Death Wish (2018) Written By:Joe Carnahan & Brian Garfield Directed By: Eli Roth

     I actually really like Bruce Willis in this Charles Bronson remake. Although, I am anxious to find out if they used CG on Willis' face during this film. Something just didn't look right and it was very distracting. It was little parts of the story that really brought me in and made me pay attention.

     After a brutal home invasion that took the life of his wife (Elisabeth Shue), and left his teenage daughter (Camila Morrone) in a serious coma, emergency room surgeon Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) sets out to exact revenge. 

     After a few separate events trigger Kersey's mind, he decides to take matters into his own hands. After all, the Chicago P.D. isn't doing anything with his case. He first tries to purchase a firearm legally, but the tracking and endless paperwork causes him to look at other means. Luckily, a gang member is brought into his E.R. and drops a Glock onto the floor as he dies.

     Eventually, Kersey sets out in his hoody onto the rough streets of Chicago looking for trouble. It doesn't take long for him to find it either as he sees a couple being carjacked. As Kersey starts firing at the stolen SUV, the gun slide clips his hand and wounds him. This is one of those small scenes that I loved about this movie. Anyway, Kersey kills the bad guys all while keeping his identity shielded from a lady taking cell phone video.

     I think the best part was the killing of the second gang member that was in his home. He finds this guy, wrenching away under his car. Kersey uses his surgical expertise to cut into the guys sciatic nerve and then he proceeds to pour brake fluid into the wound. Then he cold cocks him with a giant wrench. When the baddy wakes up, Kersey crushes him under the weight of his own car. The head squish was superb.

     After hearing some bad news about his daughter, Kersey goes out to find the last guy. Meanwhile, his brother Frank, played brilliantly by the incomparable Vincent D'Onofrio, goes in search of his brother. Instead, he discovers that his brother is the hooded vigilante that has been roaming the streets, dispatching bad guys all over Chicago.

     After a shootout in a local club between Kersey and the leader of the gang who murdered his wife, the gang leader is taken to the hospital while Kersey escapes down an alley. While at the hospital, the bad guy tells the police who the hooded vigilante really is. With no proof, the police can't move forward.

     Suddenly, Kersey's daughter, Jordan, wakes up. Kersey promises his brother that he will stop, but as Jordan is discharged, her and her father are met in the elevator by the also discharged bad guy. He ends a venomous conversation by letting Dr. Kersey know that he will be seeing him soon.

     That night, Kersey prepares for the last confrontation with this gang. As they enter his home, he quickly dispatches them and saves the day! 

     This does seem like the typical Bruce Willis film, and it is, if it weren't such a Bronson film! For those of us old enough to remember the original, that's what this will always be, a remake. But that younger crowd can respect it for the movie it is. That movie isn't bad at all. I wouldn't let anyone under 14 watch this, but it is a good movie for everyone else.

A Quiet Place (2018) Written By:Bryan Woods & Scott Beck Directed By: John Krasinski

     WOW! This was really good. Usually, I wouldn't like stories like this, but this one was well crafted, and very well played. Very suspenseful, and sometimes down right frightening.

     The story jumps right in, 89 days into a world altering event where these fearsome creatures are hunting and attacking anything that makes a sound. The script gives us no idea where the creatures came from, or how devastated the world has become. I usually hate when the how and why isn't given, but it actually added to this movie.

     We first meet the Abbott family scavenging for food in a local grocery store. No words are spoken, but we see each family member has specific items they are looking for. We see Evelyn (Emily Blunt) search for medicine to aid her son Marcus (Noah Jupe) who is obviously sick. We also see Regan (Millicent Simmonds) who is deaf, young Beau (Cade Woodward), and father Lee (John Krasinski). Upon leaving, Beau grabs a rocket ship which is immediately taken, batteries removed, and the ship placed on the counter by his father. However, after the parents leave, Regan gives the ship back to Beau. 

     No words are spoken as the family travels away from the town. As they begin to cross the bridge a sounds rings out. It's the sirens from the space ship. Beau had grabbed the batteries and placed them in the toy. Lee, sensing the danger, runs after Beau, but doesn't make it in time. Beau is snatched and killed by one of the monsters.

     Jump forward about 400 days. The family is still trying to cope with their loss. Evelyn, for some strange reason, is pregnant. But the family is well stocked with food and supplies. They have settled into a routine and have even painted the floors and stairs to show them where to step. Lee has also discovered things about these creatures. For instance, they are blind and their bodies have some kind of protective armor that can withstand a shotgun blast.

     This family has worked out everything to protect themselves and the to insure the safe arrival of the new baby. But how much can you really prep for, when the enemy has the odds stacked in their favor? I don't want to give too much away, but lets just say, "there isn't anything a parent wouldn't do for their child"!

     I would label this more as a Suspense film over a Horror. I love that the movie is so open. You don't really discover where the monsters come from or why they hunt humans. I also like that you don't find out who wins.

    Husband and wife duo Krasinski and Blut play wonderfully off of each other. Krasinski shows a range that I didn't know he had. Bravo! Emily Blunt is always wonderful, and she doesn't let down here. I was very surprised with the children, Simmonds and Jupe. They were so believable and wonderful. They made the film what it was.

     Definitely worth the watch and appropriate for anyone over the age of 12. Really a great movie.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Written by: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, & Paul Rudd Directed by:Peyton Reed

     

     Will Marvel ever miss the target again? It's hard to imagine that they could. This is another film where Marvel proves they know how to play the long game. None of their movies seem to be set up for a stand alone entity, and this ties directly into the events that we saw in Avengers: Infinity War. Not to mention that this is probably the most funny franchise in the MCU.

     We last saw Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in a floating prison at the end of Captain America: Civil War. Since then, he has been on house arrest and forbidden to have contact with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) or Hope Van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), or to use any form of technology. We, of course, know that this won't hold up. Otherwise, we wouldn't have a film.

     New theories emerge as we learn that there is a chance that Hank's wife, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) could possibly still be alive after being trapped in the Quantum Realm for the last thirty years. This sets Hank and Hope on a quest to build a transportation device that can be used to rescue her. Seeing that Hope and her father are both being hunted by the FBI for violating the Sacovian Accords, they must purchase their tech from a black market dealer played brilliantly by Walton Goggins. As he and Hope meet up for their final exchange, a new player enters the game. Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) interrupts the exchange and makes off with the last piece to the Quantum machine, as well as the shrunken Pym lab.

     Scott (Rudd), having had a dream like premonition of Janet, calls Hank and Hope to offer his help. This, of course, leads to Scott breaking the terms of his house arrest and setting off in an attempt to find Ghost, retrieve the lab, and enter the Quantum Realm to save Janet, all while keeping the FBI from discovering he has left his home. Seems a monumental task, but not for our team.

     Rudd enlists his team of misfits from the first film; the scene stealing Luis (Michael Peña), Dave (T.I.), and Kurt (David Dastmalchian) to assist in the plan and simultaneously get their budding security company, X-Cons, up and running. Meanwhile, Hank and Hope decide to visit and old colleague of Hank's, Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath (Laurence Fishburne) who may also be able to help.

     We quickly discover that Foster has been aiding Ghost in her attempts to find a cure for her "phasing" power, which is quickly killing her. We also find out the Janet holds the key to Ghost's recovery. This fact leads ghost to want to kill Janet to absorb the Quantum energy that Janet has stored within herself over the last thirty years.

     I wrote the other day about the Incredibles 2. I mentioned that sequels rarely live up to the original, and in many ways, the same is true for this film. However, there are some great character strides that are made between the first film and this one. One example is Scott's daughter, Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). She steals every scene she is in and completely steals your heart with it. I loved the role of Paxton (Bobby Cannavale), who is Cassie's step dad. He adores Scott and frequently shows it, physically! Then there is the role of FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park). He tries so hard to bust Scott violating his parole, of course, with no avail.

     This was just another in a long line of fantastic Marvel films, and needs to be seen to fully understand what will happen in the follow up to Avengers: Infinity War. So, anyone who has invested the time to keep up with the MCU thus far, definitely go see this movie! Loads of fun and very family friendly.
   

Incredibles 2 (2018) Written and Directed by: Brad Bird

     I've waited so long for this film. The original was the first movie I saw in the theaters with my daughter. My son was only about three years old, and my daughter was about a year old. Now my son is 18 and my daughter is almost 16. In the last 15 years we have re-watched and enjoyed the original many times, we were long overdue for a sequel!

     Continuing the events of the end of the first film, our cast of heroes are battling The Underminer (John Ratzenberger)! This, however, doesn't go well, and the Underminer escapes having robbed the cities bank. Due to the destruction and failure to stop the Underminer, the hero program is cancelled and the Parr family are essentially fired.

     Enter Winston and Evelyn Deavor; a brother and sister who have inherited a world wide telecommunication company with a goal of making it again legal to be a super hero. The Deavor's set their eyes on Mister Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and Fro-Zone (Samuel L. Jackson), to be their first heroes to wear body-cams in an effort to show the world what happens from the heroes point-of-view.

     The Deavor's elect to have Elastigirl be the first of the heroes to enter the field with the body cam, and she quickly encounters ScreenSlaver (Bill Wise). ScreenSlaver uses hypnosis to control the minds of anyone who looks into his controlled screens. After a few terrorist acts, Elastigirl tracks down ScreenSlaver and captures him.

     Meanwhile, Mr. Incredible, Bob, has been put in charge of the kids and the home. He also, inadvertently, had the mind of Violet's (Sarah Vowell) new beau wiped, and caused Tony (Michael Bird) to stand her up on their first date. Bob is also trying to help Dash (Huck Milner) decipher common core math. On top of everything else, Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) has started displaying a wide range of uncontrollable powers. All Bob wants to do is join in the fight with his wife.

     Bob, and Fro-Zone, get their chance to do battle with a group of supers who have been hypnotized by the real ScreenSlaver after the kids set them and Elastigirl free from the mind control. The Incredibles and Fro-Zone save the day and in doing so, convince the world that Supers are good and should be legalized again.

     This sequel was a lot of fun, however, like most other sequels, falls short of the original. I wanted a super-villain on par with Syndrome (Jason Lee), and we just don't get that. Of course, there's only one Jason Lee! This was very funny and had great elements, it just didn't stand up to the original. The scenes with Edna (Brad Bird).     

     In closing, this film is definitely worth the price of admission. It's family friendly, and a ton of laughs. I just hope we don't have to wait another 15 years for episode 3!) were possibly the best in the film. Edna, who strongly reminds me of Linda Hunt from NCIS: Los Angeles fame, agrees to babysit Jack-Jack after he charms her heart with his cuteness and his abilities. Of course, she designs him a super-suit and invents a tablet to help Bob control Jack-Jack's powers.