Fences

Fences is a fictional story of Troy Maxson, a former Negro League baseball player who turned bitter after he was deemed too old to join the integrated MLB. Due to this, his behavior over time starts to negatively affect the rest of his family and his friends.
The film is based off of the play, of the same name. Because of that it was a bit slow, quite dialogue heavy and didn’t have a lot of variety in sets or scenes. It also had an ominous tone throughout; you are always wondering what Troy would do next to further destroy his relationships.
The acting from Denzel Washington, as Troy, and Viola Davis, as his wife, Rose, were as compelling as ever. The accolades that they received throughout the awards season were well deserved.
With everything considered, even though it wasn’t the most riveting of movies, I’d still say check this one out if you are looking for some really great performances.

Dunkirk

I was a little weary about seeing Dunkirk because of its PG-13 rating, I thought it might not be as intense or perhaps be lacking something that some of its R-rated WWII predecessors had, but after seeing this film, I am happy to say that I was wrong in that thought.

The only issue that I had with the film is that at times it would cut back in forth from past to present and it was sometimes hard to follow. Where this film lacked in gore and intense on the ground combat scenes, it more than made up for in the individual character development and on-edge anxiety of when the next hit from the Germans would come.

There was no one star in this film, it was the story of many men and women; civilians, fighter pilots, navel men, army, and what they had to sacrifice to survive one of the most lopsided battles of WWII.

It was amazing to see on film how so many people banded together to help get 400,000 men off of the beaches of Dunkirk and back home.

I would definitely recommend checking out this powerfully told and movingly acted WWII drama.

John Wick Chapter 2

I liked the first John Wick so I was looking forward to checking out to sequel, unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype.

This one was really over the top and at times the plot was hard to follow and didn’t make much sense. 

The acting is never great in these movies, its the fight scenes that people what to see, and they were a bit of a letdown as well. The scenes were not very believable nor creative. 

There were touches of entertaining and somewhat cute moments but overall I’d say pass on this one.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Beauty and the Beast is a classic and it was one of my favorites as a child so I was pleasantly surprised with how well this movie turned out.

I liked that that it didn’t stray too far from the original cartoon. The soundtrack and the plot were very similar as well.  The visuals were crisp, beautiful and bright. There were bits of cute comedy and overall a really nice re-make. I'd definitely recommend this wonderful, family friendly film.

War for the Planet of the Apes

War for the Planet of the Apes is the final film in the Planet of the Apes trilogy. 

The plot was engaging and held my attention until the end. It was one of the more heartfelt and poignant films of the series. 
The acting was compelling and I thought that the nods to the original series were interesting. 

I wouldn’t qualify this as a Summer Blockbuster, per say, but I did find it entertaining and a proper ending to the series. 

Logan

Logan is a very different type of superhero movie. Based on the Old Man Logan comic book, it is the most unique and mature of the X-Men franchise, thus its R rating.

It was gritty and dark; unlike any of its predecessors. The acting was superb and the story was intriguing. You see a whole different side of Wolverine and Professor X, two of the most powerful superheroes deteriorating and desperate to survive.

For those who have never read the comic book you will have issues with the subtle plot lines. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If you are a fan of the franchise and are comfortable living in the grey I’d say check this one out. 

Out of the Furnace

Out of the Furnace is the story of working-class siblings, Russell and Rodney Baze. Russell is the older, more mature, brother who is trying to live his life on a straight and narrow path. Rodney, on the other hand, lives life more on the edge and ends up getting involved with the wrong people. When Rodney goes missing Russell takes it upon himself to find his brother and get justice for him.

This was a well written and intense story portrayed by some great actors including Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe and Christian Bale. I’d definitely recommend checking this one out.

Cinderella (2015)

The Cinderella story was one of my favorites as a kid. I’ve seen many different versions of this rags to riches tale over the years. 

I found this movie to be cute and entertaining. The acting from Cate Blanchett was the best part of this movie. She portrayed a really great evil stepmother. Also, the visual beauty and bold colors of this version were pleasing. It reminded me a lot of Mirror Mirror (2012), which was the live-action a take on the Snow White story. 

What was lacking, however, was the script, which was a bit weak and acting from the rest of the cast could have used some improvement. This is definitely no Ever After (1998), which, in my opinion, is still the best on screen, live-action version of Cinderella.