Patti Cake$ (2017)

Director: Geremy Jasper

Cast:

Danielle Macdonald – Patti

Bridget Everett – Barb

Siddharth Dhananjay – Haseesh

Mamoudou Athie – Basterd

Cathy Moriarty – Nana

Verdict:

“Patti Cake$” tells the story of Patricia Dombrowski (Macdonald), a young woman who dreams of becoming a rapper. All the while pursuing her dream she hits obstacles along the way including; mother-daughter issues, weight issues and a confrontation with her idol, rapper O-Z. Out of the gate I must commend Danielle Macdonald for her terrific performance as a heavy set woman from Jersey. Her accent is spot on and her rap skill is ill. The supporting cast is great with Bridget Everett portraying Barb Dombrowski, Patti’s mother, and these two put on quite a show every time they were on screen with each other. The other two supporting cast members that would go on to form the group known as ‘PBnJ’ are Siddharth Dhananjay and Mamoudou Athie. Dhananjay plays Haseesh, Patti’s best friend that is a do rag wearing Indian hip hop artist and his chemistry with Macdonald was one of the bright spots of the film. The third wheel of the trio is Basterd the Anti-Christ played by Mamoudou Athie. This fella is a bit weird as he is mute for the majority of the movie and is into the anarchy of human civilization. What brings these three together is their love for music and this movie shows that music is an art that brings together people of all cultures and ethnicities. This was my favorite part of the whole film, seeing these three misfits coming together and injecting their own style of music into one. I’m not typically a fan of dream sequences, but the way Jasper utilizes them in this film was the correct way that filmmakers need to go by. These sequences depict Patti being center stage at her favorite rapper’s concert as she is being passed down the mantle of rap disciple to star. “Patti Cake$” is a terrifically made film about the struggles one goes through on their pursuit to happiness and the best thing a person can do in that moment is keep grinding.

Grade: A

Good Time (2017)

Directors: Benny Safdie/Josh Safdie

Cast:

Robert Pattinson – Connie Nikas

Benny Safdie – Nick Nikas

Taliah Webster – Crystal

Jennifer Jason Leigh – Corey Ellman

Barkhad Abdi – Security Guard

Verdict:

“Good Time” is directed by Benny and Josh Safdie and focuses on Connie Nikas (Pattinson), a man who’s on the run from the authorities when a robbery goes awry and leads to his brother Nick (Safdie) being arrested and he spends one night doing whatever possible to get him out. Robert Pattinson has shown in the past his willingness to put on a good performance with films such as “Life” and earlier this year “The Lost City of Z.” Once again, Pattinson doesn’t disappointment as he gives an unapologetic performance as a criminal runaway doing whatever it takes to free his brother from incarceration. This film could have went sideways if it wasn’t for his performance as he has to carry this film throughout while maintaining interest to the audience. He does just that as he is put in crucial situations that could go wrong, but finds a way to make it more interesting. There are chained reactions that go off due to Pattinson’s decisions and you don’t know what to expect from him as he subverts the common decision making. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh as Corey, Connie’s older girlfriend who has a big scene in a bail bonds office. Barkhad Abdi appears in one scene as a security guard and he does what he can with what’s given to him. Taliah Webster was a standout inclusion as this 16 year old girl that becomes entangled with Connie and she really stood toe to toe with him. Benny Safdie has a few scenes in the film as the incarcerated brother and for the amount of screen time he had, he did a great job portraying a man with deafness and he held the screen with Pattinson beautifully. There is another character that spends a good chunk of time with Pattinson and after awhile he comes off as annoying and a waste of screen presence but with that being said, it doesn’t detract from the overall flow of the film. The score in this film was phenomenal as it harkens back to those classic neo-noir films and the use of lighting is that of the style that Nicolas Winding-Refn uses in his films, preferably “The Neon Demon.” “Good Time” is an adrenaline fueled crime drama with a great performance from Robert Pattinson that shows just how far someone is willing to go for their family.

Grade: A-

Wind River (2017)

Director: Taylor Sheridan

Cast:

Jeremy Renner – Cory Lambert

Graham Greene – Ben

Elizabeth Olsen – Jane Banner

Gil Birmingham – Martin

Verdict:

“Wind River” is the directorial debut from the acclaimed writer of “Sicario” and “Hell or High Water.” This film takes place in Wyoming on the Wind River Indian Reservation and revolves around Cory Lambert (Sheridan) a tracker who teams up with an FBI agent to track down a killer on an reservation. This film at its center is a thriller set to the backdrop of the Native American landscape. Jeremy Renner was terrific as this skilled tracker that comes across this body on this reservation and we come to find that he has an experience with missing persons and this plays throughout the entire film. Elizabeth Olsen is also excellent in her role as she has to acclimate to a new environment and understand a new culture while trying to find a killer on this reservation. Sheridan’s script is brilliant and presents a scenario that could come off as by the numbers but due to his writing and great direction, the film is a lot deeper. The representation of the Native American culture and the people that live there are done in an honorary way. The score is also great as it was reminiscent of the score of “The Revenant”, another film that deals with the Native American culture. One thing that bothered me was that Renner’s character has interactions with his ex-wife that deals with a past event but it never comes to a close. Aside from my one complaint, “Wind River” is a true to life look at a Native American culture that never sees the right light of day and is told with fluidity and truthfulness.

Grade: A-

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Director: David F. Sandberg

Cast:

Lulu Wilson – Linda

Talitha Bateman – Janice

Anthony LaPaglia – Samuel Mullins

Miranda Otto – Esther Mullins

Stephanie Sigman – Sister Charlotte

Verdict:

“Annabelle: Creation” is the sequel to the 2014 hit “Annabelle” and serves as a prequel to that film. This film explores the origins of the Annabelle doll and how it came to be reckoned with. The film starts us off with a family who specializes in making dolls and in this instance it just so happens to be the Annabelle doll. Unfortunately for this family, they lose their daughter in an accident and it haunts them from then on and the film then jumps 12 years ahead to where an all girls orphanage happens to stay at their house and this leads to disturbing and creepy tension throughout the house. This movie is an extreme improvement over its predecessor thanks in part to David F. Sandberg’s direction as he utilizes atmosphere and wide angle shots to give us a taste of what’s to come. The scare factor however, is utilized well enough to a point but never comes close to that of the James Wan horror films; “The Conjuring” and “Insidious.” The two lead child actors (Wilson and Bateman) are the strongest part of the film as they share a friendship that resembles that of two sisters that would do anything for each other. One of the girls is unfortunately confined to the house due to her polio and this helps give the film opportunities to present genuine scenes of terror. The other girls in the house are just there to make a scare and it became a cliché whenever there would be a shot of the sister nun or the group of girls and then there would be a scream and it would lead to them running towards the source. I would say that the first act of the film is the strongest and when it comes time for the third act, it becomes cheesy. There is a nice little Easter egg for “The Conjuring 2” in the film and by the end it shows us its connection to “Annabelle” and this made for nice closure to the series. “Annabelle: Creation” is a well shot and made horror film that is a step up from its predecessor that could have used more tension and less cheese throughout.

Grade: B

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)

Director: Patrick Hughes

Cast:

Ryan Reynolds – Michael Bryce

Samuel L. Jackson – Darius Kincaid

Elodie Yung – Amelia Roussel

Gary Oldman – Vladislav Dukhovich

Salma Hayek – Sonia Kincaid

Verdict:

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is the newest action-comedy to come to theaters this year and it stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays Darius Kincaid, an elite assassin who needs protection during a court hearing to testify against a ruthless president by the name of Vladislav Dukhovich (Oldman). When the convoy of specialists designed to protect Kincaid fails, Michael Bryce (Reynolds) a once AAA rated bodyguard is called upon to protect him. This film had a lot of good in it, first of all the cast had great chemistry with one another and just about everyone was given there own moment to make a laugh and it worked. The chemistry and comedic gold between the two leads was the best part of the whole film. These two characters have a past with one another and it plays out continuously throughout the film. It reaches its boiling point when a revelation occurs to Reynolds’ character and it makes for a truly grand scene of comedy as well as action. That’s another thing this movie tends to do well which is it balances out the comedy with the action in a cohesive manner. When the movie isn’t spewing out jokes it becomes very serious and this is where the movie becomes a bit of a bore. Also, Oldman is just there to collect a paycheck but he does give the audience a moment of intensity that likens back to his “Air Force One” and “Call of Duty” days. The movie’s action scenes are adequately shot and the film is heavily clichéd but it knows that and it takes advantage of it in a comedic way. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is a delightful action-comedy with two leads that give it their all when it comes to jokes.

Grade: B+

Detroit (2017)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Cast:

John Boyega – Melvin Dismukes

Will Poulter – Officer Krauss

Algee Smith – Larry Cleveland Reed

Jacob Latimore – Fred

Jack Reynor – Officer Demens

Anthony Mackie – Greene

Verdict:

“Detroit” tells the true story of the riots that occurred in Detroit in 1967 and that of the tragic event that occurred at the Algiers Hotel during that time. Kathryn Bigelow reteams with her “Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty” scribe Mark Boal to deliver a powerful retelling of the dark event that occurred that night in 1967. The film begins with the Detroit police raiding an unlicensed night club known as “The Blind Pig” and this would spark the five day riots that would rattle Detroit and shock the United States. From there the movie introduces us to three characters that we will then follow until the end. Melvin Dismukes (Boyega) is a security guard who is tasked with watching a convenient store and becomes entangled with the Algiers Hotel when shots are fired from the building. During this time at the hotel, Larry Cleveland Reed (Smith) has been bummed out because the riots have blown his chances of performing with his musical group The Dramatics, so he decides to blow off some steam and chills at the Algiers. Once the shots are fired, officers respond to the scene led by Krauss (Poulter), an eager cop looking to redeem himself from an action he committed earlier that day. Things don’t go the way he plans them to and we are locked in for 45 minutes of tension and hysteria. The scenes in the hotel are what the movie was led up to and Bigelow pulls it off big time. Her direction throughout is so intense and she really brings out the emotion of the characters. I was on the edge of my seat during the entire line-up interrogation as you are unsure what these cops are going to do and are capable of. The cast as a whole is tremendous with a breakout performance from Will Poulter who steals every scene he is in. The takeaway from this film should be that actions have consequences and just because you are an officer of the law, it doesn’t give you the right to take justice into your own hands. This film is a piece of history and should be praised for its honorary tributation of the horrors that occurred that fateful night.

Grade: A+