Wonder Woman

Jean, This is a big-time action film starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman who easily carries the role with great confidence and  some amazing force. She plays the lead Diana who leaves her Isle of Amazons and comes to battle the Germans in World War I. There is plenty of man to man  and women to women combat using swords, bows and arrows and spears. Chris Pine joins the film as her love interest and adds some humor as well. The film is 2 hours and 22 minutes which is much too  long and there are  some very slow stretches. We end up with the biggest  finale ,an  explosion extravaganza battle between Diana and Ares, the God of War. Gal Gadot provides the thoughts about mankind and the waste of man killing one another.  But I was expecting a softening of the sword play and shield bashing and throwing of thunderbolts against German tanks. It was entertaining mainly due to watching a  Wonder Woman with such an easy authority. Dad

P.S. The previews are:

Hitman Bodyguard
Geostorm
Atomic Blonde
Transformers:The Last Knight
Murder on the Orient Express ( looks so interesting)
Blade Runner: 2049

Logan

Jean, This is the 10th  in the X-Men series of movies and stars Hugh Jackman. I found it had a very interesting plot, one of the best in the entire series. But it is so violent and bloody. Those sharp knives hidden in their fists slice up every one, cuts off arms and even beheads a number of people. Even the young girl has those kind of fists and wreaks havoc as good as does Wolverine himself. The actors are excellent including Patrick Stewart. But movie is quite long at 140 minutes and it begins to drag in the middle. I guess you have to accept all that violence for it to be an  X-Men movie. Dad

The previews:

King Arthur
Life
Pirates of the Caribbean
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
Alien Covenant
Deadpool

Collide

Jean, This is a sleeper of heist movie. By that I mean it has not received the  attention it deserves and it is not all that bad. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley, Felicity Jones and Nicholas Hoult. When a heist goes wrong, the crime lords of Hopkins and Kingsley go after the young couple of Jones and Hoult. I had forgotten how scary Hopkins can be without raising his voice. Kingsley plays an ethnic character to the hilt as expected. But Nicholas Hoult is a very attractive and athletic hero, doing all the stunts required with such ease. The story takes you on wild and imaginative car chases along the autobahns of Germany as well as the most picturesque lanes of the villages. Hoult jumps into one super hot german car after another in the chases. The overall story is weak but if you are into reasonably well acted action films with a lovely European backdrop, this is the film.  Germany never looked more neat and attractive as the background of the movie.  Dad

The Previews were:

Kong Skull Island
Before I Fall

The Great Wall

Jean, This is a Chinese action/adventure movie starring Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal and Tian Jing.The story revolves around two westerners entering China in search of gunpowder. In their quest ,they run into a long running battle between the resident Chinese armies and a immense group of marauding reptiles . Their primary defense against these reptiles is the Great Wall. (In the introduction, this story is identified as a Chinese legend.) The actors give us each a believable performance, but the highlight of the film is the battle scenes featuring waves of the attacking reptiles. It reminds me of scenes from the movie "Kingdom of Heaven"  but with touches of Busby Berkeley. The movie  has marshaled  the clashes of these overwhelming forces into amazing and powerful action vistas. You get your money's worth at only 104 minutes.  Dad

The previews are:

Lowriders
Power Rangers
Lost City of Z
The Mummy

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