The Sound of Music

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

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

MVP: Ms. Andrews as the iconic Maria von Trapp

The Hunt

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

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

MVP: Betty Gilpin as the very dangerous Crystal

Invisible Man

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

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

MVP: Moss owns this movie, as the resilient Cecilia

Birds of Prey

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

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

MVP: Robbie as the completely crazed Harley Quinn

Bloodshot

Actors: Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Guy Pearce

Rating: 7 out of 10, Diesel playing, Vin Diesel, only this time he can’t be killed. Actually he was and then resurrected by a garden variety mad scientist to take out the scientist’s business rivals. I’m blissfully unaware of the mythology surrounding this character so I entered without expectations, except for the requisite explosions and assassinations which were delivered in full. Diesel wears the part well although he obviously did no research on how Army special operators work and thankfully that was only for a small part. The rest of the movie has him being shot, blown up and variously dismembered only to have his resident nanites immediately rebuild him. The movie bogs down in the middle but the action rescues it as well as the presence of Eiza González who steals every scene she’s in. It almost felt like we were back in a real movie theater with all the pleasure of a true popcorn flick.
MVP: Gonzalez as KT the underwater breathing scene stealer

The Gentlemen

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

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

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

1917

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

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

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

The Rise of Skywalker

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

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

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

Jumanji The Next Level

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

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

MVP: Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse

21 Bridges

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

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

MVP: James as Michael Trujillo – the conflicted cop killer

Knives Out

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

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

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

Midway

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

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

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

Doctor Sleep

Actors: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis

Rating: 8 out of 10, I was excited to see what the filmmakers would do with this sequel to The Shining after enjoying the book so much. It’s excellent. They pick up the story of Danny, the kid driving the hotwheels through the hallway forty years later. He’s still haunted by his childhood adventures with mom, dad and room 237 resulting in severe alcoholism. He’s drawn to New Hampshire (but aren’t we all) where he cleans up his act and connects with another physic, a young African-American girl from a nearby town. Their peace is shattered when a roving group of semi-immortal “shine vampires” (Stephen King – don’tcha know) latch onto the girl’s powers and want to devour her. Ewan McGregor , if you’ll excuse the expression, shines as Danny lending both heart and depth. Rebecca Ferguson, rapidly becoming one of my favorites, is diabolically evil yet incredibly attractive as the leader of the vamps. It’s a story where you truly invest in the characters which is a tribute to the actors involved. The climatic scenes take place in the decrepit remains of the Overlook hotel, scene of the first movie. There are numerous odes to the first movie but a clear miss when they try to replicate Jack with a stand-in. King is sometimes a hard creature to translate to the screen but they hit the mark here. Just different enough from the book to keep you engaged, scared and thrilled for the entire, long movie.

MVP: Ferguson deliciously evil as Rose the Hat

Terminator Dark Fate

Actors: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna

Rating: 8 out of 10, A very good reboot of the iconic movie franchise. Both Linda Hamilton and the Governator return in age appropriate roles. They were the best part of the original two movies and Hamilton is outstanding continuing her kick ass mentality well into her senior years. The script does a very good job of weaving the plot into the original mythology and tells the same type of story although the John Conner role is assumed by a feisty Mexican gal. Her savior from the future isn’t a terminator but an enhanced human warrior, also female. You do not want to piss these women off. They’re pursued by yet another upgraded terminator who combines the scariest aspects of all prior incarnations. The action is almost non-stop but there’s a liberal amount of sly humor injected, especially when Arnold shows up as a drape salesman. Yep. I also loved the small tributes to the original movies liberally laced throughout. I thought the franchise was dead but like the damned terminators themselves, there is life yet. I loved it.

MVP: Schwarzenegger reprising his role as a T-800

Zombieland 2

Actors: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch

Rating: 9 out of 10, This retains the very fun attitude of the original. Our Oscar nominated crew of zombie killers have taken up residence in the ruins of the White House which lends itself to some serious gags. I missed Woody’s obsession with Twinkies but it’s been replaced with an Elvis mania which leads him to Rosario Dawson – never a bad thing. It’s all escapist fun despite the constant zombie attacks with some really funny zingers aimed at millennials. I know critics who take themselves way too seriously will be upset with actors of this caliber taking up this kind of fare but it is pure unadulterated fun and would have been really silly (alright more silly) with lesser actors. Make sure to stay for all of the credits for your Bill Murray fix, who re-appears despite the hole blown in his chest in the first movie.

MVP: Eisenberg as the geeky but effective Columbus

Gemini Man

Actors: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong

Rating: 7 out of 10, I know this isn’t getting a lot of love from the critics. Ang Lee does get carried away with trying to be too cute with his camera angles, action flicks may not be his best outlet. We get a whole lot of Will Smith, obviously since it stars both his current self and a computer generated younger version as well, which is never a bad thing. It seemed the computer generated younger version was limited in facial expression because he had none of Smith’s usual charisma. The older version more than picked up the slack though. Smith plays a world class assassin who tries to retire (never a cinematically easy task) and finds himself hunted by his much younger clone. There are plot holes galore but that comes with the territory and the action scenes were excellent. There was a tendency to come to screeching halts for a little too much naval contemplation but Smith is good enough to carry you through that. He’s ably assisted by Mary Elizabeth Winstead who kicks some serious ass on her own. This is well worth the watch despite what you’re hearing from the critics.

MVP: Winstead as Danny, the more than capable assistant

Joker

Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Marc Maron

Rating: 10 out of 10, There is something about the character of Batman’s Joker that brings out extraordinary performances but Joaquin Phoenix has outdone all predecessors. He totally inhabits the role and it was mesmerizing to behold. This is an origin story but it doesn’t involve a descent because he’s already psychotic when we first meet him. He plays an unsuccessful clown/comedian in a crumbling Gotham City. You can almost root for him as his desperately lonely life dissolves into chaos. Phoenix’s performance lends the perfect amount of unease to the audience as we watch the train wreck that his mind is unfold in slow motion. The sudden violence is unvarnished and pointed straight at those who would lionize the comic criminality the Joker is usually surrounded by. This is a very bad man; despite the challenges society and his warped life have thrown at him. I’ve always thought Joaquin Phoenix was kind of an acquired taste but you can see the pain and madness permeating his character and it’s impossible to look away. One of the best movies I’ve seen in a while but don’t go if you’re not ready to be figuratively smacked in the mouth.

MVP: Phoenix mesmerizes as the Gotham City’s preeminent bad guy

Bad Times at the El Royale

Actors: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Chris Hemsworth

Rating: 9 out of 10, I’m not sure what I expected but this was something new and very interesting. The film involves a series of characters who in the late 1960s check into a kitschy hotel that straddles the Nevada-California border. The various back stories are told by room number and eventually they all come together for a vibrating finale with a completely unexpected hero emerging. The cast is uniformly strong with Cynthia Erivo as an aspiring lounge singer and Jeff Bridges as a priest/felon particularly standing out. I think many younger viewers will miss some of the pop culture references from that period of time but that was one of the most interesting aspects for me. There are times when the pace may seem to crawl but that’s an illusion and necessary to get you to the “sit up moments” and the dizzying finale. Great flick.

MVP: Cynthia Erivo as Darlene Sweet the singer/conscience of the group

Creed 2

Actors: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad

Rating: 8 out of 10, Michel B. Jordan has so much screen presence that you almost don’t notice the presence of Stallone in this Rocky generated sequel. Creed is a compelling character as he struggles to forge his own way through the same challenges that cost his father his life. The Russian superman Drago from Rocky 3 has raised a son who is every bit as damaged as a Rocky themed movie opponent is required to be. This wasn’t the formulaic fight picture as there is real depth to all the main characters but this movie truly belongs to Jordan. I’m excited to think about the future of this young actor – he’s really that good. The final fight was everything you’d expect and hope for in a Rocky film but it still somehow entertained.

MVP: Jordan continues to be automatic as Adonis Creed

It Chapter 2

Actors: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgård

Rating: 7 out of 10, A very long movie but you almost don’t notice it as it careens from scare to scare. There’s plenty of that as the grown up versions of the kids from Chapter 1 return to battle Pennywise again. There’s some real texture as each must combat childhood issues that have been suppressed after leaving Derry, Steven King’s orifice of evil. The Master himself shows up for a very cool cameo as an antique dealer. I thought Chapter 1 was scarier because Pennywise wasn’t so omnipresent and when he did appear it packed a gut punch. The filmmakers went a little overboard with the CGI which cartoonized the evil clown a little too much. The final revelation that helps the Losers in their climatic battle is also garbled instead of highlighted. Maybe they realized just how long the film was at that point. Some great performances by both the young and grown up versions of the characters which kept me fully invested. I do wish they’d made more of a hero out of the lone Loser to remain in town to confront the evil when it reappeared. A fitting end to one of the Master’s best efforts.

MVP: Jessica Chastain as Beverley the soul of the losers club

Ad Astra

Actors: Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland

Rating: 9 out of 10, This is a very interesting take on science fiction. Brad Pitt, who towers in this, plays an astronaut in the near future whose father may or may not be sending deadly waves of energy from across the solar system after being considered dead for many years. Pitt is charged with journeying to Mars to make radio contact with him. Along the way he runs across pirates on the moon and Norwegian space baboons. This sounds like an action packed sci fi frolic but it was anything but that. It was an intensely personal and uniformly bleak journey for Pitts character to rediscover his humanity. It’s easy to forget just how good an actor Pitt can be until you see him in something like this. He has to be that good because the movie is so personal despite the breathtaking scenery he journeys through. Too many sci fi films focus on the scenery and forget about the story. This was so good and features the first ever climatic scenes in the rings of the planet Neptune (didn’t even know they had em). This movie is completely in Pitt’s hands and he delivers. Some viewers may be put off by the austere pace and settings but the movie inexorably hits all the right marks on Pitt’s journey.

MVP: Brad Pitt as Roy McBride saving the world while confronting daddy issues

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Julia Butters, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino  

Rating: 10 out of 10, This is a very long, heartfelt tribute to the late 1960s and Hollywood. Tarantino excels at creating memorable characters and does so again with Pitt and Decaprio. Pitt, as Decaprio’s stunt man, steals the movie and plays the everyman part saying what most of us are thinking when confronted by the perpetual self-importance Hollywood likes to immerse itself in. This is a very long movie but I truly enjoyed the trip back to my earlier days and the inevitable, what were we thinking? expositions. Decaprio, a has-been TV actor, happens to be live next door to Sharon Tate in 1969 and everything that means. Pitt runs across the denizens of the Spann Ranch in his travels which made for some really eerie scenes. Tarantino has always felt free to re-write history the way it should have happened and that makes for a truly sizzling climax. I haven’t always been a huge Brad Pitt fan but he is perfect in this part and well worth the very long wait to get to the fun stuff.

MVP: Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, stunt man extraordinaire

Shampoo

Actors: stars Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, Jack Warden, Tony Bill, 

Carrie Fisher

Rating: 8 out of 10, This movie has aged very well and provides an hysterical look back into the late 1960s. It’s also a scathing comment on the insular nature of the rich and the L.A. elite as well. Beatty as George, at the height of his fame, plays basically himself, a hairdresser lothario that women cannot get enough of. He’s hapless in the face of his life crumbling around him as his various conquests come together to confront him and causes him to lose the one special one. This all happens on the night Nixon was elected. The climax takes place at two separate parties one establishment and the other counter-culture. Neither comes across as redeeming and I guess that was the point. It was fascinating to see the younger versions of Hawn, Grant, Fisher, and Christie. I’d forgotten how drop dead gorgeous and talented each was.

MVP: Lee Grant as Felicia, wife and one of George’s paramours