Book Club

“Book Club” is a comedy for the more mature set starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen as lifelong friends who start reading the Fifty Shades of Gray series The books turn the three staid ones, Keaton, Bergen and Steenburgen, into mild sex fiends and Fonda, the aggressive one, ends up having a normal romance for once. All of the actresses are wonderful and each has at least one hilarious moment. My only criticism is that the ending was kind of predictable. Still, it was enjoyable watching these pros in action. By the way, Jane Fonda’s plastic surgeon should be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. At 80 she looks great and it ain’t natural.

Bad Samaritant

I knew very little about “Bad Samaritan” when I went to see it. The synopsis seemed weird and interesting. A millennial is subsisting by running a valet service with his friend for a posh restaurant. Instead of parking some of the cars, they go to the owner’s house and steal things. Nothing big, but a few little trinkets. At one of these homes the hero discovers a woman being held hostage. Going to the police means exposing himself, but he does it anyway. The police don’t believe him and the owner of the house proceeds to ruin his life. This movie was made on a small budget with no big name actors. The biggest star is someone who played Dr. Who. My eyes were glued to the screen and I did not know what was going to happen next. It is a very good suspense thriller. Clever and well executed.

Isle of Dogs

The latest film from Wes Anderson is a stop motion animated story set in the future in Japan. All dogs have been banished from the city and forced to live on Trash Island. A young boy goes to the island to try to find his pet and is helped by a pack of dogs. Anderson’s films are quirky, with a very dry sense of humor that is off the wall. This movie is no exception. There are no laugh out loud moments, but the characters are different and funny. Anderson’s films are not for everyone because they are different. If you are a fan, you will enjoy it.

7 Days in Entebbe

“7 Days in Entebbe” tells the story of the hijacking of an Air France jet by members of the Palestinian Liberation Army in 1976. The government of Uganda, led by Idi Amin allowed them to land the plane there and keep the hostages at the old airport terminal. The movie tells the story from two points of views: The hijackers and hostages and the Israeli government. Even though we know the outcome, the film is tense and suspenseful. Well done, realistic and good acting. Worth seeing.

The Hurricane Heist

Here is a movie, like “Snakes on a Plane”, that describes its plot in the title. Basically, at a U.S. government treasury facility in Gulfport, Mississippi that shreds old money, some guys decide to take $600 million of the old money during a hurricane. (Old money, new money. I wouldn’t be picky.) Simple enough. I wasn’t sure what to expect, thinking that it could be a cheaply made piece of junk, but it turned out to be pretty good. I was entertained. The depiction of the storm was realistic and there were more than a few plot twists. There are no stars in this film, but the actors did a good job. Action, suspense, good production values and a plot that keeps you guessing. Not a bad diversion.

Early Man

“Early Man” is the latest entry from the makers of the Wallace and Gromit team. They’re sort of claymation for the New Age. This time it’s about a bunch of cavemen vs. people from the Bronze Age. The cavemen are English, primitive and happy while the Bronze Age citizens are advanced and preoccupied with material things. And the whole premise is about soccer. The humor is very British and cute. The animation, which is stop motion, is unique and I find it interesting. Not a great film, but enjoyable and fine for children.

Forever My Girl

January and February are known as the time when movie studios dump their lesser projects on the public. There are usually some enjoyable action films like “The Commuter” and “12 Strong”, a bunch of horror , comedies (usually not good ones), and romantic movies. “Forever My Girl” falls into the latter category. There are no stars in it and it is the director’s first full length film. Even so, it wasn’t bad. The story concerns a couple about to get married and the groom gets cold feet. He becomes a major country western star. She stays behind and has his child, that he doesn’t know about. When he comes back to town eight years later, well you can guess what happens. Predictable, but enjoyable. The two leads are attractive and do a good job. This film will not win any awards nor change the course of cinema, but it’s a likable date movie.

12 Strong

One of the first movies to come out in 2018 is “12 Strong” the story of the first group of soldiers to go to Afghanistan after 9/11. These dozen men teamed up with a warlord’s troops on horseback. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Pena. Hemsworth proves that he can play more than Thor. This is an excellent war movie with a lot of action; planes dropping bombs and lots of gun battles. This group of a dozen soldiers, along with the Afghans, were the first to route out the Taliban and make way for other troops. The whole mission seems implausible and if I didn’t know it was true, I wouldn’t believe it. This is a good action film. Lots of blood and guts so be forewarned.

Hostiles

“Hostiles” was one of the best reviewed films of 2017. There has been no awards coverage for the film though. It’s a western that deals with a calvary officer whose final assignment is to transport a family of Native Americans from New Mexico to Montana, their burial grounds. The officer hates them. Joining the troop is a woman whose entire family is murdered by a band of renegade Cheyenne. Stoically acted by Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike, the film starts off slow, but as the story progresses, becomes very compelling. Like any good western there is a lot of shooting and violence, but not the gratuitous kind. This is not a mainstream film, but if you like well constructed stories with good acting, it is worth seeing.

I, Tonya

I wasn’t sure what to expect from “I, Tonya”, the story of Tonya Harding’s rise to fame and then her fall. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. First, the story was told in documentary style with the characters being interviewed. Second, it was told with a lot of humor because the people involved were so horrible to each other that if it was done any other way the story would be totally depressing. I knew that Harding came from a lower class background, but I did not know how abusive most of her relationships were. Her mother is a monster, but she recognized Tonya’s talent. Her way of encouraging her was to put her down in terrible ways, even physically abusing her. From her mother’s house she went to her husband’s, Jeff Gillooly, another abusive loser whose best friend gives new definition to stupid. According to the movie Tonya was a victim of all this stupidity and being surrounded by idiots. Margot Robbie does an incredible job as Harding and Allison Janney is brilliant as her mother. Very entertaining and well done.