Hostiles (2017)

Director: Scott Cooper

Cast:

Christian Bale – Cap. Joseph Blocker

Rosamund Pike – Rosalie Quaid

Wes Studi – Chief Yellow Hawk

Rory Cochrane – Master Sgt. Thomas Metz

Summary:

“Hostiles” is the latest film to come out and it reteams Scott Cooper and Christian Bale for the first time since 2013s “Out of the Furnace.” This film is set in 1892 and follows Cap. Joseph Blocker (Bale) and his group of soldiers who are assigned to escort Chief Yellow Hawk (Studi) and his family safely home. Now these two have a past and Blocker becomes conflicted with doing his duty or sticking to his morals. Christian Bale gives one of his finest performances as Blocker, for he is this hardened soldier who despises the Natives and when he is ordered to escort his enemy home, he battles his inner self as he must make the right decision despite his morals. Wes Studi who plays the Chief balances himself well off of Bale. They exchange most of their dialogue in Native tongue and their relationship begins a certain way and the overall arc of it all comes to a satisfying conclusion. Also excellent in the film was Rosamund Pike who plays Rosalie Quaid, a mother of three who witnesses the murder of her husband and her daughters by Native Americans. This changes her perspective on life and Natives in general and she was definitely Oscar worthy. The rest of the supporting cast was good which included; Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, Ben Foster, Rory Cochrane and Stephen Lang. Scott Cooper directs this film in a dark and grim way where the violence is brutal, but not over the top. Every character in this film is relentless and that made for an uncomfortable feeling. Cooper’s dialogue made for intriguing ways to progress the characters. The ending is powerful as it concludes the overarching basis of Bale’s character. “Hostiles” tells a Western tale of misery and sorrow that draws the line between morals and duty.

Score: 4.6/5

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)

Director: Wes Ball

Cast:

Dylan O’ Brien – Thomas

Kaya Scodelario – Teresa

Thomas Brodie-Sangster – Newt

Rosa Salazar – Brenda

Giancarlo Esposito – Jorge

Ki Hong Lee – Minho

Summary:

“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is once again directed by Wes Ball and takes place after the events of the previous film, “The Scorch Trials.” Thomas and the remaining kids from the last film attempt to break out Minho from W.C.K.D. while they continue to find a cure for the ‘Flare.’ I’m happy to report that Ball and the team finished the series on a positive note. After a mediocre middle chapter, “The Death Cure” focuses on one objective and Ball once again showcases his skills as an action director. He handles shootouts and explosions well as if he took the best notes from Michael Bay. Dylan O’ Brien is terrific again as Thomas. He continues to be a threat as both a dramatic actor and action star. Teresa is a more fleshed out character as you begin to understand why she turned back to her captors. It helped showcase Kaya Scodelario’s acting ability. Walton Goggins plays a resistance group leader who was pointless and looked like Will Turner’s father from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The camaraderie between the cast was one of the bright spots of the film. It precipitated a friendship that was established in the first film and ended on an emotional level. An issue I had with the last film occurs in this one. They use the same sole screenwriter as he yet again wrote another mediocre script. Luckily, there is enough action to get past it. The story involving Thomas and Teresa goes the way you expect it to. The movie doesn’t really pick up until the halfway point which is an issue since the runtime is close to two and a half hours. The ending of the film felt overlong and should have been cut down about five or ten minutes. All in all, “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is a positive sendoff to an enjoyable series that continues to give us Dylan O’ Brien.

Score: 3/5

Den of Thieves (2018)

Director: Christian Gudegast

Cast:

Gerard Butler – Big Nick

Pablo Schreiber – Merrimen

O’Shea Jackson Jr. – Donnie

Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson – Enson

Summary:

“Den of Thieves” is directed by newcomer Christian Gudegast and stars Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. Gerard Butler plays Nick O’ Brien, a tough cop who leads a special teams unit that aims to take down Merrimen’s (Schreiber) gang of thieves as they attempt to rob the Federal Reserve. Schreiber and Butler play an exquisite game of cat and mouse which lends excitement and tension to the film. The rest of the supporting cast is good but are never given enough time to be fleshed out. This film marks yet another tough man action film for Gerard Butler and once again, he succeeds at the role as well as showing off his dramatic side. He has marital issues that affect his family and his acting is thoroughly solid throughout. Gudegast shoots his action scenes flawlessly as it was focused and he provides plenty of wide shots . The issues I have with the film is the runtime nearly reaches two and a half hours and the way it concludes. It tries to exceed your expectations and ultimately fails in its attempt. “Den of Thieves” is a solid heist film that showcases good performances from its two leads despite a dull ending.

Score: 3.1/5

12 Strong (2018)

Director: Nicolai Fuglsig

Cast:

Chris Hemsworth – Captain Mitch Nelson

Michael Shannon – Hal Spencer

Michael Pena – Sam Diller

Trevante Rhodes – Ben Milo

Summary:

“12 Strong” is the true story of the ‘Horse Soldiers’ and stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Pena. After the attacks on the Twin Towers, twelve soldiers led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Hemsworth) volunteered to fight back against the Taliban. But just like our forefathers, these 12 men blazed through the Afghanistan desert on horses gunning down the Taliban. The performances from the cast were good with the strongest support coming from the cast as a whole. Hemsworth and Shannon play well off of each other and Pena and Hemsworth exhibited tension with one another but was resolved in the end with no effort put forth. The action scenes were handled well by Nicolai Fuglsig and the relationship between Nelson and the Northern Alliance General was great as it elaborated our cultural differences and similarities. “12 Strong” is a solid war film that honors the 12 men who were brave enough to fight for our country in a time of darkness.

Score: 3.4/5

I, Tonya (2017)

Director: Craig Gillespie

Cast:

Margot Robbie – Tonya Harding

Allison Janney – LaVona Harding

Sebastian Stan – Jeff Gillooly

Paul Walter Hauser – Shawn

Summary:

“I, Tonya” is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding. The film tells the story of Tonya’s upbringing with her abusive mother LaVona played excellently by Allison Janney as well as her passion for ice skating. Tonya Harding was born in Portland, Oregon and is a well rounded redneck. Trained at a young age, Tonya rose through the ranks to become one of the top ice skaters. Tonya had a rough childhood as her dad left her because LaVona went crazy on him. LaVona would swear at Tonya as well as smack and push her around. Tonya meets a boy named Jeff Gillooly and they fall in love and get married at a young age. Living together, things start to go wrong as Tonya receives abuse from him. Tonya deals with the constant fighting with Jeff and the seclusiveness of her mother LaVona all the while she trains for the Olympics. In the past, Tonya was given low scores and it wasn’t for her performance but because of her appearance. Then the incident occurs, Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly are charged with the assault of Nancy Kerrigan. Craig Gillespie directed this film remarkably well and it had the same style and flow as “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Documentary style shots showcase present versions of the cast as they reflect on the past. Margot Robbie and Allison Janney go toe to toe with each other and Sebastian Stan gives a reclusive performance. “I, Tonya” is a tremendous retelling of an event that vilified Tonya Harding and with this film, you see the other side to her life.

Score: 4.9/5

The Commuter (2018)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast:

Liam Neeson – Michael

Vera Farmiga – Joanna

Patrick Wilson – Murph

Jonathan Banks – Walt

Sam Neill – Captain Hawthorne

Summary:

“The Commuter” is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra who brought us films like “Non-Stop” and “The Shallows.” The star of “Non-Stop”, Liam Neeson returns in the lead role to stop a threat on a train. He brings his A-game once again as he is always excellent in action movie roles. Terrorists couldn’t stop him, anarchists on a plane were no match and this commuter train will be no different for Liam Neeson. The plot of this film is your basic Liam Neeson action movie plot which is there is a threat that only he can stop in a limited amount of time. For the majority of the film he is just pacing up and down the train looking for a bag. This dulled the film way down but luckily Neeson’s charm and Collet-Serra’s competent direction hold the film to watchable. The supporting performances from Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson were nice as they were eating up the roles they were given. Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra have once again created another serviceable action film that gives Neeson another go at ass kicking.

Score: 2.5/5

Proud Mary (2018)

Director: Babak Najafi

Cast:

Taraji P. Henson – Mary

Billy Brown – Tom

Jahi Di’Allo Winston – Danny

Danny Glover – Benny

Summary:

“Proud Mary” is directed by Babak Najafi and stars Taraji P. Henson as Mary, and she plays a hitwoman. Mary works for a crime family and does hits for them and one particular hit will leave Mary scarred for life. A year goes by and Mary gets herself involved with a young kid who gets himself caught in the middle of two families. Mary must decide for herself what her next move is. Taraji P. Henson shines as a female hitman who plays the role with no regrets. The directing is shot well enough and the action scenes are handled aimlessly thanks to past efforts such as “London Has Fallen.” “Proud Mary” boasts some supporting talent from Danny Glover and Neal McDonough. They both get their due as they only serviced themselves for a paycheck. The chemistry between Taraji and the young boy kept the movie afloat. “Proud Mary” is a serviceable action movie that relies heavily on clichés but showcases another star-making performance from Taraji P. Henson.

Score: 2.5/5

The Post (2017)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast:

Meryl Streep – Kay Graham

Tom Hanks – Ben Bradlee

Bob Odenkirk – Ben Bagdikian

Tracy Letts – Fritz Beebe

Summary:

It’s Oscar season which means there is a new Steven Spielberg film in theaters. Directed by Spielberg, “The Post” tells the true story of how the Washington Post released documents containing info on the Vietnam War. Meryl Streep plays Kay Graham, owner of the Post and she delivers a performance only Streep could do. Opposite Streep is Tom Hanks who portrays Ben Bradlee, an employee of Graham’s who works close with her to get the papers. These two play extremely well off of each other. Spielberg has once again directed a well made film but one that is a bore. “The Post” merrily runs through its two hour runtime with no excitement or tension to go along with. Streep and Hanks are given opportunities to show off their talent and it helps elevate the film. The film boasts an excellent supporting cast which includes Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk and Bradley Whitford. “The Post” is another example of Oscar-bait films with a great team behind them.

Score: 3/5

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Director: Adam Robitel

Cast:

Lin Shaye – Elise Rainier

Leigh Whannell – Specs

Angus Sampson – Tucker

Josh Stewart – Gerald Rainier

Summary:

The fourth chapter of the “Insidious” franchise takes us to the beginning. Set in the Five Keys of New Mexico, young Elise Rainier can talk to the paranormal. This upsets her father who punishes her whenever she claims to see a ghost. Now an adult, Elise receives a call that a ghost lives in her childhood home and only she can stop it. Played excellently again by Lin Shaye, Elise travels back to her childhood home to put an end to the evil that has lived there for so long. “Insidious: The Last Key” brings back screenwriter Leigh Whannell and that’s just about it. This film is not scary and it relies heavily on jump scares. Adam Robitel helms this film and he utilizes a few clever horror tricks but is never able to deliver a full scare. The supporting cast around Shaye is fine with the returning duo of Specs and Tucker making some laughs. The ghost in the film was a weak villain that made no effective scares. This film drops Easter eggs to other films in the franchise and it felt unnecessary as they had already done that in the previous film. “Insidious: The Last Key” is a wasteful attempt at continuing the “Insidious” franchise and serves as a generic horror movie.

Score: 2.6/5

Molly’s Game (2017)

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast:

Jessica Chastain – Molly Bloom

Idris Elba – Charlie Jaffey

Kevin Costner – Larry Bloom

Michael Cera – Player X

Summary:

Aaron Sorkin has come a long way as an established screenwriter for films such as “A Few Good Men”, “The Social Network” and “Moneyball.” Now “Molly’s Game” is added to his list as well as it being his directorial debut. It’s a very good debut and once again Sorkin’s script is on point. It’s witty and explains everything in a scene in full detail. “Molly’s Game” tells the story of Molly Bloom, a former skier who became a federal criminal for running illegal poker games. Portrayed by Jessica Chastain, Molly Bloom is a tough woman who involves herself with movie stars, athletes and musicians when she begins to run underground poker games. Chastain plays Molly gracefully as she captures the essence of who Molly is. Idris Elba is also excellent in the film as Molly’s lawyer who builds a personal relationship with her. The movie has a hefty runtime of 2 hr. 20 min., but never drags and keeps you locked in. “Molly’s Game” is a detailed account of the federal case against Molly Bloom and how she dealt with it.

Score: 4.7/5