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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

The Foreigner
Starring: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, and Dermot Crowley
Synopsis: Jackie Chan has long been known for his action stylings. He's a gifted physical performer and that's helped him establish a career. But he's said that he's interested, as he's getting older, in starring in more dramatic roles. "The Foreigner" is a step in that direction, as he stars in a movie that feels a bit like his version of 'Taken." His daughter is killed in an IRA bombing, and he's determined to get the names of the bombers from a former IRA member turned government official (Brosnan). This sets off a violent cat-and-mouse game. Except that, if you really watch the movie, it becomes more the story of the official, his network, and what happens when a few elements decide to go rogue. During that part of the story in the second and third acts, Chan largely disappears then pops up again for a few action sequences. That makes the movie somewhat confusing in terms of focus and tone. Chan and Brosnan are essentially co-leads. And the plot and story are somewhat boring. Despite that, the production is decent, as are the action sequences. Martin Campbell serves as director, and has worked on a number of action films, including a couple of the best James Bond films in "Goldeneye" and "Casino Royale." This movie was OK, and mildly entertaining, but I think it missed out on some of its potential.
Rating: R for violence, language and some sexual material.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Happy Death Day
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, and Ruby Modine
Synopsis: Two things to note right up front. First, I really love "Groundhog Day." I once even famously held a "Groundhog Day" themed housewarming party on Groundhog Day. Second, I love a good horror movie. "Scream" is one of my all time favorite films and I wrote a senior communication thesis paper on the evolution of slasher films. What I'm saying is, I'm really the target demographic for this film, which is a horror movie designed around the "Groundhog Day" theme. It features a somewhat bitchy co-ed who needs to work out some personal issues that wakes up on her birthday only to die. The thing is, she wakes up again to repeat the day, dying horribly each time until she finds a way to solve her own murder. It's a fun take on the genre, and it's great to take the "Groundhog Day" idea and apply it to a horror movie. They even make a nod to the original film in the closing moments of this one. The other reason it works is that it's clever, mixing a blend of good characters and humor with an interesting plot and a toned down sense of violence. (One of my pet peeves of the modern genre has been an over reliance on gore.) I liked this movie a lot and even my wife, who is horror film averse, enjoyed the film. I think that's a great sign of how well the movie was constructed. I thought Rothe was great, and quite likable, in the lead role. This is really a light and fun movie, and one that fans of "Groundhog Day" will quite enjoy.
Rating: PG-13 for violence/terror, crude sexual content, language, some drug material and partial nudity.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Marshall
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, Sterling K. Brown, James Cromwell, and Kate Hudson
Synopsis: This is a biopic on Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice. But this story isn't focused on that, but rather goes to 1941, when Marshall was an attorney traveling the country to battle injustice for the NAACP. In the film he's called to defend a driver (Brown) in Connecticut whose accused of raping the wife of his client (Hudson). A vindictive District Attorney (Stevens) is committed to seeing the driver pay. But Marshall and his local co-counsel, Sam Friedman (Gad) must fight systemic injustice and racism to see that the driver gets a fair trial and truth wins out. This is a film that has all the potential ingredients to be part of the awards race, and it's quite well done. Boseman is no stranger to biopics, having played Jackie Robinson and James Brown in previous films. He does a great job here. So, too, does Gad as Friedman. I love the movie "A Time to Kill," based on the John Grisham novel about racism and the fight for justice in the south. I felt like this film touched on many of the same themes, and I enjoyed the court room scenes quite a bit. I thought this was a good film, and one that I could see being remembered during awards season.
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexuality, violence and some strong language.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, October 20 - "Geostorm," "Boo 2! A Madea Halloween," "The Snowman," "Only The Brave," "Same Kind of Different As Me"
Friday, October 27 - "Thank You For Your Service," "Suburbicon," "Jigsaw," "All I See Is You"