Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond; Wholly fascinating and frustrating to watch. Revealing and captivating but a little one sided in its revisionist history. Would like to have heard from more of the players today; A-
Wonderstruck; Maintains the book’s mystery, imagery and flow while touching on all the same themes regarding deaf culture, museums, family and friendship. Captures the sensations using film and sound in clever ways; A-
Coco; Pixar makes movies, not for a particular audience, not for a demographic segment. Their animated films aren’t solely for children. They are made to tell the best story in a visually sophisticated way to reach our most human traits. Coco is an emotional, musical triumph; A
Justice League; Sum of the parts not nearly as interesting as each individual character could be. Casting is great but assembly awkward and underwhelming. Not very memorable at all; B-
Thor: Ragnarok; Innate fun that seems removed from the Marvel Universe, a capsule of sci-fi fromage from the past packaged for our present sensibilities. Nice to see Indigenous actors in speaking roles; B+
The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Another well crafted send up of that plays in the genre sandbox while lovingly remaining true to story elements; A-
Loving; Landmark case gets film treatment yet doesn't dive deep enough. Score annoyingly used to underpin drama already on actors' faces; B
Baby Driver; Original high octane heist based love story uses its cast to great effect. Action is kinetic, romance sweet & unpredictable; B+
Power Rangers; As incoherent & ridiculous as any of the previous incarnations. Ripe for MST3K style riffing. Money spent shows but blows; D+
Spider-Man: Homecoming; Most teenage Spidey yet is also tons of fun. Layered w/superb Keaton villain, film thrills a smile on your face; A
Despicable Me 3; Quick cash grab that stays true to the franchise but fails to surprise. Laughs and gaffs aplenty but little improvement; B-
The Mummy; Cruise & Crowe are no strangers to silly campy guilty pleasures. This one entertains most when Mummy not around. Not all bad; C+
Jason Bourne; Save for the one excellent car chase scene, a rehash of jerky close ups and clichés makes this unnecessary sequel D.O.A.; C-
Wonder Woman; Excellent action sequences & well crafted story based on fact & myth. Casting of Gadot is revelatory for the character; B+
Bad Moms; Why do these smart, funny actors have to wallow in male penned over the top stupidity? Devolves exponentially undeservedly; D-
Gifted; Exceptional acting elevates what could be a syrupy flick. Instead, characters are honest, real and fully formed. Enjoyable film; A-
The Circle; Stellar acting but too many ideas. Director can't find right tone or decide what the movie is. Compelling but unfulfilling; B-
Collateral Beauty; Telegraphingly predictable plot doesn't stop the amazing cast from tugging the heartstrings. Beautifully whimsical; B+
