Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Director: Anthony & Joe Russo

Cast:

Josh Brolin – Thanos

Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man

Chris Evans – Captain America

Chris Hemsworth – Thor

Mark Ruffalo – Hulk

Elizabeth Olsen – Scarlet Witch

Paul Bettany – Vision

Benedict Cumberbatch – Doctor Strange

Tom Holland – Spider-Man

Summary:

10 years ago, “Iron Man” came out in theaters and it dawned in the age of the post credit scene. Now, after a culmination of 18 films that interconnect with each other, we finally have “Avengers: Infinity War.” This film takes place right after the events of “Thor: Ragnarok.” We find Earth’s mightiest heroes having to face their biggest threat to date, Thanos. An alien from another planet, his goal is to set balance to the universe by wiping half the human race and the only way to do so is through the six infinity stones. The Avengers must come together despite their past differences as they fate of the world once again lies in their hands. In order to prevent spoilers, I’ve decided to keep this review vague. The Russo brothers have once again returned to the director’s seat and this film by far is their most well crafted to date. Every action scene and set piece is delivered with master precision and the Russo’s capture it brilliantly. The script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote the last two Cap films have so many different characters to balance out and they do an adequate enough job at showcasing every single avenger in the film. This film is filled to the brim with MCU characters recent and old. They all get their due for the most part as this two and half hour epic hits you with action, heart, comedy and loss. The performances from this incredible ensemble cast is great. The comedy bits throughout the film are extremely effective, despite some of them taking away the emotional impact of the film. The CGI in this film is good for the majority with it lacking primarily in the Wakanda scenes and it succeeding due to a magnificent look of Thanos. The visual effects in this film have never been better in a marvel movie since “The Guardians of the Galaxy.” Every visual effects shot can be framed on a poster as it is presented seamlessly in the film. “Avengers: Infinity War” is a 10 year process that brings together multiple characters from a universe under one banner and it succeeds at telling a captivating story from start to finish.

Score: 4.8/5

Super Troopers 2 (2018)

Director: Jay Chandrasekhar

Cast:

Jay Chandrasekhar – Ramathorn

Kevin Heffernan – Farva

Steve Lemme – Mac

Paul Soter – Foster

Erik Stolhanske – Rabbit

Brian Cox – Captain O’ Hagan

Rob Lowe – Guy Le Franc

Summary:

From the Broken Lizard comedy group comes the long awaited sequel to the cult hit “Super Troopers” and that would be “Super Troopers 2.” The original film came out in 2001, and while it wasn’t a critical or financial success. The film garnered a cult following and thanks to a kick starter, we were given “Super Troopers 2.” The fabulous five from the original return and they bring the same wit and charm they exuded in the previous film. The film is set in Canada, and this change in scenery helped establish new jokes and gags to display. The story and plot points are beat for beat replicas from the original film and that would be the biggest take away from the film. After 10+ years, it was great to see the return of Jay, Kevin, Steve, Paul and Erik as they head north to Canada to dispute land that has now been claimed as U.S. territory. While the film utilizes the Canadians as opponents for the troopers, the film sprinkles funny gags and jokes throughout that will leave your brain implanted. The main five in the film are great as a whole, but only a few shine solo. Kevin Heffernan stole every scene he was in and Jay Chandrasekhar will leave you with a feminine touch. Brian Cox returns as the magnificent Captain O’ Hagan, and while his presence was great, the film mistreats him drastically. Cameos are displaced in the film as well as a small role by Rob Lowe, who plays a former hockey star turned mayor. So, despite a retread in story and plot, “Super Troopers 2” is another funny comedy that brings back everybody’s favorite highway patrolmen as they put on another good show.

Score: 3.1/5

Beirut (2018)

Director: Brad Anderson

Cast:

Jon Hamm – Mason Skiles

Mark Pellegrino – Cal

Rosamund Pike – Sandy Crowder

Dean Norris – Donald Gaines

Shea Whigham – Gary Ruzak

Summary:

“Beirut” tells the story of former U.S. diplomat Mason Skiles, and how he was asked to go back to the place where he lost everything in order to retrieve a former friend he left behind. Set in Beirut but filmed in Morocco, “Beirut” is a gripping political action thriller set against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War of 1982. The film opens in 1972, and we see a young Skiles. He’s in his prime as a diplomat, but something urgent has come up. He has been informed by his associate Cal (Pellegrino) that an informant to a major terrorist is residing in Skiles’ house. This blows into a terrorist attack that is well shot and the director Brad Anderson, fully captured the realism of shock and awe. Cut to 10 years later and Skiles is now settling civil disputes in the States and he just doesn’t care about life anymore. This in turn leads into the introduction of Rosamund Pike’s character. Sandy Crowder is her name and hostage negotiations are her game. She recruits Skiles to go back to Beirut to negotiate the life of his former friend, Cal. He agrees and in turn meets the heads of the CIA operating team and they include Donald Gaines (Norris) and Gary Ruzak (Whigham). Jon Hamm gives one of his finest performances to date. He brings a great sense of bravado to his character while showing levity in more heartfelt scenes. The performances from the supporting cast are top notch as well as Norris and Whigham provide that ferocity and tenacity that they see fit all the while Pike puts on a soothing performance that provides levity. The film is not shot on location and is instead filmed in Morroco. A country that shares in the cultural aspect of the Middle East and one of the aspects of the film I enjoyed the most was the site seeing of Lebanon. During the 1970s, Beirut felt alive and loose when it came to dress code. In a 10 year span, Skiles’ return to Beirut is a blurry one. The country has changed vastly due to the continuous heated rivalry of the Muslims, Palestinians, Israelis, and people of those cultures. The film gets into that aspect of the story slightly while sticking trite and true to the script. The script written by Tony Gilroy is one that is heavy, that pulls no punches when it comes to foreign affairs and how we handle and view them. When the film reaches its final act, everything has been set in motion as nothing could go wrong. The movie takes a slight turn as certain events take place that shift the story in a whole different direction that the movie doesn’t make light of. Otherwise, “Beirut” is a terrific political thriller that showcases a great performance from Jon Hamm while providing a thorough story set in ‘The Paris of the Middle East.’

Score: 3.6/5

Rampage (2018)

Director: Brad Peyton

Cast:

Dwayne Johnson – Davis Okoye

Naomie Harris – Kate Caldwell

Malin Akerman – Claire Wyden

Jeffrey Dean Morgan – Harvey Russell

Jake Lacy – Brett Wyden

Summary:

“Rampage” stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson alongside Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and a CGI ape named George. Directed by Brad Peyton, “Rampage” takes the concept of that very same game and stretches it into a feature length film. As stated above, Johnson stars in the film and he plays a primatologist who witnesses his friend George increase in size and strength and he wants to know why. The film as a whole works, thanks in part to the brilliant chemistry between Johnson and George. The only relationship I found myself connecting with was between Johnson and George. Naomie Harris plays a former ‘Energyne’ employee and the script gave her nothing to do but scream or stare at Johnson. Jeffrey Dean Morgan makes an appearance as a government agent and he is straight up recycling his Negan routine. I wasn’t taken aback by it, for it provided a silliness I enjoyed throughout. The technical aspect of the film provided great visual effects that crafted our creatures. The movie does lose itself in the middle act as the story sets itself in motion and is one that is dumb. The villains in the film played by Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy were cartoonish and just awful. While Akerman knows what film she is in, her co-star is putting on a National Lampoon’s performance and it doesn’t work one bit. Brad Peyton does a very good job at capturing the spectacle and size of the creatures, especially in well executed sequences layered throughout the film. If you have mentally made it through the first two acts, then ‘get ready’, as the ‘rampage’ goes all out in full force. It eventually leads into a monster on monster fight and that just added to the excitement. “Rampage” is a dumb popcorn film that teams up The Rock with a CGI gorilla and it’s a smash.

Score: 3.1/5

Isle of Dogs (2018)

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast:

Bryan Cranston – Chief

Jeff Goldblum – Duke

Edward Norton – Rex

Bill Murray – Boss

Bob Balaban – King

Koyu Rankin – Atari

Summary:

“Isle of Dogs” is the latest film to come from the mind of Wes Anderson. Set in Japan, the film follows a pack of dogs (voiced by an all-star cast), as they help a young boy search for his lost dog. The film is in stop-motion form and it is beautifully crafted. As I’ve said, the voice cast is stellar with Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, and Bob Balaban lending their voices. The story within “Isle of Dogs” is a wacky one that Wes Anderson gleefully directs with precision that keeps this rollercoaster on course. He manages to contain the story and keep it from imploding into cartoonish territory. Behind the wackiness that is “Isle of Dogs”, the film has a lot of heart and empathy. With that being said, the movie takes some measures to extreme heights. For instance, the villain devises a plan to eliminate the dogs via robot dogs. Another star of the film is Alexandre Desplat. His score sets the tone of the film and as a character in its own right, it’s one of the best of the year. The journey that unfolds between the dogs and the young boy named Atari was set up well, but the splitting of characters halfway took away the chemistry formed between the pack. This allowed for a further exploration of Atari and Chief’s bond. Wes Anderson respectfully caters to both Japanese and American audiences by culminating both of their languages on screen. “Isle of Dogs” is a terrific stop-motion animated film that brings together the Japanese American cultures while telling a devoted story about man’s search for his best friend.

Score: 4/5

A Quiet Place (2018)

Director: John Krasinski

Cast:

John Krasinski – Lee

Emily Blunt – Evelyn

Millicent Simmonds – Regan

Noah Jupe – Marcus

Summary:

“A Quiet Place” stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as a married couple living in a world where any form of noise results in death. The film is directed by Krasinski and for his first feature behind the camera, he did a great job. He chose many unique angles to shoot from and he captured the fear and suspense inhabited by the creatures cascading around brilliantly. The performances from Krasinski and Blunt were magnificent as they are married in real time, so there romantic counter play was delightful. In moments of fear or sadness, you truly see their inner acting ability put on display, especially in the opening sequence. I must give the most praise to rising star Millicent Simmonds. She plays the daughter of Krasinski and Blunt’s characters and her real life deafness is used in a crafty way. Her character goes through a traumatic experience that weighs on her throughout the film. She impacts Krasinski’s character in a heavy way as her character begins to find herself. The creatures in the film had a nice design to them and the sound design was terrific as the loud shrieks from the creatures caused an uproar. This film’s third act has one of the best suspense sequences and that is in part from Krasinski’s directing and Blunt’s stellar acting. The ending of the film works for me, but the casual moviegoer will most definitely be disappointed. “A Quiet Place” is a breakthrough debut for director John Krasinski that boasts great performances from Emily Blunt and Millicent Simmonds.

Score: 4.5/5

Chappaquiddick (2018)

Director: John Curran

Cast:

Jason Clarke – Ted Kennedy

Kate Mara – Mary Jo Kopechne

Ed Helms – Joey Gargan

Bruce Dern – Joe Kennedy Sr.

Jim Gaffigan – Paul Markham

Summary:

“Chappaquiddick” is the true story of the event that occurred in 1969 at Chappaquiddick Island involving Ted Kennedy that resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign strategist for Robert Kennedy. Directed by John Curran, “Chappaquiddick” examines the aftermath of that fateful incident and how it affected Kennedy after. Jason Clarke portrays Ted Kennedy and his performance was excellent. His physique and accent are spot on while his dramatic moments further elevate the film. Standing toe to toe with Clarke is Ed Helms as Kennedy’s cousin and close advisor, Joey Gargan. Helms commits to his performance just as Gargan commits to helping Kennedy cover up the accident. Kate Mara’s Mary Jo Kopechne is the subject of the film and her tiny amount of screen time was noteworthy as it impacted Kennedy heavily. Bruce Dern makes a brief appearance as Joe Kennedy Sr. and his appearance opposite Jason Clarke granted an opportunity for Clarke to deliver an excellent monologue. The scandal side of the film was intriguing because of the lack of logical thinking. Kennedy and his team continuously make bonehead mistakes and the farther down the rabbit hole he goes, the more absurd the theatrics become. It’s unfortunate that he got off without any real punishment. That’s the sad truth about American politics. We are dependent upon the wealthy and famous no matter the cost. “Chappaquiddick” is a captivating retelling of a dark moment that would change the life of Ted Kennedy forever and showcases Jason Clarke’s finest performance to date.

Score: 3.8/5

Blockers (2018)

Director: Kay Cannon

Cast:

Leslie Mann – Lisa

John Cena – Mitchell

Ike Barinholtz – Hunter

Gideon Adlon – Sam

Geraldine Viswanathan – Kayla

Kathryn Newton – Julie

Summary:

“Blockers” is the newest comedy in theaters and boasts a star-studded cast that includes Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena and Hannibal Buress. Directed by Kay Cannon, “Blockers” is set during prom night and we all know what goes down on prom night. I’m talking about sex people. For our adult stars, they have other plans on how their daughters prom night should go. “Blockers” is a funny comedy that presents itself to both parents and teenagers alike. Teenagers will relate to the overbearing parenthood presented by Leslie Mann and John Cena. Same thing goes for those ladykillers in High School becoming fathers. They will liken themselves to the laid back and hip Ike Barinholtz. These three actors bring bravado to their roles and they each get their moment to shine and each of them knocks it out of the park. The comedy provided by screenwriters Brian and Jim Kehoe hit for the majority, but it’s the delivery from each of our parents that sells the jokes. Leslie Mann’s blunt comedy works again with the added zaniness of Ike Barinholtz and John Cena’s physical comedy cannot be overshadowed. The young girls who portray the daughters stand out with their own unique take. Their camaraderie and chemistry rivaled that of the chemistry between Cena, Mann and Barinholtz. The more heartfelt scenes occur between the parents and their respectable daughters. Issues that occur in the film are some of the jokes don’t always hit and the lack of development amongst our stars. “Blockers” otherwise is a funny studio comedy that caters to both teenagers and parents of all ages.

Score: 3.6/5

Ready Player One (2018)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast:

Tye Sheridan – Parzival

Olivia Cooke – Art3mis

Ben Mendelsohn – Sorrento

Lena Waithe – Aech

T.J. Miller – I-R0k

Mark Rylance – Halliday

Summary:

“Ready Player One” is directed by Steven Spielberg and is based on the popular book of the same name. Set in the near future, the world has become isolated from reality thanks in huge part to the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday. The OASIS is a VR world comprised of everything pop culture that connects everyone globally. The film stars Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts, our hero who is a skilled player in the OASIS that is well versed in pop culture that includes “Back to the Future”, “Tron”, and “The Iron Giant.” With Spielberg involved, you get the pop culture and the spectacle. Ernest Cline and Zak Penn penned the script and they threw a ton of pop culture references in the film and Spielberg does a great job at capturing them all. As for the spectacle side, he knocks it out of the park with brilliant visuals and tremendous sound design. There is a gigantic race that pushes you to the edge of your seat and a fantastic battle in the third act. In the real world, America is a dystopian society that is being overseen by I.O.I. (Innovative Online Industries), led by Nolan Sorrento. Ben Mendelsohn’s portrayal of Sorrento was very good but had the potential for greatness. Opposite Tye Sheridan is Olivia Cooke. She plays Art3mis, another skilled player in the OASIS who becomes a fixation for Watts’ ‘Parzival.’ Their relationship was strong and believable. The supporting cast that rounds out the film include Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, T.J. Miller, and Lena Waithe. The camaraderie between Sheridan and Waithe was well played and the crew assembled by Parzival in the OASIS had great chemistry. “Ready Player One” is a return to form for Spielberg as he captures the spectacle of a VR world.

Score: 4.3/5