Mile 22

Mile 22 is an adrenaline fueled espionage ride starring Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais, Lauren Cohen, Ronda Rousey, and John Malkovich.  The cast is great and its good to finally see Iko (The Raid movies) in a great role with an intruiging story.  I say that last part concerning the story, because that's the main detractor from the whole film.  While I can appreciate the very real complexities in spy stories that unfold themselves in dramatic ways, too much complexity  and a confusing narrative do not serve Mile 22 very well.  For nearly the first hour, who knows what the fuck is going on with the story.  That only serves to make an audience listen to an overly intense Wahlberg just overact oscillating back and forth in narrating the briefing and getting in everyone's ass with his ramblings.  If you're just watching it for the action and don't care about the plot, then you're fine as the pace is pretty relentless.  It has and does everything else well though, in so far as what we've come to expect from contemporary Bourne type movies is all here in action, set and location, and casting.  You've got great female leads kicking ass here, too.  John Malkovich, as great an actor as he is, however looks comical in his wig as the overwatch supervisor.  It's also obvious that this is a film, much like certain military films, that tries to give much credence to the little known Special Activies branch of the CIA while at the same time trying to stay relevant to the current political and intelligence situation and issues of the day.  It's Iko's biggest Hollywood profile role and in in reality, he basically owns this film.

Searching

What has been achieved in the film Searching is a fresh and creative filmmaking process told through computer screens that clearly represents how technology and social media have the ability to convey a story.  Searching shows how it can be told within that new medium and told really well with suspense and in the performances of  actors John Cho and Debra Messing. The incredible irony of a film shown almost entirely through the other lense of other computer screens and feeds, is really brilliant in its editing and execution. The main character's (Cho) point of view, mirroring the audience, is certainly relatable as we are given much insight into the plight to find his daughter (Michelle La) using the computer.

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians is a really nice, feel good movie.  There are great set decorations, locations, music, a very talented cast, and a really heartfelt classic romantic story.  More importantly, what it does is update many of the notions of what it means to be Asian in the world, the perceptions , and the various differences in culture and socioeconomic class that affect it.  Where it fell short, was in rushing the classic happy ending, as I felt there needed to be more time and dialogue between Michelle Yeoh and Rachel Chu's characters, instead of glossing it over just under the guise of a mahjong game.  This also brings up the fact that perhaps, as a simultaneous detractor and merit of the film adaptation of Kevin Kwan's book, that there were other compelling storylines going on that also couldn't be adequately explored.  Though Crazy Rich Asians has a lighter tone, there are obviously many parallels to 1993's The Joy Luck Club, which is sad that we have to reach that far back to compare.  But an all Asian international cast, writer, and  director is certainly what gives this film so much rich variety.

Peppermint

Peppermint, directed by Pierre Morel (District 13) and starring Jennifer Garner, is a revenge drama. It certainly has some deficiencies, one of them being that the story of a white woman out for revenge against Mexican drug cartels murdering her family years earlier, is probably not exactly the best timing in this crazy, divisive, political climate where certain segments of the country are looking to demonize those south of the border. Otherwise, the story seems to rely too heavily on Garner's action credentials (Alias, Elekra) and less on fleshing out a character driven performance that ultimately goes nowhere. So if you skirt all that, then yes Peppermint is viscerally entertaining with the action and watchable, but clearly lacking in character depth and story development for an actress of her caliber.

Aquaman

DC continues it's now characteristic downward spiral trajectory with a movie I certainly thought never thought would ever be made, in Aquaman.  The best feature of this film are the special effects. That's about all I got here. It's very campy and that's no surprise from his introduction in Justice League.  But it's just really uninteresting and the politics of how he ascends.....Well, you just don't give a fuck, as it feel like it's being just glossed over and with wooden acting.  Part of the problem is that most of the story takes place after the events of Justice League and this rather inmature Aquaman played by Jason Momoa, is just a bit too much to take seriously.  Aquaman also feels like a thinly veiled copy and paste of events and scenes in other films like Wonder Woman and most recently, Thor Ragnorok.  I understand the integral nature of the film to the rest of the DC universe and they squandered much in the Green Lantern movie (may that memory quickly fade), but damnit DC.  Another Wonder Woman movie just needs to take the reigns again.

The Equalizer 2

I really wanted to like this.  Really, I did. With Antoine Fuqua directing, Denzel starring, and a successful first run reboot, what could go wrong? The action was great for sure and yes, there was more of it.  But more and better action to bulk up a sloppy and misguided film, does not make a great movie.  Certainly not one on the same caliber of quality and  expectation one would expect from this successful director and actor pairing.  How the story is executed is the problem.  There is a showdown that doesn't make any logical sense in the how and where it was executed (less you don't care about shit making sense and bad guys being intelligent in their planning).  There is also a secondary story of redemption in the life of a young Black artist that gets shamefully a bit lost in the storyline. Too bad, because both storylines were also obviously meant to advance the character of Robert McCall. 

Roma

Director, cinematographer, editor, producer, and writer Alfonso Cuaron's Roma is a return to cinematic greatness. It tells the day to day story of a young maid's (Yalitza Martínez) plight in 1970's Mexico, working for a well to do family. Though Martinez gives a wonderful performance, it is the cinematography of Cuaron that is the real standout here. His choice in black and white, the wide screen panning of entire scenes that take on the entirety of each scene, and the level of detail in the highlighted stillness is magnificent. These techniques serve to move the story along in such a different way that evokes the enormity of the main characters plight, forcing the viewer pay attention and process the character's plight in a more naturalistic way. In this sense, Roma is a technical and artistic masterpiece.