Wind River (2017)

This film is upsetting, disturbing and depressing. But it nevertheless manages to pack a powerful punch.
Cory (Jeremy Renner) works for the Fish and Wildlife Committee and while he is on the job at the Native American Reservation, he finds a dead body. It is Natalie Hansen, his deceased daughter's best friend. She was raped and then ran in the frigid temperatures for six miles. It might be cold here, currently, but there it is always cold.
The FBI is called in and rookie agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is on the job and she is inexperienced and not dressed for the weather. At first, there are few leads and it isn't until a second body is found, the body of a white man who worked at the drilling site near-by. Turns out that guy was Natalie's much older boyfriend and things get interesting and deadly very quickly.
Turns out Natalie goes to visit her boyfriend and his roommates show up, drunk and horny. She is raped and runs away and Matt (Jon Bernthal), the boyfriend, is beaten up to the point of death to defend her. And then once the FBI and tribal police show up, a shoot up begins and in the end, everyone ends up dead, except for Jane and Cory. Cory lets the guy who raped Natalie out in the cold without shoes so he can die in the exact same way as her as he just watches. Now, while that guy is a complete creep, he should have slowly rotted in prison as I took no pleasure in watching him die either.
Now, death is close to Cory as his own daughter died a few years earlier under somewhat murky circumstances. So perhaps he takes some comfort in watching that jerk pass away.
The punch comes as the film dwindles away. There are no statistics for how many Native American women are missing. They are the only demographic where statistics do not exist. It doesn't list a reason and it doesn't matter, that needs to change and it needs to change now.
Though this was a good, chilling film, it wasn't what I expected. I believed that this is where Native Americans were being killed for the land rights and that was not the case. Instead, men are just being awful human beings, which is unacceptable. It doesn't matter how cold, lonely and drunk you are, your behavior is wrong and disrespectful.
The film is well acted and well written and gives the most underused minority in Hollywood a few good roles, namely for Graham Greene as the tribal police chief. It is a shame that this plot doesn't add up to something more life altering and more respectful for the Native American culture. Grade: B

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season One: Recap and Reaction

This show covers a lot of ground in just eight episodes.
Miriam 'Midge' Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is a Jewish housewife in New York City, 1958. Her life is playdates, make up and taking notes during her husband's (Michael Zegen's) attempt at stand-up comedy after working all day as a nameless executive in a nameless business doing tasks he doesn't understand or enjoy.
Joel (the husband) isn't funny and can't turn an everyday situation into something funny plus he uses recycled jokes. And then he leaves. He thinks that he could actually make a living from comedy while Midge believes that that is ridiculous. So Midge gets drunk and returns to the club and snatches the microphone and is sensational.
Her success is a long-time coming. She bombs a few times and then regains her footing at some parties. She gets a job as a make-up girl so she can leave her parents' apartment. She gets arrested twice and then when she finally starts her return, she blackballs an established comedienne, perhaps rightly so.
All this time, Joel is suffering without her. Sure, he moved in with his mistress, but that doesn't last and is reluctant to consider divorce.
By the final episode, Joel is finally doing better with his job and he and Midge reconnect. Despite all the crap he put her through, she still has feelings for him and he certainly never stopped loving her, not even removing his wedding ring.
But that probably won't happen as his former mistress confronts Midge at work, devastated that Midge would have the audacity to sleep with her husband which Midge weaves into her act that night and it is a success. Joel just watches, knowing that she will be good and he is just a loser who gave up the chance at something wonderful with Midge.
The supporting cast is also excellent with Alex Borstein as the person is discovers and hones Midge's talent and sees her through the highs and lows. They will be forever good friends. There are also Midge's parents, Abe and Rose (Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle) who each have interesting personalities. Jane Lynch shines in a guest role.
The music is great and scenery realistic and there is rarely a false note in this show, with all sorts of characters who you can see existing and the acting is excellent. This is a must-watch. Grade: A-

Logan Lucky (2017)

This was a different sort of film for me, but it was interesting nevertheless.
Here you have a bunch of characters who are smarter than society believes them to be.
Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is divorced, with a bad knee who is fired from his construction job as that knee is a preexisting condition which is an insurance liability. Then there is his brother, Clyde (Adam Driver) who is a veteran (just as he is in real life apparently) who has just one real hand. Jimmy gets the idea to rob this racing event to get some quick cash so he can spend more time with his daughter, a wannabe beauty queen.
This film is about how they pull off the impossible, with the help of the criminal Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) who is incarcerated. It is an interesting film filled with interesting characters including Mellie (Riley Keough), the Logan sister who has very long nails and a knowledge for cars. Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes), Jimmy's ex wife and her new husband Moody (David Denman), a car salesman. We also have Joe's dimwitted brothers who claim to be religious but take little persuasion to help with the the heist and Katherine Waterston's nurse Sylvia who you just know Jimmy will end up by the end of the film, which does happen. Along with the heist which is investigated by the FBI which includes Hilary Swank in another interesting, albeit small role.
The plot is intriguing and the acting good so this film passes by without any problems or major, noticeable flaws. While it won't win any Oscars or any major awards, it is nevertheless a very good film. Grade: B+

Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

Warning, spoilers ahead!
This was an excellent film with one flaw. Though this is the eighth Star Wars film, only in this one (to be fair, I haven't seen episodes one through three) can Jedis will themselves between planets. Here, we have Rey (the outstanding Daisy Ridley) interacting with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) while she is on the secluded island trying to convince Luke (Mark Hamill) to teach her the ways of the jedi and he is struggling with his inner demons on a spaceship lightyears away.
That being said, this film has everything, tons of action, great acting and surprises along the way plus it has cute alien animals and humor tucked in in just the right places. And plenty of plot.
We also have a love pentagon and the death of a beloved character.
There is Rey who finally gets Luke to begin to teach her the ways of the jedi, despite the last time Luke did just that, Ben turned over to the dark side. We have Leia (the late, great Carrie Fisher) dealing with a ship running out of fuel and the Republic is after it with a vengeance. She almost dies as the ship is nearly blasted away and the reigns are given over to Officer Holdo (Laura Dern) who continues to take the ship on its course, despite the extreme lack of fuel, to Poe Dameron's (Oscar Isaac's) dismay. Then there is Finn (John Boyega) who wants to go get Rey, but is caught by Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) who is a low level maintenance worker and she is livid. They band together and along with Poe form a secretive mission to disable a tracking devise on the enemy's ship which allows that ship to track them in lightspeed which has not been previously possible.
They have a detour to a planet which is just one large, giant casino and pick up this rouge decoder (Benicio Del Toro) who has a slight lisp who doesn't have a side in the fight. Who will betray them, going where the money is.
And just when you think Laura Dern is also foolish and on the side of the Empire, you learn the reason why she did what she did. She was letting them continue so they could board the escape pods and head out to a planet which was armed and there call for reinforcements. Eventually, she ends up sacrificing herself so the others can be saved.
And just when you think Kylo Ren might have some true goodness in him and think that he's falling for Rey as he does kill Snoke (Andy Serkis), he wants her to join forces with him but she just can't do it. Which is probably a good thing because as strong as she is, she is not strong enough to completely turn Kylo around. And then Kylo stays on the dark side, firmer than ever and more evil than ever.
He has already killed his father and now kills his uncle, though not in the way he expects. Luke does die but is at peace with his decision. Finn wants to be the hero and destroy the cannon, but Rose doesn't let him. She has the best line of the film, "Saving what you love is what makes us good." Which is so true. She briefly kisses Finn before falling into a coma, and remains there at the end of the film so you don't know who is going to end up with who which only adds to the excitement.
This film might be long but it is a thrill ride from the beginning though it ends on a bleak note. I can't wait for episode nine. Grade: B+

The Middle: A Christmas Miracle

Christmas time has come and it is the season for miracles. And one did happen and I know I'm alone but I can't say that I'm thrilled.
Upset that none of her children are excited about Christmas, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) decides to have an adult Christmas, with mixed drinks and a Yankee gift swap. It will just be them and the Donohues, so good times will be had by all.
However, Axl (Charlie McDermott) has decided that he will not be going to church this year despite that beyond Sue's (Eden Sher's) comprehension. Frankie's attempts are not much better as she doesn't have any good, deep reasons why she goes to church.
And Mike (Neil Flynn) bought a blow up snowman as the sales girl at Lowe's was cute. However, he doesn't get a chance to enjoy it as the Glossners keep destroying it which infuriates Mike beyond all belief. That is not the miracle this episode offers. Despite his and Ron's (Sean O'Bryan's) attempt to persuade the teenager to be a better man, those pleas fall on deaf ears.
The miracle this episode offers is that Sue is forced to offer up her trashcan snow globe as a present because she left her real one at her apartment and just as Sean (Beau Wirick) is about to open it, he leaves. His grades are in and they are only lackluster. He is in the middle of the road, a place that he is not used to. Sue, on the other hand, thrives in the middle of the road. And her words provide him with comfort. Their hug lingers and turns into a kiss. Which is how the episode ends.
By this time, Frankie admits to Axl the real reason she goes to church is that she is grateful that someone is watching her back and is part of something bigger than herself and another miracle happens. Axl decides to go to church. In jeans, but Frankie knows that she need to pick her battles.
And Brick (Atticus Shaffer) who finally managed to meticulously wrap his present, is upset that no one picks his present and then just wants to keep his masterpiece on the shelf in his bedroom and then his cell phone rings. That's right. He wrapped his cell phone along with his present.
While I love the holidays with the Hecks, I'm not thrilled that Sue and Sean are together. I know I'm the only one, but she already dated one of Axl's friends so the show has already been there done that. And Axl is dating Sue's roommate, so this is just awkward. Besides, isn't Sue still with that delivery guy? Oh well, The Middle hasn't let me down yet so I'm sure that it will handle this coupledom with grace and ease and allow things to process naturally. And ultimately, if Sue's happy, then so am I. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Cindy (Casey Burke) wants Brick to be able to do a full push up by the end of the year. What a goal.
-There is a reason why Brick shouldn't use scissors. Things did indeed get interesting.
-Frankie eats a whole gingerbread kit without ever making into a house. What a shame.
-Brick believes that he will never be at prom.
-Mike's all in one tool might not be Christmasy but it is red.
-The Glossner teenager is still in diapers, which is such a shame.
-Mrs. Donohue (Jen Ray) is taking back dessert and has filled hers with gluten, sugar, dairy and nuts. -Sue is right, pretty much everything related to babies is a miracle.
-How did Sue know that Sean called her a very special snowflake?

Coco (2017)

This was a delightful film with twists and turns and still managed to surprise me.
Miguel is a little boy growing up in Mexico, where his whole family makes shoes. However, his heart lies elsewhere. Despite music being banned in the family after his great-great grandfather left to pursue his musical dream, that is nevertheless what Miguel wants to do with his life, which doesn't go over well with his family.
Desperate to pursue his dreams, Miguel steals a guitar from the man whom he believes to be his great-great grandfather, Ernesto De La Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) who left the family so he can win a musical contest which leads to a trip to the afterworld where the dead go to live. It is an interesting take, where the skeletons live and can only return to the earth if a loved one has placed their picture out to remember them. And once everyone on Earth has completely forgotten you, you turn to dust.
Here Miguel strikes a deal with a bum, Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) so he can find Ernesto and get Ernesto's blessing so he can return to the real world.
Of course, he meets his other dead relatives along the way but they don't want him to pursue music. But when he finds the superstar, things aren't what he completely expected, considering the most beloved Mexican musician Ernesto is actually a giant fraud. He murdered his partner, who turns out to be Hector, just so he could steal all of Hector's songs and become famous without him. Which is precisely what happened.
That twist managed to surprise me, which doesn't happen too often. But things manage to all work out. Miguel receives his blessing from his ancestors and returns to the actual world and wakes his great-grandmother's memories of her father (Hector) so Hector won't be forgotten and reintroduces music into the family.
The animation is fantastic, as it always is with Pixar, which good voice acting and a good story, something that hasn't been done before which is always a relief. Grade: B+

On the Waterfront (1954)

This film remains relevant more than sixty years after it was released in theaters.
Terry Malloy (the excellent Marlon Brando) is a former fighter who has always lived on the waterfront. The waterfront is ruled by the nasty Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) so of course corruption and money laundering occur along with murdering those who darn to speak their own minds.
The film begins with Terry unknowingly sending a man to his death and though he does feel guilty and upset about the whole thing, he won't testify in court because he values his own skin more than the truth.
That doesn't stop him from falling in love with the dead man's sister, Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint, brilliant in her debut) and eventually, through the help and influence of Edie, who is the strongest character in the film, and Father Barry (Karl Malden), and the tragic murder of his own brother, Friendly's right hand man Charley (Rod Steiger), he chances his tune and testifies in court and is brutally beaten as a result.
While Edie is a strong character, Terry becomes no slouch. He doesn't give in and after testifying, goes back to the waterfront for work, as that is his right. As Father Barry says, he does have a chance to win the war and that is all we can hope for, that right wins out in the end.
This could easily be applied to the women who finally came out and admitted that powerful men were actually sexual predators, though there are definitely parts of this film that are horribly dated, but that doesn't make it any less important.
However, despite the strong story, this film is also anchored but its solid performances and brilliant score. Both Brando and Saint won Oscars for their performances and fully deserved to. This film remains one of the best of all time and should be seen and enjoyed by all. Grade: A