Movies of a Petite Aspie

McKenna Grace and Chris Evans Director: Marc Webb Screenwriter: Tom Flynn Starring: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, Jenny Slate, Lindsay Duncan, Octavia Spencer MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, and some suggestive material Genre: Drama Theatrical Release Date: April 7, 2017 On DVD/Streaming: July 25, 2017 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 73%   Clip: "Mary Solves the Math Problem" Gifted is practically manufacturing to make you weepy, to make you feel something deep.  And, for the most part, it succeeds.  From the opening scene, that displays the great chemistry between leads Chris Evans and McKenna Grace, you know what kind of movie this is going to be, and you're okay with that.  Or, at least, I was.   Smartly, the movie does not begin with unnecessary backstory/exposition or an awkward flashback.  Instead, it begins with the aforementioned scene with Evans' Frank, who is Mary's (Grace) uncle.  We don't yet ...

Chief and Atari (voices of Bryan Cranston and Koyu Rankin) Director/Screenwriter: Wes Anderson Voices of: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for  thematic elements and some violent images Genres: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy Theatrical Release Date: April 13, 2018 (wide); currently in limited release Rotten Tomatoes Score : 92% Clip: "What's Your Favorite Food?" Isle of Dogs  is, in a way, a summation of director/writer Wes Anderson's cinematic works, from his first feature film,  Rushmore,  to the 2014 Oscar-winning The Grand Budapest Hotel .  All of Anderson's films are synonymous with a certain brand of eccentricity and creativity that is unique to him.  As varied as they are, even a casual filmgoer can easily spot a Wes Anderson film, whether it's animated or live-action -- and not just because he often enlists the same talent (such as actor Bill Murray and compos...

Elisabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner Director/Screenwriter: Taylor Sheridan Starring: Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham, Graham Greene, Kelsey Asbille MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence, a rape, disturbing images, and language Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense Theatrical Release Date: August 4, 2017 On DVD/Streaming: November 14, 2017 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 87%   Clip: "She Ran Further" Wind River is not an easy watch, to say the least.  But it's almost essential viewing; it shows us [the audience] a part of the country with which we may have previously been unfamiliar.  I, for one, knew little to nothing about Native American life in Wyoming.  The brisk, brutal, snowy landscape easily matches the tone of the story and the mystery at its center.  From the opening sequence, which shows a distraught young woman running barefoot on the cold snow, we have an idea as to where the story will take us.  And, for the m...

Tye Sheridan and Lena Waite Director: Steven Spielberg Screenwriters: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline (author as well) Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Mark Rylance MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for  sequences of sci-fi action violence, bloody images, some suggestive material, partial nudity, and language Genres: Action, Adventure, Science-Fiction, Fantasy Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 75%   Clip: "The Prize Awaits" Ready Player One is, to sum up in two words, a "geek's dream."  And that is, honestly, a compliment, as I consider myself at least somewhat of a geek and adore pop culture and pop culture references.  (Why else would I have a blog?)  And Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg -- with whom you may be familiar -- has surely created an adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling science-fiction that is rampant with pop culture references.  I will admit that I have not read ...

Daniel Wu and Alicia Vikander Director: Roar Uthaug Screenwriters: Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Alastair Siddons Starring: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and some language Genres: Action, Adventure Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 50%   Clip: "Waterfall" Tomb Raider  is much better than it has any reason to be.  Not that it needed to be bad, but with the plethora of remakes and reboots as of late, it is easy to have low expectations for the majority of them.  Director Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider is definitely more of a reboot than a remake, as it is a far cry from the poorly-made Angelina Jolie-starring Lara Croft movies (of which there are two).  Jolie's Croft was certainly slick, but the focus seemed to be more on her sex appeal than anything else.  Tom Raider , however,  Is more about Croft’s br...

Nick Robinson and Katherine Langford Director: Greg Berlanti Screenwriters: Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker (based on the novel by Becky Albertalli) Starring: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual references, language, and teen partying Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 92%   Clip: "Why Is Straight the Default?" Love, Simon  is a coming-of-age rom-com tailor-made for 21st-century teenagers.  And it just so happens that it's the first one that features a gay lead.  Based on the best-selling YA adult by Becky Albertalli, Simon directed by Greg Berlanti, who spearheads CW shows such as Arrow and The Flash , and written by This Is Us  scribes Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker. Berlanti, Berger, and Aptaker bring numerous pop culture and political references, which certainly helps to a...