In the land of wolves

Denis Villeneuve's Sicario is a dark and gripping drama about The War on Drugs. Spoiler alert, no one wins. Given Villeneuve's track record that shouldn't be a surprise.

Sicario follows the story of FBI hostage rescue agent Kate Macer (played masterfully by Emily Blunt) as she tries to get to the bottom of a brutal crime. She's joined in her endeavor by an aloof and comedic Josh Brolin playing some sort of DOD consultant, and a truly menacing, but oddly sweet, Benicio Del Toro. Macer seems in a little over her head, but she does have help from her partner Reggie, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who is equally in over his head. I wish there was more of Jeffrey Donovan in this movie who plays Josh Brolin's assistant or sorts. He was particularly flippant about the violence in the movie.

I haven't said much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. The movie grabs you from the first few minutes and doesn't let go until it is over. The cinematography is beautiful. Just go watch it.

This is a rock solid 9/10. Well worth your time.

You Kill it We Clean it!

The users of IMDb have got it wrong when it comes to Sunshine Cleaners. This movie is not a 6.9, it is easily an 8. The pairing of Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as sisters, with Alan Arkin as their father, may not make much sense from a "they need to look alike" standpoint, but it is convincingly natural in practice. Christine Jeffs, in addition to directing this highly underrated movie, also directed a movie about Sylvia Plath aptly named "Sylvia." That movie starred Gwyneth Paltrow. I did not see that movie. Moving along.

This movie has an almost buddy cop feel to it. The story follows two sisters down on their luck who find success cleaning up crime scenes. Talk about an industry you don't think of. The dynamic between Blunt and Adams is very organic, and believable. Amy Adams character's son played by Jason Spevack put in an exceptional performance. Comedian Steve Zahn put forward a convincing dramatic turn as the philandering police officer.

The movie reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine. There are some dark undertones to the movie that I don't want to spoil, but they definitely add to the believability of the family interactions. Strife and sorrow can be very adhesive bonds. This is not a sad movie though. This is a very happy movie, but it is not your typical sugar coated Hollywood.

As I said, this is an 8/10, easily.