"Ford v Ferrari"
Back in the 60s Ford vowed build a race car that could beat Ferrari at Le Mans. The company hired legendary Dallas car builder Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon. Shelby brought along his most trusted driver, Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale. Both are excellent in roles that couldn't be more different. Damon is the smooth-talking Texan never seen without his black Stetson. Miles is the scrappy Brit, who's very much the dedicated family man. James Mangold directs. He has done such movies as "Walk The Line" and "Logan." This is a well-paced film with a lot of heart and humor. Highly recommend it. After you've seen it, rent a movie from a few years ago called "Rush." It's also about the race at Le Mans, starring Chris Hemsworth along with Daniel Bruhl, directed by Ron Howard.
20th Century Fox - Rated PG-13
"The Irishman"
Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, directed by Martin Scorsese. Can it get much better than that? The movie is "The Irishman." DeNiro steps into the title role, a hitman who claims to have killed Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, played by Pacino. First of all, can you believe Scorsese made a Netflix flick? Yes, you can watch it at home in two weeks. The movie is the first time Scorsese has directed Pacino. This film features the best doing some of their best work. Thanks to technology, Scorsese didn't have to age his actors to play older. He could hire his favorite older actors and digitally de-age them. It's not freaky looking like "Gemini Man." You get used to it. Scorsese is at home in the world of gangsters and mob bosses. DeNiro's character is low-key and operating with no regret. Pacino plays with gusto, as we've come to know, and Joe Pesci might be the biggest surprise of all. The movie is worth taking the nearly three-and-a-half hours to watch. Sure to be in the Oscars conversation.
Netflix - Rated R.
"The Good Liar"
"The Good Liar" features more dream casting. No digital de-aging, here. They are veteran actors in all their glory. Ian McKellen plays a world-class conman. The elegant Helen Mirren is his latest target. We come to realize there's more going on here than meets the eye. Who will win this cat-and-mouse game? It will keep you guessing until the end. Without giving anything away, I was a little disappointed in the motivation behind the "gotcha" moment. I had something else in mind. This is a good film with revenge on the mind.
Warner Bros - Rated R
"The Report"
"The Report" is based on the true story of a Senate staffer who exposed the CIA's use of torture on detainees after September 11. Adam Driver stars as the dedicated staffer who spent several years in a little room with no windows, working to see this through, while other colleagues abandoned him. Annette Bening plays his boss, the iconic, hard-as-nails Senator Dianne Feinstein. The film features some fairly intense torture scenes that make you pause and think, "Despite the wrongs against us, did we really stoop this low? Did we really get that much out of it?" The answers are "yes" and "no," respectively. I appreciate this movie for laying out complicated information in a clear way.
Amazon Studios - Rated R
"Charlie's Angels"
Elizabeth Banks writes, directs, produces and stars in the latest reboot of "Charlie's Angels." She plays "Bosley," who runs the detective agency. Kristen Stewart leads the trio of angels investigating a dangerous technology. The stars of the 70s TV series will always be my angels: Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson. I wasn't crazy about either of the prior movies and wondered what the need was for this one.
Columbia Pictures - Rated PG-13.
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