Rocketman

Must Go
It’s everything you would want from an Elton John bio pic and so much more! This is a full-on musical. Not just Elton singing his hits, but the people around him and in his life from childhood to adulthood, all singing. They do this all while beautifully fitting his songs into his life story. You do not have to be an Elton John fan to like this movie as the musical numbers, comedy, and emotional beats are spot on perfection! I truly thought on multiple occasions Taron Egerton was Elton John himself, I was truly impressed with him. She who must be obeyed cannot recommend this movie highly enough.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

No Go
I am way to old and out of touch for this movie. I was hoping for something like Zootopia.
The film is a mess, not sure what they wanted to get across in this film. Trying so hard to please everyone, you please no one. I didn’t hate it I just didn’t like very much either.

Booksmart

Maybe Go
I would recommend that you skip this movie. It sounds as though it would be a hit from the premise, but it never gets off the ground.
On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
Imagine their shock when Amy and Molly discover that many of their less-disciplined (i.e. hard partying) classmates will also be attending elite schools. The besties immediately scheme to make up for 4 years of nose-to-the-grindstone by attending the biggest party of the year … and showing others how much fun, they can be. They fail.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Maybe Go, if you are a fifteen-year-old boy.
This film is just John Wick on the run with the world’s top assassins after him, no other story or character development. From the beginning, it is just dozens of assassins popping out of every doorway, long choreographed fights with John Wick attacked by a half-dozen goons at a time, lots of shooting & knife-throwing in which he kills them all. That’s it. It becomes boring after 20 mins, but goes on for 2 hours of the same with barely a spoken word.
I liked the dogs the most.

Avengers: Endgame

Must Go
No Spoilers.
Endgame is above all the best Marvel superhero movie to date. This is also the best and epic conclusion to the 21 movies in the first 10 years of the MCU. This is the epic culmination. The best storytelling ever told. At three hours, it did not seem too long.

The Mustang

No Go
Despite some great cinematography and the very able direction of her actors, first time French actor turned director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre simply has chosen a subject that doesn’t lend itself to great drama. Part of the problem is the main character Roman; he’s basically a one-note martinet who fits the bill of the generic angry inmate.
The meat of the story is where Coleman must train a horse, he names Marquis. The movie eventually grows tedious as the expected bonding between man and animal takes place right on schedule. Much more successful is Bruce Dern as Myles, the old codger who runs the training program. Myles proves to be much livelier than the perennially glum Coleman.
Finally, there’s the very awkward ending which is designed to be both tragic and bittersweet. During the horse auction, Marquis is spooked by a helicopter passing by overhead and runs amok. Coleman is thrown to the ground and injured, leading to the closing of the horse training program. Why dream that up when the whole idea is to promote the idea of the benefits of all that bonding?
It’s a setup for Myles to clue Coleman that he can open the gates and allow Marquis to escape before he’s put down. Despite the program’s closing, Coleman will be “alright” in the knowledge that Marquis will roam free! All in all, I just didn’t buy the ending where a program of such value is so easily eliminated.

Dumbo

No Go
The story of Dumbo has been totally rewritten. I was expecting to see a remake of the first version but this is basically a different story with some parts inspired from the 1941 animated film.
A whole new cast of character has been added. All humans and nothing about animals like the old version.
I feel like this remake lacks love, magic, and sweetness; all the emotional part of the 1941 Dumbo is missing.
I don’t know why they made it that way but I prefer the old Dumbo.

Captain Marvel

Go
It’s not the best marvel film ever, but this film is absolutely not the worst. I really enjoyed it, and enjoyment is the most important factor in a film. The characters and humor provide a fantastic experience, whilst keeping well balanced with detailed and entrancing action scenes
Captain Marvel however ticked all the boxes for me. The interaction between well-known characters such as Nick Fury and Coulson showed the start of the bonds of trust and friendship they have later in life. The motives behind each character’s actions were unexpected but made sense. The acting as to be expected for a Marvel Movie was top notch. The action sequences were in a word, awesome, and overall the movie was great fun to watch. I was worried that Captain Marvel would be the Superman of the Marvel universe. An overpowered hero without much motivation, other than to be good, but Marvel managed to add a depth to the character.
All in all, a great hero movie

Apollo 11

Must Go
Thanks for the tip, Tony
A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin & Michael Collins.
The documentary Apollo 11 is a rich buffet of restored footage, clever image juxtaposition, and ingenious lip reading. There is SO MUCH newly-released footage, one gets the impression that 1/4 of the mission weight must’ve been cameras and film! Where have these images been for fifty years? There’s no narration… just sounds and voices from the mission, peppered with occasional contemporaneous commentary from Walter Cronkite’s legendary broadcasts. The film is a beautiful, visceral thrill ride, lovingly constructed, without aggrandizement… yet emotions soar. This is what America once was, and what it could be again.
I remember being at Fort Benning Georgia watching the landing. This movie brought back a lot of memories. In the nineties I was a part of a group that brought Buzz (Lightyear) Aldrin in for a motivational speech. I expected a rousing lecture about walking on the moon. I got a lecture about the evils of alcoholism that plagued him after he returned to Earth. O well.
This movie is a must see documentary.