Fantastic Beasts

Jean, This is a spin off of the Harry Potter stories written by J.K.Rowlings. This time a magician from England arrives in the United States in the mid 1920's with a suitcase full fantastic beasts. His adventures with the inhabitants of the suitcase is the rest of the story. This is a scary movie with some dark visions of the world. (I do not think it is for the very young.) It is much too long at 132 minutes and the middle third really drags without any advancement in the plot at all. I was not that much impressed overall but can see the need to introduce all the characters for future episodes. As to those beasts, you can look forward to quite a number including a platypus, a seedling that worries a lot and a dragon who can change his or her shape. There are some surprises within the story as teasers for things to come which can keep you awake.( In my audience I saw a good number of smart phones going on as people checked the time.)  Dad

P.S. The previews were:

Collateral Beauty

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Hidden Figures

Passengers

Power Rangers

Sing

Dr. Strange 3D

Jean, Wow, What an entertaining movie. They open the door to a new world of mysticism and what a world. It has a very commanding lead hero in Benedict Cumberbatch . He is like a young Daniel Day Lewis. The world has magic green amulets, a burgundy cloak with a mind of it's own, an urban landscape that revolves on it self in many ways. There is humor as well but many of its inhabitants do not get the lines.  With so many of the scenes involving free falling of some kind, the 3D is almost too effective to the point it becomes a little uncomfortable watching. The villains are of a different breed or are they villains?  This is non-stop fun, starting with a very intense scene before the opening credits even get to role. This presents a new world to explore.  Dad

The previews are:

XXX:The Return of Xander Cage

The Great Wall

LIFE

Rogue One

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men TellNo Tales

Bridget Jones's Baby

Jean, This is the third entry in the Bridget Jones movie franchise. This one is a big improvement over the second in the series. It  has a number of very ,very funny scenes . The film may be a little too long but Renee Zellweger is back on her game. She also looks great. Also it stars  are Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey  but no Hugh Grant. Emma Thompson shows up as a surprisingly funny obstetrician , with a sharp tongue and is quite judgmental.   She is  listed as a co-writer for the film.  On  a number of scenes,  you have to watch the "background" to get the full impact of the humor which at times is too funny. Several scenes take place in a church full of people, which these English films do so well. Dad

The previews were:

Arrival
Lion
Rules Don't Apply
The Girl On The Train

Sully

Jean, This is the Clint Eastwood no-nonsense almost documentary telling of the "Miracle on the Hudson". That passenger jet water landing of January 2009. But it is more than that as through flash-backs and even dream sequences we relive not only the plane landing into the Hudson but the pilot's second guessing even himself. It stars Tom Hanks as Sully, Aaron Eckhart as his co-pilot Jeff  Skiles and Laura Linney as his wife. All the actors especially Hanks do an excellent job. The scenes of the actual landing into the freezing January waters are just stunning. The NTSB investigators come into the picture as something like the villains.  The film seems to waste nothing at 96 minutes.  Dad

P.S. The previews were:

American Pastoral
Rules Don't Apply
Loving
Manchester By The Sea

The Light Between Oceans

Jean, This is a beautifully photographed, very romantic, melodrama. It has two attractive stars, a wild and stormy lighthouse setting and the period of the 1920's with the right costumes and little village setting. The lighthouse is actually on the coast of New Zealand has f photographed like maybe David Lean might do it. It is a very entertaining film, but you might have questions about the use of happenstance, the moral questions that it raises about the baby who is washed ashore near the lighthouse. Still one of the most romantic films I have seen in quite a while, along with some quite weepy moments.  Dad


P.S. The previews were:

Sully
Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk
The Hollars

Hell or High Water

Jean, This is the best movie I have seen this year. It reminds me of "No Country for Old Men" without the psychotic killer. It has fine West Texas vistas of the dry, dusty landscape, two young men who need money with a time deadline, and a sheriff about to retire and wants one last big challenge. It also has some very sharp and entertaining writing. The leads are played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster. The sheriff is Jeff Bridges. It has some memorable scenes including a confrontation between an older waitress and the sheriff and his deputy in a greasy spoon steakhouse, that is classic.  Dad

P.S. The previews are:

The Accountant
American Pastoral
The Founder
Sully

Florence Foster Jenkins

Jean, This is a strange movie. The first half is humorous, sometimes hilarious and the second half is poignant and sad. It is the story of a true life society lady in New York City in the 1940's who thinks erroneously she had a concert soprano voice. Merle Streep plays the title character and is excellent in the role. Her husband is played by Hugh Grant as something of a cad and  hits the right note in every scene. The actor who nearly steals the movie is her piano accompanist, played by Simon Helberg of The Big Bang Theory . His controlled reaction when he hears for the first the singer for whom he just signed on to accompany, is side-splitting. Such a double take has to be seen. I came away from the movie disappointed,  with  all that talent and yet such  a confusing result.  Dad

P.S. The previews were:

Rules Don't Apply
The Founder
Southside With You

Captain Fantastic

Jean, This is the story of a survivalist father raising his six children in the wilderness of Washington State. A tragedy occurs which requires the father to take his family into the real world. The contrast between the home schooled children and the everyday real world children is the bulk of the film. I got the feeling that the film begins to pull it's punches when the two cultures collide.The high point for me was the father performance  by Viggo Mortensen. He could not have been more true to the character. Otherwise it is an interesting film but hardly had me questioning my views. (Note there are scenes of killing and dressing wild animals as part of the children's wilderness training.)  Dad


The previews were:

The Birth of a Nation
Denial
Anthropoid

The BFG

Jean, This is Spielberg's version of the Roald Dahl story of the same name. It is about a young English girl who meets a big friendly giant who happens to be walking through London one night. It turns into a gentle, almost magical fantasy which melds it's magic with the real world as only Spielberg can do it. The story has chases and danger and even comedy but in a rather languid pace. It is as if you are to enjoy what you are seeing. All the Spielberg  regulars are here including John Williams music. The picture has a beautiful color hue and detail especially when in the northern British Isles or "giant country". The female lead as Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) could not have been more believable. The movie slows down in the middle but really comes alive again for a big ending involving the Queen and her corgi's .  Jim

P.S. The previews are:

Nine Lives
Pete's Dragon
Moana
Storks
Kubo and the Two Strings
Monster Trucks
Trolls

Finding Dory

Jean, This is a beautiful looking, very funny, Pixar film along with those many  scenes they are known  for,  of pathos and sometimes almost tears. It is not scary for the youngsters such as "The Jungle Book" but may be  little long at 100 minutes. There are so many creatures with their own personalities including the octopus or is it a septopus, who is really the star of the film in my mind. What he does with those arms is amazing. And the use of the old records at points  in the film is too much, think "It's a  Wonderful World" and "Unforgetable". It is up and down our Pacific Coast . Also has a running joke involving Sigourney Weaver..  Dad

P.S. The previews are:


Monster Trucks
Sing
Ice Age:Collision Course
Storks
Ghostbusters:Answer the Call
Pete's Dragon
Disney's Moana

Me Before You

Jean, This is  a summer romantic comedy movie with many opportunities for teary moments. Basic story of a young British girl takes the job as a personal assistant/aid to a young, quite wealthy British man in a small village outside current London. The story has a number of tearjerker moments but handles them with intelligence and realism. ( The young man is a paraplegic rising from an accident crossing the  street.) Besides having the two leads who handle their roles so  well, it has this picturesque village built around a castle and scenes along the beaches of Mallorca. Great chemistry between the leads and brings up some serious issues in a thought provoking way. Dad

P.S. The previews are:

Captain Fantastic
South Side With You
The Founder

Maggie's Plan

Jean, This is a romantic comedy starring Greta Gerwig as Maggie. It begins where she  has come to the point in her life where she is looking for a sperm donor. The romance that develops is more plot driven and the comedy is more smiles than laughs.You know what you are getting with Greta in her special way of hitting her marks and saying her lines so directly and charmingly.The others who get drawn into her plan are Ethan Hawke, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph and Julianne Moore. It is like you are listening into the lives of 4 or 5 people who are interesting, intelligent and entertainingly flawed. It reminded me of the 2011 movie "Your Sister's Sister". Like that film,  it also has a "punch line scene" at the very end.  Jim

P.S. The previews are:

Equity
Our Little Sister
The Founder:Ray Kroc

Alice Through the Looking Glass, 3D

Jean, This is not your mother's or father's Through the Looking Glass story. They take the characters and you pass through the mirror into a beautiful, amazing, visually imaginative world with a straight forward story. All the usual characters are back, including Mia Wasiowska as Alice and Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway etc. It is also in 3D and uses the 3D to a terrify advantage. This is one of the best. But the visuals are so good. You have pirate ships racing through the stormy waters (Pirates of the Caribbean) and the clock repairmen reassembled int one huge repairman (Transformers) etc.The theme of the movie is Time and it's importance in all matters. They use that thought to great advantage in moving the story along. I am not a purist when it comes to Lewis Carroll stories, so I enjoyed this beautifully produced story about a strong, smart ,young girl handling one challenge after another.  Dad

P.S. The previews were:

The Secret Life of Pets
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Pete's Dragon
Sing
The Space Between Us
The BFG

Captain America - Civil War

Jean , This is about the most thinking man's or woman's super hero movie I have seen. It has a coherent story line. It also has many characters who are introduced along the way, but all are easily tracked with no confusion. You are not over whelmed with the visual effects and it uses them where necessary. For example: the helicopter takeoff scene is done so well you will find yourself twisting in your seat to give some help to the actors. Also the quiet scenes are so well done. For example: the scene between Robert Downey Jr. and the new, young version of Spiderman revolving around convincing him to aid in the current emergency. Just listen to the fast dialogue between the two. A very, very  entertaining movie that never stops moving. Dad

The previews were:

Dr. Strange
X-Men: Apocalypse
The Legend of Tarzan
Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Rogue One

Midnight Special

Jean, This is a movie with a lot of misdirection. You come upon a little boy being hustled off at night by two men. The plot moves seem to support one scenario and then "wait a minute." The little boy actor could not be better in his role. The adults are uniformly excellent including Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard . Most enjoyable is Adam Driver as the PhD Child Psychologist who "understands" the little guy. Some one said that Spielberg would love this movie. I think that is the case including the big finale that is not a disappointment.  Dad

The previews were:

Deep Water Horizon

Free State of Jones

The Jungle Book (3D)

Jean, Wow, this is a big, gorgeous, enthralling movie. The plot is much more than you would expect. And it draws you into a world of trees and rivers and animals. It starts where Avatar left off. Jon Favreau, the director has his hand on all the knobs in this one. It may be too dark and intense for some of the little ones in some scenes, for example, the tiger has a battle with the black panther. The voices are so well done such as Bill Murray as the bear. What is worth of the price of admission alone is Christopher Walken as the the talking and singing voice of King Louis , the leader of all the monkeys in what looks like the temples at Angkor Wat. It is a stroke of genius using that voice. I do not think anyone will be disappointed. Our audience applauded at the end of the movie.  Dad

P. S. In the closing credits, "The Jungle Book"  book pages are turned and they are "pop-up pages" wherein as the names are shown, the pop-ups come to life and continue action of certain of their scenes. It is very cleverly done.

P. P. S.

The previews were:

Ice Age:Collusion Course
The Secret Life of Pets
The Angry Bird Movie
The Wild Life
Pete's Dragon
Alice:Through The Looking Glass