I didn’t really get this weird movie about an aspiring American dancer (Dakota Johnson) who comes to a strange old dance school in Germany to win the lead in an elaborate production and to be taught by a prestigious instructor (Tilda Swinton). The school is somehow inhabited by old witches and an old man who deals with these strange ideas believes this is the case and investigates the school while dancers are dropping like flies concurrently with the rapid rise of Johnson’s character. I don’t mind weird movies like this as long as they make sense, but I got lost about 90 minutes in and the last 30 are just bananas. This is a remake and from what I understand, that film was nuts too. I admire Johnson’s performance and she is an actress that seemingly likes to take risks and works very hard at her roles no matter how goofy they are. I couldn’t even tell you what goes on with her character at the end because at that point I was so lost, turned off and didn’t really care anymore. This is a very disturbing movie to sit through visually at times and could give some nightmares. Pass on this one.

Rating: (**)

Julia Roberts is terrific as a desperate mom who does whatever she can not to give up and believe in her drug addicted son who comes home on Christmas Eve against better judgement. Ben (Lucas Hedges) is a 19 year old who deep down wants to be good and honest. He’s done some horrible things in the past after getting addicted to pain pills which led him down a bad path. He’s back for 1 night and when things start to spiral badly for his family, he tries to go out and fix things because it’s his fault. Roberts goes with him, but slowly she realizes that her kid was in deep and there really is no way to pull him back. Ben ditches her and disappears. She just wants him home safe. The story is pretty tense and you really feel and pull for these people. You would do anything for your kids, even knowing deep down they can’t be helped. Ben wants the help, but he’s done too much. I liked much of this. The performances by Roberts and Hedges are really good. My problem is the ending and I won’t spoil it, but I felt cheated. I also had a hard time with the dad, who was essentially a bit of a prick. Movies like this can be tough to sit through. It takes place at Christmas and there isn’t much Ho Ho Ho, but it’s a pretty good movie and does its job.

Rating (***)

Clint Eastwood just keeps going. He’s been playing a lot of cranky old timers lately and since he’s what mid 80’s, that makes sense. I didn’t much care for “Gran Torino” or “Trouble With the Curve”, but “The Mule” is a great fit for him. He plays a plan whose worked all his life in the horticulture field and pretty much was never there for his family. When the economy goes internet crazy, his flower business goes belly-up and so has a difficult times making ends meet. He takes a job as a driver for a drug cartel to earn a living and he gradually begins to get an assemblage of his family back and gains a little happiness because he’s able to help people with his earnings. The problem of course is that he’s breaking the law for very dangerous people. There is a charm to this gruf guy. Eastwood’s character, Earl is an old timer who is a bit of a racist and has no filter. He also doesn’t give a shit and won’t take any. He’s a good guy who likes to smell the roses and live life, which is why he took the gig knowing that what he is doing is really really wrong and potentially very dangerous. The film is kind of funny. It’s like Eastwood is winking at the camera. The story is based on a true tale and whenever he pulls into the garage and meets up with the bad guys, you wonder if Old Earl will finally reach his time limit. This is a really good film and a good movie for Clint Eastwood. If he were to never act again, this would be a nice swan song, much like Robert Redford’s “Old Man and a Gun”.

Rating: (***1/2)

I don’t have much memory of Shazam or DC’s Captain Marvel as a kid except a rubber action figure and maybe a cheesy tv show. Thus far, many of the DC hero films have been dark and somewhat joyless. They’ve been improving lately, but this one goes full tilt in the other direction and has made a super-hero film almost geared towards kids. Not to say, that adults won’t enjoy this as well. I did, for the most part. The set-up took forever and honestly, I was pretty bored for about the first 45 minutes. Not a good sign, but once the hero arc kicks in, it begins to perk up and get a lot more fun. Zachary Levi who is essentially playing a 15 year old boy as an adult does a very good job and really has fun with it. There is a little “Big” in this. What I liked about the look of the special effects is that it did remind me of the old Saturday afternoon crap movie/tv shows mainly because the FX were so cheap. 1980’s Flash Gordon came to mind and of course, there was a Queen song in the film, just like that film. The movie had a nice message and pretty sweet at times. It didn’t resort to cheap plot cliches such as the evil foster parents. I liked that. The movie is at its best when they ramp up the comedy esp. when Levi is Shazam. There are some scary moments in this that might scare the younger set, but I think a 10 year old can handle it. Maybe not 8 or younger. It’s fun.

Rating: (**1/2)

Better late than never, right? I finally saw “Vice”, the story of Dick Cheney, the puppet master behind “W”‘s presidency and the supposed architect of the Iraq War and many of the other major problems that the U.S. has had to deal with. Written and directed by Adam McKay, who made a similar film a few years ago called “The Big Short” which dealt with the housing crisis. This movie is handled much the same way minus a lot of the fourth wall cuteness that film had. It’s a very well written movie. No matter what side of the aisle you sit on, you’ll find this movie pretty entertaining. It does a terrific job at telling it’s story by weaving in and out and offering up a insider’s look at a failed presidency moving along at a good pace. Christian Bale is great. Maybe it was all the make up, but he became Cheney. He completely disappeared in the role. Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams also got nominated for their roles, but I didn’t think they were anything that special. Adams has been better before. I don’t know how much of this movie was fact or not. I’m guessing many liberties were taken, but nonetheless, this is still a very entertaining history lesson.

Rating (****)

Mary Queen of Scots explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan). Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne from Queen Elizabeth (Margot Robbie). This movie reminded me a lot of “The Other Boleyn Girl”, a film I liked a lot more than this one. Mainly because that movie didn’t seem as slow. The story is kind of interesting and the scenery and score are beautiful. Ronan is great as, always, but I really had a hard time getting into this. I think it was the pace. Period dramas tend to drag and I knew that going in, but I kept getting drifting while watching this. Pace is a big deal with me and I just wish the film moved along more. It’s not bad, just a bit dull.

Rating (**1/2)

We have had 5 previous Transformer movies and aside from the first movie, which I thought was terrific entertainment, these movies have gotten increasingly tougher to sit through. The second movie “Revenge of the Fallen” can only be described as noise pollution. It was a mess. The other 3 movies were no prize either, but at least they were somewhat coherent. Fortunately, Bumblebee is a back to basics prequel much more inline to the first movie. It’s a very nice balance of action, humor, sweetness & more importantly, fun. Halee Steinfeld finds the yellow car all beat up in a junk yard after it got sent to Earth on a mission from the Autobots. The two of them form a partnership, much like Shia Lebouef did in the original. Steinfeld’s character is a sad sack and the car brings her a new sense of purpose and joy. She later learns that she needs to keep the car safe as a couple of Decepticons are on his tail, as well as the military. The story is pretty straight forward and the action is simplistic and makes sense. After a goofy King Arthur version of Transformer, this was a nice change of pace. The film has heart and a sense of joy, which was missing form the last 4 films. I liked it.

Rating: (***)

The true story of 2 FBI agents on the tail of the infamous Bonnie & Clyde during their crime spree. Veteran actors Woody Harrelson & Kevin Kostner play old grizzled agents at the end of their careers, but are respected and hand picked for the job. They don’t move very well anymore, but they’re smart and as history tells us, ultimately got their criminals. It’s an interesting story as it plays out, but the problem is that this movie is so deliberate and slow. Both actors speak like its their last words, esp. Kostner who has such a gravel in the voice, I found it distracting. The last scene, which is what everybody is waiting for is similar to the Arthur Penn classic and is well done. The Bonnie and Clyde characters are not instrumental to the film as they’re only used in quick flashes. Even when they’re blown away at the end, they almost look like mannequins. This is about the mission of 2 aging FBI agents and unfortunately, the film isn’t nearly as exciting as what they really went through.

Rating (**)

When I saw Jordan Peele’s first film “Get Out”, I compared it to an episode of Twilight Zone (Peele hosts the most recent incarnation) or a really good Black Mirror installment. This one is creepy. I’m not sure if it was all the evil doppelgangers or the whole home invasion part of the film, but much of this is pretty terrifying. It’s also very well done.The set up is a bit confusing as I wasn’t sure where they were going with it, but once the family led by Lupita Nyong’o makes it to Santa Cruz on the insistence of her dim husband, the film takes off. It goes from a home invasion film, which I always find very uncomfortable, to something out of The Purge. The whole premise is weird and you’re never sure what exactly is going on, but the ride is compelling. I had issues with the dad in the movie played by Winston Duke. He’s a guy who needs to shut up and listen to his wife and really began testing my patience. “Us” is a bloody film and some ways disturbing. It all comes together at the end with a little twist, so pay attention to detail. I saw this one by myself in a somewhat empty theater, so that didn’t do me any favors. Check it out. Not as good as “Get Out”, but almost.

Rating (***1/2)