The Salvation

Wow and wow really kind of sums up The Salvation.  You don't see a lot of well made westerns anymore, but this is certainly one to behold.  Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, it's a tale of revenge and justice with a Danish flavored storyline and co-written and directed by Danish director Kristian Levring.  The visuals, use of color, and cinematography are really just amazing and unique, with South Africa used as the location for the American Old West.  Needless to say, the performances by an amazing cast are just as solid as it comes.  The Salvation is certainly unique, but it also deftly gives homage in influence to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.  I put this in my Netflix list  a while back because Mads was in this and pretty much anything he's in, he guarantees a great performance. But this went beyond that expectation from the very first scenes.  If you like westerns, you won't be disappointed.

Logan

Logan is probably one of the most character driven super hero movies I've seen, at least from the Marvel franchise. It's hard to believe that Hugh Jackman has been doing this role for like 17 years, but this film really puts that all into perspective.  This X-Men film redefines the genre it's usually associated with, with heartfelt performances from Jackman and Patrick Stewart.  Newcomer Dafne Keen has a magnetic understated charisma to nicely balance the aging gruff of Jackman, as the legacy baton is passed on to her.  Much of the film is in the template of Luc Besson's The Professional. Logan is certainly one of the most satisfying of all the X-Men films that instead of skimping on action, balances it cohesively with real character driven drama that gives it a cinematic grace and redemption sorely lacking in the previous films.

Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond is beyond solid in the third installment of the rebooted Star Trek franchise.   Director Justin Lin lends his signature Fast and Furious, frenetic action pace to this film and it never really lets up here.  This film is also about homages to Lenoard Nimoy (Spock), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), and to the general spirit of the original series.  There is a lot of heart and humor in the dialogue and plot, as relationships are rekindled and renewed. How to do that and maintain a great action pace is the product of good collaboration in directing, writing, and casting.  It certainly shows here.

Get Out

It's a wonderful time for Black cinema now.  Think of recent best picture nominees in the diverse genre works and accolades of Fences, Hidden Figures, and Moonlight and it's undeniable.  Now comes writer and director Jordan Peele's Get Out and it's clever and unique Black perspective on horror that simultaneously pays homage to the classics of the genre while making it's own unique inroads in that direction.  It also doesn't skimp on humor or in addressing the very real issue of race in this country.  I usually don't like to comment too specifically on what others are saying, but the recent critique about the casting of non-Black Americans and all that, has some validity, but it's a minor one in the sense that I found the rather unknown cast to be a fresh perspective here and in other films like Selma. Nothing against the talent and budget power of certain known Black actors and what they may lend a film, but sometimes the relative unknown qualities of lesser known actors, is less distracting to the intended leanings of a film. Irregardless, Jordan Peele has really done something great on so many levels here and at a pivotal time.

Hidden Figures

When you see a movie of such historical importance and long overdue present relevance as Hidden Figures, it is hard to encapsulate the significance of the content in mere words. This is just an amazing movie of Black history, women's history, and American history that was long overdue to be told. Three educated Black women mathematicians and engineers, a crucial part of the most significant American space explorations, just being revealed to the vast majority of people on a scale that is more than deserved. Showcased are the trials and tribulations with healthy doses of humor, poise, and an engaging humanity in the performances of Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer.  In our present technology dependent era, mandated by a more urgent need for education, training, and innovation; and amidst a society still greatly plagued by racism, Hidden Figures is a film with inspiring and not so hidden lessons for us all.

Moonlight

African American writer and director Barry Jenkins has developed a lot since his independent film debut in 2008's Medicine For Melancholy.  Moonlight is an artfully crafted, poetic film that creatively captures the moments in a young Black man's journey to manhood and the issues of race, sexuality, poverty, and family strife that shape that journey.  It's a well put together cast, especially in the performances of Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, and Trevante Rhodes and I must say this is a very talented and refreshing cast ensemble of diverse Black actors.  Moonlight deserves all the accolades it's been given.  It's powerful film making in the stillness of it's cinematography, the mood of it's soundtrack, what it elicits from it's audience, and poignantly mirrors back on our society.

War Dogs

Two young American guys turn international arms dealers and their ambitions to get paid, take them to the top and down.  This thriller/comedy/true story is interesting to be sure.  However, it fails to measure up in its execution ultimately.  It's a shame because a decade prior, there was its arguably better counterpart of a film  in Nicholas Cage's Lord Of War (also about arms dealers and with the same general story arc).  The best thing about War Dogs is frankly Jonah Hill's performance.  It's as simple as that, especially after great performances by him like in The Wolf Of Wallstreet.