Dull, boring and toothless, Leigh Whannell's disappointing take on Universal's WOLF MAN is quite a fall from his thrilling recent version of "The Invisible Man". If the studio's intent is to revive their Classic Monsters for a new generation, it's a shame these adaptions are often so dead on arrival. Oh the angst! This is a horror movie for people who love marital drama, depressed guys with Daddy issues and enough family drama for a Kramer Vs Kramer sequel. Christopher Abbott (following up his role in "Kraven the Hunter") is very good as Blake, our depressed dude who's domineering father has made him an explosive and over protective Dad to daughter Ginger (a bland Matilda Firth). He's at odds with his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and they decide the best thing is a visit deep into the woods to clear everything out of Blake's father's house. Deep in the dark, scary, off-the-grid woods. Hmmm... Two of the best things in the film are the daytime photography of the Oregon setting and yet another great music score by Benjamin Wallfisch (Twisters, The Flash, Alien: Romulus). He's quickly becoming my new Jerry Goldsmith, turning out old fashioned, big orchestra scores that stand comfortably next to the all time greats. It's an impressive body of work. But poor Goldsmith scored some stinkers too. They barely arrive when a human like wolf thingy forces them to drive off the road. Blake gets scratched (as you've seen from the trailer) and he soon starts showing some serious side effects. But let's go back to that crash. Blake and the family are driving in a moving truck. I watched the scene twice and while parts of it are well staged, the gravity of the event is confusing. What the hell is keeping that truck in the trees? Why...oh who cares. When you think about some of the great werewolf scenes of our time, they share a sense of shock. The transformation scene in "An American Werewolf in London" killed it because David Naughton's college student David was terrified at what was happening to him in front of our eyes. Eyes widening and reshaping, leg bones popping and transforming, ears pulling up into canine form. It's a classic. Not here. Like the entire last hour of the film, Blake's change into a creature is slow. Damn slow. Underwhelming. Meh. And even when fully formed as this 2025 version of a Wolfman, not scary. I've seen more carefully realized monster concepts at a touring carnival. Whannell has talent, he's made some fun films. "Upgrade" was a blast. "The Invisible Man" was clever and suspenseful. This feels like a whiny expose on toxic masculinity masquerading as a horror film. It's one of the worst Blumhouse films I've ever seen. And that studio is reliable, turning out more consistent horror flicks that anyone, a modern day Hammer. Julia Garner seems ill cast. Abbott blows her off the screen in or out of the shoddy makeup. There are some good body horror moments that foreshadow Blake's impending change, but scares are nearly non-existent. My favorite scenes were Whannell's take on the way Blake sees the world inside his wolf creature. It's not original, it's a callback to the far superior 1981 Werewolf film "Wolfen"starring Albert Finney and Gregory Hines. That film's director, Michael Wadleigh, shot the view of the wolves through primitive early digital effects. Whannell gives that a 2025 spin and the visuals and audio perspective are the only thrills in the movie. Forget this Afterschool Special of family drama wrapped in fur, check out the under-appreciated 2010 remake "The Wolfman" with Benecio Del Toro. It's excellent. The polar opposite of this dog that barks all the way to a D.

When you realize that this is the film that Writer/Director Francis Ford Coppola made BETWEEN THE GODFATHER and GODFATHER PART II, its pretty astonishing. At the top of his powers here in 1974's THE CONVERSATION, Coppola creates a simple story with many threads. Gene Hackman gives one of his best performances as Henry Caul, the best man for the job when you want to listen in on private matters. Haunted by the ripple effects of a past job, Hackman is drawn too deep into his current assignment listening to a couple in San Francisco's Union Square at lunchtime. Are they a cheating couple, a business deal gone bad? The less you know the better, so you can be pulled in just as Henry is, and just as I was watching this 70's classic for the first time. Look for a very young Harrison Ford in a key role (two years after his film debut in the Coppola penned "American Graffiti") and Godfather alums John Cazale and Robert Duvall in strong supporting performances. This conversation gets an A.

This was one of my faves when I was a kid. Took all my friends for my 12th birthday to Thomas Mall to see it! I have to say its pretty hard to watch now, at least until the tidal wave hits. The acting is horrible and I've heard better dialogue on Scooby Doo.....BUT, once the ship flips, there are some great pre-CGI action sequences as each of the wooden characters meets their demise except for the lucky 6. Shelly Winters, Gene Hackman and Roddy McDowell at least seem to be acting! Ernest Borgnine shouts virtually every line of dialogue, beating you senseless with his abrasive dialogue, hell, he's even yelling on the poster. Speaking of the poster, the original artwork by Mort Kunstler is fantastic. I so miss these true works of art that used to grace many posters back in the day. Back in 1972, this got an A+, now let's give it a C. (fun to see the pre-Frank Drebin/Leslie Nielsen here as the ship's captain!)

1971's THE FRENCH CONNECTION is a terrific thriller based on a true story. New York City detectives Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo (in great performances by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider) start following a low level thief that leads them to one of the biggest narcotic busts in history. Even though the majority of the film is us watching Hackman watch the criminals, director William Friedkin (The Exorcist) builds great suspense and takes us along for the ride. Hackman's now classic car chase in pursuit of a sniper on an elevated subway car is a thriller. Knowing that Friedkin filmed it "guerilla style" with no film permits and using mostly handheld cameras makes it all the more exciting today. Winner of 5 Academy Awards including BEST Picture, BEST Director for Friedkin and BEST Actor for Hackman, The French Connection is a timeless A+ and screams its way to my Top 100 of all time.

The only other history-based film I can remember that wound me up as tightly as the brilliant new SEPTEMBER 5, is Paul Greengrass's "United 93". Sharing that film's roots as a retelling of a major terrorist event, Tim Fehlbaum's film unveils the Black September attack on the 1972 Munich Olympics. Deftly weaving real footage of Jim McKay's legendary, on-the-fly commentary of that day's events with a great cast playing everyone else in the control room, the film grabs you immediately and then proceeds to tighten its grip for 90 minutes. I remember the events at the time (as a pre-teen) but did not recall how the story ended, creating even greater suspense in the film's final 30 minutes. Fehlbaum's Oscar nominated script pulls you quickly into the daily vibe and feel of broadcasting the Olympics and the politics of the time, just three decades past the events of Nazi Germany. Munich was taking its first step back onto the world stage by hosting the games. Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman, Black Mass) is excellent as famed ABC producer Roone Arlidge. John Magaro (Past Lives) matches him as Geoffrey Mason, thrown into the manage the main broadcast desk for the first time, just before the first shots are fired. Ben Chaplin (The Legend of Tarzan) is powerful as Marvin Bader, caught in the middle as his sports broadcasting team is thrust into a global political battle, outside their everyday realm. Georgine Rich also stands out as a German interpreter who becomes a key piece of the ABC team. The recreation of the time is impressive. The Olympic games are moving well, with Mark Spitz dominating for the Americans in the pool and plenty of feel good stories. Gunfire explodes in the Olympic village as the terrorists burst into the rooms of the Israeli team, killing one and holding the rest hostage. All of the live video footage of the terrorists and the studio presentation and interviews is the original footage as broadcast by ABC during the crisis, taken directly from the network's archives. Fehlbaum wraps all that actual footage with powerful moments that leap outside the studio. Helicopters vital to the event thunder just over the newsroom and they run outside to see them flying overhead. There's a moment when they realize that their rooftop provides a perfect view of the Israeli compound. Kudos to the great Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) who nails his role as Peter Jennings. He nails that voice we all know and makes your heart pound when you hear the actual voice archives of Jennings positioned less than 150 yards away from the terrorists in an adjoining building. The film gives off serious vibes of Spielberg's brilliant film "Munich", which serves as a superb sequel to this film. I HAVE to watch these two back-to-back sometime, that would be amazing. I also saw a direct tie to John Frankenheimer's film "Black Sunday", which savvy movie buffs may see as well when the film focuses on the leader of the terrorist group. Email me if you see it, too! This is a great film and will be hard to top as one of the best thrillers of 2025. Lorenz Dangel's music score is excellent. Always sitting just beneath the surface of the visuals, it compliments the action without overpowering it. Taut, thrilling and emotionally powerful, SEPTEMBER 5 gets an A+.

After a slow start, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis's second to last film together, 1955's ARTISTS AND MODELS delivers big laughs, plenty of songs and slapstick galore. It's also Shirley MacLaine's second film after her debut in Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry" and serves up plenty of singing and dancing opportunities for her to show off her young talent. She's terrific and later shared that it was a thrill to co-star with the biggest box office comedy duo of her time. Only 20 when they filmed, she said that she grew up watching them on screen and couldn't believe she was acting with them, even though she could see the obvious rips in their partnership. The boys made 28 (twenty eight!!!) films together and by this, their 27th, they knew each other's strengths and could knock these out blindfolded. It's a testament to them that the second half features some of their all-time classic bits. Deano stars as artist Rick Todd, who is frustrated searching for success, so he turns to his wacky roommate Eugene (Lewis) whose crazy, loud, nightly dreams tell tales of rocket ships, alien invaders and the Bat Lady, star of his favorite comic books. Lewis is way over the top here and his Eugene treads a crazy line between village idiot and charming buffoon. Upstairs neighbor Abby (Dorothy Malone) is a famous comic book artist and her roommate/Bat Lady model Bessie Sparrowbush (MacLaine) are falling for Rick and Eugene. Any movie with a female lead named Bessie Sparrowbush commands attention. The plot is just plain goofy, but serves up plenty of entertaining opportunities. I laughed out loud as the 1955 comedy served up Lewis on a TV news panel show testifying how "comics made me a little retarded.". I had to rewind it to make sure he actually dropped that one liner. In all fairness, when Eugene is walking around with his face buried in a comic book and appears to be pushing 30, it's up for discussion. Once the plot gets out of the way, or at least devolves to the point where the secret service is chasing the guys because Eugene's dreams are coming true, the film settles into some great comic bits. Eugene's visit to a Swedish massage parlor is a masterclass in physical comedy and Jerry nails every laugh. Soon, Martin and three women are entangled on the table. Another classic dance bit shows off MacLaine's hoofing skills and Lewis's mastery of physical comedy as she seduces him in an outside stairway. Eva Gabor is sexy and hilarious as a spy on the trail of Eugene and watch for the classic Jack Elam (Support Your Local Gunfighter, Once Upon a Time in the West) as her evil sidekick. Elam was an eccentric staple of many of the best westerns and comedies of the 60's and 70's. A big musical finale is a VistaVision time capsule of the 1950's in all the right ways. Director Frank Tashlin would go on to work with Lewis during Jerry's successful solo career on films like "The Disorderly Orderly" and "Cinderfella". He manages to sneak in at least two clever references to Hitchcock films, see if you can find them. If you're a Martin & Lewis fan like me, ARTISTS AND MODELS is a fun diversion for a Sunday afternoon, pratfalling and singing its way to a B. The original trailer below is in black and white (?) but the film is full color and VistaVision ultra-widescreen.

"There were two times I felt truly happy. First, the day I met Josh; second, the day I killed him." If "Westworld" mated with "Kill Bill", its offspring would be this clever, hilarious and enjoyable sci-fi/horror mashup, COMPANION. One thing is certain. The less you know going in, the more enjoyable this twisted tale from newcomer Writer/Director Drew Hancock is. As a matter of fact, if you want every surprise to land, stop reading this now and don't watch the trailer and just go see the film first. Go ahead, this will be here when you get back. To honor Hancock's work, I won't be revealing anything that you don't know from the trailer. We meet Iris (Sophie Thatcher, so great in 2024's "Heretic") as she narrates the opening sequence. She's shopping in her local grocery store where she meets the love of her life, Josh, played by Jack Quaid (Novocaine, The Boys). It's a classic "meet cute" with subtle flirting and fruit falling all over the floor due to Jack's clumsiness. We flash forward now to Josh and Iris on the way to a weekend in a very secluded, incredible home deep in the country. It's the compound of billionaire Surgey (Rupert Friend). Josh's friends Eli (Harvey Guillen), his partner Patrick (Lukas Gage from "Smile 2") and Kat (Megan Suri) have already arrived for the weekend. No matter how much Iris tries to be confident, she's a nervous wreck to see all Josh's friends again. She says Kat hates her. When the couple arrive at the estate, it's clear that she's right, Kat doesn't care for Iris. Why? That's more complicated. As the weekend unwinds, the adventures are funny, mysterious and loaded with bursts of extreme violence. I love a film that takes me somewhere I don't expect. COMPANION delivers great surprises of every kind. Touching on the currently evolving onslaught of AI, chat bots, misogyny and a generation that has no idea how to talk to each other, I've never seen relationships explored quite like this. Sergey is very wealthy and very married. Kat is his girlfriend. Iris doesn't understand. Patrick is a quiet, skilled young chef, the counterpart of the loud, brash and funny Eli. Opposites attract? Iris knows one thing, that Josh is the love of her life and she would do ANYTHING for him. Anything. The cast is excellent. There were times where the energy and momentum of the story reminded me of last year's brilliant "Strange Darling". But this film is surely funnier. In some of its bloodiest moments, a huge laugh follows or even interrupts. That's a dance that's not easy to master. Sophie Thatcher is terrific as Iris. When she finds a method to take control, the fast metamorphosis from curious to lustful is brilliant and Thatcher wears it well. Her Iris is not to be trifled with. COMPANION is as compelling as it is observant, as violent as it is hilarious, earning a B+. There's no better way to spend 90 minutes in the theater right now. Sit down and let Iris take over. She got purpose. Drew Hancock is one to watch.

2018's "Den of Thieves" was a jaw dropper when I saw it in the theater. It blew me away with its thrilling twists and explosive mix of "Heat" and "Thief". Well fasten your seat belts, because its sequel, DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA is a worthy, exciting and highly polished new entry that will keep you guessing until its very last seconds. Writer/Director Christian Gudegast returns from the original film, picking up the story and polishing this chapter into an "Oceans Eleven" type European thriller in the spirit of "To Catch a Thief" and "Ronan". Gerard Butler returns as Big Nick, our favorite lethal Los Angeles detective, unable to give up his hunt for Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr) the clever mastermind of that LA heist in the original. As the film opens, Donnie and an international team of thieves are pulling off a very clever robbery at the Nice International Airport. It's one of the best airport set action scenes since "Tenet" and "Casino Royale", with grand scale momentum and suspense. Nick reads about the caper and recognizes plenty of Donnie's signature moves surrounding it, so he's off to Europe with little to no official credentials in hand. The film takes its time after the action packed opening sequence, giving room for us to observe Donnie's lush lifestyle all over Europe on one side of the law, and Nick's life collapsing under divorce, strained alliances and his downward spiral of doubt around his commitment to his job. At about the one hour mark, Gudegast's sequel puts the pedal down. Repercussions from the airport heist bring a Mafia mob boss into play as one of the largest stones stolen belonged to him, and he'd like it back. Nick tracks down Donnie and tells him he's ready to switch sides, he wants in on the dangerous, fascinating plan to take down the Nice Diamond district, the largest in the world. I'm not going to say anything about what happens in the final hour and twenty minutes except to say that it's smart, fun, explosively violent and had me guessing all the way to that final camera shot. There are some big laughs as well. Butler and Jackson Jr are in quite a groove here, playing off each other like lifelong rivals, a bit older and fatter than six years ago. Who isn't? Who doesn't love a great, seemingly impossible heist pulled off against all odds? Gudegast's hurdle is very high here. How do you top stealing from the US Federal Reserve, a robbery that elevated the first film to unexpected heights? The sequel certainly equals the original in every aspect, while carving out a much different feel. If the first film felt buried in the sweaty, dirty streets of LA, this one lives on the French hillsides and winding Euro cliffs dripping with old money & style. The supporting cast is excellent. Evin Ahmad is Jovanna/Cleopatra, the sultry glue holding the international crime talent together. Ahmad & Butler have real chemistry on screen. Salvatore Esposito (FX's "Fargo") is a huge asset as Slavko and Yasen Zates Atour is a highlight as Hugo, the French detective who welcomes Nick to his country and forges a bond with our American anti-hero. Butler is excellent, spinning Nick in different directions that we always find believable. Jackson Jr. matches him as their relationship goes from hunter and hunted to something much trickier. At two hours and twenty four minutes, the film never lags, filling every corner with suspense, twists and turns. The original film shocked me by landing in my Top Ten films of 2018. I can no longer be surprised by Gudegast's talent and ability to craft an exciting film, but I was thrilled to see him ramp up the sheen of this sequel, dropping us into fantastic car chases, impossible Houdini-like escapes with precision timing and a near constant threat of getting caught. The first half is a slow burn in all the right ways. It feels like a Michael Mann film in its deliberate character building, while Kevin Matley's music score wraps around you, circling your head Tangerine Dream-style in Dolby Atmos. If you're patient, it casts a spell. I'm hoping that we see more of Big Nick and Donnie. I'm guessing Gudegast still has plenty more surprises up his sleeve. DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA gets an A.

Steven Soderbergh's new film PRESENCE is a fascinating experiment. More "This Is Us" than "Poltergeist" it's certainly got a unique point of view. Starting with its dizzying opening sequence, our point of view is that of the specter that occupies a newly sold house. Our view glides through every room of the home, finally sliding to a window to watch a realtor arrive and welcome a family to the empty property. Rebekah (Lucy Liu) is clearly driving their immediate decision to buy, over riding the seemingly logical questions from her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan). Their two children, confident jock Tyler (Eddy Maday) and his quiet sister Chloe (Callina Lang) are along for the tour. Writer David Koepp's resume is loaded with game changing blockbusters like "Jurassic Park" and "Mission Impossible" but he's in a quiet mode here, crafting a drama that's more about this family than any ghost. At least, at first. He teases us with snippets of facts. Rebekah seems to be in way over her head in something illegal at work. Chris gives off unhappy vibes and is pissed with the way his wife coddles Tyler while treating Chloe as a weak link. Chloe is dealing with the recent, shocking drug overdoses of two friends, one of them her best friend. When she begins to feel a presence in her room, she says her recently passed friend's name aloud. Is it her? I think we've all been alone in a room and suddenly felt like we were being watched or that someone else was in the room with us. It's palpable. Soderbergh and Koepp do a masterful job of creating that feeling. It's magnified when the camera is the presence and you're staring right at the person that suddenly knows you're there. What may have started as a simple concept of an "inside-out Paranormal Activity movie" morphs into something much more, thanks to strong work on both sides of the camera. When the presence does make itself known to the family, it's more fascinating than it is horrifying. West Mulholland is a terrific add as Ryan, a new friend of Tyler's who almost immediately has feelings for Chloe. Mulholland holds the screen anytime he's on it and as his role in the story grows, events in the house escalate. Callina Lang matches him in every scene, she's a quiet powerhouse. The film is an excruciatingly slow build. I really enjoyed the style and patience that Soderbergh demonstrates in layering the story. He shot the entire film in three weeks in the one house, mostly in hypnotic, long-take tracking shots with a handheld camera. There are only about 30 edits in the entire 90 minute film. Most of them are a cut to black, with a time jump to the presence observing things in another room. Stick with it. The final shot literally gave me chills. Not an easy thing to do these days, but it's a masterful moment and a hell of a tragic payoff. Soderbergh has always been a fascinating director. Bouncing between big budget films like "Erin Brockovich", "Ocean's Eleven", "Traffic" and smaller films like PRESENCE , he's always anxious to explore a new genre or a small personal story. What a fascinating little suspense/horror/drama he's come up with here. It gets a spectral B.

The perfect PG-13 action flick for a lazy evening, BACK IN ACTION is an enjoyable action & comic showcase for Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, returning to the screen after an eleven year hiatus. As the film opens, we see the couple 15 years ago, in a relationship and pulling off a daring spy mission in a massive mansion. There are definite "True Lies" vibes to the sequence. They obtain a brick size computer "key" that becomes the focus of the entire film. In pure action flick style, I'll be damned if I ever really understood what the key does, but it appears to take control of every power source on the planet. Okay, you have my attention. The opening 15 minutes is an absolute blast with hairbreadth escapes, great cars flying by at high speeds, a massive plane crash into snow covered mountains and the best use of a parachute in an opening scene since James Bond skied off the Alps to escape the baddies. A lightweight, "don't take this too serious" tone is set and the film is off and running. We flash forward to the present day. Matt and Amy have gone off the grid and have two children, 15 year old Alice (McKenna Roberts from "Skyscraper") and her younger brother Leo (Rylan Jackson from "Dungeons & Dragons") think their parents are boring suburbanites. It's a role the couple have played for so long, they might be edging that way. When a social media post with the couple go viral, old espionage contacts pour into their cul de sac. Their handler and friend Chuck (Kyle Chandler) shows up first, warning them that global factions are still looking for the key, and they assume that Matt & Amy have it. Suddenly, a hostile force pours into their neighborhood and we're off and running. It's all a tad familiar, but executed at a very high enjoyment level by Director Seth Gordon (For All Mankind, Four Christmases) and an excellent cast. Glenn Close steals every scene she's in as Ginny, Amy's mother, a retired senior MI-6 Director that feels like Judi Dench's M, with a lot more very cool weapons. Andrew Scott is basically reprising his role as C in OO7's "Spectre", this time for laughs. He plays Baron, the lead office in charge who's carrying a serious torch for Amy. Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag, Cruella) is hilarious as Ginny's husband, Nigel. The same age as Foxx and Diaz, his attempts to be their Dad are a highlight of the film, as are his attempts to be a field agent. His comic timing is above & beyond! There are numerous big scale action scenes that are staged on a grand scale, with humor, excitement and plenty of jaw dropping moments. It's a delicate balance to pull off an action thriller with danger and laughs. Cameron's "True Lies" comes to mind, along with Melissa McCarthy's hilarious "Spy". If I was looking for the second half of a double feature for either of those two favorites, I'd happily plug in BACK IN ACTION. Teed up for more adventures, I'd grab some popcorn and be right back on the couch for whatever Foxx and Diaz, oops I mean Matt & Amy, dish up next. Welcome back Cameron, you're in fine form! BACK IN ACTION gets a very solid B.

I should probably start by saying that I've never been a Bob Dylan fan. Dude can't sing. Are we all being punked? What am I missing? James Mangold, Jay Cocks & Timothee Chalamet have changed my mind with their excellent collaboration A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Once again, I find myself repeating the same question. Is there anything that Chalamet CAN'T do? Opening in 1961, an unknown Bob Dylan (Chalamet) arrives in a dirty New York City, tracking down famous singer Pete Seeger (Edward Norton in his most gentile role, ever) and the folk music crowd. He wants to meet his songwriting hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) and eventually meets both Seeger and Guthrie at the latter's bedside, where he's battling serious illness. Dylan pulls out his guitar and sings "Song to Woody" to Guthrie, gaining immediate credibility with them both. Dylan crashes on Seeger's couch and his arrival on the NYC folk music scene follows, in perfect period detail. I have always been a fan of Mangold's work as Writer/Director. His Johnny Cash bio "Walk the Line" was fantastic and his work with Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in that film was astonishing. Just as those two actors did, Chalamet sings all the Dylan tunes here, and sings them live. That's incredible in itself, but the fact that he does so while delivering a flawless impersonation of Dylan's speaking and singing voice makes it all the more incredible. He's not alone. Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) is superb as Joan Baez. She captures Baez signing voice perfectly, while also conveying Baez's wonder at Dylan's writing talent and stage presence. As Dylan and Baez fall in and out of a physical relationship, it often feels more like mutual appreciation than love. Their duet of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is perfection. Their later festival performance of "It Ain't Me Babe" is a pivotal turning point in their lives, perfectly staged by Mangold to capture everything happening to the supporting characters in that moment. As the years pass and the civil rights issues of the mid sixties take center stage, Dylan's lyrics become the touch point of a generation. I've never heard some of these songs like "Masters of War", and while I've heard "The Times They Are A-Changin'" many times, I feel like I never experienced it in the context of the cultural revolution that it helped spark. "Blowin' in the Wind" is another landmark. Watching Chalamet sing it in a perfect recreation of the time brings enormous power to its debut. Boyd Holbrook (Logan) is strong as Johnny Cash, an established star as Dylan's begins to rise. His encouragement of the most rebellious sides of Dylan is hilarious and powerful. Mangold juggles multiple storylines alongside Dylan's career. His longtime relationship with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) is a strong through line, as is watching how Dylan's music changes from guitar and harmonica to a rock and roll style that threatens the Folk Music Festival of Alan Lomax (the reliably great Norbert Leo Butz). Broadway vet Dan Fogler nails it as Dylan's long time manager Albert Grossman. But at the center of the film is Chalamet's riveting, amazing performance as Bob Dylan. Dylan read the script for the film and approved every word and has praised Chalamet's performance. It's a bold portrayal and as far from a Hollywood polish as you can get. Dylan comes off as incredibly talented, but he's also selfish, rude, emotionally closed off and unsympathetic. A bit of a genius and a cypher. But those lyrics. Wow. The screenplay by Jay Cocks (The Gangs of New York) and Mangold is a William Goldman-like masterclass in balancing humor, drama and history. I predict Oscar nominations for the screenplay, Mangold's direction and Chalamet as a front runner for Best Actor. Since seeing the film, I've been listening constantly to the soundtrack as well as going back to listen to Dylan's original albums. That's a testament to the film that I've become that curious and appreciative of an artist that I had previously dismissed with a tossed aside "I'm not a Dylan fan." A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is a perfectly crafted tribute to a life that changed modern music and the social mainstream long before the decades of social media. The songs tell the tale and what a tale it is, earning an A. How does it feel? How does it feel? To be on your own A complete unknown Like a rolling stone.

The promotions for the new "thriller" FLIGHT RISK go out of their way not to mention Director Mel Gibson by name. They note the director's previous works like "Braveheart" and "Apocalypto", two very different, visionary epics. So what the hell is this unsavory, pathetic mess? Badly cast, poorly edited and executed at the level of an old Direct-to-Video B movie, this is embarrassing for all involved. Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3, Heretic) is all over the place as Winston, an accountant for the mob captured in a remote part of Alaska by FBI agent Madolyn (Michelle Dockery) in the opening scene. The dialogue is dumb, dumb, dumb. It's a grade school take on clever one liners that fall flat at ever turn. Even in that opening scene, you can feel desperation sinking in, with Gibson seemingly filling every quiet moment with exploding microwaves and giant wildlife at the window. Maybe he looked at the final script and seeing how thin it was, just decided to make the whole film so loud and busy, you might not notice. I noticed. That script, by newcomer Jared Rosenberg is one of the worst I've seen in many years. Was he going for the crude tone that oozes from its celluloid pores throughout? It feels like he has a man crush on 90's writer Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Action Hero) and channeled Black's tone into his keyboard through a filter that removed all humor, sense of timing and enjoyment out of his creation. And then there is Mark Wahlberg. Oh, Mark. You can be a fun, entertaining actor. "The Departed"and "Patriot's Day" showed dramatic chops. 'Ted"is comic brilliance. So WTF is this? Playing "Daryl" a sadistic killer who impersonates the real pilot so he can take down Winston before he can testify, Wahlberg sports a bad bald cap and an ever worse southern accent. He spends much of the film telling Winston how he's going to rape him before he chops him up. Charming. I have so many questions. Other than to create a very stupid plot for a bad film, why would the mob secure a vicious serial killer for free to take out the witness? Wouldn't a standard hitman in the trees at that Mayberry like Alaska airport have been a lot easier? What are the odds that Wahlberg's wannabe Jeffrey Dahmer would have his pilot's license? How many times can you stun gun, smash someone over the head with a fire extinguisher, stab and shoot them before they are finally dead? Is the a Jason Voorhees movie or a suspense flick? If you're going to set 90% of a film inside a small confined space, shouldn't at least one of the characters have some redeeming qualities or some speck of likability? This thing makes Karen Black landing the 747 in "Airport 1975" seem plausible. The last half of the film finds an increasingly paranoid Madolyn thinking everyone at the FBI is against her. As a subplot in any season of the fondly remembered Fox series "24", this could have been intriguing. But Rosenberg has no time for real storytelling, he's too busy getting to the next absurd verbal showdown or stabbing inside the plane. After a while, it's all just too damn dumb to care about. The film does have ONE redeeming quality that saves it from my lowest grade, Maaz Ali as the air traffic controller talking Madolyn down. He's funny, charming and definitely the dude you want at the other end of the mike in that scenario. I'm not sure an 87 minute long film has ever felt this long. Mel Gibson, you are a gifted Director, I'd argue that you're one of our very best. Why in the world are you slumming with this crap? You deserve better, and for the love of Apocalypto, SO DO WE! Gibson is already in pre-production on "Resurrection", his sure to be blockbuster sequel to "The Passion of the Christ". It feels like he's already started confessing for the sinful waste of talent and our time in FLIGHT RISK . I'm betting word-of-mouth this weekend will sink this plane faster than a bird strike. It gets a D-, only saved from an F by the talents of Maaz Ali as Hasan.