US

             Is Jordan Peele the new M. Night Shyamalan?  After a terrific debut with "Get Out", Mr. Peele's sophomore effort, "Us", despite much promise at the beginning, falls apart in the last act much like many of Mr. Shyamalan's films.

              With a creepy prologue that sets up an interesting premise, the film settles into a standard horror story setup. The initial moments of terror are genuinely unsettling, if not downright scary but it doesn't take long for the unnerved feeling you've gotten turns to disbelief at the ridiculous explanation for what's happening. There are some twists and turns, one in particular, that try to keep things interesting but  the film really loses any credibility as it moves into the final act.

                Mr. Peele wrote, produced and directed the film. As a director, he does a masterful job. The film is well paced, his actors are terrific (more on that in a moment), his camera work is interesting and both lighting and music blend together for great effect. Mr. Peele does an admirable job balancing the suspense with comic relief.  His downfall is the script. His lofty idea turns ridiculous as the film goes on.

                 The film stars Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke as a married couple on vacation with their kids played by Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex. Their friends are played by Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker. Ms. Nyong'o is brilliant in a double role as is Ms. Wright Joseph as her daughter and Mr. Alex as her son, also in double roles. Mr. Duke provides some comic relief even as he is trying to protect his family.

                  Every aspect of the film works so well except the failure of the script to finish the job it so beautifully sets up in the first place. Mr. Peele continues to show great promise as a director. Let's just hope he doesn't fall into the Shyamalan trap as a writer.

Captain Marvel

                     The latest entry in the Marvel film universe can be fun for the casual viewer but essential viewing for fans of all the Marvel films and in particular, "Avengers: Infinity War" which left a Captain Marvel clue at the end.

                      There is an inherent problem with origin films and this one falls into the same trap making it fun but flawed. By twisting the origin into memory loss for our heroine, played by Brie Larson, the plot can be confusing. Fans of the comic will appreciate the use of the Skrull-Kree Wars as a story line but the casual viewer may still find themselves lost in the story.

                       What does work is Ms. Larson's performance (which may be unfairly compared to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, who is a very different kind of character).  In a world of male superheroes, Captain Marvel will make a great role model for young girls looking for their own superhero to emulate.  Another big positive is the chemistry between Ms. Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role as Nick Fury. 

                        Since the film takes place in the '90's, Mr. Jackson, along with Clark Gregg (as Phil Coulson) are both made younger by post production CGI. The effect works better for Mr. Jackson. Mr. Gregg looks downright creepy. The rest of the CGI effects are typical for this kind of film, so no surprise there. There are plenty of action sequences but also too many dead moments.

                         Ben Mendelsohn plays the leader of the Skulls and while he is a terrific actor, his dialogue for an alien is pretty ridiculous. Lashanna Lynch plays Maria, an air force pilot and Marvel's best friend. She gets to shine in her own action sequence. Two strange casting choices are Annette Bening as both an earth scientist and the Kree Supreme Intelligence and Jude Law as Marvel's Kree mentor. Both are out of their element in this live action comic book fantasy.

                           Using the film to set up "Avengers: Endgame" forces the writers to inject many elements for Marvel universe continuity. I won't give them away but if you are familar with these films, you'll know them when you see them.  Fans should also stay past the credits for, what has become the norm, the extra scenes. One used for comedic effect and the other important for "endgame".

The Mustang

               Cliched yet deeply moving none the less,  this is a beautiful film about the transformational power of love between man and animal. While it tugs at your heartstrings, there is a great deal of sadness as well so be prepared to be emotionally drained by the end.

              Matthias Schoenaerts (best know for "Rust & Bone") stars as Roman Coleman, a prisoner in an Arizona state penitentiary. Roman is full of pent up anger and rage with no outlet. As he tells the prison therapist, played by Connie Britton, "I'm no good around people". When he is assigned yard work, he inadvertently is chosen for a horse rehabilitation program run by a horse trainer named Myles, played by Bruce Dern.

             Of course Roman ends up fascinated by the meanest, wildest mustang in the group, and while they get off to a terrible start (a hard scene to watch), eventually man and horse bond with mutual love and respect. Roman becomes a better man for the experience. It enables him to begin to repair the relationship with his estranged daughter, Martha, played by Gideon Adlon. 

             Jason Mitchell also co-stars as Henry, another convict already good with horses, who helps Roman learn the ropes (literally and figuratively). Mr. Mitchell is a natural cowboy and does excellent work here. The film however, belongs to Mr. Schoenaerts. He is absolutely remarkable. His scenes with his horse, both violent and eventually loving are both difficult and beautiful to watch. The scene where he finally finds the words to express himself to Martha is just incredible. This is an award worthy performance by a wonderful actor that elevates the film beyond cliche.

            The horse rehabilitation program is a real program currently running in many western states. The film points out that there are still thousands of wild horses roaming the west and the program serves two successful purposes for both convict and horse.

The Invisibles

      During World War II, 7000 German Jews remained in Berlin and went into hiding to escape capture by the Nazis and their Gestapo agents. By the end of the war, only 1,500 had survived. This docudrama, written and directed by Clause Rafle, focuses on the personal stories of four Jewish teenagers . It interweaves personal interviews, dramatic reenactment, archival footage, and narration to bring their story to life. It is in German with English sub-titles.

      Interviews with Cioma Schonhaus, Hanni Levy, Ruth Arndt-Gumpel and Eugen Friede were conducted in 2009 and hearing them tell their stories and watching the reenactments is incredibly emotional, even if you are not of the Jewish faith. After conducting the interviews, Mr. Rafle set about to create the film around their experiences. While they did not know each other at the time, the nightmare they endured was a common bond shared by every Jewish person in hiding at the time. The film is also a tribute to the many non-Jewish German citizens who opposed the war and helped hide these people, risking their own lives to do so.

                While danger lurks everywhere and there are many tense moments and close calls, the fact that the four protagonists survived, creates a certain lack of suspense. However, this is not a work of fiction and the story is not to entertain but rather to educate and understand that this should never happen again...and yet, unfortunately, it does continue to this day in many parts of the world.