THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS

THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS:   Part fantasy, part comedy, part horror, but all entertaining, this film starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black is a delight with a wonderful performance by child actor, Owen Vaccaro portraying  a young man sent to live with his uncle (Black) in a creaky old house with a strange tick-tock sound emanating from deep within the structure. It's all about witches (Blanchett at her best) and warlocks and although it is sort of a rip-off of the Harry Potter genre, it works.  Designed for a young audience (i.e. the whole family) it has some delightfully creepy moments and a jolt of two along the way plus some great CGI effects. ( I loved the "griffin" topiary that comes to life and has to be reminded constantly to use the litter box.)
In other words, it's fun, funny, and fun-tastic.

A SIMPLE FAVOR

A SIMPLE FAVOR:   Directed by Paul Feig, this black comedy mystery stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively along with Henry Golding (the new guy who was in "Crazy Rich Asians") and centers around a mommy, nerdish blogger (Kendrick) who is out to solve the sudden disappearance of her rich new best friend (Lively.)  Lots of plot twists and flashbacks along the way keep this movie engaging.   And I am not about to give anything away here.  Just go and enjoy it.  It's one of those movies that you think you have figured it all out and then it takes off in another direction.  And it will keep you guessing up to the end.  And there is even an amusing coda after that.   No big stars, no car crashes (well, one or two) but a thoroughly enjoyable outing.  I recommend it.

THE WIFE

THE WIFE:   It's still early, but I think our first Oscar nominee is upon us in the personage of Glenn Close in this nuanced and brilliant performance as the title character.  She portrays Joan Castleman, wife to a celebrated author Joe (Jonathon Price). They are compliments and therefore opposites to each other; Joe is vain and Joan is self-effacing and so on. As the film opens Joe is notified that he has won the Nobel Prize for Literature.  Then, through a series of flashbacks, we see how the couple have arrived at this point.  Christian Slater portrays a rather pushy writer, eager to do a biography on John but in the process discovers some unknown details about him.   Also in the cast is Max Irons (son of Jeremy) as the couples close to estranged son, David. It's a quiet film with moments of joy and humor that leads ultimately to a somewhat predictable ending. None the less, Ms. Close is at the top of her game (as is Mr. Price) and it is a fascinating portrait of a couple in love and on the brink.of destruction.

OPERATION FINALE

OPERATION FINALE: Oscar Isaac (who also produced) plays the lead in this suspense thriller about a group of Israeli agents and their journey to Argentina to track down the notorious Adolph Eichmann (played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley).  It is a bit slow at times, but worth the view and down-right nail-biting toward the end.   Catching the elusive Eichmann was nothing compared to what the group had to battle to get him out of Argentina and on a plane to Israel.   Riveting stuff even if it feels at times that we've been down this path before. But this time the humanity of the villain shows up in several scenes, but not for long and not believable, I feel.  It's just a different take on an old story but some food for thought.