Jean

Actors: Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater, Richard Bradford, Peter Coyote, Martha Gehman

Rating: 5 out of 10, Some more bad 1980s cinema came into my possession and an old favorite resurfaced. This hasn’t aged well and is mostly watchable to see how the ridiculous was common place during that era, not to mention the tall hair. Helen Slater plays a hot trailer park gal with possibly the stupidest brother (a very young Christian) in cinema history who has to go on the lam after running afoul of a well-connected villain. She becomes a Joan of Arc for the Texas seacoast area as the thoroughly incompetent police can’t track her down despite the gaping plot holes present. What were we thinking?!

MVP: Helen Slater as Billie Jean Davy occasionally rises above the bad writing

Little Nikita

Actors: River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Richard Jenkins, Caroline Kava, Richard Bradford, Richard Lynch

Rating: 3 out of 10, Another bad 80s flick about a deep cover Russian family living the American dream in suburban San Diego. Basically the same premise as The Americans and you can see why it took so long after this fiasco for Hollywood to return to it. This is one of the movies that surprises you because the cast is top notch but cannot salvage it. Phoenix displays the awesome potential that was sadly lost in his passing but there were massive holes in the plot that cannot be forgiven, even for a bad movie. Poitier must be embarrassed to have this film on his sterling resume as he plays an awkward FBI agent befriending the son of the Russian agents while two separate assassins are tracking them all down. It was all very Russian and very bad.

MVP: River Phoenix as Jeff, makes you miss him all the more

Victor, Victoria

Actors: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, John Rhys-Davies

Rating: 8 out of 10, Another in my venture through Blake Edwards’ films with Mrs. Edwards in the lead role as a talented singer down on in luck in the inter-war years Paris. She runs into the very gay Robert Preston who encourages her to audition as a man impersonating a woman (Note – the French are weird). She/he becomes the toast of Paris until she falls for the rugged American visitor, James Garner. This movie works on so many levels. Its message of tolerance is all the more relevant nowadays. The writing and Mancini score are crisp. There are so many memorable moments but none are topped by Preston’s climatic song standing in for he now exposed Andrews’ character. I couldn’t stop laughing as it apparently everyone had a lot of fun with it while filming. Lesley Ann Warren, a personal favorite, more than holds her own with the notable talent surrounding her. This movie is just fun.

MVP: Preston as Toddy, the Queen of 1930’s Paris

Hardbodies

Actors: Grant Cramer, Courtney Gains, Gary Wood, Darcy DeMoss, Cindy Silver,  Sorells Pickard, Kristi Somers, Michael Rapport, Teal Roberts

Rating: 4 out of 10, A trip down memory lane as one of the memorable flicks from Skinemax’s 1980s heyday somehow came into my possession. This is a harmless bit of fun with a beach bum hustler type with a heart of gold signing on to help three middle aged men connect with beach bunnies in Southern California. There is nothing socially redeeming about this in the least and its sole recommendation comes from the lavish exposure of topless ladies. Surprisingly the women come out as the strong personalities in this farce.

MVP: Grant Cramer as Scotty Palmer the hustler

Skin Deep

Actors: John Ritter, Vincent Gardenia, Alyson Reed, Joel Brooks, Julianne Phillips, Chelsea Field, Peter Donat, Don Gordon, Nina Foch, Denise Crosby, Michael Kidd, Dee Dee Rescher

Rating: 7 out of 10, I continue my revisit of director Blake Edwards’ films with this sex comedy from the late 1980s. I liked this back in the day for the gratuitous display of topless ladies but it has aged well with Edwards’ cutting humor, or at least better than the “tall hair” styles of that era. Ritter is very good but almost too likable to play a vile alcoholic, womanizer descending into what seems to be a bottomless pit of depression. I know I said comedy and it really is funny. My favorite character was the wife of Ritter’s lawyer, Dee Dee Rescher, who laughs uncontrollably every time Ritter gets himself into further comical trouble. She plays the Greek chorus exposing how ludicrous Ritter’s character’s life has become. There is also the luminescent condom fight scene which is still funnier than it should be. Well worth a watch, a lot of subtle as well as slapstick humor.

MVP: Ritter as the Zach, a writer who should know better than let his ex-girlfriend strap him into an electric stimulation machine

Blind Date

Actors: Bruce Willis, Kim Basinger, John Larroquette, William Daniels, George Coe, Mark Blum, Phil Hartman

Rating: 7 out of 10, Willis’ big screen debut, back when he still had hair, tried to tap into his Moonlighting comedic personae, somewhat successfully. The biggest question looming over the plot is how Kim Bassinger would have ever needed to fixed up with a blind date. That being said Blake Edwards once again proves a deft hand with slapstick, disaster comedy. Willis’ date descends into madness as the crazed ex-boyfriend shows up along with an alcohol fueled Bassinger which eventually breaks Willis. While this movie has obviously aged there were a lot of small inside jokes that were a trademark of Edwards’ films. Sad to see Phil Hartman and the promise he always showed.

MVP: John Larroquette as the crazed boyfriend - David Bedford