“Can you Ever Forgive Me?” features Melissa McCarthy in a dramatic role and she knocks the ball out of the park. She plays a curmudgeon writer who is not very successful. The only one she is nice to is her sick cat. She comes up with the idea of typing letters from famous people and selling them and she’s good at it. Based on a true story, the film is interesting. McCarthy is quite good and almost unrecognizable. She builds a friendship with a gay drifter, played by Richard E. Grant.
Hunter Killer
I had no idea what this “Hunter Killer” was about, but I saw that Gerard Butler was in it and it was an action film. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be a suspenseful submarine film pitting the U.S. Navy against a Russian general who stages a coup. There are some interesting plot twists and lots of suspense. In other times this would be labeled a ‘B” picture, but it is well done and keeps you guessing. If you like action films with a plot, go see this one.
Bad Times at the El Royale
“Bad Times at the El Royale” can be categorized as Tarintino-lite. Drew Goddard wrote and directed this strange, episodic film about a once posh resort and the people who are staying there. Each has their own weird story. Like a Quentin Tarintino movie, these characters intertwine and there is plenty of violence. The cast is pretty stellar, led by Jeff Bridges as an old bank robber masquerading as a priest. One of the standouts is newcomer Lewis Pullman as the bellman.The plot twists are interesting and keep you guessing. If you like mysteries with lots of twists and turns see this film.
Night School
Since I saw “Girls’ Trip” last year I have been a fan of Tiffany Haddish. She is truly an original. So I was looking forward to seeing her with Kevin Hart in “Night School”. Unfortunately the film is pretty standard, with a few funny scenes. Most of those scenes are with Haddish, but her character wasn’t nearly outrageous enough. It’s about Hart’s character going back to night school and Haddish is the teacher who doesn’t put up with anything. There is a subplot about the principal and Hart having a rivalry since high school. This is one of those movies that you can wait for cable or a streaming service to watch. Disappointing.
The Old Man & the Gun
Robert Redford has said that “The Old Man & the Gun” will be the last movie he acts in and it is a fitting finale to his career. Based on a real person, Redford plays a polite, well mannered, charming bank robber who performs his job because he loves doing it. His victims have nothing but nice things to say about him. While escaping from a robbery he meets a widow, played by Sissy Spacek, and they strike up a relationship. Casey Afleck plays the detective who tries to catch him, especially since Redford’s character performs a robbery while he’s in a bank. Along the way we learn how he has escaped from prison numerous times. As usual, Redford does a nice job and his easy rapport with Spacek is nice. This is not the type of performance that wins awards, but it’s vintage Robert Redford. The movie meanders along with not very much action other than a few car chases, but it’s an enjoyable character study.
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.
First Man
I know that I am in the minority, but I did not like “First Man”, the story of Neil Armstrong and how he got to be the first man to set foot on the moon. Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling have teamed up again after doing “La La Land”, and while the film is technologically proficient, it did not hold my interest until the end. All of the astronauts are portrayed as good men who are focused on one thing-getting to the moon. The problem is that Gosling as Armstrong is so stoic, he was boring. I don’t think he smiled once. The film reminds the viewer how dangerous space flight was in the 1960’s when everything was an experiment. When, after almost two hours, the story gets to the Apollo 11 mission, it picks up pace. Chazelle chooses to tell the story with close ups and hand held cameras, another thing that is not my favorite. The film is receiving rave reviews and will probably be a big part of awards season. Not my favorite.
Venom
“Venom” is the latest from the Marvel library. The character was introduced on film in the Tobey Maguire “Spiderman 3”. This time we get the back story of how the parasite from another world came to share a human’s body. Setting up the story takes a while, but it is entertaining. Tom Hardy plays the hero and his character really comes to life when the alien enters his body. Lots of action and a great motorcycle/car chase scene takes place. This is one of the lesser Marvel films; good, but not great. Michelle Williams is the love interest and Riz Ahmed is very good as the villain. If you are a true fan of this type of movie, then see it, but it’s on par with the Avengers of Dead Pool movies.
Colette
“Colette” is a period piece starring Keira Knightley as the title character from the turn of the 20th century, the writer/actress. It starts as another story of a husband taking credit for his wife’s writings. This time she is somewhat rebellious and being a part of an open marriage, she likes women. Beautifully filmed and Knightley is gorgeous, even as a sweet country girl who eventually takes Paris by storm. Dominic West, who plays her husband, is equally as good. The film is slow in places, but overall well done. An interesting piece of history, not a lot of action, but an interesting story with some modern twists. Colette was definitely ahead of her time.
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.
Mark's Movie Reviews 