Logan

According to Hugh Jackman, “Logan” will be his last outing as Wolverine. If that is in fact the case, he’s going out on quite the high. In the titular role, Jackman plays a very old, bearded and graying Logan. Instead of cutting-up people left and right, he’s now a limousine-driver working within the confines of regular society. In addition to his job, Logan takes care of Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who is a shadow of the intellectual being that he once was. While Logan and Xavier may be the last of their mutant species, there are still some out there being hunted down by a private corporation. From the outset, “Logan” becomes a gritty, down and dirty superhero flick. But what separates it from the rest of the herd is the fact that it did not shy from the R-rating, meaning more blood, more violence and more cursing. This allows for the movie to really embrace its dark, mean, and unforgiving edge without trying too hard. The picture of the world that is presented isn’t a very pretty one, but it’s certainly compelling. Viewers will be sure to remember “Logan” for giving us Jackman’s best performance yet as the iconic Wolverine.

5 out of 5 stars

 

Get Out

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose (Alison Williams) are pretty serious now, to the point where they both feel like it’s time to meet the parents. However, because Chris is black and Rose is white, there’s some hesitation on the part of the former. Rose repeats that it will be no problem. But Chris, for obvious reasons, feels a little weird about heading out to the home of his white girlfriend’s parents (played by Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener). Regardless, he meets them. He notices quickly, however,  that something is completely off about the other black people in the area — of which, there aren’t many to begin with. It’s right here where the movie gets more mysterious and weird. Jordan Peele, in his directing debut, keeps us tense and excited throughout. While Peele’s comedic sensibilities do show in the script, where Peele really excels is in creating this dark, foreboding sense of danger and never letting us forget about it. “Get Out” cleverly uses it’s story as a way of communicating themes about race, class, gender and other social issues. But the film excels at providing the viewer with thrilling twists and turns. Peele may just have a bright future outside of sketch comedy.

3.5 out of 5 stars