While I have never been a die hard Queen fan, I have always appreciated their music and enjoyed the partial look behind the curtain provided by this film.

I did a little research on Queen performances after watching this film and can't believe how well the musicians were portrayed on the screen, with the obvious focus being on Rami Malek's Freddie Mercury. There are definitely parts throughout the film where Malek completely disappears and all you see on screen is Mercury. The same can be said for Gwilym Lee's portrayal of guitarist Brian May and Joseph Mazzello as bassist John Deacon. Overall, the casting of the film was spectacular and the roles seemed genuine throughout.

From various information I read at the time of the release, this film doesn't delve as deeply as it could have into the causes of Mercury's downfall before rising again for the LiveAid performance in 1985. I know some have quibbled with this fact, but I didn't mind it. There was enough to give the general idea of what was going on with the superstar, while not becoming an R (or X) rated film intended to get reactions from the public.

I appreciated the focus on family throughout the film, be it biological family or family created by the coming together of people from different backgrounds. The message there was strong, even if it may not have been 100% true to the details of reality.

In the final verdict, if you're a Queen fanatic, you've probably already seen the film, but go watch it again. And if you've ever wondered just how they put all those odd pieces together for the song "Bohemian Rhapsody," you'll love the montage that shows the making of that track. Again, not necessarily how it actually happened, but a fun look behind the curtain no less.

8 out of 10

If you're a fan of the Tomb Raider video game franchise, you will likely love this film from the very first scene. For people not familiar with the games, it might be a bit hard to suspend disbelief for the duration of the film.

I have personally been working my way through the three most recent Tomb Raider games from Square Enix. For those who have played Tomb Raider (2013) the general plot points of this film will feel very familiar, even if the characters (other than Croft herself) vary from the game. That said, the difference between game and film are enough to make the film feel like something other than just a big screen version of the game.

The decision to replace Angelina Jolie with Alicia Vikander was a great choice as Vikander embodies the character very well. Her portrayal aligns with the "new" version of Lara that appears in the reboot of the game series. She feels very much like an extension of the game version of her character.

As an adventure film, this checks all the boxes with puzzles, traps, crazy bad guys, and a loose plot line of family connection. It feels more like Indiana Jones than the Jolie Tomb Raider films and by forcing Croft to fend for herself in many instances, it captures the adventure/puzzle feel of the game. There are plenty of homages to the game itself which fans of the series will love and respect.

Tomb Raider is a fun ride from beginning to end and brings one of the strongest female action leads in a while to the screen.

6 out of 10

Spike Lee won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay this year, and while this is a great adaptation of Ron Stallworth's autobiographical book by the same name, I felt a little put off by some of the decisions the director made in translating the story to the screen.

Overall, the film is great. It tells an incredible story of the black man who infiltrated the Colorado Springs chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, "The Organization" as those involved call it. As expected, the film has plenty of thoughts on the topic of race and what it means to be fighting for your own race, regardless of what side you come down on.

John David Washington is perfect as Stallworth, Adam Driver shines as his white alter ego, and Topher Grace puts in a good performance as Klan Grand Wizard David Duke. The portrayal of Stallworth as a man stuck between two worlds is hammered home throughout the film when he participates in an undercover investigation as a black power rally, and then ultimately lands his place in the local Klan.

Where I felt the film lacking was in the actual adaptation of the book. I listened to the book on CD, read by the author, immediately prior to watching the film and didn't like some of the plot choices Lee made in translating it to film. While we don't know for sure if the Klan members Stallworth interacted with during his investigation ever suspected his true identity, the film portrays several of them doing just that. The character selected for this suspicion also doesn't come across as the brightest bulb, but somehow puts together the rouse that is being played on him and his pals.

In the end, the film accomplishes the goal of covering race relations from various angles. The closing segment with footage from the vehicle incident in Charlottesville, Virginia from August 2017 is jarring, but a reminder that the world portrayed throughout the film has more in common with today than it has differences. Despite some claiming that we have moved on, there is still plenty of hate in this country, regardless of your political beliefs.

​7 out of 10