Aquaman - 2 1/2 smiles

The best thing "Aquaman" has going for it is its lead, Jason Momoa, whose charisma is as formidable as his brawn. The problem is it's drowning in special effects - so much so that it interferes with the pleasure of watching Momoa's Aquaman do his thing. Certainly there are positives in director James Wan's extravagant underwater pageant where you can see a gladiatorial showdown sounded by an octopus on drums. But the bright spots can be difficult to relish amid the CGI spectacle and over elaborate screenplay.

There's a war brewing underwater, but David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall's script takes a while to get there. They have to map out Aquaman's beginnings: going back to Atlanna, the banished Atlantis princess (Nicole Kidman), washing up on the rocky Maine shores of a lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison). They fall in love and have a child named Arthur before Atlanna is forced to return to the sea. As an adult, Arthur moonlights as a hero in between happy-hour trips to the bar. But he's reluctantly drawn into a struggle for the throne of the seven seas with his younger brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), who's plotting a battle with 'surface dwellers,' He regards Arthur as a 'half-breed,' not fit for the underwater kingdom. The red-haired princess Mera (Amber Heard), herself a formidable fighter, joins with Arthur on a globe-trotting mission to save Atlantis and prevent war by finding a sacred trident, with occasional, half-hearted gestures of romantic banter along with way. And while Orm's complaints about the land people are legitimate (polluting the oceans), the movie is too timid to explore this idea more than superficially. Instead, we have a royal power struggle that could happen just about anywhere, including Krypton or ancient Greece. Nonetheless, because Wan and Momoa have such a firm grasp of who Aquaman, they ultimately steer the film toward sincerity. In relation to recent DC films, "Aquaman" falls somewhere between the dark and dreary Superman and the more enjoyable Wonder Woman. But it's a step in the right direction.

Bohemian Rhapsody - 3 smiles

If you're a Queen fan and know a lot about about Freddie Mercury and the band, then you might not enjoy the biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody.' However, you will enjoy the music and Rami Malek is magnetic as Mercury. He makes you believe that he really is singing. (He's not. The voice is all Freddie.) The story is more than adequate, a rags-to-riches tale of Freddie (ne Farrokh Bulsara), working as a Heathrow baggage handler, experiencing prejudice when the locals call him 'Paki.'  When the band he is following loses its lead singer, Freddie seizes the mic and the rest is history. Like most biopics, its events are telescoped and many of the supporting characters are two-dimensional. And for obvious commercial reasons, the film downplays the amount of gay sex that Mercury had in his later years. (He would die of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.) But Freddie's neediness and insecurities come through vividly. He never wanted to be alone.

The other members of Queen, Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and John Deacon (Joe Mazzello), don't get a lot of time to establish themselves, but they're a visual match to their counterparts. Among the irresistible scenes is the one in which they record Bohemian Rhapsody: the band bewildered at having to screech, 'Galileo, Galileo' in ever higher registers, while the audience, with 20/20 hindsight, marvels at their willingness to go long with the foolishness. And the last sequence, their performance at Live Aide in 1985 is spectacular: Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, Ay-Oh, Hammer to Fall and We Are the Champions. ""Bohemian Rhapsody" might avoid any complexity of character or social issues, but Rami Malek's performance as Freddie Mercury will certainly rock you.

Can You Ever Forgive Me - 3 smiles

"Can You Ever Forgive Me," is Melissa McCarthy's best performance of her career. Today, Lee Israel is known more for her audacious spree of forgeries than for being an author of biographies. Broke and unable to get her editor (Jane Curtain) to take her calls, Lee (McCarthy) stumbles onto a theme that provides her with a steady income. By forging letters supposedly written by the likes of Noel Coward and Dorothy Parker, she is able to attract the interest of collectors, and, in some instances, make as much as $400 for a few hours' work. Later, when authenticity becomes an issue, she resorts to stealing actual letters from libraries and archives (and replacing them with her forgeries so they won't be missed).

The screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, is full of cynical wit and dark comedy. McCarthy plays it straight, allowing her talent as an actress (often hidden under the awful comedies that pay the big bucks) to shine through. She develops Lee into a three-dimensional individual, brittle and misanthropic but also vulnerable and sympathetic. More than half of the movie features dialogue between Lee and Jack (a charming Richard E. Grant), who is a perfect foil for the bitter, inward-focused author. The two delight in throwing zingers at one another until circumstances become serious and the friendship sours. "Can You Ever Forgive Me" is one of the better independent movies released this year. If you can't catch it in a theater, be sure to see it on Netflix or cable.

Ralph Breaks the Internet - 3 smiles

"Ralph Breaks the Internet" is breezy and fun although the story is its weakest part. Six years after the end of Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) still find themselves comfortably ensconced in their game consoles at Litwak's arcade - Ralph as the villain in Fix-It Felix and Vanellope at the star racer in Sugar Rush. For Ralph, this is the perfect life; he enjoys reputation and predictability. This sameness is grating on Vanellope, however. Like all Disney Princesses, she craves adventure in the great wide somewhere. When Sugar Rush is damaged and Mr. Litwak can't get a replacement part at a reasonable price, he decides to sell the console for scrap, making Vanellope and dozens of other avatars 'nameless.' To forestall this, Ralph and Vanellope make a dangerous, trek into the 'Internet,' using a newly attached port called 'Wifi.' Their journey includes a visit to a search bar (where the all-knowing bartender attempts to guess Ralph's requests before he finishes speaking them), a stop at an online racing game, an excursion into the seedy bowels of the Dark Eeb and a vacation at a website that specializes in all things Disney (and Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars). Ralph and Vanellope find the part they need on eBay, but, in order to pay for it, they need money. So Ralph makes a series of videos that go viral. The more she sees of the Internet, however, the less satisfied Vanellope becomes about the though of going home.

The central themes of the movie are animated staples: learning about the real meaning of friendship and how it requires sacrifice. While this is derivative, remember, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is more about style and bling than substance. And there is imagination, just not in story or message. The way the Internet is structured and presented, like a huge city where every website is a building and each user is represented by a digital embodiment of himself, is creative. In an unusual move for a Disney film, there us no true villain. Although there is threat, it results not from an external antagonist, but from Ralph's insecurities, which, in turn, facilitates an action-packed climax.

The movie introduces new characters, most notably the tough car racer Shank (Gal Gadot) and the entity of Yesss (Taraji P. Henson), who promises viral content across a variety of social media platforms. The most fun take place inside the virtual Disneyland. Within this website can be found all the Disney properties and many are accorded cameos. Marvel is represented by Iron Man, Groot and Stan 'the Man' Lee. Pixar's ambassadors are Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald). Star Wars provides stormtroopers and a frazzled C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). But the most entertaining are the Disney princesses - a variety of plucky damsels culled from decades of animated films, many of whom are voiced by the actresses who spoke for them in their original outings. They provide Vanellope with 'princess advice.' "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is a visual tribute to old-time video games, the Internet and Disney. The animation is bright, busy and eye-catching and it's certainly a holiday treat and worth seeing.

The Favourite - 2 smiles

Director Yorgos Lanthimos' opulent costume drama, "The Favorite," is a bizarre historical farce. It revolves around the rumors about 18th century Queen Anne, the last of the Stuart monarchs, who reportedly indulged in lesbian liaisons with two of her closest sycophants. After losing 17 children, portly, petulant Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is no longer interested in ruling England, which is waging war with France. Instead, she'd rather eat sweets, play with her pet rabbits and dawdle with pretty young ladies. Her closest friend, the scheming Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), makes all of the queen's important political decisions with Prime Minister Godolphin (James Smith), until suddenly Sarah's cherubic, yet shrewdly conniving cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) shows up at Kensington Palace, having fallen on hard times. Playing complicated court games, ambitious Abigail learns to make herself indispensable to the volatile, yet vulnerable Queen, as a power-shift occurs.

Lanthimos, an experimental filmmaker, seems to enjoy coy amorality and the occasionally odd intended-to-be-funny scenes (Abigail falling in the mud and dancing that turns spastically funky). And the ladies outdo themselves with naughty, often vulgar, behavior. Nonetheless, the performances are top-notch, especially that of the alternately sinister and chummy Weisz. However, the main fault of the script and direction is that we really don't care what happens to any of these women. And the ultimate black mark? He's not going to end it right there, is he? IS HE? He is. And the reason to see "The Favorite" is not for the ending that really isn't an ending.

A Star is Born - 4 smiles

"A Star is Born" has everything: an underdog-makes-good journey, a swept-off-your-feet romantic fantasy, a wrenching substance abuse drama, an industry cautionary tale. To top that off, there's the palpable chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. And then, there's the music. (I love, love, love Shallow.) The first production of A Star is Born came in 1937 and starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. Gaynor played an actress plucked from obscurity by the star Norman Maine before she surpasses him in stature. In 1954, the same roles were played by Judy Garland and James Mason, except this was a musical. The 1976 remake, with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, turned the franchise into a romantic rock drama. Kristofferson plays a self-destructive rock star and Streisand a younger singer named Esther. A key plot point is his drunken appearance during Esther's Grammy acceptance speech, humiliating them both. This is repeated in the latest "A Star is Born." It is the first movie directed by Bradley Cooper, who also stars as Jackson Maine. Lady Gaga, amazing in her first acting role, is Ally. In search of booze, Maine wanders into a drag club where he sees Ally sing "La Vie En Rose" and he's entranced. They spend the night talking and he soon pulls her onstage to sing with him. As her star rises, his substance abuse pulls him lower and lower.

We know where the story is going, but in between, Cooper infuses his fresh take with a cast of characters that draws you further into Jackson and Ally's orbit of dreamers and heartbreak. This is a love story that crackles with electricity backed by songs that pulsate with emotional intensity. There's Ally's father (Andrew Dice Clay), a limo driver who long harbored his own dreams of stardom. As Jackson's friend Noodles, Dave Chappelle plays a family man who shows Jackson the value of taking the road less travelled. Then we get Sam Elliott, as Jackson's brother Bobby. He's only in the film for a handful of scenes, but in those moments we see a man who has sacrificed his own spot in music history to babysit his drug-addled brother. And Gaga is a wonder. She sheds her pop star persona to give us an Ally who has given up on her dreams when we first meet her. As she becomes more successful and falls deeper in love with Jackson, we want so desperately for her to have the happily every after that's eluded so many of the other characters we encounter. Ally is a character we can believe in and her performance is certain to earn her some awards by year's end. Likewise, Cooper, who has elevated his acting game before, completely transforms himself, slipping into the role of Jackson with grit and heart. The tragic punch of the ending will leave you breathless as the credits role.

Widows - 4 smiles

"Widows," directed by Steve McQueen with an all-star cast, isn't just a heist movie and that's what makes it so good. The move opens with Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson), a career thief, and his crew running afoul of their latest job. But the movie isn't about Harry and his three compatriots. It's about the four women they leave behind. Played by Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Carrie Coon, this is a conventional heist film buried under layers of intricate plot twists and social commentary. Three of the four widows, Harry's wife, Veronica (Davis), Linda (Rodriguez) and Alice (Debicki), are left financially strapped once bereft of their husbands' ill-gotten incomes. For Veronica, it's worse. Harry's latest victim, gangster-turned-politician Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), expects Veronica to provide $2 million in restitution or he'll let loose his sociopath brother, Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya), to extract payment in flesh. She has Harry's notebook, however, with the plans for his next job so she recruits those left behind to help her pull it off. The all-female crime team adds a fourth member, Belle (Cynthia Erivo), as their driver.

Each woman has a focus. In addition to facing a threat to her life, Veronica must deal with unsavory revelations about her husband. She's a serious person who rarely cracks a smile and, despite her seemingly confident air, she knows she's in over her head. Meanwhile, Linda must cope with caring for two young children after her shop is sold out from under her to pay for her late husband's gambling debts. And Alice dabbles in high end prostitution (as a 'sugar baby') to make a living. All of this plays out against the backdrop of a Chicago alderman's race that pits Jamal against Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell), the son of longtime powerbroker, Tom (Robert Duvall). These two engage in the dirtiest of politics, manipulating people for personal gain.

The acting is strong across the board. At the top is Viola Davis, who has never given a bad performance and may again garner Oscar attention for infusing Veronica with determination in the face of seemingly crushing circumstances. Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki, although in supporting roles, are given moments to shine. Colin Farrell uses his natural charm and good looks to hide a morally bankrupt character. Veterans Robert Duval and Liam Neeson leave strong impressions in limited roles and Daniel Kaluuya demonstrates his range, playing a really scary guy. "Widows" delivers: it's satisfying and offers more than one normally expects from a seemingly simple premise of a heist.

Green Book - 4 smiles

"Green Book," a lighthearted drama about a road trip by two men, one black, one white, has an unflinchingly optimistic tone (not a bad thing in today's divisive political climate). The movie, set in 1962, is based on the true story of two New Yorkers. Tony Lip (viggo Mortensen) is a jovial bouncer at the old Copacabana, where he's famed for his ability to squash fights. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a black pianist, new Lip's reputation and asked him to leave his wife (Linda Cardellini) and kids behind to be his driver on a two-month-long tour of the Deep South. Lip is fine behind the wheel, but what's more useful to his passenger is his talent for ending conflicts with his fists. Even for an accomplished entertainer, cities such as Birmingham, AL and Macon, GA, were perilous during the Jim crow era of the early 60s. The book in this title is The Negro Motorist Green-Book, which helped black travelers find hospitable accommodations. The forced closeness between Lip and Shirley results in changed perspectives and a developing respect.

To be sure, Shirley was unusual for his time. It was rare for a black man to live in a palatial apartment above Carnegie Hall. His friends called him 'Dr. Shirley because he had received two honorary degrees. And the excellent Ali plays Shirley with a stiff spine and courteous chill. Not so posh was Lip, a gregarious, funny Italian-American from The Bronx who scraped by to feed his family. The screenplay, written by Lip's son, Nick Vallelonga, with Brian Hayes Currie and director Peter Farrelly, doesn't shy away from Lip's lack of book smarts or his casual racism. Mortensen is almost unrecognizable in the role. To become the physically imposing Lip, a big eater, the normally slim actor acquired some middle girth and a solid Bronx accent. Both characters endure everyday moments of aggression and oppression. Although "Green Book" might be accused of being too sentimental (and not harsh enough), the chemistry between Mortensen and Ali takes the movie to the next level. This is one movie not to be missed.

Off line for a while

I apologize. Had trouble logging in to this account and Google doesn't make it easy. Finally figured out what the problem was. So, I can continue to post some movie blogs. And I will try to catch up.