Logan Lucky (2017)

This is kind of a cross between Raising Arizona (silly/dumb) and Ocean's 11 (elaborate/cool) and almost everything worked. Except the daughter, whose dialogue was clearly written by someone who hadn't been around kids in a very long time.

B

Black Panther (2018)

First: it’s just a super hero movie and I have a hard time caring about that. Second: I get the importance of having strong black characters on the screen and I applaud it -- but that doesn’t make up for the subpar special effects, especially during the train track combat.

B

The Florida Project (2017)

The kids in this movie have the kind of freedom that I enjoyed as a child in the '70s: the kind of freedom that I thought didn't exist anymore. I'm not really sure it should exist, but it was kind of nice to see kids being messy and loud and naughty.

Moonee is a six-year-old handful and her mother is young and wild herself. The two live as long-term residents in a cheap motel just outside the Disney compound. Mom is trying to get hired on at a diner within walking distance, but has to hustle any way she can to make sure she and her daughter stay sheltered and fed.

This movie would be way too depressing if we didn't get a balanced look at their lives. This is a real community of people and when I wasn't on the verge of tears, I was often smiling at their familiar squabbles and the way they looked out for each other. Willem Dafoe as the long-suffering manager was just spectacular.

B

Peter Rabbit (2018)

There was a current of nastiness running through the film. Both Peter and McGregor (the homeowner) were brutal to each other. There was an opportunity for an enlightened message here, but instead both parties leapt to all-out war.

So, it was pretty much what the trailers told me it would be -- and I’m not sure how I allowed good reviews to sway me into seeing it. I felt ridiculous being there without a kid in tow, but I wouldn't have been proud of taking a kid to see this, either.

C+

Darkest Hour (2017)

Feels like a real “Oscar Movie”™ -- it's historical, there's a striking physical transformation of an actor, some humor (but not too much), and high stakes. I’m not dogging it, though. It was a solid, entertaining film.

B+

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers (2017)

To this point, I’d have considered myself only a casual fan of the Avett Bros, but this doc definitely upped my appreciation for who they are as people, which will almost always positively impact my opinion of the artist. When I heard them on the radio the next day, my reaction was “Hey! Yay!”

B+

Paddington (2015)

Young Peruvian bear sets off for London when his jungle home is destroyed. Since he's grown up with a preference for all things British (courtesy of an explorer who visited his family years before), it seems like the perfect destination.

This was just as charming as can be. The fact that everyone involved was treating the film with the utmost seriousness and sincerity produced a perfect family film. There's ridiculousness, danger, and adventure galore. It's one of those those “I wish I had grandchildren right now so that I could watch this with them” movies.

B+