This movie starts out like gangbusters with an innocent welcome back to class speech after a summer break in music class by their young teacher only to have a young intruder come into class and shoot the place up. It was a shocking moment that sets up the movie for a young pair of sisters who survive the attack. One of the gals, who has a talent for music turns the situation into a tribute song and when it ultimately becomes a big hit, her dad takes her into the business and makes her a pop star. That part of the story I found interesting and I only wish they could’ve stayed with that. Flash forward to later on when she is 31 (Natalie Portman) and has her own kid. Another tragedy happens, off screen that affects her personally. At this point, she’s a pop superstar. She also becomes a very unlikable person and much different than the young girl we saw at the beginning of the film. Some of it is from the influence of her dad (Jude Law) and much of it is from her own malition. I found watching her tedious. She was also played as a completely different person which I found distracting mainly due to a tough dialect they gave her. It just didn’t fit. The whole movie seemed disjointed and all over the place. The movie concludes with an extended pop concert sequence that I wish was cut to maybe a song or 2, but went on forever. I didn’t see where the director was going with it. The performance by Portman is really good as always, but I didn’t care for this picture.

Rating (**)

Based on the true story of Lee Israel, a sad sack of a woman, who was convicted in the 90’s for copying, forging & selling letters for profit. She was a Best Selling author, but when her career went south, she became a difficult person with a drinking problem and lots of financial issues. This is a pretty interesting story. Films like this and others such as “Big Eyes” & “The Wife” I have found fascinating mainly because the stories are so “out there”. They’re crazy situations, but they’re perpetrated by your average person. They’re not necessarily bad people either. In this case, Israel is having some bad luck and is looking for an outlook, She’s very talented, but doesn’t trust her ability on her own merit. Now, this isn’t the most enjoyable movie to sit through. Melissa McCarthy, who plays Israel is terrific, but she is also a miserable person to be around. She drinks like a fish, hates people, doesn’t take care of herself, her apartment and has a horrible disposition. Those people aren’t fun to watch, but once she starts the committing her crime, the film becomes a lot more interesting. You know she gets caught, but it’s how that you’re waiting for. Richard E. Grant plays her gay loser friend that helps her out and he is really good too. I liked this movie. This film won’t sit in your memory for very long and I don’t think many really care about Lee Israel, but it’s a well written story that is extremely well acted.

Rating (***)

If Robert Redford is really going to retire from acting, then this is a nice way to go out. A simple story where he plays a career bank robber who has escaped from jail 16 times in his life. Every time he gets out, he robs more banks. The difference is that this guy will charm the pants off you and never takes more than he really needs from the teller. This role is perfect for Redford. He’s an old polite gentleman with very good manners. He’s always smiling and typically pretty content. When he meets Sissy Spacek on the side of the road with her broken truck, they form a nice relationship. She knows he’s a crook, but he never puts her in any danger and as long as she just stays just far enough away from his lifestyle, she believes they can maintain whatever it is they have going on. To each other, they’re companions. If you’re a fan of Redford, you’ll probably like this film. He’s perfect in this role. The film itself isn’t flashy, but it’s got a cool look to it like you’re watching a film from the late 70’s or early 80’s. It’s kinda slow, but fairly engrossing. You keep waiting for this guy to slip up and get caught again. The problem is that nobody wants to catch him. I liked this movie. I’ve always been a fan of Robert Redford. If this is his last acting job, not a bad way to remember him by.

Rating: (***)

Got out of the heat for some dino sequel fun at the show. This is one of those popcorn movies that delivers on entertainment as long as you go in with some lower expectations. I enjoyed it. It’s almost like 2 different films. The first 45 minutes is in Costa Rica with exploding volcanos and trees and lavas and giant waterfalls, while the 2nd half plays out like a William castle movie in a haunted mansion with dinos running loose. Not sure which was better. This installment pays quite a bit of homage to the original JP and you can pick those scenes out right away. That is however, one of the flaws in this movie as well as the franchise in a whole with all the deja vu action. You’ve seen a lot of this before. Chase, jump out, leap, eat & repeat. The question is how do they make this different or interesting and on a whole, the story is pretty sound and the director has some great shots in this. I thought there was enough to keep me engaged where even though I knew exactly what was going to happen next. I didn’t feel they needed a couple of the subplots such as a little girl who may or not be a clone, but I’m guessing we’ll be seeing her again and that will be a focal point in the next movie and there will be a next movie based on how this ended. I was disappointed that the JP John Williams music was absent save for a minor jingle on the piano. I missed that esp. since we had that music in our wedding ceremony.If you’ve seen the other JP movies, then you should see this one to round out your dino experience. It’s fun.

Rating (**1/2)

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

This movie takes place after Captain America: Civil War in the MCU timeline. With something like 19 movies, it’s hard to keep track of all these because they tend to bounce around. The Ant-Man films are like Marvel lite. The violence is toned down and the comedy is ramped up. It’s very funny. This movie at times, felt like a family film with all its tender father/daughter moments and messages, but it all works and it’s a lot of fun. It’s PG-13, but feels like PG. The story isweak. There is a lot of talk about Quantum Realms and honestly, I found all that pretty dull. The villians were fine. The Ghost was interesting and the other bad guy was a stock character from a hundred other movies. I’m glad though they weren’t after world domination which led to another giant epic noisy battle. The characters are all very likeable and you root for them. The charm of these people are infectious and I really enjoyed the bad ass of the Wasp. Credit Evangeline Lilly for that. Stick around for the end credits as you’ll get another cookie which ties into the next Avengers film as well as a laugh out loud moment. I love how all these are connected and Ant Man and the Wasp is another winner in the assembly line of the MCU. (***)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

In a packed house on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in IMAX 3-D, I caught the biggest film of the year. This will break a lot of records. I enjoyed immensely. It has its problems, but if you go into this knowing that the movie will not come to any conclusion (Part 2 is due out next year), then you’ll be fine and just need to go in and enjoy yourself. With over 20 Avengers, there is not only a battle against Thanos, but a battle for screen time. Some Avengers have very little todo, while others make just a cameo appearance. There are a handful of heroes who don’t appear and will have to wait for the next installment. At clocking in at 2:25, the film does a good job at moving things along. You never get bogged down with one battle as they go back and forth between planets, space, Wakanda, Nowhere (that’s a place), New York, etc. This being a Marvel film there is plenty of humor and my favorite thing about this movie is the anticipation of who is going to show up next. This is a pretty violent movie, but I bet your kid will cry bloody murder if you don’t take him/her so go ahead and check out Marvel’s biggest, baddest & boldest film yet. (***1/2)

Black Panther (2018)

I was with a sold out house for 10a Sunday morning showing of the hottest film of this young year. This film is the “goods”. It has a terrific cast, male & female. Chadwick Boseman apparently can play anyone since he’s already been Jackie Robinson, James Brown & Thurgood Marshall. Lots of strong characters, a solid villian and the cinematography is beautiful. There is an action sequence in South Korea that stands out for me and you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it involving a remote control car. The movie does drag in spots and at times it felt a little long, but overall this is terrific entertainment. It is violent at times, but if your child has seen the other Marvel movies, they’ll be fine. It also offers up a good message. Stay for 2 extra scenes, both of which support the next Avengers film. (***1/2)

I was on vacation when this came out and I couldn’t wait to see this. This is one of those rare franchises that is getting better every time out. Tom Cruise, at age 54 continues to punish his body by doing every stunt himself and until he kills himself, I’m guessing he’ll keep going until his insurance runs out. He really is ageless. As for the movie, it’s pretty solid, if not too long. Clocking in at 2:27, the movie could use a trim, but the last reel is terrific and for those who don’t like heights, it’s especially thrilling. The movie is loaded with well choreographed action scenes which are all unique in itself. Plenty of plot twists and surprises to keep you interested during the slower portions of the film and there are a number of them. This franchise has always been pretty consistent with its delivery and as long as they want to keep making MI films, I’ll go see them.

Rating (***1/2)

After a dry spell, I finally got a chance to go to the show and I couldn’t get to the “Black Klannsmen”, so what’s better than to see a movie about a giant prehistoric fish. I love shark movies, esp. giant shark movies. The bigger the better. You can keep the Sharknado movies, but when it comes to Jason Statham chewing up the scenery battling this big boy, I’m on board for this ride. Let’s face it, this is a dumb movie. The acting is bad, the story is nonsense, it’s predictable and there is even a Chinese version of Toni Basil’s “Mickey” song played twice. However, the fun factor rings the top bell. There is enough cheese and goofiness to balance out the scares and it’s not overly scary or gory. It’s also not done on the cheap. They spent some dough on this fish tale. I expect they’ll make another one as this one has been doing well at the box office. Why not? It’s dumb summer fun.

Rating (**1/2)

This is for fans of the franchise only and proceed with caution because this movie is a mess. Directed by Shane Black, who appeared as an actor and got shish-ka-bob’d in the 1987 classic sort of makes a hybrid film here. It’s part comedy, part sci-fi action and part who the hell knows what. the comedic aspects don’t work at all. He tried to do a rag tag outcast Con-Air thing and most of the jokes fell flat or they just didn’t seem to fit into what’s happening in the story which is all over the place, but The action sequences are fun and I did like all the characters esp. Boyd Holbrook (Narcos) as the hero. He’s got a terrific on screen presence. I’m going to give this a very mild recommendation only because it’s always good to see this bad boy predator on the screen whether it’s in garbage or not and this movie is pretty close to the can.

Rating (**1/2) 

What do you get when cross “Gone Girl” with Gossip Girl? You get this little gem. This movie reminded me of the comedic dark mystery “To Die For” and a little bit of “Diabolique” It’s got the same tone and I think high quality. The mystery is completely engrossing and the story has so many twists and turns that you have to pay real close attention to follow and keep up. That being said, the whole thing is far fetched and at times strays too far from what is working. What drives this thing along is the very strong work of its stars Anna Kendrick in “Super Mom” mode and Blake Lively in her Gossip Girl persona doing easily the best work she’s ever done. The two of them are both outstanding. This is worth checking out.

Rating (***)