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