The Suicide Squad might not hit the levels of something like Guardians of the Galaxy (still an MCU favorite of mine), but it does take the material in the right direction when compared with Ayer’s 2016 original with a better story and characterization.
Hobbs & Shaw is a weak entry within the franchise for sure and although I do like both Johnson and Statham and their respective characters, but having them bickering at one another reminded me that perhaps less is more.
The Big C was a well done drama-comedy series featuring great performances from Laura Linney, John Benjamin Hickey and a respectable set of guest stars throughout the course of its four seasons.
Avengers: Infinity War was an amazing feat for comic book movies and although I don’t believe it’s the greatest one, it’s still a great accomplishment from all involved.
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.
Thor: Ragnarok was a refreshingly great, even semi-retooling, of the franchise with more aims at comedy than the outlandish plot which bogged down the previous entries, the second especially. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would gladly re-watch in the future.
The Mountain Between Us isn’t quite a huge misfire but it’s a tale of two movies, one about survival and another about romance and it’s doesn’t quite mesh. However, as a fan of both Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, the film at least was watchable if not forgettable.
Middling ensemble drama, 100 Streets could’ve been better either being a set of vignettes or focusing on one story. Still, it is a worthwhile watch if only for Idris Elba who turns in yet another strong performance.
The Jungle Book is a success in Disney’s obsession with adapting beloved animated movies into live action features and while the likes of Maleficent and to some extent Cinderella weren’t great, this one is entertaining for almost the entire family, though some scenes might be a tad too frightening for younger viewers.
Finding Dory may not have the emotional resonance of its predecessor, yet it’s still a highlight entertaining entry in the Pixar line, even if it’s on the lower half of their films, which have generally been high quality work with one exception (Cars 2). The voice talents are all top notch and the animation is absolutely beautiful.
Speaking as a mere casual fan (for shame!), Star Trek Beyond is a solid entry in the Trek franchise that in some ways matches with the 2009 semi-reboot and excels primarily with this young cast that I hope get at least one more shot as the marketing on this one really did not do it justice
The Jungle Book is a success in Disney’s obsession with adapting beloved animated movies into live action features and while the likes of Maleficent and to some extent Cinderella weren’t great, this one is entertaining for almost the entire family, though some scenes might be a tad too frightening for younger viewers.
Zootopia is on the heavy-handed side of its message however it’s a good one that would be beneficial to kids (and their parents for that matter). The animation is fantastic and the humor mostly works as does the voice talent involved.
The Gunman isn’t terrible and some interesting ideas but the execution was lacking through Sean Penn gives a solid performance though the supporting cast was a complete waste especially Ray Winstone and Idris Elba, neither of whose talents were adequately tapped in to. The Blu-ray released by Universal is a tad weak with no bonus features but the audio and video transfers are both excellent.
No Good Deed is the prototypical paint-by-numbers thriller destined to air as a Lifetime Movie of the Week feature. The plot is thin and relatively predictable, though the one minor “twist” does help explain one important element, but what saves it from turkey status is the screen presence of the woefully underrated Idris Elba who is far too good for this material.