Hell or High Water

We join two brothers on a chain of bank robberies in West Texas. The strength of this film is not the action or tension of the heist, but the story of the characters that has led them to this place and the narrowing paths the future opens for them. It really strikes at the complexity of the US identity as we get both anti-capitalism and rugged individualism.
3 stars (out of 5)

A Star is Born

Bradley Cooper is the aging rock star who happens across Lady Gaga's undiscovered talent as singer/songwriter. They develop into each other's muse and fall in love. And they struggle to balance this love with fame, addiction, and the affliction of their own personal histories. The characters reminded me a lot of the Johnny Cash and June Carter portrayal in Walk the Line. This is a fun film with great music and a series of charmed coincidences that allow the plot to move forward with ease. Thoroughly enjoyable.
4 stars (out of 5)

RBG

Documentary portrayal of the rise of Ruth Bader Ginsburg into the Supreme Court Justice and popular icon that she is today. Interesting review of her early career showing the development of her legal identity and how that has carried into her decisions on the bench. Looking forward to the biopic version of her earlier life On the Basis of Sex.
5 stars (out of 5)

Close

An entitled heiress to a mining company/fortune which gains most of its wealth from African mining sites is kidnapped after her father dies and taken to North Africa. Presumably this is something to do with some current buyout deals that the company is pursuing. Her temporary body guard is the "can't let it go" type and recovers the girl and uncovers a conspiracy while showing his commitment to his craft of bodyguarding. More stars if you watch it after midnight while have asleep.
2 stars (out of 5)

Like Father

Kristen Bell is left at the altar (although she barely notices since her head is in her phone for work - which was the problem all along). And her long ago abandoned father (Kelsey Grammar) has chosen this day to attend the wedding. They get drunk together that night and find themselves on the honeymoon cruise that Bell had scheduled. This has all the elements of a RomCom, except the relationship is Father-Daughter, and the goal is self-awareness and growth. Check and Check. Cheeky, occasionally funny, always follows the formula.
3 stars (out of 5)

Wolf (Serial)

This Turkish TV drama (8 episodes) follows a police special operations team, codename Wolf. The team is tasked with various police, paramilitary and military missions in Istanbul, and in the northern part of the country as ISIS is invading. Set in 2015, this is set up as historical fiction, and I found the political and nationalist themes fascinating. The Wolf team, and their bosses are fighting both ISIS and the internal subversive elements that have been working for years to undermine the government and the country in favor of a more religious state. Clearly this has elements of propaganda coming from the state, but since I know next to nothing, much of the emotion of nation building does feel pretty authentic, which is quite different than US special ops shows which are more about power, dominance and arrogance.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Crew

Set in Paris, Yanis is an organized, careful heist man who runs a crew to steal from armored cars. He plans 30 heists for every one they actually pull off. No mistakes, and he has never been in jail. But when he brings his kid brother onto the job, Amine makes a trivial mistake that changes everything. And the film turns into a fight for survival of self and family and honor. In the end, there are no winners, which means this is probably more realistic than most people want for an escapist form of entertainment. 

4 stars (out of 5)