Alita: Batte Angel (2019)

How would I describe Alita? The trailer doesn't really reveal the secret that this is a roller derby movie. Yeah, that was unexpected. It's a very violent movie as roller derby is. The visual effects accommodate the violence. The visuals are pretty cool. I wasn't a big fan of the plot though. And the ending was unsatisfying. Don't make me watch the sequel to find out how it ends.

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Goosebumps. This movie gave me goosebumps in a way the book did not. Simultaneously beautiful, breathtaking, and tragic, this James Baldwin adaptation is a bold follow-up to Moonlight for Barry Jenkins. His direction is meticulous. He takes small brilliant liberties in acting out scenes undescribed in the novel (moving furniture), and sticks closely to the book in tense scenes of despair (and one big liberty in changing the ending). The cinematography and lighting are stunning. The centered head-on shots in which the audience is confronted by the helpless gaze of our protagonists are heartbreaking.

The soundtrack by Nicholas Britell is achingly beautiful. You could feel the audience in the packed theater all holding our collective breath in anxiety. The horns and swelling strings cue the viewer to exhale a sigh of brief reprieve to celebrate the love at the center of the story. The music slowly pulses the audience along to the tragic fate we know awaits. And I'd like to say that it is because I read the book that I know how it ends, but that's not it. We implicitly know how this story ends because it is the story of being black in America, in the 70s and in the 21st century just the same. The film opens with a passage from James Baldwin explaining the title. The eponymous Beale Street is a stand-in for any main street in an American city where the Fonnys and Tishes survive.  Fonny is a noir-ish character, helpless to change his fate. This is most devastating in the moments we get to soak in their joy and love (of partner, of family, of community), in the character of Daniel foreshadowing what fate lies ahead, and when the baby finally arrives.

The entire cast is superb. The leads have perfect chemistry. Kiki Layne is absolutely radiant. Regina King is gripping. The whole supporting cast, the ones with just one scene each, Brian Tyree Henry, Dave Franco, Pedro Pascal, Diego Luna, etc are all scene stealers. You have to let this one simmer a bit, that slow burn is unlike anything else this year.

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool was good but I don't know if it's as amazing as everyone has been raving. In the same vein as Guardians of the Galaxy, it is a parody of the superhero genre. The difference is the self awareness of Deadpool. He constantly breaks the fourth wall, acknowledging the Marvel cinematic universe ironically. I wonder how he actually fits into that universe as he actively makes fun of it, both the characters and timeline and the actors themselves, aware it is a movie. Is he in X-Men or what? It is unconventionally funny. There is also an exceptional amount of R-rated violence and humor for a Marvel movie. Some of it is excessive. I get that's the point, but sometimes they're just unnecessary side remarks. Ryan Reynolds is perfect for the role, much better than his turn as the Green Lantern. Story-wise it's ok. Its strength is in its comedy.