Game Night (2018) ****

Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, to a screenplay by Mark Perez, Game Night is a comedy-action thriller, that delivers jokes while taking the audience on a wild ride. The plot, in a nutshell and without any spoilers, follows a group of friends, in the habit of meeting for a competitive yet friendly evening of games, until one evening the stakes are raised a few notches; someone’s life are on the line.

The Last Jedi (2017) ****

If I had to sum-up the experience of watching this film in one word, it would be: impressive. Although, not without hiccups.
The Last Jedi counts as Episode VIII, or the second installment of the third trilogy to Lucas’s Star Wars. But don’t let that small fact confuse you…  Written and directed by Rian Johnson, and staring new and old cast members, The Last Jedi strives, and, for the most part, succeeds, in finding balance between legacy and innovation; not a simple task.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017) ***

A bio-drama, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women tells the story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and the two women in his life. Martson, a Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee -- as the creator of the Wonder Woman character, was also the inventor of the lie-detector prototype, and a writer of self-help books. The film was written and directed by Angela Robinson. It stars Luke Evans as Marston, Rebecca Hall, Olive Byrne, JJ Feild, Oliver Platt, and Connie Britton.

American Made (2017) ****

Life is stranger than fiction; this paraphrase of a Mark Twain’s famous quote may come in mind, when watching American Made. It is a film based on true events, albeit the large creative freedom the filmmakers took in its making. Directed by Doug Liman to a screenplay by Gary Spinelli, American Made tells the story of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who turned a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel during the 1980s. Cutting a deal with the DEA to avoid prolong jail time, Seal ends up an informant.

Far Western (2016, Japan, USA) ****

Who would have guessed that in Japan, especially post-WWII, American country music, including Bluegrass, will have not just fans, but actual talented Japanese players? Yet there it is, as documented in this well-made documentary.
Directed by James Payne, shot by David McMurry, and edited and produced by Matt Leach, Far Western had me tapping my feet to the rhythm of its music, with a smile across my face the entire length of the movie; and I am not even a country music fan!

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) ****

Blade Runner 2049, or BR 2049 for short,  is a 2017 neo-noir sci-fi film, directed by Denis Villeneuve to a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. With a nod to its predecessor, yet forming its own original story, BR 2049 was, for me, as a fan of the 1982 Ridley Scott Blade Runner, a pleasant surprise. Not as dark as the 1982 movie, it is still noir plenty, and maintains a good balance between old and new.