First Man

Opening minutes of this biopic of Neil Armstrong are exhilarating. One of the best action sequences of the year. A lot of this reminded me of The Right Stuff, to the point where it almost feels like a sequel. The filmmaking and technique here is perfect, but efforts to pepper in an emotional quest for Armstrong to find some kind of closure for himself and his deceased daughter feel forced. The finale was in IMAX and beautiful to behold, so again the whole thing is technically awesome, despite misbegotten, character-driven internal strife.

Bad Times at the El Royale

Nifty thriller from the sci-fi TV whiz and Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard. All the performances are excellent and the Agatha Christie/Alfred Hitchcock plot is full of genuine surprises. It’s one of those “What the Hell is going on?” kind of movies in which one of the twists is what genre the movie will eventually be (like genre hybrids Buffy, Lost, etc.). While everyone in the cast is in top form, one actor stands out: Cynthia Erivo, who I’ve never seen before, and is the glue that keeps the whole labyrinthian mystery grounded and engaging. Many times in the “what the Hell is going on?” sub-genre the resolution can be cheap or lame. “It was all a dream” or whatever. That’s not the case here. The finale is dark and fantastic and totally thrilling.

The Predator

This feels like it was edited with a crowbar. Lengthy sequences seem to be missing and the result is a disorienting hodge-podge. Shane Black’s chippy dialogue, blue humor, and cartoony action is fun. But as a whole story? It’s a mess.

A Star is Born

Too much Bradley Cooper. Not enough Gaga. This is a pretty ham-fisted musical, attempting to update the dusty “aging star discovering a new star” trope by adding drag queens and pop music. I think that Bradley Cooper has been in one to many Clint Eastwood movies and has adapted his sentimental, melodramatic style. It feels like it’s trying too hard, and it didn’t really resonate for me.