Paris Can Wait - 2 smiles

I was disappointed with Eleanor Coppola's romantic travelogue, "Paris Can Wait." This is a light and frilly road trip about a married, middle-aged woman who hops into a car with Jacques (Arnaud Viard), her husband's business partner and embarks on a journey through the French countryside marked by detours to restaurants and museums and a picnic by a stream. What's missing are truly likable characters and and engaging plot. It's unfortunate that the wonderful and captivating Diane Lane is stuck playing an unsympathetic character we like less at the end of the movie than we did at the start. And Jacques comes across as a little creepy, trying to find excuses to touch Anne and giving her the typical come-on. He keeps borrowing her credit card because he has a cash flow problem and he's a chain smoker. Unfortunately for Anne, we don't know much about her other than her daughter is off to college in the fall and she likes to take odd close-up photographs and Lane's facial expressions and sarcastic delivery gets tiring after a while. Coppola does manage to add in two tear-jerker scenes, one for each character, but that's too little too late. I was expecting more from "Paris Can Wait" and I really wanted to like it.

Guardians of the Galaxy - 3 1/2 smiles

I loved everything about Guardians of the Galaxy from it's interesting story, quirky characters, clever dialogue banter, fun soundtrack and, of course, Rocky and Groot. All of these are reasons I like "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." My only complaint is that director James Gunn seems to be stretching out  (even padding) his story, especially the climactic fight between our hero, Star Lord (Chris Pratt) and the bad guy. The movie opens with credits and the Guardians, Peter Quill/Star Lord (Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) taking on a giant space creature in the background while Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) does an impromptu dance in the foreground. Clever and so cute!

Volume 2 is about families as well as Star Lord's encounter with his genetic father, a Celestial called Ego (Kurt Russell), who's actually a planet in human form and may not be as friendly as he seems. There's also an evolving situation between Gamora and her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan). And there's the remorse of Yondu (Michael Rooker) regarding his treatment of his adopted son, Peter. Some of the drama is a little over the top, but at least it shows that the movie is more than just special effects.  The soundtrack once again relies heavily on 70s pop/rock songs with Looking Glass' "Brandy" being the focus. The actors are in fine form. Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana easily re-inhabit their original characters and their chemistry is evident. Bautista is given an opportunity to humanize Drax, but there's not enough of Rocket and Baby Groot. Volume 2 reunites the audience with characters they like and it's a visit that's worth seeing - maybe more than once.

Fate of the Furious - 2 smiles

Although I am a fan of the Fast and Furious series and I am willing to suspend disbelief with most of the fantastical things that happen, "The Fate of the Furious" suffers from a total lack of credible story (going up against a Russian submarine?),  plausible dialogue (it's all pretty dumb) and believable characterization (there isn't any). What it has going for it are returning characters we're familiar with and like and big, splashy special effects. I especially liked the driverless cars careening down New York City streets. Charlize Theron does a solid job as the villain of the piece and there are hints that she'll appear in the next installment. The "Fate of the Furious" is 'turn the brain off' and eat your popcorn. You either go with the flow because you like these movies or don't bother going.

Gifted - 3 1/2 smiles

"Gifted" is a dramatically solid and emotionally true movie, not your usual been-there-seen-that manipulative tear-jerker. Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is the guardian of seven-year old Mary (McKenna Grace), his dead sister's daughter. Mary is a math prodigy, following in her mother's footsteps. Frank decides that Mary, whose pastimes are focused on algebra and calculus, needs to become more rounded socially, so he enrolls her in a public school. Her introduction to the American educational system is rocky, but a helpful teacher (Jenny Slate), impressed by her math prowess, takes an interest in her. Unfortunately, Frank's mother, Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) also decides to take an interest in her granddaughter, wanting Mary's gifts to be nurtured, not marginalized. This sets up a custody hearing in which two competing philosophies about parenting are pitted against each other. The screenplay is smart enough to present a balanced view in the courtroom, illustrating the positives and negatives of both although the audience has already picked a side.

Because the narrative takes on this subject matter, "Gifted" becomes compelling viewing. We are asked to consider the responsibility of parents and society when it comes to the nurturing and upbringing of a gifted child. Are we to allow them to 'just be a kid' or is it incumbent upon us to hone their areas of strength at the cost of other aspects of their lives and personalities? There's no easy answer and "Gifted" doesn't pretend there is - it simply puts a human face on the issue. The second strength of this movie is its emotional core, which, for the most part, doesn't fall into the trap of manipulation and histrionics. Director Marc Webb favors solid drama over melodrama (except in the final 20 minutes when he gets a little too sappy). Chris Evans is solid as Frank, giving a credible performance that we believe he is an Everyman and not his alter ego, Captain America. "Gifted" is worth seeing and emotionally rewarding.

Going in Style - 2 smiles

"Going in Style," a remake of a 1979 film, is an inconsequential piece of fluff that makes good use of its stars, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin. Because director Zach Braff is probably banking more on the likability of its stars rather than the creativity of the script, most audiences will probably see this on home video. The main problem with "Going in Style" is that it takes forever to get going and when it does, there's not much style. Half of the movie is devoted to introducing the characters, establishing their relationships and making sure the audience is aware that these are good guys, not criminals. They have been robbed of their pensions by greedy banks and forgotten by a system that doesn't value the aged. So of course they're going to rob a bank. Once this crime arrives, nearly an hour into the 96-minute running length, things pick up. The segment in which Joe (Caine), Willie (Freeman) and Albert (Arkin) set up their alibis is a bit of cleverness missing from the rest of the movie. "Going in Style" is not aimed at your usual millennial demographic, but if it tickles your fancy and is still playing at a theater near you, it's a fun way to spend an afternoon.