Alpha

The long-delayed Alpha finally gets its day. Anyone who wants to imagine how humans domesticated dogs will get an answer. It also raises another question; why delay it?

It's the Paleothic Era. Keda (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) is the son of his tribe's chief, Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhanness). Keda gets to go on his first Steppe Bison hunt. He and his tribe drive a herd off a cliff. But one of the Bison takes it with him. Tau has to leave him for dead. Keda escapes death and heads home with a broken foot.

Keda is attacked by a pack of wolves. He injures one (Chuck) and the others scram. He nurses the wolf back to health. "Alpha" becomes his best friend, though Keda doesn't realize it. Keda needs Alpha to help him get back to his people.

Albert Hughes, best known for co-directing Menace II Society and The Book of Eli with his brother Allen, makes his solo directorial debut. His screen story was rendered in screenplay form by Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt. The story relies on visuals rather than dialogue. What little dialogue is here is subtitled from a fictional language. But the actors, human and canine, say a lot by expressions alone. It's only 96 minutes, so it's not stretched out too thin.

The technical star here is cinematographer Martin Gschlacht. The desolate landscape also says a lot with its visuals alone. The ancient world is both beautiful and scary in its emptiness. It's especially so in winter, where some of the darkest moments happen. We understand the stakes as Keda and Alpha deal with the cold. The night scenes are also impressive. The only real visual flaw is that it's sometimes obvious when CGI is used.

The best scenes are those with Alpha. Alpha makes for a good canine companion. It's funny and nice when Alpha starts acting like a modern dog. When Alpha runs off for a short bit, we feel the absence. We feel it when Alpha is injured and near death. Of course, Alpha recovers when a plot twist hits at the end.

Alpha has much to admire. The action scenes are highly improbable, yet well done. The story makes one think of their own animal companions. It's a wonder why Sony chose to delay it (hopefully, it was just a crowded market). It's a pity the film is currently underperforming. See it before it gets the boot.

BlacKkKlansman

President Woodrow Wilson allegedly described the extremely controversial blockbuster The Birth of a Nation as "like writing history with lightning." That quote easily describes Spike Lee's latest joint, BlacKkKlansman, his take on Ron Stallworth's memoir. And you'll be struck when its 135 minutes are up.

In 1972, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) becomes the first African-American officer in the Colorado Springs Police Force. He wants to go undercover, but he's assigned to the records room. His condescending superior officer, Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke), sends him undercover to spy on a rally by pioneering Black Power activist Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins). It goes off without a hitch. He even meets and falls for student power activist Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier).

Stallworth sees an ad for the Ku Klux Klan. He gives them a call, posing as an extremely racist white man, and is understandably surprised when he's called back. Now he has to meet them in person. His white partner, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), puts on a reasonable impression of his voice and plays his stand-in. "Ron Stallworth" impresses the Klan with his over-the-top bigotry, while Ron Stallworth surveys the meetings. They even get the attention of David Duke (Topher Grace), the Grand Wizard himself. They'll have to stop the Klan from carrying out a terrorist attack on a civil rights rally.

The film opens as Dr. Kennebrew Beauregard (Alec Baldwin) fumbles through a "white superiority" speech. It's a way to take these racists down a peg. You'll laugh and cringe at the over-the-top bigotry the Klan and "Ron Stallworth" display. The film's Klansmen include the idiotic Ivanhoe (Paul Walter Hauser) and the psychotic Felix Kendrickson (Jasper Pääkkönen). A few lines are purposefully ironic given recent events. It even ends with footage of last year's Charlottesville rally and its aftermath. It's a dark reminder that racism hasn't really gone away.

Washington is as great a screen presence as his father, Denzel. Stallworth is a good man trying to change the system from within. He wins over the audience with his determination and quick wit. His romance with Patrice presents a compelling dilemma. They're great together and her discovery of the truth drives them apart. We're rightfully outraged as crooked cop Landers (Frederick Weller) antagonizes Ron and cheer when he's busted. His denunciation of Duke was another hilarious and awesome moment. And after all those highs, the abrupt end of his operation is a bummer.

Driver is also great as Flip Zimmerman and "Ron Stallworth." We buy his "Ron Stallworth" act even if he's not a 100% imitation of Stallworth. We're on edge as he nearly gets exposed as a cop or Jewish several times. We empathize as he learns to work out of his comfort zone and become friends with Stallworth. 

There's never a dull moment here. We're on edge as editor Barry Alexander Brown builds tension and laughs. One powerful moment sees "Ron Stallworth" inducted into the Klan, while Ron Stallworth listens to activist Jerome Turner (Harry Belafonte) tell an utterly horrifying story of vigilante justice. Felix's first attempt to expose Flip is tense, and we're relieved when Stallworth's quick wit saves the day. The climactic rush to stop the terror attack is a memorable movie moment.

BlacKkKlansman is one of the best films of the year. It's a tense, funny, powerful story of a man who took on the Klan and pretty much won. It sticks with us long after the movie ends. It's a movie I'm eager to see on home release. It deserves whatever praise comes its way.

Christopher Robin

Oh, Pooh. It's you.

A.A. Milne's bear of very little brain saw his creation depicted in last fall's Goodbye Christopher Robin. We now have the similarly titled Christopher Robin. It's sentimental and simple but it's a nice romp through the Hundred-Acre Wood.

The film opens as Christopher Robin bids his stuffed animal friends adieu. He's off to boarding school. He and Pooh promise not to forget each other. Years later, Christopher (Ewan McGregor) is worn out by his stuffy job at a luggage factory. His bosses force him to work one weekend to save the company from failure. He was supposed to go to Sussex with his wife, Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and their daughter, Madeline (Bronte Carmichael), but they'll have to go alone.

Pooh Bear (Jim Cummings) finds Christopher pondering the situation. Pooh needs Christopher to find his missing friends. He also thinks a Heffalump is around. Christopher reluctantly agrees to help. He's not happy with this diversion at first. But he learns to have fun again as he saves the day.

Director Marc Forster works from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder. The opening credits bring us nicely to speed with Christopher Robin's life post-Pooh. That even includes a stint in World War II. You won't be surprised with his jaded outlook on life after that. The truth behind the Heffalump is a big nothing, but it's not out of character for Pooh and friends, so that's something. Any scene with Pooh and friends is the best one. You'll get the references to the first Disney shorts even if you haven't seen them in ages.

McGregor is good as Christopher Robin. He's convincing as a dour workaholic who learns to have fun again. As I said before, you'll understand his outlook after the credits. Atwell and Carmichael are strong in their supporting roles; the latter takes the lead in the action-filled climax. The voice cast is especially good in their parts. Cummings reprises his roles as Pooh and Tigger and does it awesomely. The best new casting is Brad Garrett as Eeyore, who fits in the role perfectly. If only the film had more of Rabbit (Peter Capaldi) and Owl (Toby Jones).

There's plenty of technical goodness in the Hundred Acre Wood. The visual effects are great for a $70 million movie. Pooh and company look like actual stuffed animals rather than obvious CGI. Their interactions with the human cast are believable. Cinematographer Matthias Koenigswieser sets the story to a sentimental mood. Geoff Zanelli and Jon Brion emphasize the mood with their score. And Disney legend Richard Sherman provides a few new catchy songs, including one he performs in a mid-credit scene.

Christopher Robin is sentimental and sweet and sometimes slow. Its story will resonate with adults right away but might take longer with kids. But it'll be worth it if and when it does. It's a story of finding your lost happiness in adulthood. I can relate to that. Its 2 hours are an easy summer breeze in a season of big blockbusters.