So what

Miles Ahead

Crit

If Samuel Johnson were alive to review Don Cheadle's admirably ambitious film, he might tell the director and coscreenwriter, "Sir, your film is both good and original; sadly, the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good." Cheadle is convincing as Miles Davis, but much of the film is another go at the old artistic-genius-is-impossible-to-live-with trope (cf. Born to Be Blue), and the razzle-dazzle of the rest relies on an inane (and entirely fictional) who's-got-the-tape chase-and-shoot story.

Trailers

• The Birth of a Nation--Wow, had I even heard of this? Nat Turner, urging everyone to just get along. And yet . . .
• Papa: Hemingway in Cuba--I'd love to believe this could be good. And yet . . .
• The Lobster--This looks like a delightful mindfuck; cowritten and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who cowrote and directed the delightful mindfuck Dogtooth. 
• Maggie's Plan--Great cast, written and directed by Rebecca Miller.