Widows

Steve McQueen, the director not the actor, has come out with a new movie. The director of “12 Years a Slave” gives us “Widows”, a heist movie that has a lot of twists. A gang of thieves is killed by the police and their wives have to pay off a drug lord trying to break into politics. Led by Viola Davis these women are bad ass. Daniel Kayuula from “Get Out” is one of the villains and he is very scary. It takes a while to set up the plot, but once it gets going hang on! A good thriller.

A Star is Born

I did not have high hopes for the newest version of “A Star is Born”. The original, starring Fredric March and Janet Gaynor, came out 80 years ago and is a classic. The 1954 version, starring Judy Garland, is my favorite and the 1977 version with Barbra Steisand was fair, but at least it gave us the song Evergreen. So could Bradley Cooper as star and director with Lady Gaga make it worthwhile? Well, they did. Both actors give extraordinary performances, with Gaga stealing every scene she’s in. Her opening number, singing “La Vie en Rose” in French is dazzling! And anyone who doubts she has an amazing voice after seeing this film should have their ears checked. She lights up the screen like Streisand or Whitney Houston. One of the surprises is that Bradley Cooper can sing. His concert scenes are great. I was struck by how well the film was directed. Cooper has always been a good actor, but who knew he could direct? And the music is pretty good. The movie is a little long in places, but well worth seeing.

BlacKkKlansman

The latest Spike Lee “joint” is a true tale called “BlacKkKlansman”. It’s the story of the first black to join the Colorado Springs police force. He notices an ad in the paper for the Ku Klux Klan and calls the number. Using his white voice he wins their confidence. He has to enlist a white cop, who happens to be Jewish, to play his alter ego. Together they infiltrate the Klan and thwart a planned attack. This film is a comedy and drama, played almost tongue in cheek. The lead is played by John David Washington, Denzel Washington’s son and he is good. Parts of it are hard to sit through while the Klansmen are spouting their racist rants. Topher Grace plays David Duke, who becomes friendly with the black cop, thinking he is white over the phone and it is very amusing. This is one of Lee’s best movies and he has become a subtle filmmaker. One of the best of 2018 so far.

The Incredibles 2

Remember a few months ago when I wrote that I am usually wary of sequels that are made many years after the original? They usually are a pale reminder of the first film. “The Incredibles 2” is an exception. Coming to us fourteen years after the first film, this one is fresh, witty, original and fun. The characters from “The Incredibles” are back plus a couple of new ones. In this version super heroes are illegal. Elastigirl is called on to show the world that there is a need for their kind. She must leave her family, which now consists of a baby named Jack-Jack, with her husband who is overwhelmed. The baby, who all but steals the show, has all kinds of powers which he doesn’t know how to control. Frozone and Edna Mode return and are hilarious. This is one of those films that is written on two levels; It’s perfect for kids and adults will enjoy the more mature references and jokes. Pixar has done it again!👌👌👌👌👌

Ocean’s Eight

“Ocean’s Eight” is for to a sequel to “Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen”. In this one Danny Ocean’s sister, Debbie, puts together a team of women to carry out a pretty outrageous heist. Instead of Las Vegas, it takes place at an exclusive Metropolitan Museum affair. The writing is clever and the actresses are wonderful. Sandra Bullock is Debbie Ocean and Cate Blanchett is her partner, Lou. The rest of the cast includes Helena Bonham-Carter, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, and Awkwafina. The latter two all but steal the show. Very entertaining. Like the other Ocean movies, it’s smooth and fun.

Deadpool 2

I must admit that the original “Deadpool” was my favorite movie of 2016, so when they announced a sequel I was excited. I was also nervous that the new film would not live up to the original. I always say that the only sequel that was as good as the first movie was “The Godfather, Part II”. Well that film now has a buddy because “Deadpool 2” is as funny, action-packed, filthy, and snarky as the original. It is also quite bloody, but like the original, not in a believable way. Deadpool is still never at a loss for words and takes almost no one seriously. This time the villian comes from the future to kill a mutant adolescent who has the ability to shoot fire from his hands, is from New Zealand and is the self-proclaimed first plus-sized super hero. Lots of plot twists and unbelievable things happen. It would be hard to describe which part of the film was the funniest or best, but I would have to say the scene with the baby legs is a classic. I loved this movie. Be forewarned that there is a lot of violence and swearing, mostly in a sarcastic, snarky way.

A Quiet Place

I originally did not want to see “A Quiet Place” starring Emily Blunt and directed and co-starring John Krasinski. It looked like a dumb horror movie, but the reviews sounded interesting. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! The story is about a post-apocalyptic family surviving aliens who hunt them down through sound. They are only able to live by keeping completely silent. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Let me tell you that this is one of the most suspenseful films I have ever seen. There isn’t much blood and carnage, but the anticipation kept me on the edge of my seat. I expected that I would give this film no more than two stars out of five. Instead, I am giving it four. It’s a really great scary movie.

Black Panther

The first great movie of 2018 has come out. “Black Panther” is the latest Marvel superhero to get his own film and it kicks ass. Like “Wonder Woman” last year this one is different, telling the story of a nation, Wakanda, that is invisible to the outside world. I went into the movie knowing that the Black Panther was going to be a black super hero, but I was bowled over by his warriors and guards. They were all women and trust me, you do not want to mess with them. The inventions and technology are very innovative. And the acting was quite good. Chadwick Boseman, who was phenomenal in “42” and “Get on Up”, is very good in the lead, Michael B. Jordan as the villain almost steals the show. But the real stand outs are the women. Being a super hero movie, there are a lot of special effects and battle scenes. An entertaining, well done movie.

The Post

How ironic is it that two of the best newspaper movies ever made dealt with the Washington Post during the Nixon administration? I have always thought that “All the President’s Men” was one of the best films made about news reporting. Now comes “The Post” which tells the story of what it took to get the Pentagon Papers published. When the government put a halt to the New York Times revealing what was in them, Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee risked a lot to publish them in the Post. Along the way I learned that the Washington Post was not considered a major paper before the Pentagon Papers and that most of the men on her board walked all over Mrs. Graham. Meryl Streep once again inhabits a character, becoming someone different than she has played before. Tom Hanks, as Bradlee, does what he does best; he plays honest, tough and forthright. The supporting cast is excellent and this being a Steven Spielberg movie, it is filmed beautifully with a score, by John Williams, that enhances the whole film. “The Post” is a great film that tells an important story about freedom of speech and why we need journalists to do their job.