Getting Gotti is a poorly produced, half-baked crime-drama that at least does have a good performance from Lorraine Bracco to help get through it, but otherwise this is one bio-pic that should be forgotten.
Human Trafficking, a 2005 mini-series, is finely acted by Mira Sorvino and some of the lesser known cast and is an effective emotional journey into a world rarely spoken about.
Knowing did very much remind me of an M. Night Shyamalan movie (both times viewing now) but unlike some of his later works beyond The Sixth Sense, I think Alex Proyas did convey a level of authentic emotion that really worked.
Insidious: The Last Key is by no means terrible but just another ho-hum and inoffensively bland entry in a franchise that at its height were merely okay, but is highlighted by Lin Shaye being a badass once again.
The Last Movie Star is a wonderfully surprising drama-comedy that touches on many of the same theme’s as last year’s The Hero, going so far each having a veteran actor accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award, but both of them handles the subject very well, with Reynolds turning in a great performance.
Molly’s Game, in spite of the seemingly non-stop dialogue (both in-movie and with narration) and excessive running time, was still rather entertaining especially for those who enjoy the “sport” of poker or can appreciate the performance from Jessica Chastain who does command the screen.
Permanent is a quirky 1980s-era family-comedy that most works thanks to the three leads, but especially the talented youngster Kira McLean. It’s just a light-hearted and well-written film that both teens and parents can appreciate.
Small Town Crime was one of the better films of this early 2018 year that excels thanks to a strong cast led way by John Hawkes with special note toward Robert Forster and Clifton Collins Jr. in smaller roles.
The Executioners isn’t anything special but still a quickly-paced, if not also a poorly edited, horror-thriller with an okay twist and at least features some fine performances, for the most part, from its leads including Jemma Dallender.
Bitter Harvest tells an interesting, and topical, story about the Ukrainian country and its people battling against the Stalin-led Soviet Union. The performances are mostly well done headlined by Max Irons.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a rather big disappointment for me since I did really enjoy The Force Awakens and the things J.J. Abrams setup, writer/director Rian Johnson tore right down, and this coming from a casual fan. But there are some things to like such as the production designs, visual effects and some of the performances.
Full Moon High was the lesser of the teen werewolf movies that spawned out of the 1980s, taking a backseat to Michael J. Fox’s Teen Wolf, which was released four years later. Even so, there were a few humorous moments and Alan Arkin did a fun job in the lead.
The Sacha Guitry Four Films were not exactly my forte nor did I have much interest in the subjects or the filmmaker himself, but it’s hard not to appreciate his talents behind and in front of the camera.
Acts of Violence is a misfire of a movie that probably wanted to tell a serious story about human trafficking but never quite got there thanks to a clunky script and some thinly written characters.
The Seven-Ups might not be one of the more well-known crime-dramas that came out of the 70s and although the filmmaking aspects weren’t exactly top-notch when compared to its counterparts, the chase scene alone was worth the admission.