RAMPAGE

RAMPAGE:  When you have a plot this preposterous, your better get Dwayne 'The Rock" Johnson to star in it and make it a lot of fun.   And that is exactly what this film is....preposterous but a lot fun.  (Well, in truth, it could have used a bit more fun, joke-wise.)   But it is basically what you'd expect.  Our hero trying to save our cities earth (mainly Chicago) from destruction by three (count'em, three) overgrown (via a sky-lab accident) beasts, a once friendly albino gorilla, a wolf-like creature and ultimately a reptilian (gatorish) lizard, Talk about having your work cut out for you. Great CGI along the way and a talented supporting cast including, most notably, Naomie Harris and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as cohorts of the hero.   Don't expect any great lesson from this...........just enjoy the ride...........Summer is coming.

CHAPPAQUIDDICK

CHAPPAQUIDDICK: The tragic event that befell Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne is the basis for this fascinating film that is neither a white-wash nor a hatchet job but rather an attempt to get to the facts.   With Jason Clarke skillfully hiding his Australian accent, as Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo, the acting is flawless, especially Bruce Dern who appears in only a few scenes as the Kennedy patriarch, Joe, but takes command of the screen with his presence. This is really about the sense of helplessness everyone felt as they try to salvage the Kennedy name and Ted's career by attempting all means of cover-up.  It is riveting at times and you almost want to cry out,  "Don't do that."  (i.e. wearing a neck brace to Mary Jo's funeral).   A thoroughly enjoyable look at the politics of the day and the mystic that was Kennedy.  

ISLE OF DOGS

ISLE OF DOGS:  Featuring an all-star voice-cast including Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swenton, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Yoko Ono, Liev Schreiber, Frances McDormand, F. Murray Abraham and Harvey Keitel, this Wes Anderson film utilizing some stop-motion animation is unlike anything I've ever seen.   In the city of Megasaki, Japan, an illness breaks out among the canine population and they are all exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island  by the corrupt Mayor.  But in the exiled group is also a beloved dog that belonged to the mayor's ward, Atari.  When he decides to try and find him, the adventure begins.  Filled with cinematic brilliance, this film is a wonder to behold.  But be forewarned, this is not for youngsters and contains many political references and humor that will go right over their heads.   So leave the kids at home but go and enjoy this one of a kind experience.  (Have you ever seen an animated kidney transplant?)  What a trip for the avid moviegoer.