Widows (2018)

Steve McQueen knows how to make an intense movie. Heist movies, by their very nature, are intense, but McQueen takes it to another level. Hans Zimmer's score as well as the moments of tense silence contribute to the mood. There are some gorgeous tracking shots. And Gillian Flynn of Gone Girl fame writes an engaging screenplay full of twists, grit and excitement.The plot is complex, intertwining race, power, money and gender roles. And the cast is all phenomenal.  Viola Davis is a badass.

The Disaster Artist (2017)

The Disaster Artist is a movie about making the worst movie of all time. And it's hilarious. The Room was ridiculously bad. And this was surprisingly good. I don't know how James Franco pitched this movie but it surprisingly works. James and Dave Franco are spot on as Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero. And it looks like they're having so much fun playing these bonkers characters. Good or bad, it's not easy to recreate a movie scene for scene. It's so nuts, it's incredibly enjoyable.

Magic in the Moonlight (2014)

It is not Woody Allen's finest movie.  The premise is not entirely enticing.  Colin Firth plays a magician who is attempting to defraud Emma Stone as a mystic.  The story is kind of silly and I had a tough time investing in any of the main characters, though Hamish Linklater's rich yet lovelorn singer is kind of funny.  All the action, or lack of action, takes place in the majestic French Riviera as Allen continues to make non-New York films in his later years.  He also continues to make romantic comedies featuring upper class older men and younger women, perhaps a bit of art imitating life.  Colin Firth is a good actor, and he carries the movie.  Emma Stone retains her quirkiness in this role and her wide eyes are fitting for a psychic.  She will get another go at a Woody Allen film later this year. Hopefully she will have some better writing to work with.