Compared to films that feature traveling high in the sky off the earth, The Aeronauts is a masterpiece that shows the obstacles that exist to seeing the earth from the sky with little to no technology. The film is pristine at showing the tools that are utilized for flying a hot air balloon, however, they only remain that way for a limited time as the two main stars go higher in the sky. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are in the perfect roles for this movie. After their brilliant performances in The Theory of Everything (2014), they shine once again in The Aeronauts. Director, Tom Harper (who directed some Episodes of Peaky Blinders on Netflix and Wild Rose last year) creates a visually stunning and emotional thrill ride where Redmayne and Jones must rise to the challenge and obstacles they have above them. It is a ride that is full of interesting questions.

The film gears on James Glaisher and Amelia Wren (Redmayne and Jones). Glaisher is a scientist and Wren is a pilot. The year is 1862, and Glaisher’s fascination with meteorology puts him on a mission to advance human knowledge by going up in a hot air balloon thousands of stories high. His goal is to go higher in the sky than anyone has in history. They succeed in accomplishing their mission to go up higher than anyone has been before, but then Glaisher does not want to stop, but instead keep going higher and higher. The film is structured and provides numbers and signs at moments in the movie as they continue their journey until it eventually becomes dangerous. The temperature decreases massively, they do not have much oxygen, and their tools for descending start to fall apart as the cold winds cause them to malfunction and not work effectively at all.

What grabbed my attention the most about this movie is the fact that they are surviving that high up with little food or water. Also, the fact that there are no electronics for emergency purposes. Glaisher and Wren rely on each other and think together to figure out how they will descend safely without dying. This tests their patience with each other. Wren wants to descend because she knows there is danger, Glaisher wants to continue so he can make history by making a discovery that he feels only he can make. Glaisher even puts his health aside to attempt to go up farther. That is the point at which Wren starts to find herself having to figure out the tools solo, because Glaisher begins to have head problems and is out of it.

The film is beautiful with cinematography and lighting. The scenes where they fly in the hot air balloon in the clouds contains lots of breathtaking imagery. I saw this in 70 MM projection at the Music Box, and since the whole screen was filled up with the movie, it was spectacular. I heard this film may be in IMAX at some point and given that the IMAX screen is much bigger, viewers would feel like they are thousands of feet in the air just like Glaisher and Wren.

I am giving The Aeronauts four stars. I walked in not sure how amazing this movie would be, but it exceeded my expectations.  It is one of the top films of the year for me. Also, best performances once again by Redmayne and Jones. Viewers will want to see this in 70 MM projection which is possible in Chicago in December. True film fanatics will not be disappointed as they will experience a ride like no other without technology.

Given that fascination with Fred Rogers has been growing in the past year, A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood is a charming, delightful, and uplifting film.  It focuses on how Mister Roger’s goal was to help people find the bright side of elements in their lives. Fred Rogers is the perfect role for Tom Hanks who turns out to also be distant cousins.  Viewers will pick-up on this connection because Hanks portrays the role so accurately. The film may seem mellow but is moving. The carefully paced drama and biographical film enthralled me with both the story and the performances. Not only was Hanks performance noteworthy, but also Matthew Rhys, who plays Lloyd Vogel is excellent.  Vogel is the character that Mister Rogers wants to help feel better because of the life challenges he struggles to overcome.

The film centers on Mister Rogers in the beginning, however, the unique factor is Vogel turns out to be the primary focus of the film. Vogel is a journalist who gets assigned to shadow Mister Rogers in order to write a story. Vogel is initially against the idea of working with Mister Rogers because Rogers’ focus on kids. Vogel simply thinks he is above that. However, Vogel has several problems of his own which he cannot seem to move past. Vogel struggles to get along with his father Jerry Vogel (played by Chris Cooper) who was deceitful towards him at a young age and not very supportive of him for many years. Lloyds’s wife, Andrea Vogel (played by Susan Kelechi Watson), wishes he would give his dad another chance, but deep-down Lloyd’s emotions still bother him. Once Lloyd starts working on the story and getting to know Mister Rogers, Mister Rogers starts to realize that Lloyd is sad and is distracted. Of course, given Mister Rogers’ laid-back and extremely kind sense of humor, he wants to help Lloyd focus on the present and the positive. Once Lloyd and Mister Rogers start to work together, Lloyd starts to slowly regain his confidence in life and overcome some of his challenges.

This is one of my favorite films of the year.  I am someone who has struggled to put hard times in my life behind me and have come to realize that when I find positive role models, I have many positive qualities to offer the world. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a film that I relate to in times when I am disgusted or cannot seem to get past something.  The movie made me reflect on how Fred Rogers (in the movie and in real-life) gave people advice on how to help make the world to be a better place. The film is purely a joy and I did not find anything I disliked about it because it felt so real.  I truly felt like I was right there in the moments of connection between Rogers and Vogel especially in the scenes where Vogel starts to reconcile with the issues he has held onto for a long time. I found myself in tears because A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood reminds me that we cannot hold onto the past.  And, even at times when I may feel like I am not accomplishing my goals, that I can keep trying. Fred Rogers offers both hope and inspiration.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood deserves four stars. I walked in thinking it was going to be a made-for-Hollywood moneymaker film, but it is not. It is not cheesy nor does it try too hard. The film’s careful pacing shows viewers how Mister Rogers is helping Lloyd build his relationships and slowly regain his confidence. Eventually, there are positive doors that open. Audiences will see those amazing doors when they see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

At first, I thought Knives Out was going to be like a repeat of Murder on the Orient Express (2017). That is because the plots and premises are similar, and so it appeared that Knives Out was just intended to be a moneymaker based on both the trailer and cast. I was wrong though, and Knives Out is spectacular, crazy fun and hysterical because it leaves trails of many interesting twists. This is one of the best films by Rian Johnson. The movie has a top-notch cast, great writing, and is a joy ride for the Thanksgiving holiday season. It is the perfect feel-bad yet stellar film for the family (if families believe their kids are old enough to handle the material).

The film focuses on the death of a crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey (played by Christopher Plummer). It is his 85^th birthday and he is found dead on that day. The detective assigned to the case of Thrombey’s death is Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig). He is structured, organized, opinionated, and seeks to figure out who is guilty of this death. In order to solve the case, he starts to get to know the dysfunctional family associated with Harlan. There is Marta Cabrera (played by Ana de Armas), Linda Drysdale (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), Joni Thrombey (played by Toni Collette), Ransom Drysdale (played by Chris Evans), Richard Drysdale (played by Don Johnson), Meg Thrombey (played by Katherine Langford), Walt Thrombey (played by Michael Shannon), and Jacob Thrombey (played by Jaeden Martell).

Blanc’s assistant on the case is Lieutenant Elliott (played by LaKeith Stanfield). Blanc gets to understand how everyone in this family either accepts or denies each of the others. A majority of that is based on wealth, power, and jealousy. Blanc comes to understand that the hatred and shame that has been around this family is why there are tons of signs that start to lead to the truth regarding the death of Harlan. However, some statements or events are not accurate, so this puts Blanc on edge to determine who is most at fault.  He is basing his assumptions on the egos of particular people and the actions that may have caused them to be held responsible. The film is a portrait of jealousy, lies, and money.  However, it is funny to watch while at the same time being suspenseful.

Now, what was most fun to watch in Knives Out was how one of the characters has a lying disorder. I thought that concept was quite clever. I am not going to reveal who the character is, but when someone tells a lie, the disorder causes the person to vomit.  This is another reason I found this movie to be so clever.   Once the authorities recognize this disorder, they start to realize there is more to the case than they know.  Also, the confrontation scenes with the family are dazzling. They get verbally abusive with creative words and get physical with comic violence.  Knives Out is a mystery/comedy flick that don’t require deep thought by the audience.  That is because whenever there is a moment of realization, anger or guilt, there is also laughter.

When I saw this movie at the Chicago International Film Festival, Rian Johnson and Michael Shannon were in attendance for a discussion. I remember when they talked about the movie, they were commented that it was a fun movie to make. That is because much of the cast has done other films where there is dysfunction.  This is probably one of Johnson’s best films and as a fan of his, I believe Knives Out takes the cake. Therefore, I give this one three and a half stars.