"Ford v. Ferrari"

This is a very fine film ... perhaps the best when it comes to racing, and, oh yes, the sounds - I'm a racing buff, and if there's anything that thrills me to the core of my being, it's the sound of fine engine at high RPM ... or just sitting somewhere on the tarmac, rumbling away, waiting, waiting, for someone to get behind the wheel and make it perform.

And, a story - it's a terrific story - superb acting, full of suspense and tension. Bale and Damon are terrific together, and display all the wonder and craziness of two guys who love one another, but see the world often in very different ways, and often caught up in the craziness of the industry - Bale the driver, Shelby the manager, but also a real car-man.

Ford Motor Company is portrayed as I know it from 16 years in Detroit - all the companies were bogged down with layers of administration and engineering, with everyone looking out for their own well-being, never daring to step out of line with an idea. Mediocrity became the safest route to follow, and that's exactly what they did, and that really comes through in the story.

There are so many wonderful, powerful, moments in this film, I'd be guilty of giving away too much if I were to note any of them. I laughed and I cried.

As a long-time racing buff, it was pure pleasure for me hear the names of Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Lance Reventlow, Walt Hangsen ... as a kid, I saw them all race at famed Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

If you love racing, as I do, you'll love this one ... and if you love a good story, as I do, you'll love it for that reason, as well.

Cinematography, music, sound, all terrific.

This gets a 20 from me, the top of the heap - vroom vroom and zoom.

"Terminator: Dark Fate"

Sure, of course, no academy awards, but as a movie, it did what it needed to do to review the franchise story, offer new elements, maybe even more movies. All-in-all, I was satisfied, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Linda Hamilton was awesome, so was Arnold, MacKenzie Davis, Natalie Reyes, and of course, the Terminator, Gabriel Luna.

"Jojo Rabbit"

Ok, one of the best - an extraordinary to capture what Hitler must have seemed like to a ten-year old boy ... enthralled with the Nazi movement, and his ever-present "companion," and a hatred of Jews - all bundled up in little boy who wants to do what's right. His loving mother, his absent father, and someone hidden upstairs, a town, a nation, all caught up in life and death moments.

Handled with delicate scripting, the story turns dark, and, sooner rather than later, the little boy comes face-to-face with the truth. All the children are incredible actors; a wonder to behold.

The questions here are profound. The cast is superb and brings it all off with unparalleled skill - from ironic humor to the darkest moments; with lessons for all on the power of a demagogue who, in the minds of the vulnerable, appears as a savior.

This is a movie not to miss.

"Judy"

Brilliantly done, Zellwegger is beyond good in her portrayal of Garland - it's the last years of her life, so the movie is "hard" to watch - I cheer for Garland, but self-destruction seems inevitable, rooted in the evils of the studio system when she was introduced to drugs, to maintain her weight and then help her sleep while filming The Wizard of Oz. It's quite the story, and a movie worth seeing. And she does her own singing, too, and it's remarkable; she really embodies Judy Garland.

"Joker"

The darkest and saddest movie I've ever seen ... yet utterly profound, telling a hard story, with so many mistakes, missteps, along the way ... the failure of a society, the failures of people ... the cruelty of so many ... Joaquin Phoenix delivers an incredible performance ... along with music and cinematography, and a stellar cast. 

Certainly, one to see, but expect to come home drained and disturbed.

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)

Just finished the 6 episodes of season 1, Netflix - excellent cinematography, imposition of social media on the main screen, capturing the social media world and its constant interface with these teens ... and how youthful decisions, which make so much sense at the time, can lead to some might dark and deadly places.