“Wonder Wheel” (**1/2 out of four) was an engaging if unconvincing melodrama set in the 1950’s in Coney Island, Brooklyn in which a neglected housewife (Kate Winslet) has an affair with a young lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) but problems arise when the lifeguard soon falls in love with her stepdaughter (Juno Temple) and her loutish husband (James Belushi) begins to find out. Contrived and unbelievable story is made palatable by strong cast, with Winslet’s palpable anguish and anger making this more affecting in the second half. Not one of director Woody Allen’s best films but far from his worst either. Gorgeous cinematography from the great Vittorio Storaro makes this worthwhile.

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“Lycan” (* out of four) was an abysmal horror story set in the Georgia backwoods in 1986 in which six none-too-bright college students tackle the legend of a werewolf named Emily Burt but soon come to severely regret this as they are mauled and gradually killed. No relation to any of the lycans in the “Underworld” series but this makes any of those movies look like masterworks by comparison; the final third in which this finally starts to get going turns into a ripoff of “The Evil Dead.” What a bloody mess!

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“The Greatest Showman” (***1/2 out of four) was an exhilirating musical biography about P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) who rose from nothing to create the Barnum and Bailey Circus which swept into a worldwide phenomenon that changed the face of show business and entertainment. Full of showstopping musical numbers (Rebecca Ferguson’s first singing scene on stage and the first meeting with Jackman and Zac Efron are a wow) and great production design and cinematography but at the heart of the film is Jackman’s performance who is outstanding as usual. Story is a little superficial and perhaps doesn’t tell you much about Barnum you may not know but never fails to entertain. One of the rare musicals that tries- and succeeds- at bringing back memories of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

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“All The Money In The World” (** out of four) was an inherently cold adaptation of John Pearson’s book about a dedicated mother (Michelle Williams) whose son is kidnapped and held for ransom and she desperately turns to her stubborn billionaire father-in-law Jean Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) for help even though he steadfastly refuses to pay the money and a hard-nosed detective (Mark Wahlberg) is subsequently called in to help. Director Ridley Scott holds you in his grip but seldom engages your emotions and story never catches fire. Plummer fares best in a role originally played by Kevin Spacey; Williams is solid as well.

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“I, Tonya” (***1/2 out of four) was a sweeping biographical drama about Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) showing her redneck upbringing with an abusive and domineering mother (Allison Janney) who nurtured her fierce and competitive spirit which led her to ice-skating in the Olympics and one of the most historic and controversial sports events of all time when she allegedly had her opponent Nancy Kerrigan assaulted. Director Craig Gillespie easily does his most dazzling work ever using in-your-face Scorcesean style of mock-interviews, humor, and great soundtrack detail. Robbie is sensational in the lead role but Janney is even better in a melting, Oscar-worthy performance as her mom. Bullseye!

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“Call Me By Your Name” (**1/2 out of four) was a reverent but remote drama set in Northern Italy in 1983 in which a 17-year old (Timothee Chalamet) discovers love and homosexuality for the first time as he falls in love with his father’s visiting research assistant (Armie Hammer) and the two begin a passionate but forbidden affair. Film is well-acted and has beautiful location cinematography in Italy but it’s hard to connect with these characters or their plight on an emotional level; while film is certainly interesting in parts, nothing in the film resonates. Yet another film which has received rave reviews and award nominations but stops short of hitting the mark. Good script by James Ivory adapted from Andre Aciman’s novel.

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“Permanent” (*1/2 out of four) was a permanently dumb adolescent comedy set in 1982 in which a young girl (Kira McLean) moves with her redneck parents (Patricia Arquette and Rainn Wilson) to a new city where she is ostracized and made fun of because of her “perm hairstyle” but she is determined to persevere and not give up in life. Story of adolescent growing pains, ostracization, and southern-fried comedy lacks any conviction and laughs. You may as well watch re-runs of The Jerry Springer Show instead. What the hell is Arquette doing in this movie?

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“Deadly Exchange” (*1/2 out of four) was an unusually mean and dull melodrama about a foreign exchange student (Valentina Novokovic) who is taken in by a kindly mother (Lindsay Hartley) and her daughter (Victoria Bonefal) and she soon proceeds to turn their lives upside down as she kills several people they know and tries to insinuate herself inside their household. Anyone who has seen a thriller (especially “Fatal Attraction”) will be miles ahead of this at every turn. This could have easily been spit out of a computer.

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“Thirst” (** out of four) was a dehydrated knockoff of “The Hills Have Eyes” and “Aliens” about a group of teens (John Redlinger, Jes Macallan, Karl Makinen and others) who arrive at a desert boot camp which is remote and cut off from society and they are soon stalked and besieged by a man-eating monster who preys upon humans to live. Derivative movie moves fast enough but pretty soon- you may find yourself rooting for the monster to put all of the cast out of their misery. One chilling scene aboard a helicopter towards the end is the only real scare in the movie.

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“The Florida Project” (** out of four) was a so-what story about a single mother (Bria Vinaite) who struggles desperately to raise her children while living in a Florida hotel under the supervision of a tough but sympathetic hotel property manager (Willem Dafoe). You keep thinking something significant is going to happen or story is going to build and develop but it never does. Dafoe is solid as usual but he’s played this role multiple times before in better films. Many critics cited this as one of the best films of the year but I’m not among them.

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