2018 Sleepers
                                                    Part 4

Here’s another generous helping of 2018 movies that didn’t get much attention, but which I think were pretty good.
What They Had is an excellent portrayal of the family situation so many face. The family’s matriarch is fading into dementia. The kids want her to be in a caring facility.  The father is dead set against it, insisting he can take care of her. Such stubborn insistence has been faced by many children. But she is the love of his life and he just can’t let go. Blythe Danner, Hillary Swank, Michael Shannon and Robert Forster comprise a crackerjack cast. 
In the early years of talkies, no one was bigger than Laurel and Hardy. Audiences loved the pair, and the signature line, “This is a fine mess you’ve got us into,” was known throughout the world. Stan and Ollie is a very good bio pic about the last years of their partnership. Having been ousted by the Hollywood studios, they attempt a music hall tour of Britain with mixed results. Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly are spot on as the comedic pair. Several of their famous gags are shown to good effect. 
One of the most famous sports confrontations in history is portrayed quite well in Borg vs. McEnroe. Sverrir Gudnason portrays his fellow Swede Bjorn Borg while Shia LaBeouf plays the famous American brat, John McEnroe. Most even casual tennis fans recall McEnroe’s signature comment to any questionable call: “Seriously?” These two could not be more different. Borg is the silent introvert, McEnroe the Type A opposite. The film leads up to their famous confrontation at the 1980 Wimbledon singles championship. It’s worth watching for the tennis alone, and the accompanying stories are also quite good. 
Alpha is a convincing depiction of how wolves became domesticated friends, and eventually evolved into dogs. The story takes place in paleolithic Europe some 20,000 years ago. A young warrior, Keda, falls over a cliff and is presumed dead by his tribe. He encounters and helps a wounded wolf and together they try to make their way back to Keda’s tribe. The depiction of prehistoric animals and scenery is spectacular.
American Animals is the true story of how some college students attempted to steal several valuable books from Transylvania University’s rare book collection. The movie shifts back and forth between the actual thieves and the actors playing the thieves in the movie. The actors are all unknowns which adds to the authenticity of the story.  The ending is not one you’d expect and you won’t find it here!
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.