Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald:

Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, an extraordinary wizard working for the Ministry of Magic, in this second prequel to the Harry Potter stories and the second part of a trilogy.  I have not read the books, nor did I read any of the Harry Potter books, but I have to say that I never had any difficulty understanding what was going on with Potter and Ronald Weasley and their classmates, but this batch from a setting in 1927, years before young Harry ever shows up at Hogwarts, left me completely baffled.  I didn't know, other than Redmayne's character Newt, and his friend Jacob Kowalski from the previous film, most of the characters, how they related to one another, and much of the terminology designed to offer insight into plot and action.  Johnny Depp was excellent as the arch villain Grindelwald, but I never really could figure out what he was trying to do to the wizard an non-wizard world, and Judd Law as a young Albus Dumbledor was fine, but again, I just could not figure out where he fit.  The special effects, as in the previous film, are spectacular, but eventually, like a Transformers movie, become mind-numbing, and I found it difficult to follow the nuances of the story through all fiery monsters and magical fencing.   I'm not knocking it ... but I just don't want to have to work that hard to enjoy a movie ... nor do I want to be forced to read a book first, just to understand it.  Rated PG. 

Mortal Engines:

Picture a stylized city of London, England, 1700 years on the future, built on giant caterpillar treads, heading off into the dystopian wastelands bent on gobbling up smaller, equally treaded cities, and you pretty much have this tale of revenge in a future world.  Based on the first of a quartet of YA novels by author Phillip Reeve, the story is set in a time the world never really got beyond the Victorian age, with classic Steampunk accouterments everywhere.  Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) and Hester Shaw (Hira Hilmar) are a pair of adventurers who set out to defeat one of the predator cities that threatens their existence.  Hester was abused as a young girl, and much of what drives her is a strong desire for revenge, and the non-stop action and adventure are geared towards that end.  The problem with this film, a sort of low-end Mad Max, is that, other than the moving cities, we have seen a lot of the same kinds of plot devices and action points before.  As well, other than Hester's character, it's hard to care about most of the people presented here.  Also stars Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang, filmed in New Zealand, and co-written by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Trilogy).  Rated 14A.

 The Favourite:

It just depends on how you are bent and twisted as to whether or not you will like this costume drama that profiles the life and hard times of England’s Queen Anne who reigned from 1702 to 1714, but don’t expect a dry history lesson here.  Anne was subject to gluttony at every level, living in ridiculous luxury, and enjoying every excess from those financial and in terms of possessions, to those of the flesh. She bore, and lost 17 children, and died without leaving an heir. Olivia Coleman stars as Anne, in a cast that includes Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, and Nicholas Holt.  It’s a story of female empowerment, which has led some observers to call this revisionist history, and others to claim that the women of this era allowed them to appear to be manipulated by men – the men of the church, of the government, and of the aristocracy, while actually manipulating the men themselves. Costumes and acting here are without reproach, but many may find the sex scenes, which are graphic, to be off-putting.  The story is “inspired by actual events,” but is in no way any kind of document of the live and times of 18th century royalty.  Driven by sex and the desire for power, the women in this film take precedence over all, and are clearly in charge.  Rated 18A.

High Flying Bird (2019):

This Netflix original focuses on the world of pro basketball.  Director Steven Soderberg (Oscar-winner for Traffic) put together a cast that includes Andre Holland as sports agent Ray Burke who finds himself in the untenable position of being caught between the league, that he must obey, and the players whom he represents, during a lockout that isn't good for anybody.  Zachary Quinto and Kyle McLaughlin star along with a number of actual NFL players, as Burke puts together a plan that will either end his career in basketball forever, or perhaps may change the game as we know it.  It's all about a loophole that just won't close.  Rated 14A.

Billy Graham: An Extraordinary Journey (2018):

This documentary look at the life of one of the greatest Christian Evangelicals of all time, was released just after his death last year.  The son of a dairy farmer, he grew up to be a radio and television evangelist who was spiritual advisor to President, and who touched some two billion people through his ministry.  Always a patient and understanding man with moderate views, A Gallup poll listed him as number seven on the list of the most-admired people of the 20th Century.  Appearing in this film are such famous names and faces as those of Kathy Lee Gifford, Ed McMahon, Larry King, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George Bush to name just a few.  Rated G.