Blindspotting, one of the mid-summer hidden gems of a promising 2018, is a highly ambitious movie from two unknown actors who will likely be household names. It’s undoubtedly a breakout for the film’s stars, Daveed Diggs (who won a Tony for his role in Hamilton) and newcomer Rafael Casal, who also wrote the film. Adding to the virginity of this experience was first-time director Carlos Lopez Estrada. This movie has been a hit with critics and audiences alike (93% and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes). It is a good movie that teeters on the verge of being great. However, it feels like a few different films weaved into one. Worse, it goes back and forth between these different styles and intents and ultimately leaves us needing clarification as its two lead characters, but in entirely different ways. I could empathize with their situation and their confusion. What was hard to comprehend was the character’s rapidly changing thoughts, feelings, and actions. People can act differently in particular situations, but these two characters went through the complete gamut in four days. Ultimately, it left me with many questions to ponder. I also felt like I was watching a series of one-act plays rather than one cohesive movie.
What a year for Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, 
When you are the director who helped the likes of Jennifer Lawrence into stardom, you’ll garner lots of attention. But that doesn’t mean you must capitalize on this and chug out movie after movie. Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone, Down to the Bone) did not do this. Winter’s Bone, which launched Lawrence into the public eye with her first of, as of 2017, four Academy Award nominations, was released in 2010, but this is Granik’s first non-documentary film since then. And, for critics, it was worth the wait. At the time of this review, her new film Leave No Trace 
Sicario: Day of the Soldado is not so much a sequel to 2015’s megahit 
Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.