A Star is Born

Cooper starts by showing off simultaneous directing, acting, guitar-playing, and singing then miraculously maintains the momentum, with incredible support from a Lady who disappears beautifully into her role. Bizarre non-comedic roles for Dice and Dave don’t detract either and Elliot’s emotional energy establishes the environment for film’s final sorrowful supernova.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

Starship Supers spank space-Trump’s golden army before warping into marvelous Jerry Springer episode to intercede in the intergalactic seeding of egotistical Russelhoff and teach him the Yon-dos and don’ts of stellar adoption. Another fun mixtape of physically impossible Pratt-falls, absurdly abrupt dispute resolution and cosmic comedy firmly grooted in family.

American Sniper

Cooper nails simultaneously macho and vulnerable performance as he maneuvers through the realistic (except the baby) and enthralling world of the Middle-Eastwood.  Well executed, if slightly over-cinematized, film rides wire between propaganda and entertainment but certainly hits its artistic mark.  Suffers from under-elaborated abrupt ending but perhaps that too is

Guardians of the Galaxy

Gunn hits bulls-eye with this branch-in-cheek rendition of Star Wars: The Force Avenges.  Bautista finally flexes acting muscles while Cooper perfects Pesci impression, Diesel and Seldana go green and Pratt cements his star status.   Effects, humor and heart make up for misused collection of bit-players and deus ex galactica finale.

American Hustle

O’Hustle rallies Silver Fightings Castlist as a batch of unlikely and unlikeable grifters in the poorly-paced Decentfellas.  Impressive performances are weighed down by a structure more cumbersome than any pot-belly, voiceover worse than any comb-over, and an unsatisfying B-Sting climax.  Neither crime-caper clever nor comedy funny, but perhaps it’s con-artistic.   

The Place Beyond the Pines

Cianfrance’s bloody valentine is a three headed mutant character study, with slow deliberate pacing, kept entertaining through some of the curviest curveballs ever thrown and a cast who knock them out of the park.  Powerful and shocking drama boldly introduces hyper-Aristotle’s 3x3 act structure.   Awfully long run-time, but squashes it.