Campy, violent and fun, Sam Raimi's 1990 film DARKMAN is an explosive, wild ride for nearly every one of it's fast 96 minutes. Liam Neeson is Peyton, a shy scientist in the wrong place at the wrong time when his reporter girlfriend Julie (Frances McDormand) stumbles on a document that unveils some very dirty politics. Evil Henchman Durant (Larry Drake sporting Spock hair) descends on Peyton's lab with his gang, torturing Peyton and blowing him to smithereens. Of course, Peyton isn't dead, he's simply blown about 300 yards through the air into the lake in one of many scenes that Raimi (Evil Dead, Spiderman) manages to make hilarious and horrifying at the same time. His body is horribly disfigured, but he soon applies his technology to create masks and body parts that allow him to plan some very creative havoc and revenge. Raimi builds in some clever suspense by making sure that you and Peyton both know that his disguises will only last 99 minutes before they turn into bubbling goo. That ticking timeclock adds to the fun. Neeson (Rob Roy, Taken) and McDormand (Fargo) both would grow into some of film's finest actors, but their performances here are just as cartoony as the rest of Raimi's cast. Joel and Ethan Coen also provided a lot of input on the script, which you can see in some of the most twisted laughs. This is a revenge flick with R rated blood and violence, but tongue planted firmly in cheek. The final 20 minutes is an operatic explosion of action, chases, final confrontations on top of a skyscraper, heroes hanging from helicopters and Schwarzenegger worthy one-liners. It's perfectly late 80's/early 90's in all the right ways, with goofy special effects and killer camerawork by Bill Pope (The Matrix, Spiderman 2). This is arguably Danny Elfman's best music score as well, loading nearly every minute with themes that equal his score for Michael Keaton's debut in Tim Burton's "Batman". Like Batman, its a tale of a man serving up revenge against evil-doers, but when he takes HIS mask off, Darkman looks like hell, not Bruce Wayne. DARKMAN is either the most violent comedy ever made or the funniest revenge flick of all time. Either way, its a very enjoyable A-. Followed by two direct-to-video sequels I've never bothered to watch. (Film buffs watch closely for brief appearances by Bruce Campbell, Jenny Agutter and Director John Landis.)

To say that The Dark Knight Rises is a great film doesn't do it justice. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan equals his amazing last film "Inception" and in some ways, exceeds it in sheer spectacle and power. Taking place eight years after the conclusion of "The Dark Knight", (and I highly recommend watching that film again as a great refresher for this one) Gotham is nearly crime-free. The entire city has been inspired by Harvey Dent to be the best that they can be. But literally underneath Gotham, a storm of discontent is rising. A mysterious madman, Bane (in a menacing turn by Tom Hardy) is preparing a revolution of staggering and violent proportions. Nolan is flat out brilliant here in scenes IMAX large such as the opening skyjacking sequence, the destruction of Heinz field and the concluding battle, but its the quiet moments that resonate here as well. The first scene here in which Batman comes back to battle Bane in the streets of Gotham will get you cheering. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman all have expanded screen time in this conclusion of the trilogy, and the film is much better for it. Newcomers Joseph Gordon Levitt as an everyday Gotham patrolman and Anne Hathaway as the Catwoman are both strong. With Catwoman potentially being such a distracting character, I was surprised how well Nolan has woven her in and how good Hathaway is in the role. Christian Bale is flat out fantastic as Bruce Wayne/Batman and its a bit sad to know that this is Nolan & Bale's final Batman film. But WOW, what a way to go out. Don't let anyone share the final ten minutes with you. It ranks with "Inception" and "Heaven Can Wait" for me as one the greatest film endings of all time. Powerful, smart, exciting and fantastic movie-making. My favorite film of 2012 so far and in my all time Top 100 films. A+

The night before heading out to see The Dark Knight Rises, we sat down and watched THE DARK KNIGHT to make sure we had the middle part of the Nolan/Bale Batman trilogy top of mind. It's an amazing film. In this second viewing, I was really struck with the power and genius of Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. At the time, I think I felt his posthumous Oscar was just that, a post tragic death award for a great body of work at a young age. In this second viewing, his work here really stands out. He IS probably the most genuinely evil movie villain since Hannibal Lecter and certainly the best comic book film villain ever. As Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) joins Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Batman to fight evil in Gotham, the Joker plots to turn Dent into a lesser man. Christopher Nolan is firing on all cylinders here, with great performances, strong writing, fantastic action scenes and the perfect humorous moments. Its a dark and powerful film and until its sequel in 2012, certainly the greatest comic book film ever made. One for the ages. A+

The best film of its kind since Spielberg's "Lincoln", this riveting film focused on Winston Churchill's first days in office is a knockout. DARKEST HOUR also features, for me, the best performance by an actor I've seen since Daniel Day Lewis became Abraham Lincoln. Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, Sid & Nancy, Bram Stoker's Dracula) is almost unrecognizable as Churchill. We watch as Churchill becomes the unlikely choice as UK Prime Minister in the early days of WWII. Hitler is encroaching on all sides, current PM Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup, excellent) has lost the confidence of his government and prepared no defense as Hitler's forces rage across Belgium and France. Churchill rarely spends a moment without a cigar and a cocktail in hand. He sees King George (Ben Mendelsohn of "Rogue One" in a great performance) as a bother, has little regard for politics but a remarkable passion for defeating Hitler and inspiring the masses. Oldman is fantastic as Churchill. Subtle tics and bold mannerisms are employed but never annoying. It's a big performance for a big personality. Oldman infuses the man with so much intensity, humor and determination, it's like watching a "Rocky" movie set in the London war rooms. Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient, Four Weddings and a Funeral) is great as Churchill's wife, who understands her role in English society but serves as Winston's rock. Lily James (Baby Driver) is Churchill's new secretary Miss Layton, who serves as a clever storytelling device and our window into Churchill. As she first meets and then grows to understand the man, we do as well in a smart screenplay by Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything). Director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) is in great form. For a film set mostly in dark meeting rooms and palaces, it feels expansive, with Wright mixing in just enough battle scenes and world views to open up the experience. The last half of the film also deals in detail with the civilian naval rescue at Dunkirk, when nearly all of the English forces were stranded on the beaches with no way home. It's fascinating to see a different, tactical angle of the battle after seeing the story told so brilliantly by Christopher Nolan in this year's "Dunkirk". You'll cheer for Churchill. It's a testament to the filmmakers that they can create such suspense when you know the outcome of the story. Many famous Sir Winston quotes are delivered perfectly by Oldman, including his passionate plea as other politicians dithered with talk of sitting down for peace talks with the madman Hitler. “If this long island story of ours is to end at last, let it end only when each one of us lies choking in his own blood upon the ground.” This is Oldman's best performance of his career and I'd bet the house on a Best Actor Oscar come next year's ceremony. Standing alongside Nolan's "Dunkirk" in every respect, DARKEST HOUR gets an A+ and is one of the best films of the year, firmly in my Top 5 of 2017.

Between his portrayal of Hawking in "The Theory of Everything" last year and his role as transgender pioneer Lile Elbe here in THE DANISH GIRL, I'm left wondering if there is any transformation that actor Eddie Redmayne CAN'T make on film! Redmayne is startling as artist Einar Wegener in 1920's Copenhagen. Married to fellow artist Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander in her much deserved Oscar winning role), Einar finds himself filling in as a female model for his wife one day, a role he finds very comfortable. As Einar experiments more and more, he and his wife decide it would be funny to attend a major art event with him in disguise as his female alter ego, Lile. What starts as a lark takes on very serious consequences due to men's reactions to Lile, and the responses Einar feels in return. Vikander and Redmayne break your heart as they find their relationship and their lives turned upside down. As the film goes on, the ripples of Lile's emergence continue to expand outward. Suffice to say 1920's Copenhagen was not as welcoming as 2016 in America to the transgender community. The film is beautifully shot and well told, does not hammer home any agenda, just tells the story of two kind people whose lives are shattered by the choices they make. By the end of the film, regardless of how you feel about their choices, the film is powerful and well acted by the entire cast. Vikander has had one hell of a year. between "Ex Machina", "The Man from UNCLE", "Burnt" and this, that's an amazing run. She and Redmayne mix up some strong and complicated emotions and earn a B.

For anyone that enjoyed last year's "Fosse" on FX, a deep dive into the lives of Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse, 1958's huge box office smash DAMN YANKEES is even more enjoyable. Arriving on screen from its huge Broadway success with nearly all of its cast and crew intact, it's an infectious, old-fashioned musical loaded with stars. When a frustrated fan of Baseball's Washington Senators curses their rival Yankees yet again and says out loud that he'd sell his soul for the Senators to win a pennant, the devilish Mr. Applegate (Ray Walston) appears out of nowhere and grants his wish. Suddenly, he's Joe Hardy, baseball star, able to hit countless home runs and immediately signed onto the Senators. Applegate (a hilarious Ray Walston) has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to keep Joe under his spell, including the seductive Lola, played by the amazing Verdon in one of her best performances. Tab Hunter was Hollywood casting for the film and probably its weakest link as young Joe, he's merely okay. Jean Stapleton made her hilarious debut here and was immediately on Norman Lear's radar. He cast her the following decade as Edith on "All in the Family". Fosse did all the choreography, also appearing in the duet "Whose Got the Pain" with Verdon. A great baseball comedy and musical in one package, DAMN YANKEES had been a massive hit on stage and it's great to have the film version to preserve the cast and that time in America. It screams late 1950's. 'Whatever Lola Wants", "Six Months Out of Every Year" and "Two Lost Souls" are all a lot of fun. Fosse's choreography arrives intact and shows the same emerging style that would later explode in "Chicago" and "Cabaret". The music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross hold up just fine many decades later and the musical opened again on Broadway in 1995, where Tamara and I saw it with Jerry Lewis as Applegate. Like "The Music Man" from the same era, its the musical for people that dont normally like musicals. DAMN YANKEES is still plenty of fun over 60 years after its release and gets an enjoyable B.

This is one of many summer movies I vividly remember seeing back in 1977 with my buddy Jeff, at the ChrisTown theater! Just watched it on my iPad and have to say it was hilarious (unintentionally). Hard to believe that we used to think those were special effects! Really cheesy, goofy sci-fi. But let's be honest, any movie with giant scorpions, nuclear war, horrible acting by Jan Michael Vincent (how was this guy so big in the 70's?), killer cockroaches and a wacky post apocalyptic RV can't be ALL bad....in 1977, I gave it an A-, in 2011, we'll call it a C. LOL

Matthew McConaughey leaves all his past romantic comedy sins in the past with a brave, outrageous performance as the creator of the DALLAS BUYERS CLUB. As electrician, hustler, sex addict Ron Woodruff, McConaughey is 50 pounds lighter, deathly thin and almost unrecognizable. Woodruff starts the film as a racist, homophobic low life filling his empty life with trashy women, cocaine and one scheme after another. After contracting HIV from a drug-using, nearly anonymous woman in a one night stand, Woodruff is startled by the fact that he has the disease and cannot get the AZT needed to prevent HIV from becoming full blown AIDS. Given 30 days to live, he starts a quest to not only get the drugs he needs from Mexico, but to start a pipeline of those drugs for other people like him. What starts as another money making scheme transforms Ron as a person. The film surrounds McConaughey with a great cast. Jared Leto deserves a best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of Rayon, a surprisingly beautiful transgender woman and a VERY unlikely friend for Woodruff. The arc of their friendship from the first time they meet to the film's conclusion is powerful. Jennifer Garner is very good as a local doctor who is mistrusting of the FDA, big pharma and her bosses as she watches AIDS patients dying without help and Ron truly trying to make a difference. The film has plenty of surprises, but probably none bigger than McConaughey's performance. It's the best acting of his career and takes him from character/action actor to the top ranks of American actors. Between this and "Killer Joe", he is on a career bending path. DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is frank, adult, sexual and not for the intolerant. It's also moving and should inspire a lot of questions about big pharma's influence on drugs in the USA. Here's hoping McConaughey and Leto both win acting awards on Sunday night, they are deserved. Dallas Buyers Club gets a powerful A.

I never saw the original “Daddy’s Home” with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, figuring it was one of Ferrell’s lesser efforts, box office success not withstanding. But once I saw the previews for this holiday season’s DADDY’S HOME 2 and saw that Mel Gibson and John Lithgow were joining the cast as Ferrell and Wahlberg’s dads, I was all in. Neither of them disappoints, but Gibson exceeds ALL comedic expectations, stealing the movie every time he’s on screen. Unapologetically old school, sexist and funny, Gibson plays right into his off-screen image and nails every laugh. Ferrell (Brad) and Wahlberg (Dusty) have found success co-parenting as the film opens, but when they decide to celebrate Christmas together with all their merged families under one roof, their truce will be tested in every humorous way possible. Gibson’s Kurt is a former astronaut and lifetime ladies man, seducing every woman he sees and openly despising seeing his son get “soft” under Brad’s influence. Lithgow is all “on-the-mouth kisses” and loud happiness as Pop-Pop Whitaker, combining his senior enthusiasm for chatter with Ferrell in full “Elf” mode, oozing holiday spirit and positivity. The movie doesn’t waste anytime setting up funny scene after scene, delivering a ton of laughs. Highlights include Gibson stirring up trouble at every opportunity, scorching Lithgow, Wahlberg and Ferrell with perfect deadpan delivery of take down after takedown. Ferrell’s had some great movie moments of physical comedy, but they all might pale next to the single most disastrous use of a snow blower in film history. The living nativity on Christmas Eve is a powder keg waiting to go off and provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The quest for a live Christmas tree is a knockout and I have to credit the filmmakers for going way past my expectations in finding a clever way to build a sweet “Love Actually” style conclusion that brings plenty of heart along with the humor. Linda Cardellini (The Avengers) has some nice moments as Ferrell’s wife, Alessandra Ambrosio is stunning as Wahlberg’s live-in girlfriend and Didi Costine and Owen Vaccaro are excellent as two of the kids, barely looking away from her cell phone and looking for good love advice respectively. There’s also one great surprise cameo at the end that we’ll let you discover in the closing moments. We went in looking for holiday laughs and found a sleigh full! Daddy’s Home 2 will definitely become a holiday film we watch every season, alongside “Christmas Vacation”, “Elf”, “Home Alone” and “Love Actually”. Some of the best moments of physical comedy in Daddy’s Home 2 would fit perfectly in the Chevy Chase holiday classic released nearly 30 years ago in 1989. There’s no better compliment than that in our book, so we’ll give this funny family comedy five HO-HO-HOs a solid B. Leave your serious film shoes on the doorstep, drink some eggnog and settle in for great Christmas themed laughs!

Spike Lee has become one of my favorite filmmakers and DA 5 BLOODS delivers another powerful film as follow up to his brilliant "Black Kkklansman". In scope, its perhaps his biggest film since "Malcolm X" and certainly his most ambitious shoot. His globe hopping camera at times making this feel more like Coppola than Lee. Rather than Coppola's journey to track down Colonel Kurtz in the jungle, Spike Lee delivers a compelling, huge scale tale of 5 Vietnam Vets reuniting in Vietnam to track down the body of their fallen fellow soldier. Their goal is to return Stormin' Norman's body stateside. It's quite a group. Paul (a brilliant Delroy Lindo) is a passionate Trump Supporter that still carries a lot of passion against the people of Vietnam. Otis (Clarke Peters) has organized the reunion & trip to recover Norman through his lifelong Vietnamese mistress Tien. Eddie (Broadway veteran Norm Lewis) is a successful car dealer whose always got his Black Amex in hand, ready to buy. Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) is the peacemaker of the group, which turns out to be a full time job with these personalities. Lee lulls you into comfort with the early scenes of the reunion and the quintet's visit to a crowded, fun Vietnam night club called Apocalypse Now. You start to gear up for an interpersonal drama as these unique men meld again. But they're not only there to recover Norman. They are also back in country to recover a huge stash of gold that they buried after a fire fight with CIA led rebels. Having carried that secret carefully for years, the truth and their different justifications for the money spiral quickly. Paul's son David (the terrific Jonathan Majors of "Lovecraft Country") arrives in Vietnam, worried about his Dad and determined to join the quest. Just as you begin to ease into their search, Lee starts to intersperse flashbacks to their last time in Vietnam. In two daring choices, Lee doesn't cast different actors as the younger men, having the older actors portray themselves in the Vietnam war era. Lee also shrinks the picture down to a square TV ratio during the flashbacks. His smooth expansion from widescreen to square eases you in and out of time, pulling us deeper and deeper into the events that deeply influence what's happening to them today. Chadwick Boseman is powerful in the flashbacks as Norman, the squad leader than set their moral compass in the early 60's. Lee also introduces us to a local guide for the mission, Vihn (Johnny Nguyen) and a group of young French and Americans searching to build awareness on land mines. The team includes Hedy (a superb Melanie Thierry) and Simon (Paul Walter Hauser who recently played "Richard Jewell"). As he did in "Black Kkklansman" so efficiently, Lee also weaves in historical footage of the Vietnam War, much of it graphic, gory and unrelenting in its depiction of the conflict. He also weaves in quick or lingering glimpses of Black America in the 60's & & 70's in both Vietnam and the USA. It's always perfectly timed, sometimes shocking and disturbing. At over two and a half hours, it's a bit disjointed but in challenging ways. For me, it never dragged. The war scenes are very well staged, as are the incredibly tense scenes in the jungle as the men face of against each other's past and present. Delroy Lindo is a sure-fire Best Actor nominee as Paul, a man so tortured by his past and buried in his right-saying that he's impossible to penetrate. Lindo bares all, crying out sometimes in silence and very loudly in one memorable scene as he walks away across the jungle. As his grip on the situation begins to slip, Lindo looks directly into the camera, spilling his guts in long passages of dialogue that tear you apart. He's fantastic in the role, powerful. Lee bathes the whole film in the music of Marvin Gaye, sometimes in very unexpected ways. The cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive, Three Kings, The Usual Suspects) is excellent. Film lovers will discover many direct ties to "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Apocalypse Now". Loaded with graphic war violence, profanity and tension, this isn't going to be to everyone's taste. If there is a more thought provoking director, firing on all cylinders at a higher rate than Spike Lee at this time in his career, I'm anxious to know who they are. Boseman and Lindo's last scene together will tear you apart. DA 5 BLOODS gets a soul stirring A.

The Producers of "The Conjuring" films continue their hit streak with the spooky and enjoyable entry THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA. A social worker (the always terrific Linda Cardellini) and her young children find themselves under a vicious curse from a legendary demon spirit who feeds on children. Like in "It", her kids find themselves the main target of La LLorona, who can appear anywhere and yank you into some pretty terrifying danger. It's R rated fun, loaded with jump scares and close up horror. Luckily for Anna (Cardellini) and her kids, a renegade former priest specializes in battling La Llorona, operating without the cloth but loaded with one-liners and bravado. Rafael (Raymond Cruz from "Better Call Saul") is a bad ass demon fighter and loads the last half of the film with laughs, some intrigue and some pretty vicious hands on battles with the gruesome title character. The kids are well cast, even through the script makes them do silly things that no kid would ever do. Don't go near that pool! Don't go in that dark room! Hell, that's half the fun. It's not up to the level of The Conjuring films, but its a reliably enjoyable scary flick for a Friday night. Fans should look for subtle references to Annabelle. With nearly $60 million in ticket sales against a $9M budget, look for plenty more entrees in the Conjuring universe to haunt theatres for years to come. Ay dios mio, this one made me jump more than a couple times! LLorona scares up a B-.

Filled with plenty of moments that make you laugh out loud, more that make you smile, but nearly derailed by the casting of its leading lady, Woody Allen's 2001 THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION is an enjoyable comedy/mystery/romance. Woody stars as legendary old-school insurance investigator CW Briggs. His world has been disrupted by his boss bringing in a fiery and demanding efficiency expert named Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt). His Boss Magruder (Dan Aykroyd) has eyes for Betty Ann, and she for him, and Betty and CW detest each other. When a company night out finds them watching the magician and hypnotist Voltan (a perfectly smarmy David Ogden Stiers), Betty Ann and CW are hypnotized into believing they are madly in love. He also manages to hypnotize CW with code words that allow him to control him and erase all memory of doing so. Under Voltan's spell, CW begins robbing his clients, defeating the elaborate safety measures he's put in place. So what happens when you start investigating a clever thief that you have no idea is...yourself? Charlize Theron and Wallace Shawn both bring very different things to the table in great style and Woody is very, very funny throughout. Some of his best lines to Betty Ann expressing his dislike for her: "Germs can't live in your blood, its too cold." "We're a match made in heaven...by a retarded angel." "We'll have lunch. I know a great restaurant you'll love. Gestapo food". The one liners are fast and furious and perfectly delivered. Except for Hunt. She's going for a Hepburn/Tracy type banter, but Allen's rapid fire dialogue never rolls off her tongue. She's an ill fit in a great cast and she almost kills the whole damn movie. Thankfully we have Woody's writing and delivery and a fun little mystery along with way. When CW asks Betty Ann, "Are you divorced or widowed? Did your husband commit suicide? I could understand that." it sets the tone that he just keeps rolling. The only curse here is the miscast Hunt. Jade Scorpion has plenty of humor with a nice sting and gets a B.