Bohemian Rhapsody

The Queendom, the power, and the glory was his--at least for a while. The case this movie seems to make is that Freddie Mercury was so incandescent that he simple had to burn out quickly, and maybe would have done so even if his illness hadn't limited his life. And while one can argue that certain aspects of this movie are a little too formulaic and filmic, what's unarguable is that the presentation also captures its many moments of brilliance with great sense and feeling. Those too young to remember Queen in their heyday get a highly accurate recreation of that vibe here. The result is a picture that entertains greatly and elevates highly, for both the band's legacy and those who partake of it here. Very strong work and just shy of must-see quality.

Valkyrie

A good story, a great cast giving fine, professional performances, and some artful storytelling make this worth the ride. Oh, yeah, and it also offers everybody's favorite movie stars: Nazis! Enjoy.

X2: X-Men United

Ah, I'm such a sucker for anything that reeks of "cool." Throw some special effects in front of me and I'm happy. I have a feeling I should have liked this movie less than I did, but I certainly don't think there was anything egregiously wrong with it. There's a subplot about a particularly religious mutant that opens the doors to a lot of speculation, but they left it thoroughly undeveloped. Too bad. You have to settle for fairly run of the mill sci-fi superhero stuff. Still, that's usually entertaining--and so it is here.

X-Men

Well-done comic book adaptation. Some of the mutant powers are a bit on the outlandish side, but hey, you're not supposed to believe in this shit. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan provide just the right touch of gravitas to an otherwise popcorn-light movie.

The Usual Suspects

A movie that set the tone for a generation of crime flicks to come. Cool, funny, smart, and steeped in good performances. You hardly need any advice from me on this one, just a reminder that you're not hip if you haven't seen this film.