Passengers (2017)

Spear a Norwegian save a whale. This seems to be the critical reaction to Mortyl Tylden's movie. He did the fantastic Imitation Game and if you liked that movie this one is right there. Casting is suspect, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence have zero chemistry. If this choice had been better this movie would have been a blockbuster. Its great sci fi and despite all the warts generates real anxiety. It asks lots of heavy questions and gives dopey answers, but is the world not just like that.  Rotten Tomatoes was at 31% well I give global warming to that.

Three Solid Stars

Live by night (2017)

A calm sea of normality with a furious propeller of progressive thought churning beneath the surface. Black and white and morality and everything is addressed
its a sleeper that could make you unconscious if you were thinkingaboot it.

Its not a great gangster movie like Goodfellas, its pedestrian in its delivery but 
world class in its themes.

Zoe Sleanda deserves and Oscar for portraying a white wife.

Its a movie that hits you later hard.

Five Stars despite the flaws of execution

War on Everyone (2016)

Eric from True Blood and Micheal Pena are wacky wild and crazy cops. This movie is on the suspended disbelief bubble for the first third and then snaps into a surrealistic wonderland. A lot of fun and often clever. I especially enjoyed Caleb Landry Jones in his homage to Dirty Harry. Rotten tomatoes was at 61%.

Three point 7 stars

Dont watch the trailer to many spoliers

The Girl With All the Gifts

Certainly the Girl with all the Gifts is the most important Zombie movie since 28 Days later. It is in many respects a continuation of that universe. Both of the 29 weeks movies are better, but the Girl does add new layers to the Zombie Universe. Rotten Tomatoes was more genrous than me, no matter for Zombies fans this is brains.

Three point 9 hungry stars

Hell or High Water

A very earthy movie with terrific performances.  The movie starts out as a typical yarn about white trash bank robbers. It then veers heavily into Trump territory which makes this a superior flick. There is a push back against vigilantes scene I really enjoyed. Rotten Tomatoes loved it with a 90%, I have to go with 75. A very good movie but aside from the acting no A's.

3.9 stars

Amerigeddon (2016)

Amerigeddon is a seething parinod fantasy about the New World Order detonating an EMP designed to send America back to the stone age. Fortunatly we have 8 patriots who resist. The plot is great, the budget shoestring and the acting just passable. This movie needed a Red Dawn injection of vision. Still its better than Dragon Day. In fact the director, and some of its cast could have a future in pictures.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this project is the makers likely think its a documentary.

Two point six stars for true patriot love

Flight Crew (2016)

This is a totally Russian movie. It stars Danila Kozlovsky  and Agne Grudyte.  Both IMHO match any current Hollywood screen power. The subtitles are revealing because the translations are literal. For example when the female lead tells the male lead he is too imature for her she says " I like Alexy's older brother, not you". Flight Crew was filmed in IMAX and the production values are world class. Its a good story and the last half hour really generates tension and tears. Well done cultural experience.

Four Stars for our Russian Friends