Gran Torino (2008) ***

Clint Eastwood directed this film, in which he plays a crusty, old man named Walt Kowalski. Walt has just lost his wife, he isn't close with his kids, and he can't stand the Asian Hmong people who have moved into his neighborhood. The Korean war vet thinks so little of his neighbors, that when Thao, the boy next door, tries to steal Walt's classic Ford Gran Torino, the act actually serves as a window to improve Walt's relationship with them. Walt may be a grumpy, old racist, but he has the fearlessness that only old people can, and rarely do, have. He stands up to the local gang members, helping out first Thao, and then Thao's sister, Sue.

Walt becomes a reluctant, neighborhood hero, and he slowly warms to Sue and Thao, eventually taking on a father-figure role for Thao. Unfortunately, the teen gang won't leave Thao alone, and the violence between them, Thao, and Walt escalates.

“Gran Torino” reminded me a lot of “Million Dollar Baby” in that it seems good while you're watching it, but you feel a bit sheepish afterward. It isn't as trite as “Million Dollar Baby,” but it definitely gets overly sentimental at times, and Walt's transformation seems particularly far-fetched. The movie is fun and funny at times, however, and it's fun watching the old badass stand up to the gang members. This is the guy who played Dirty Harry and Josey Wales, after all.

My biggest complaint, as a car enthusiast, is that the movie doesn't spend enough time on the actual Gran Torino. It looks like a sweet muscle car, but Walt never even drives it. I think if you had to choose, you'd take the car over the movie.

3 stars out of 5

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) **

Of all the sub-franchises in the Marvel Comic Movie Universe, I find Ant-Man to be the most true to the comic book spirit. This is not a complement. With its hackneyed plots and characters, overwrought emotional scenes (Ant Man/Scott just wants to be with his daughter!), and ridiculous scientific foundation, you can almost see the movie springing right out of a six-panel, color comic book. That does not make it good.

First of all, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” was released after “Avengers: Infinity War,” but it takes place before the events of “Infinity War.” I can only assume this was done for business/marketing reasons, and it seems to serve no artistic purpose. (Addendum: I watched "Infinity War," and "Ant Man and the Wasp" may actually take place more or less at the same time as "Infinity War.") The film starts out with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) finishing up 2 years of house arrest for his role in the big airport battle from “Captain America: Civil War.” Lang is trying to play it straight so that he can continue to see his daughter. This means no more ant suit, and no contact with Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who invented the ant suit, or with Pym's daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly).

Because of Lang's exploits with Captain America, Hank and Hope are on the run. Despite being fugitives, they continue their experiments, hoping to retrieve Hank's wife, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), from the quantum realm. When Scott Lang has a dream about Janet, he breaks his parole by calling Hank to report it. Next thing Lang knows, Hope has kidnapped him, putting his parole in jeopardy, and involving him in their experiments. Complicating things, Hank's quantum research has drawn the attention of a shady arms dealer as well as a mysterious villain who can walk through walls. Soon, Lang is shrinking and growing again in an ant suit, while Hope wears a winged suit as the Wasp.

I wanted to love “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” The cast is stellar. Paul Rudd is charming as always. Judy Greer, as Lang's ex-wife, and Bobby Cannavale, as her new husband, light up the screen, even though they don't have big roles here. Michael Douglas and Laurence Fishburne, who plays Pym's old scientific partner, lend as much gravitas as they can. Unfortunately, everyone is weighed down by a lazy script that, even by comic-book movie standards, insults our intelligence. The characters' motivations only barely make sense, and that's only in the setting of truly stupid explanations for the science in the story. As Lang says at one point, “Do you guys just say 'quantum' in front of everything?”

The big deal about “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is supposed to be that it's the first Marvel comic movie to feature a female superhero's name in the title. The problem is that the Wasp just isn't that compelling a character. Evangeline Lilly looks good, she fights well, and she hits all of her lines and marks, but I can't imagine going to see a movie simply titled “The Wasp.”

2 stars out of 5