“Baby Driver”..a heist/love story playing out to its own essential soundtrack. Written and directed by Edgar Wright (“Shaun of The Dead” & “Hot Fuzz”) Ansel Elgort (“The Fault In Our Stars” & “Divergent”) plays Baby, the heist getaway driver who is the best in the biz because of the old school soundtrack he listens to, not just on the job, but to get through life. Kevin Spacey is tremendous as his controlling boss. Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx steal the show as two of the bad guys on the heist team. It’s funny. It’s fast. It’s sweet. It’s violent but not in a Pulp Fiction dark way. And the music is awesome- the music makes the movie. Highlights: “Hocus Pocus” and the aside about my “favorite” – “Knockin on Heaven’s Door”. Queen is essential. I just loved it. Perfect summer movie, but not for the little kids. It gets an R for violence and language. Me- I’d have no problem if my kids were tween/teens but of course, use your judgement when it comes to your sensibilities for your kids. Gets 98% (!!!) on Rotten Tomatoes.
4 stars
“Despicable Me 3”..starting in 2010, this is the 4th in the franchise, if you count “Minions”. I didn’t see but it’s getting thumbs up from 64% on “Rotten Tomatoes”, There’s nothing news but you know what you’re in for: energy, inspiration and, well, funny minions!!! Steve Carrell, Kristin Wigg and Trey parker provide some of the voices. And it’s just 90 minutes- so how can you lose with a long weekend ahead as you plan for your family.
“13 Minutes”..a subtitled German film for adults- especially history buffs . It’s the story of Georg Elsner, the unsung hero who almost saved 70-million lives . His bomb targeting Adolph Hitler went off , as planned, and would have killed him, had Hitler not left the building 13 minutes earlier. The movies starts with the bomb, flashing back & forth in time as we learn the story that could have changed history. The R rating is for torturing violence and not very hardcore sexuality. I loved this movie- and I couldn’t shake it. It really shows how one person can make a difference. This man acted alone. What an inspiring story. A must-see. So well acted. Haunting.
4 stars