Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017) ***

A bio-drama, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women tells the story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and the two women in his life. Martson, a Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee -- as the creator of the Wonder Woman character, was also the inventor of the lie-detector prototype, and a writer of self-help books. The film was written and directed by Angela Robinson. It stars Luke Evans as Marston, Rebecca Hall, Olive Byrne, JJ Feild, Oliver Platt, and Connie Britton.

American Made (2017) ****

Life is stranger than fiction; this paraphrase of a Mark Twain’s famous quote may come in mind, when watching American Made. It is a film based on true events, albeit the large creative freedom the filmmakers took in its making. Directed by Doug Liman to a screenplay by Gary Spinelli, American Made tells the story of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who turned a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel during the 1980s. Cutting a deal with the DEA to avoid prolong jail time, Seal ends up an informant.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) ****

Blade Runner 2049, or BR 2049 for short,  is a 2017 neo-noir sci-fi film, directed by Denis Villeneuve to a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. With a nod to its predecessor, yet forming its own original story, BR 2049 was, for me, as a fan of the 1982 Ridley Scott Blade Runner, a pleasant surprise. Not as dark as the 1982 movie, it is still noir plenty, and maintains a good balance between old and new.

Maudie (2016) ****

An indie bio-drama, Maudie follows the life of Nova Scotia painter Maud Lewis. The film, a Canadian-Irish production, shot to a small budget of $5.6mm, was directed by Aisling Walsh, to a screenplay by Sherry White. It stars Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke in the lead roles.
Maudie, the film, like its title character, slowly grows on you. Maud Lewis was a woman facing many challenges, not to the least of which were physical nature, poverty and a hostile family, yet she had something most privileged people do not always poses; a joyful attitude.

Frantz (2016, France-Germany) ****

Franz tells the story of a German woman named Anna, beautifully portrayed by Paula Beer, who, in post-WWI Germany of 1919, while grieving Franz, her fiancé who perished in the Great War, is receiving a surprise visit by a Frenchman. The relationship between Anna, the Frenchman, the dead fiancé, as well as his parents, take center-stage. All this is happening to the backdrop of two countries still hostile, still healing from the wounds of war.

Logan (2017) ***

Directed by James Mangold, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Frank and Michael Green, Logan is based on a story by Mangold. Logan introduces us to an aging Wolverine. The year is 2029 and Logan is not feeling all that great, as the Adamantium in his body is slowly poisoning him; his superpower weakened as his ability to self-heal. In other words, Logan is the more human, and the most vulnerable that he ever was.