3 New Reviews

I flew to Kenya last week which meant I got to catch up on some movies on the plane. I was fortunate to fit in 4 of them and as much as I like watching movies on long flights, I'm sure they would be more enjoyable if the film didn't pause each time an announcement was made over the PA system.

Ad Astra- I love science fiction movies but the previews for this one looked like an even slower version of Interstellar. It was not super exciting but I still liked it. Brad Pitt portrays an astronaut who is sent on a mission to save the earth from electromagnetic flares originating from Neptune. The story develops as we find out his father was a famous astronaut who went missing in that area of space many years before. There were some interesting details in the film showing space travel to the moon and beyond. Any time you have a plot about someone on a mission for the government who is second guessing their motivation it adds some suspense. I liked the first 2/3 more but it was still ok. I give it 6.9 stars.

FYI- I got a second dose of Tommy Lee Jones when I watched The Fugitive which was an awesome 90's action/suspense film. Harrison Ford always seems to be great in everything he's been in. I'm not going to review it, but it's a great movie if you haven't seen it.

Knives Out- I wanted to see this when it was released, but it was only in African theaters for less than 2 weeks. Of all the movies I saw, I was by far most excited to watch this one. I really liked it. It was like an American version of Poroit and was sprinkled with plenty of current events and pop culture to make it comical and entertaining on another level. The talented cast was very diverse and I was entertained by all their performances. I still have a hard time hearing Daniel Craig speak with a southern accent as he also did in Logan Lucky. He certainly breaks the James Bond mold with this performance. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this movie even more in a relaxed setting as opposed to an airplane. It's kind of stressful when you start a movie and know you will be pushing it in order to finish by the time the plane lands and you have to disembark. I give it 7.9 stars.

Ford vs. Ferrari-   I had heard this was a good movie but I am not a car guy and had no intention of seeing it. I'm glad I decided to watch it. The acting was great and the movie was well done. It was much more than a historic film about car racing. I liked how they captured the rivalry between these two car manufactures and their drivers and the subsequent races that took place in the mid 60's. Bale was so emaciated for this role that he looked almost like he did in the Machinist. Matt Damon was also very likable in this. It was interesting to have the villains be business executives but it was still very intense and well done. I give it 8.0 stars.