Moonlight

Obviously, "Moonlight" was released back in November of last year, but since it is an independent film, and my neck of the woods doesn't cater to a lot of indie films, this film has trickled down (time wise) to finally making it to this area. If I had to akin it to any recent film, it would be "A Boy's Life" whereas it covers the span of a boy's life into young adulthood.

 

Three time periods-- young adolescence, mid-teen and young adult-- in the life black American Chiron (Alex Hibbert) is presented. As a child, Chiron or Little as he's called lives with his single, crack addicted mother Paula (Naomie Harris) in a crime ridden neighborhood in Miami. Chiron is a shy, withdrawn child largely due to his small size and being neglected by his mother, who is more concerned about getting her fixes and satisfying her carnal needs than taking care of him. Because of these issues, Chiron is bullied, the slurs hurled at him which he doesn't understand beyond knowing that they are meant to be hurtful. Besides his same aged Cuban-American friend, Kevin (Jaden Piner), Chiron is given little guidance he has in life from a neighborhood drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali), who can see he is neglected, and Juan's caring girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae), whose home acts as a sanctuary away from the bullies and away from Paula's abuse. With this childhood as a foundation, Chiron may have a predetermined path in life, one that will only be magnified in terms of its problems when he reaches his difficult teen years, (Ashton Sanders) when peer pressure affects what he and many of his peers do, unless he follow's Juan's advise of truly making his own decisions for himself.

 

Others to round out the cast are Trevante Rhodes as Chiron or Black as he's called (adult), Jharrell Jerome as Kevin (16), Andre Holland as Kevin (adult), Stephen Bron as Travis, Tanisha Cidel as Principal Williams and Edson Jean as Mr. Pierce.

 

Before viewing this film, I suspected that the director, Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy '08) plus TV and shorts, had quite the resume of feature film work. But, as you can see, his theatrical experience is incredibly limited. The emotions he was able to exude from his actors, as diverse as they were, was near perfection. It will be interesting to see how he handles his next project, "A Contract with God" which has been announced. It was also written by Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy" '08) plus TV and shorts. With his limited writing experience, this script was amazingly executed well. Of course, there were some discrepancies, such as what happens to Juan when Chiron embarks into teenage years? And a couple other aspects of his life weren't sufficiently explained. What is remarkable about this film is the commentary it is definitely screaming: how one starts in life is, many times in life, is how one ends up being. This was conveyed so poignantly in the screenplay that it is a springboard for teaching society in how they need to protect our children on many levels. I now can see why this has been graced with eight Academy Award nominations, if for no other reason than the societal impact this causes. As with the directing, I'm curious to see what he does with "A Contract with God", his next project. The cast in this was solid, talented and extremely credible in their respective roles, and this speaks volumes for Jenkins writing and directing.

 

More than for an entertainment package, this should be seen for the commentary it speaks of. Surely, this is rated R for a reason: violent and some sexual scenes, but considering the subject, this is not a 'pretty' part of society and life.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                               Rated: R                                   111mins.

 

Gold

There was a day when Matthew McConaughey typically acted in fluffy, light films, however that all ended when he took some time off to reinvent himself into the realization that he could have much meatier roles than he was receiving. All of a sudden, we saw him in "Mud", then subsequently in "Dallas Buyers Club" in which he landed his Academy Award for best actor in a film. From that point, he has been in films that truly showcase what he can do, and "Gold" certainly proves that.

 

Inspired by a true story in 1988, this centers around an American businessman and prospector named Kenny Wells (McConaughey), who has driven his family's mining company into the ground, tries to reverse his fortunes by prospecting for gold in the uncharted jungles of Indonesia. With the assistance of an experienced geologist, Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez), Wells actually manages to unearth a massive gold deposit, but he is soon forced to protect his find from ruthless Wall Street traders including Brian Woolf (Corey Stoll) and Mark Hancock (Bruce Greenwood). In part, this story is told to an FBI agent Paul Jennings (Toby Kebbell) as a flashback from Wells' perspective.

 

Others to round out the cast are Bryce Dallas Howard as Kay, Kenny's girlfriend, Bill Camp as Hollis Drescher, Stacy Keach as Clive Coleman, Timothy Simons as Jeff Jackson, Craig T. Nelson as Kenny Wells Sr., Macon Blair as Connie Wright, Adam LeFevre as Bobby Burns and Rachael Taylor as Rachel Hill.

 

This was grittily directed by Stephen Gaghan ("Rules of Engagement" 2000, "Traffic" 2000, "Abandon" '02, "The Alamo" '04, "Havoc" '05, "Syriana" '05, "Metro (TV movie) '11) plus TV. Call it coincidence, but it's interesting that the vast majority of this filmmaker's films are only 'one word' titled ones. Certainly one word would be easier for the audience to remember, and so much of the time, a 'one word' titled film can give one that one two punch when advertising the movie. Obviously this director sticks to his comfort zone, which can make it easier for him and more effective to the audience. Certainly McConaughey and Ramirez are consummate actors, but the raw, extremely different personalities they exuded was definitely fine directing at its best. If you like his films, "The Division" has been announced for a 2018 release. It was detailed well by team writers Patrick Massett and John Zinman ("Laura Croft: Tomb Raider" '01, "The Cure" (TV movie) '07) plus the same TV series. Even though their feature film writing is limited, they certainly were able to cut their teeth well on the plethora of TV they have effectively executed. The only problem I could see in this was the flashback happened somewhere in the middle of the film, so where you were in the film, wasn't made evident until the film unfolded more. Otherwise, it was an effective screenplay and one that had its audience guessing of what was going to happen next.

 

The crowning jewel of this was the directing and acting by its lead actors. As film plots go, this is certainly an interesting one, but its writing could have been a bit more cohesive, otherwise a worthy see. If fine acting is a prerequisite, this will certainly fit the bill.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                  Rated: R                                    120mins.

 

20th Century Women

Through the decades, Hollywood has produced a plethora of 'rites of passage' films, and I believe we are a better people for it. They have been created in different formats: comedy or drama, or even dramedy (comedy and drama). Some have been lackluster and some have been excellent, but however they unfold to its audience can cause them to reflect or possibly learn something from it. We now have "20th Century Women" to add to that ever growing list.

 

During the summer of 1979, at the sunset of the Carter presidency, a Santa Barbara single mom and boardinghouse landlord, Dorothea (Annette Bening) decides that the best way she can parent her teenage son, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) is to enlist her young tenants-- a quirky punk photographer, Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a mellow handyman, William (Billy Crudup), and her son's shrewd but troubled best friend, Julie (Elle Fanning)-- to serve as his role models in a rapidly changing world. Will Dorothea succeed, or will the challenge send her over the edge of her ever problematic world?

 

Others to round out the cast are Vitaly A. LeBeau as young Jamie, Alison Elliott as Julie's mother, Thea Gill as Abbie's mother, Waleed Zuaiter as Charlie, Curran Walters as Matt and Darrell Britt-Gibson as Julian.

 

Although this was directed by a newer director, Mike Mills ("Thumbsucker" '05, "Does Your Soul Have a Cold?" (Documentary) '07, "Beginners" '10), he still excels in getting his actors to exude that certain emotion given what ever scene is being conveyed to its audience. His style is very similar to that of Noah Baumbach. Not only his is projects conveyed in a very powder dry way as with Baumbach, but also the quirkiness in the production as well. I don't think Mills is copying the style as it is presenting this as a homage to Baumbach's style. It was also dryly written by Mills as well. As with his directing, his writing style is also akin to that of Baumbach--again a homage to Baumbach. And as I have reviewed Baumbach's films in the past my feeling with this film is similar to Baumbach's, in that the way the subject matter is handled is something I have a tough time wrapping my head around. Between the characters chosen and how they're conveyed is difficult for me to grasp. As with Baumbach's films, the reason I like this film is for the performances, especially by Bening. The characters--love 'em or leave 'em-- are rich and well developed. This filmmaker will go far as these types of films are in great demand, considering how many commercial films are out there.

As with Baumbach films, this isn't for the mass audience appeal, considering how the storyline is handled and the way the characters are written in this. If you go see this, it will be for the fine acting and character development involved.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                              Rated: R                            118mins.

 

The Founder

In the last decade, we have seen a plethora of biopics or films based on true stories, and these stories have run the gambit of subject matter. We've seen films about kings, queens, presidents, terrorist events, natural disasters, sports figures, singers, and, well the list goes on and on. Now we have a story about the founding and building of a global franchise in this offing titled "The Founder".

 

This is the story of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a milkshake salesman in Illinois who turned two brothers' innovative fast food eatery, McDonald's, into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world with a combination of ambition, persistence and ruthlessness.

This chronicles Kroc's work transforming McDonald's from a small burger chain in 1954 California to a global franchise. Along the way, he wrests control of the company from its actual founders, the McDonald Brothers, Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch), who believe that Kroc's business decisions are stripping the restaurant of its heart and soul. This truly becomes a real cat and mouse game between Kroc and the McDonald brothers with others playing buffer between them.

 

Others to round out the cast are Linda Cardellini as Joan Smith, B.J. Novak as Harry J. Sonneborn, Laura Dern as Ethel Kroc, Ray's wife, Justin Randell Brooke as Fred Turner, Kate Kneeland as June Martino, Ray's secretary, Patrick Wilson as Rollie Smith, Griff Furst as Jim Zien, Wilbur Fitzgerald as Jerry Cullen and David de Vries as Jack Horford.

 

This was directed in a gutsy way by John Lee Hancock ("Hard Time Romance" '91, "The Rookie" '02, "The Alamo" '04, "The Blind Side" '09, "Saving Mr. Banks" '13) plus TV. I say gutsy because of the way he was able to exude Keaton's role as Kroc with that in your face emotion, which made it much more believable. This has got to be the best film Hancock has done to date, which is saying something considering the work in Hancock's resume. It was well written by Robert Siegel ("The Onion Movie" '08, "The Wrestler" '08, "Big Fan" '09, "Turbo" '13, "Cruise" '16). Other than a couple of very small slow areas within the storyline, this script was cohesive, tight and effective. The performance by Keaton was phenomenal as Kroc--he must've done his homework. Although, since his comeback, his best performance has got to be "Birdman", however this is certainly one of his best, and the supporting cast was effective and worked well to allow Keaton's Kroc to bounce their lines off of.

 

If your type of biopic is one that centers on a colorful, yet rich in development character striving, at any cost, to win, then this is the film for you. And with winning performances by all, especially Keaton, this is one film that will not only inform, but will leave you wondering if this is actually based on fact because of the over-the-top character of Kroc.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                    Rated: PG-13                                 115mins.

 

Live by Night

If period film organized crime films were indicative of the violence back in the day, that had to be one decadent, violent-ridden time of our history. We've seen many gangster films representing our past, "Gangs of New York" '02, based in 1863, "Road to Perdition" '02, based in 1931, so now we have "Live by Night", based in 1926. Even though these films, and ones like them, are as violent as they are, they are definitely colorful and rich in character development.

 

Boston, 1926. The '20s are roaring. Liquor is flowing, bullets are flying and one man sets out to make his mark on the world. Prohibition has given rise to an endless network of underground distilleries, speakeasies, gangsters and corrupt cops. Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck), the youngest son of a prominent Boston police captain, Thomas Coughlin (Brendan Gleeson), has long since turned his back on his strict and proper upbringing. Now having graduated from a childhood of petty theft to a career in the ray of the city's most fearsome mobsters, including Albert White (Robert Glenister) and Maso Pescatore (Remo Girone), Joe enjoys the spoils, thrills and notoriety of being an outlaw. But life on the dark side carries a heavy price. In a time when ruthless men of ambition, armed with cash, illegal booze, battle for guns and guns, no one--neither family nor friend, enemy nor lover--can be trusted. Beyond money and power, even the threat of prison, one fate seems most likely for men like Joe: an early death, as his cohort, Dion Bartolo (Chris Messina) mentions. But Joe embarks on a dizzying trek up the ladder of organized crime which involves an eclectic array of characters including tough rumrunners, sultry femmes fatales, Emma Gould (Sienna Miller), Bible-quoting evangelists, Loretta Figgis (Elle Fanning) and cruel Klansmen, R.D. Pruitt (Matthew Maher), all battling for survival and their piece of the American dream.

 

Others to round out the cast are Zoe Saldana as Graciela, Chris Cooper as Chief Figgis, father to Loretta, Miguel J. Pimentel as Esteban Suarez, Titus Welliver as Tim Hickey, and Max  Casella as Digger Pescatore, son of Maso.

 

This was grittily and intensely directed by Ben Affleck ("Gone Baby Gone" '07, "The Town" '10, "Argo" '12). Being an actor himself, he obviously has walked in the same moccasins as the actors he directs, so he knows what emotion to extract out of his actors and how to deal with those emotions. I see Affleck, after enough years, slowly gravitating toward directing more than his acting since I feel that is where his passion truly lies. He will continue to convey his films to us, as with his next project in pre-production titled "The Batman" which he will also write. This is equally well written by Affleck ("Good Will Hunting" '97, "Gone Baby Gone" '07, "The Town" '10). This film was riddled with adrenaline, explosives, high adventure, murder and mayhem, which made for a riveting storyline. Really, other than a couple of places of missed continuity, the script was taught, entertaining and enthralling. Affleck was certainly effective in this as Joe, but where this filmmaker actually excels is in the directing. He delineates his projects to the point where his eye for detail is consummate. One my favorite films of his is "The Town" in which he brings the adrenaline, suspense and grit to a film that has been done time and again, but his treatment of the directing and writing on that film was second to none. It will be interesting to see how he pulls off "The Batman" when released.

 

Affleck's fare of filmmaking certainly isn't for everybody, but that's OK, because it can allow him to make his films the way he wants without the fear or concern to attempt to even cater to a mass audience appeal. While the storyline is well developed, this is certainly more intriguing watching the way this film was crafted, and, at times, this can be all we need to enjoy any film.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                Rated: R                                  129mins.

 

Patriots Day

We've seen a plethora of films based on true stories that involve disastrous and catastrophic situations killing and maiming many--the list is endless: "The World Trade Center", "United 93", "Deepwater Horizon", "The Impossible" to mention a handful, so it was inevitable to see a film involving a mass bombing through the eyes of its survivors appropriately titled "Patriots Day".

 

In the immediate aftermath of the April 16, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, a police officer, Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) aids in the pursuit of the terrorists, these being two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarmaev (Themo Melikidze and Alex Wolff) respectively, responsible. Under the direction of BPD Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) and an FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon), the sprawling manhunt for the bombers extends into the Boston suburb of Watertown before they strike again. It is the powerful story of a community's courage in the face of terror.

 

Others to round out the cast are Michelle Monaghan as Carol Saunders, wife of Tommy, J.K. Simmons as Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese, Michael Beach as Gov. Deval Patrick, Christopher O'Shea as Patrick Downes, Rachel Brosnahan as Jessica Kensky, Jake Picking as Sean Collier, Melissa Benoist as Katherine Russell, wife of Dzhokhar, Khandi Alexander as Police Interrogator, Lana Condor as Li, Jimmy Yang as Dun Meng and Vincent Curatola as Mayor Thomas Menino.

 

This is realistically directed by Peter Berg ("Very Bad Things" '98, "The Rundown" '03, "Friday Night Lights" '04, "The Kingdom" '07, "Hancock" '08, "Battleship" '12, "Lone Survivor" '13, "Deepwater Horizon" '16) plus TV. Certainly this filmmaker is definitely in his comfort zone with this film, but it would be refreshing to see Berg go out on that limb and attempt a project somewhat different. Obviously he can do it--look at his resume. The way he had strategic scenes filmed by using circular photography and quick action editing definitely added that frenetic feel to the story. It was effectively written by Berg, Matt Cook and Joshua Zetumer based on a story by Berg, Cook, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. Certainly Berg has a bit more film experience than the other two writers, but both Cook and Zetumer have projects in the works. Other than a couple of very small areas of slowness in script, this storyline simply soared. The craft of this film was delineated so well it seemed as the audience was reliving that fateful day once again which added to the extreme realism of the story. It was cast well--all gave credible performances and the photography and visuals were designed in explicit detail. Actually, Wahlberg's role as Saunders was the only one that wasn't based on an actual person, instead was a culmination of all who assisted post aftermath, which was a very creative aspect.

 

As with other films of the like, this is a film that will tug the heartstring and force us to relive that horrid day with a whole new respect for the police, first responders and paramedics. We have a tendency to forget these unsung heroes when catastrophic incidents don't happen. As with our incredible troops, it is films like these that create a pause in our hearts and reflect, and that is certainly good for the soul.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                Rated: R                                133mins.

 

Hidden Figures

As Hollywood continues to crank out films based on true stories, there is actually a certain group of those films based on space travel. We've seen them before: "The Right Stuff" '83 and "Apollo 13" '95 to mention a couple. So since these films with similar premises have been popular, Hollywood had to produce another with a group of women as underdogs coming into being effectively titled "Hidden Figures".

As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Based on the unbelievably true life stories of three of these women, known as "human computers", we follow these women as they quickly rose the ranks of NASA alongside many of history's greatest minds, including their boss, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) and Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), specifically tasked with calculating the momentous launch of astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into orbit, and guaranteeing his safe return. Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) and Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) crossed all gender, race and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly centered them in U.S. history as true American heroes.

Others to round out the cast are Kirsten Dunst as Vivian Mitchell, Mahershala Ali as Colonel Jim Johnson, Katherine's husband, Aldis Hodge as Levi Jackson, Mary's husband, Kimberly Quinn as Ruth, Olek Krupa as Karl Zielinski, Kurt Krause as Sam Turner and Ken Strunk as Jim Webb.

This was delineated well by director Theodore Melfi ("Winding Roads" '99, "St. Vincent" '14) plus many shorts. The way he was able to dissect each of these women's lives in order to set up their connection with their newfound careers was carefully conveyed. It was written well by Allison Schroeder and Melfi based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly. Each scene was certainly created in a way that led the audience with the ability to connect with these women and their plight. Melfi has the brunt of the experience here writing the films he's directed, whereas Schroeder has only TV movies and TV series to her credit, but even with the limited experience, these two writers were able to create a screenplay that soared and we, the audience, were the lucky recipients for it.

Each of the actors playing the different women were incredibly effective in their roles to a point that even with their roles playing distinct personalities, they played these characters with finesse and aplomb. Henson as Katherine simply shined and could possibly be nominated come Oscar time. We'll see in a number of days when the nominations are announced. And this is certainly one of Costner's better efforts as the space program's director. He played this character with determination yet compassion as he was walking that tightrope between getting the job done and making sure his women had what they needed to help him get that job done, especially when he has people breathing down his neck to get that proverbial job done.

Not only is this a good story--one that I never knew about, but one that teaches us all that no matter what gender one is, no matter what one's race is or no matter what profession one is involved in, anyone can succeed and better themselves in spite of the obstacles involved to suppress.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                  Rated: PG                                   127mins.

A Monster Calls

Typically when Hollywood produces fantasy films, they are fraught with amazing visual effects and sweeping photography in order to convey their stories to audiences. We seen the likes of "Pan's Labyrinth", "A Winter's Tale", "The BFG" to mention a few. Now we are offered "A Monster Calls" to add to that much desired list.

A visually spectacular drama about a 12-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall), dealing with the terminal cancer illness of his mother (Felicity Jones), a less-than-sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), a non-committing father (Toby Kebbell) and bullying classmates, finds a most unlikely ally when a tree Monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) appears at Conor's bedroom window. Ancient, wild and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith and truth in order for him to be able to cope with life at all. Will he ultimately find freedom through this Monster so he can finally be free of pain, guilt and anger once and for all?

Others to round out the cast are Ben Moor as Mr. Clark, James Melville as Harry, Oliver Steer as Sully and Dominic Boyle as Anton.

This was stunningly directed by J.A. Bayona ("The Orphanage" '07, "The Impossible" '12) plus TV and shorts. Surely this filmmaker doesn't have an extensive resume to his credit, however what he has created in the rich characters and stunning surroundings is incredibly visual and captivating including this film. He evidently brings these characters to life in ways that will keep its audience on the edge of their seats. The determination, pathos and compassion he was able to convey from the Monster was amazing, although having Neeson voicing that character certainly didn't hurt. It was creatively written by Patrick Ness (TV and novels) which is based from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd. This being written by the novelist helped allow this story to unfold with finesse and cohesiveness which was a feather in this production's cap. Other than a couple of very small places of slowness in script, this writer is a natural for writing screenplays and should pursue a career in screenwriting. The visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company) were absolutely seamless and certainly enhanced the story on many levels.

If the storyline doesn't cut it for you, the visuals certainly will. But, unless you are as cold as ice, this story teaches us all about despair, anger, fear and what can be done to overcome them through discovery and redemption. This is a must see for all!

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                    Rated: PG-13                                  108mins.

Jackie

What makes this an intriguing biopic over others we've seen is the definitive time frame it is set around. The fact it doesn't chronicle Jackie Kennedy's life and how it builds up to her becoming First Lady makes this much more unique. Instead "Jackie" talks about what she went through when her husband was shot and the subsequent emotions that transpired afterward.

Jackie is a portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman). Jackie, through flashbacks from a journalist (Billy Crudup), places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband's assassination on that fateful day in Dallas, Texas. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a portrait of the First Lady with the help from her brother-in-law, Bobby Kennedy (Peter Sarsgaard) as she fights to establish her husband's legacy and the world of 'Camelot" that she created and loved so well. Both poignant and revealing, this story delineates the complexities following the shooting and all that encumbers attempting to facilitate the procession and subsequent funeral replete with soaring emotions and the politics of the day.

Others to round out the cast are Greta Gerwig as Nancy Tuckerman, John Hurt as The Priest, Richard E. Grant as Bill Walton, Caspar Phillipson as John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Beth Grant as Lady Bird Johnson, John Carroll Lynch as Lyndon B. Johnson, Max Casella as Jack Valenti and Sara Verhagen as Mary Gallagher.

This was directed with painstaking detail by Pablo Larrain ("Fuga" '06, "Tony Manero" '08, "Post Mordem" '10, "No" '12, "Venice 70: Future Reloaded" (Documentary) '13, "The Club" '15, "Neruda" '16) plus TV. I realize that Portman is a consummate actor, however the nuances that she was able to convey to give that 'Jackie' persona was near perfection which is definitely talented directing. His resume is eclectic, but I believe that is a tremendous feather in his cap. This way he will be able to direct anything that comes his way. It was well written by Noah Oppenheim ("The Maze Runner" '14, "Allegiant" '16). Interestingly, this writer has only 'teen-oriented' types of screenplays to his credit which questions me of how he was able to receive this project. However, other than a few places of slowness in the script, he was actually able to pull it off. It will be interesting to see what he ends up writing in the future now that he has graduated to a more 'adult-style' type of film.

This has received a Golden Globe nomination deservedly and will undoubtedly receive nods come Academy Award time. This should be watched, no matter what side of the political aisle you reside, because it allows us to feel so bad for a individual that's obviously between a rock and a hard place here. You are not seeing this for the 'entertainment package' as much as for the amazing acting by Portman which simply shines in this.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: R                                       108mins.