Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

With his past adventures behind him, Indy grapples with his destiny as an older man on the verge of retirement, when adventure comes calling once more...

Nostalgia goggles on. Indiana Jones is my favorite film franchise of all time, so I'm clearly biased, but this is still a solid action-adventure flick. The only thing this movie has going against it is its bloated runtime, but since this is purported to be the last in the series (Ford is 81 and claims the character will die with him), I will give it a pass. With its ruminations on life and death, this is the kind of movie that will age well as you revisit it again later in life and realize: Yes, I know exactly what they were trying to say about getting older. Life ain't all sunshine and roses, even when you're the world's greatest hero. It doesn't diminish the legacy of the character at all, despite the heavy subject matter. Harrison can still kick my ass up and down the block.

4 Tuk-Tuks out of 5

Note: For the sake of completion, I would give the first three films 5 out of 5, and the fourth would get 3 out of 5. This one is still not quite as divisive as the previous entry.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

Bob Dylan rolls into town circa 1961 to meet his musical heroes and play some folk songs in order to make a name for himself. Apparently, the logical progression is to jump directly from Willy Wonka to Bob Dylan, but Timmy C. gives it his all, inhabiting the role of the enigmatic singer-songwriter and providing all the instrumental and vocal performances himself. While the film succeeds in dispelling some of his aloof persona, it doesn't shy away from revealing the prickly idiosyncrasies front and center. Bob wants to do what he wants and he pisses people off in order to remain true to himself. That sort of strategy only works if you've got the raw talent to back it up. As such, there's not a lot of stakes involved (there are two women at the center of this story), and at the end of the day, I don't really feel like I got a very good sense of the man, nor have I come away with any kind of revelation. Which I guess remains true to its title. There's a lot of artifice involved in biopics; you really have to suspend your disbelief, because I was aware the entire time that Chalamet was just doing his best Dylan impersonation. At no point did I feel like he lost himself in the role. James Mangold has experience in this genre with Walk the Line, but I found this to be a wholly inferior effort. It's got a lot of good tunes and strong performances, but I wasn't exactly bowled over by any of it.

3½ Times They Are A-Changin' out of 5

LOGAN [2017]

Director James Mangold returns for a second helping of mutie goodness with the third and final solo Wolverine film, Logan.
Set 6 years after Days of Future Past, while in hiding from a world that's wiped out most of the mutant population, Old Man Logan & an ailing Professor X's struggle to survive is tested when a young mutant enters their lives.
While previous cinematic Wolvie outings have been pretty tame, Mangold & co. finally go for the extreme bloody violence, which seems like it's the way it oughta be considering the guy has razor blades tearing out of his hands.  Through all the grit and grime, Logan is a thoughtfully subdued swan song for the popular X-men characters that sheds both blood and tears by the gallons.

3½ X-men comics for bed-wetters out of 5

THE WOLVERINE [2013]

Director James Mangold likes to make Western films even when they aren't Western films.
The Wolverine is a perfect example of that, as Hugh Jackman assumes the role of Logan for a sixth time and headlines a second film that could only be better than the last shitfest.
Mangold loves a good character piece so it's a breath of fresh air when the film hardly relies on any extravagant CGI action scenes (with the exception of the clumsily executed climax) and instead opts for some beautifully choreographed fight sequences.  Some characters are delicately written while others seem like they were slapped together at the last second, as are some of the "exposition" scenes, which many are hardly needed if you have half a brain.
It's not perfect but certainly a welcome addition to the ever-growing X-men franchise.

3 bullet trains out of 5

3:10 TO YUMA [2007]

James Mangold's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Western novel 3:10 To Yuma is a tightly paced ride that has it's up and downs.
This film genre is a rarity in this day and age, so I welcome it with open arms and doesn't disappoint someone starving for a good ol' horseback ridin' shoot 'em up.  Although, as a lover of all film, it falls very short and seems more like a missed opportunity.  Russell Crowe's Big Bad is an interesting character study but never quite explores it's greater potential, while Christian Bale's moody good guy is dull, dull and more dull.  Possibly the best parts of the film are the  wonderful supporting cast, including Peter Fonda, Ben Foster, Alan Tudyk & Kevin Durand and composer Marco Beltrami's wonderfully fleshed out score.

3 flaming stagecoaches out of 5

Cop Land (1997)

Some of Hollywood’s best are gathered together for this tale of a small town Sheriff and his relationship with a tight knit group of city cops who are as corrupt as the day is long.
Stallone gives one of the best performances of his career, which is even more praiseworthy when you consider who he’s up against.
He brings the sensitivity and the heart to a film that builds slowly and purposefully, and remains engaging right to the very end.

4 diagonal lines out of 5

IDENTITY [2003]

Director James Mangold crafts Identity into a wild, twistin' & turnin' mystery/thriller that is more fun than it is intelligent.  

A dark and stormy night at a creepy old motel screams out Psycho but throw in an ensemble cast of characters who all share mysteries of their own and you have deliciously evil whodunnit on your hands.  It's not high art but it runs in, does it thing and leaves you without a bitter taste.  

3 washloads of death out of 5