RICHARD JEWELL

Clint Eastwood returns about the 1996 Olympics bombing and the security guard, Richard Jewell, who first noticed the bag and began evacuating the area, becoming a hero for his efforts. However, soon after his discovery is made, he is filleted by the media and FBI and becomes the main suspect. I really have enjoyed Paul Walter Hauser's work since I first saw him in I, TONYA. Usually he plays the bumbling idiot and while that is still mainly his role in this film, he does show a dramatic range here. Olivia Wilde is detestable as reporter Kathy Scruggs, who has no morals or conscience to speak of whatsoever, and does whatever she can to get a story. Overall, the movie seems quite repetitive: FBI tries to get Jewell to implicate himself, Jewell assists to clear his name or assist them with their investigation, Jewell's lawyer Watson Bryant (played by Sam Rockwell) yells at him to not cooperate with them, repeat. Could have been a better study at the power of the media and how they can ruin lives when they don't get the facts straight/jump to conclusions. 5.5/10

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

For anyone who hated THE LAST JEDI, rest assured, JJ Abrams gave you a worthy conclusion to this trilogy. This is on par with THE FORCE AWAKENS (if not better). At times a wonderfully dark film that paces well as the longest Star Wars at 2 hours and 21 minutes. For everything that has been written about this new trilogy over the years, while I was never a big fan of it and I won't miss these characters as much as other characters from the past, I hope this is indeed the end of the cannon. If Disney wants to do spinoffs or movies with new characters, that's fine. I think over the course of the last 40+ years, this cow's been milked dry. 7.5/10