“Hostiles” (**1/2 out of four) was an intermittently powerful and affecting drama set in 1892 when a tough U.S. Cavalry officer (Christian Bale) is tasked with escorting a dying Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) and a widow (Rosamund Pike) through dangerous territory back home where they face peril and death at almost every turn. Beautiful photography and some moments of emotional power about killing and being killed are muted by overlength and film’s meandering pace. Strong final scenes, however, make you realize that this was overall a journey worth taking. Max Richter’s haunting Muzak score is a definite plus as well.

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“Death Race 4: Beyond Anarchy” (*1/2 out of four) was a flashy but incoherent entry in this wearying series; this time around, a Black Ops specialist (Zack McGowan) enters a maximum prison to take down Frankenstein but finds himself at odds of two warring factions (Danny Glover and Danny Trejo) and various corruption forces in prison. Lots of action, style, and noise for those who want it but little sense or story continuity and seriously in need of a tuneup at nearly two hours. Seasoned action veteran director Don Michael Paul does what he can but this series which began back in 1975 is running on fumes by now.

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“Hellraiser: Judgment” (*** out of four) was an unexpectedly stylish 10th (!) entry in the horror series about two brother cops (Damon Carney and Randy Wayne) who are forced to team up with a homicide detective (Alexandra Harris) to solve a series of gruesome murders which leads all the way back to the demonic killings of Pinhead (Paul T. Taylor). No one will mistake this for the 1987 original but by the series’ fairly low standards by now- this is solidly made and entertaining, with dazzling cinematography by Samuel Calvin and sharp writing and direction from Gary Tunnicliffe. Fans of the series should definitely check this out and horror fans will note Heather Langenkamp in a small but key role.

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“Den Of Thieves” (** out of four) was an overdone, overlong Los Angeles underworld melodrama about a troubled cop (Gerard Butler) and his efforts to stop the state’s most successful bank robbery crew and their leader in particular (Pablo Schreiber) who he develops a vendetta against. For a movie about thievery, this borrows an awful lot from “Heat” but writer-director Christian Gudecast is no Michael Mann and Butler and Schreiber aren’t exactly at the level of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Film holds your attention with violence, style, and its gritty action scenes but script is weak and character motivations are murky.

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“The Phantom Thread” (*1/2 out of four) was a stultifying melodrama set in 1950’s London in which a renowned dressmaker (Daniel Day Lewis) falls in love with a young woman (Vicky Krieps) which causes him to change his highly structured and closeted life. Don’t look for more plot than that or much else either. Molasses-moving and self-indulgent, like much of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s output over the last 15 years. His 1997 masterwork “Boogie Nights” had more charge in its opening scene than this has in its entirety. Day-Lewis is OK but nothing more in what may be his final film role

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“The Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (*** out of four) was a sweeping final entry in the “Maze Runner” series showing Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) racing around the clock to save civilization and find a cure for a deadly disease known as “The Flare” that is destroying all of mankind. If this doesn’t quite match the breathless momentum of “The Scotch Trials”, it’s better than the first in the series and far better than any of the “Divergent” movies which it has been compared to. Marred by a few lulls here and there but overall an intense and entertaining entry in the series, with stylish direction and production design in a nod to “Blade Runner” and “Mad Max” at times. O’Brien is strong in lead role.

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“Small Town Crime” (*** out of four) was an arresting melodrama about an alcoholic ex-cop (John Hawkes) who finds the body of a dead young woman and attempts to redeem himself by finding her killer but finds the path to the truth is a lot darker and more demented than he realized. Hawkes is outstanding and once again shows his flair for playing sleazy yet moral characters. Fine supporting cast including Octavia Spencer as his neighbor and Robert Forster as a mysterious family member who hires him enhance a very sharp (and often funny) script by Eshon and Ian Nelms who also directed. A small winner all around.

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“The Commuter” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably entertaining Hitchcockian thriller about a businessman (Liam Neeson) on his commute home who is approached by a stranger on a trainer (Vera Farmiga) with a financial offer which he reluctantly accepts but this in turn leads to the endangering of him and his family and everyone else on board. Intriguing and involving at first but story gets progressively more ridiculous, especially in the final third when plot holes really start to show. Neeson is first-rate as usual and holds this together but this cannot measure up to the last collaborations between him and director Jaume Colle-Serra “Run All Night”, “Unknown”, and “Non-Stop” which this often resembles

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“Deadly Delusion” (** out of four) was a ludicrous thriller about a woman (Haylie Duff) with mental health problems who moves with her supportive boyfriend (Mike Faiola) to a new house in Los Angeles where she goes even more downhill and questions her sanity and questions their relationship and the safety of their new home. By the end, it’s the movie that seems like it may have mental health problems. Duff is good in a difficult role but story and script is alternately predictable and exploitative and doesn’t support her. Teri Polo has a key role as her doctor.

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“12 Strong” (*** out of four) was an engrossing true story about the first special forces team (Chris Helmsworth, Michael Pena, Michael Shannon, and others) deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11 and had to work with various Afghan warlords to take down the Taliban and had to face sudden death at every turn. A sincerely done homage to the risks that soldiers took in what was a classified and almost completely unknown mission that turned out to be one of the key losses to Al Qaeda; good performances and good action scenes, and most importantly features terrific camaraderie between the soldiers. Helmsworth has never been better as a man determined to save his country no matter the danger. The real special forces unit are shown in films final credits.

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