The Circle

Hollywood has an abundance of topics it's fascinated with, but one topic it woos is the 'big brother' ones where the films asks the audience, 'what if...?' On one hand, something can be good for society as a whole, but when one examines, that good thing can end up causing more harm than good. As with "The Circle", is this good for society, or not? Or maybe more to the point, is what is being offered as good is merely covering up a more sinister situation?

 

When Mae Holland (Emma Watson) is hired to work for the world's largest and most powerful tech and social media company, she sees it as an opportunity of a lifetime. As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged by the company's founder, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks) and CCO, Tom Stenton (Patton Oswalt) to engage in a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and ultimately her personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes begin to affect the lives and future of her friends including Annie (Karen Gillan) and Mercer (Ellar Coltrane), her family including her mom, Bonnie (Glenne Headley), her dad, Vinnie (Bill Paxton), and that of humanity as a whole. Seemingly, the only one in which she can eventually turn to is Ty (John Boyega), someone who helped put The Circle on the map, but who now expects anonymity

 

Others to round out the cast are Mamoudou Athie as Jared, Nate Corddry as Dan, Smith Cho as Gina, Amir Talai as Matt and Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Villalobos.

 

This was directed with intensity and grit by James Ponsoldt ("Off the Black" '06, "Smashed" '12, "The Spectacular Now" '13, "The End of the Tour" '15, "The Legend of Master Legend" (TV movie) '17) plus shorts and TV. His ability to create an atmosphere of utter fear and creepiness in his characters was spot on. One minute, The Circle seems euphoric, but then soon it makes the audience wonder: is it wonderful, or is there something that isn't right going on here? It was effectively written by Ponsoldt ("Off the Black" '06, "Smashed" '12) plus shorts and TV, which is based on the novel by Dave Eggers ("Away We Go" '09, "Where the Wild Things Are" '09, films based on stories: "Promised Land" '12, "A Hologram for the King" '16). What makes this script sneaky is how it starts off by introducing Mae to an awesome company, but then, in very subtle ways, things aren't what they seem, and this is clever writing. As with most 'big brother' films, they are vehicles in which to teach us as a society to not get sucked in to something that will control and have power over us. Certainly "The Circle" is no exception. Other than a couple of places of slowness in script, this was executed in a way which will make us think.

 

'Big bother' films have been around since films have been on this planet and I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. Even though this isn't one of Hanks' better efforts, this film certainly has a lot to say, and that is, don't accept something at face value until you've researched it thoroughly, and then take reservations.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                     Rated: PG-13                                     110mins.

 

The Lost City of Z

There are many stories made into films that are based on true incidents that we've heard of and those that haven't made headlines back in the days as much. The last review I wrote on "The Promise" was about a story I knew very little to nothing about, but learned so much. The same can be said for "Hacksaw Ridge" about Desmond Doss. I had never heard of this person until I saw the film. Now we have "The Lost City of Z", again about an explorer I'd never heard of, however learned a text book full.

 

This tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as "savages", the determined Fawcett-- supported by his devoted wife, Nina (Sienna Miller), son, Jack (Tom Holland) and explorer aide, Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson), returns time and again, through the years, to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925.

 

Others to round out the cast are Angus Macfadyen as James Murray, a fellow explorer, Edward Ashley as Arthur Manley, Ian McDiarmid as Sir George Goldie, Clive Francis as Sir John Scott Keltie, Pedro Coello as Tadjui, a guide, Matthew Sunderland as Dan, Johann Myers as Willis, Aleksandar Jovanovic as Urquhart and Elena Solovey as Madame Kumel.

 

This was directed well by James Gray ("Little Odessa" '94, "The Yards" 2000, "We Own the Night" '07, "Two Lovers" '08, "The Immigrant" '13) plus TV and a short. He is certainly distinct in his directing of his actors in that like "We Own the Night", he puts his actors in an underlying intensity that works for his characters. It could be he chooses similar material in which to work from, but it definitely works for him. It was also executed well by writer Gray ("Blood Ties" '13 plus all the other films listed as director.). His writing for the screen was based on David Grann's book. Although this was a 141 minute running time, it actually moved along well. Certainly Hunnam's performance didn't hurt, as the supporting cast as well. There were a couple of slow spots in the story and a couple of places of continuity issues, but considering the running time, I expected much less quality. Gray is a talented writer and this certainly showcases what he can do. With this film behind him, I'm expressly anticipatory of what he will show us next.

 

This kind of reminds me of a fictional character i.e. Indiana Jones verses a real life explorer in a film. So if you like fiction, you'll like this, however, if a story based on a true story, which is being done in a rapid pace these days, this will definitely be the film for you. Either way, you win, and with the beautiful international locales photographed here, this will be a visual feast as well.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                    Rated: PG-13                                 141mins.

 

The Promise

For years Hollywood has produced many films about the plight of the downtrodden i.e. Jews, Polish people, especially during the WWII era. We've seen them: "The Pianist", "Schindler's List", "The Diary of Anne Frank", the recent "The Zookeeper's Wife" and the like. Now we are offered a film about the Turks and Armenians on the brink of WWI in "The Promise".

 

This historical drama, set in Constantinople on the verge of WWI centers on a love triangle between an artist, Ana Khesarian (Charlotte Le Bon), who is Armenian, but lived in France for years, an American photojournalist, Chris Myers (Christian Bale) and an Armenian medical; student, Mikael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac) who is engaged to a woman, Maral (Angela Sarafyan) from his home village.

As Mikael is getting settled in his new surroundings in meeting his new friends in Ana, Chris and Emre Ogan (Marwan Kenzari), fellow medical student, all hell breaks loose as the Turks target the Armenians in wanting and demanding them out of the country by brut force if need be. Tensions rise even more when Chris' passion against the Turks uprising against the Armenians increases as he sends correspondence back to the States about all that is transpiring. This leads to his arrest and subsequent charge of treason.

 

Others to round out the cast are Daniel Gimenez Cacho as Reverend Dikran Antreassian, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Marta Boghosian, Mikael's mother, Tom Hollander as Garin, Kevork Malikyan as Vartan Boghosian, Mikael's father, Numan Acar as Mustafa, Igal Naor as Mesrob, James Cromwell as Ambassador Morgenthau, Milene Mayer as Yeva, Tamer Hassan as Faruk Pasha, Alicia Borrachero as Lena, Jean Reno as Admiral Fournet and Abel Folk as Harut.

 

This was directed by a filmmaker whose right at home with these types of films, Terry George ("Some Mother's Son" '96, "A Bright Shining Lie" (TV movie) '98, "Hotel Rwanda" '04, "Reservation Road" '07, "Stand Off" '11) plus TV. Although expertise in a certain genre of film is understanding, it would be interesting to see what George could do with maybe a comedy or something else possibly. This was paced and staged with perfection and he was able to brings out all the emotions needed out of his actors with finesse. It was well written by George ("In the Name of the Father" '93, "The Boxer" '97, "Hart's War" '02, "Hotel Rwanda" '04, "Stand Off" '11) plus others and TV, and Robin Swicord ("Little Women" '94, "Matilda" '96, "Memoirs of a Geisha" '05, "The Jane Austen Book Club" '07) plus others and TV. With all the diverse characters which make up this story, these two writers were really able to pull off an amazing script with cohesiveness and continuity. If I had to say anything to the contrary, it would be in that it had a couple of slow spots in storyline--where 5-10 minutes could've been cut. But otherwise, this was a story that was executed with passion. Oddly, I really never knew anything that transpired over there during that time in history, but one that definitely should be told and was, so we can all see what transpired during an already desperate time in history.

 

This is a film that should be seen by all, so when we do, we can reflect on the fact that we are all alike being homo sapiens. Films like these can and should humble us to teach us how important we all are toward one another. Not only does it teach us, it's also well shot and incredibly well acted, written and directed.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: PG-13                                  132mins.

 

Born in China

With Earth Day approaching tomorrow, the 22nd, it's once again time to release another one of Disneynature's documentaries entitled "Born in China". You know, the same guys that brought us "Earth" '07, "Oceans" '09, "African Cats" '11, "Chimpanzee" '12, "Bears" '14 and "Monkey Kingdom" '15. This installment of the franchise is as stunning and descript as its predecessors.

 

Narrated by John Krasinski ("Leatherheads" '08, "Promised Land" '12, "Aloha" '15, "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" '16, "The Hollars" '16), Disneynature's new True Life Adventure film "Born in China" takes an epic journey into the wilds of China where few people have ever ventured. Following the stories of three animal families, the film transports audiences to some of the extreme environments on Earth to witness some of the most intimate moments ever captured in a nature film. A doting panda bear mother guides her growing baby as she begins to explore and seek independence. A two-year-old golden snub-nosed monkey who feels displaced by his new baby sister joins up with a group of free-spirited outcasts. And a mother snow leopard-- an elusive animal rarely caught on camera, faces the very real drama of raising her two cubs in one of the harshest and most unforgiving environments on the planet. Featuring stunning never-before-seen imagery, the film navigates China's vast terrain-- from frigid mountains to the heart of the bamboo forest-- on the wings of red-crowned cranes-- seamlessly tying the extraordinary tales together.

 

This was intricately directed by China renowned, Chuan Lu ("The Missing Gun" '02, "Mountain Patrol" '04, "City of Life and Death" '09, "The Last Supper" '12, "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" '15). Interestingly, this is Lu's first documentary he's helmed, and he made this look like he's a consummate pro at it. It was extremely well edited by Matthew Meech, which working with Lu, the two were able to make this flow like water. I would love to see Lu direct another one of Disneynature's True Life Adventures considering his amazing talent here. It was well written by David Fowler, Brian Leith, Phil Chapman and Lu. Again, the fluidity was amazing whereas it almost seemed like narrator Krasinski was telling a story instead of just stating facts. This added to the drama and excitement of the production. Of course, the real stars here were the cinematographers, Justin Maguire, Shane Moore, Rolf Steinmann and Paul Stewart. The film was breathtakingly photographed with painstaking setups. Between the extreme weather, which could change radically within a half hour, and simply waiting even longer for the right shot of all the animals while in their natural habitat, this documentary is one to see and on the large screen to take in all the sweeping vistas.

 

Every year or so, I always look forward to seeing yet another Disneynature film. They all have been breathtaking and awesome, telling us a story about something our world has to offer us. This story is every bit as amazing as its predecessors and in seeing these films, maybe, just maybe we will look at our planet in a whole new light.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                       Rated: G                                     81mins.

 

CHIPS

Comedies are an interesting genre--couple that with one being a parody and it can make for great fodder in writing a good script. The '60s and '70s were amazingly ripe decades in order to write parodies that are very funny. Unfortunately, "CHIPS" did not hit the target in presenting us with a top notch parody.

 

Jon Baker (Dax Shepard) and Frank 'Ponch' Poncherello (Michael Pena) have joined the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Los Angeles, but for very different reasons. Baker is a beaten-up former pro motorbiker trying to put his life and marriage to Karen (Kristen Bell) back together. Poncherello is a cocky undercover Federal agent investigating a multi-million dollar heist that may be an inside job--inside the CHP. The inexperienced rookie and the hardened pro are teamed together, but clash more than click, so the kick-starting a real partnership is easier said than done. But with Baker's unique bike skills and Ponch's street savvy, it might just work... if they don't drive each other crazy first.

 

Others to round out the cast are Jessica McNamee as Lindsey Taylor, Adam Brody as Clay Allen, Vincent D'Onofrio as Vic Brown, Ryan Hansen as Brian Grieves, Maya Rudolph as Sgt. Hernandez, Jackie Tohn as Amy Hansen, Mara Marini as Renee, Rosa Salazar as Ava Perez, Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Peterson, Richard T. Jones as Parish and Jane Kaczmarek as Capt. Jane Lindel.

 

This was directed by Dax Shepard ("Brother's Justice" '10, "Hit and Run" '12) plus TV and a short. His pacing and staging is a bit off, but given more work, I believe this filmmaker has promise. The characters emitted the right emotions, but the staging was a bit stiff. He is going to be directing a reboot of "Scooby-Doo", so we'll see how he does with that. It was also written by Shepard as well and this is where the problems develop. The premise could've been uproarious considering its basis is that of Rick Rosner's TV series of the same name, but the writing ended up lacking continuity and cohesiveness which it so drastically needed. Then it had to resort to, once again, many four-letter-words and sexual situations. Trust me, this guy has more promise than his writing counterparts of the same type of comedies, but considering this writer has the promise I see here, why does he have to resort to the same cheap shots the other lackluster writers pull in order to get those 18-34 year olds in those theater seats--ca-ching? Better luck next time Shepard.

 

Certainly if you're the demographic mentioned above, you'll probably love this, however if you're looking for more meat in your writing, pass on this one. Now I know why I waited to see this one. I just have to have more patience with Shepard--I know he can do it!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                   Rated: R                                   101mins.

 

The Fate of the Furious

Franchises, franchises, franchises! Is Hollywood out of original ideas for films these days? We've all seen a plethora of franchises and reboots to last a lifetime. Although I do get fed up with franchises in general, "The Fate of the Furious" or 'F8' as its affectionately called, had to be made since the passing of one of its major stars, Paul Walker as Brian. Certainly time will tell if this film makes or breaks this franchise depending on the fan base.

 

Now that Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game--the rest of the crew including Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) has been exonerated, the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman, Cipher (Charlize Theron) black mails and subsequently seduces Dom into a world of crime, he can't seem to escape and betrays those closet to him. Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) once again recruit the team to bring down Cipher and her plans and also end up inadvertently, but reluctantly recruiting Deckard (Jason Statham) as well. All will face trials that will test them as never before. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, the elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world's stage... and to bring home the man who made them a family.

 

Others to round out the cast are Luke Evans as Owens, Kristopher Hivju as Rhodes, Cipher's henchman, Scott Eastwood as Little Nobody, Elsa Pataky as Elena, Patrick St. Esprit as DS Allan, and Janmarco Santiago as Fernando.

 

This was intensely directed by F. Gary Gray ("Friday" '95, "Set It Off" '96, "The Negotiator" '98, "A Man Apart" '03, "The Italian Job" '03, "Be Cool" '05, "Law Abiding Citizen" '09, "Straight Outta Compton" '15) plus TV and shorts. This genre is definitely within Gray's comfort zone, whereas he simply captured the right emotion from his actors: the coolness, but ruthlessness of Cipher, the serious, but somewhat comedic quality of Hobbs, Dom's cool, but passionate persona. even Mr. Nobody's comic, but dead seriousness is spot on. It was equally well written by Chris Morgan ("Cellular" '04, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" '06, "Wanted" '08, "Connected" '08, "Fast & Furious" '09, "Fast Five" '11, "Fast & Furious 6" '13, "47 Ronin" '13, "Furious 7" '15) based on characters created by Gary Scott Thompson. Surely this script has the same feel as its predecessors since they have the same writer, however with this film, focusing more on Dom and the situation he's in was smart in it taking the audiences minds off Brian. It had some all too lengthy areas that were not needed, but all in all, this was about the best one could do to save this franchise from going into obscurity. It was slick, tightly written, and cohesive, but with Morgan penning this story, how could it be bad? As with any film of this type, the true stars in this were that of the stunt coordinators, Spiro Razatos and Jack Gill. The stunts were absolutely amazing. How do those guys do that?

 

As stated prior, this film will either make or break this franchise, depending on its fan base, because, at the end of the day, will those fans love this enough to not only spread the word, but go see it themselves? This doesn't have to many surprises, but, hey--this is the 'Fast & Furious' franchise, and as long as the fans' heroes are there, who needs surprises? Grab the popcorn and enjoy this in 2D, IMAX or 4DX!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                         Rated: PG-13                                       136mins.

 

 

 

Gifted

In this day and age of big-budget, huge visual effect films, we can still sit back and enjoy a small drama about the human condition on a much smaller scale instead of the issue being a global 'gotta save the world' premise. The small film at hand is that of "Gifted", where the issue here is something that we all can relate to, if for no other reason than it involves a problem that brings the issue back to a human scale.

Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising a child prodigy--his spirited young niece, Mary (McKenna Grace) in a coastal town in Florida. Frank's plan for a normal school life for Mary are foiled when the seven-year-old's mathematical abilities come to the attention of Frank's formidable mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) whose plans for her granddaughter threaten to separate Frank and Mary. As difficult as it is for Frank to think about losing Mary, he has Roberta (Octavia Spencer) who is Frank's landlady and best friend to both Frank and Mary and Bonnie (Jenny Slate), Mary's teacher to help him out. And as Bonnie, who is a young woman whose concern for her student develops into a connection with her uncle, she is still instrumental, along with Roberta to 'be there' for Frank through thick or thin.

Others to round out the cast are John M. Jackson as Judge Edward Nichols, Glenn Plummer as Greg Cullen, Frank's attorney, John Finn as Aubrey Highsmith, Elizabeth Marvel as Gloria Davis, Candace B. Harris as Carly Rosen and Jon Sklaroff as Seymore Shankland.

This was directed with such emotion and pathos by Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer" '09, "The Amazing Spider-Man" '12, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" '14) plus TV, shorts and videos. Truly, the mixed media this director has been involved in through the years has only served him well in the helming of this film. It appears that he gravitates toward either big- budget films or low-budgeted independent films, hence his resume. Not many filmmakers make this transition, but this guy handles it with finesse and grace. It was surprisingly well written by Tom Flynn ("Watch It" '93, "Second String" (TV movie) '02). I say surprisingly because with the limited writing experience (feature film or TV), this script was concise, tight and somewhat unpredictable, which one doesn't see in this type of film too often. His experience ranges over a vast amount of time--not sure why; possibly being choosy? Not sure, but for whatever reason, it seems to work for him. Don't get me wrong, there were a couple of slow places in script, but certainly not enough to detract from this story at hand.

It is nice to see something to showcase what Evans can do instead of his usual fare of superheroes he plays all too often. He can play 'smaller' roles--he's played them before, so maybe he can start playing roles like this a bit more. This was a film about love, fear, anger and redemption in which we can learn from on so many levels of our own alives.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: PG-13                                      101mins.

Ghost in the Shell

Typically when we see films that are either post-apocalyptic or set in a future of some time, we often get a grim premise at best. Although being grim, they are often intriguing in their premise. Whereas "The Fifth Element" was a drama with some comedic moments, "Ghost in the Shell", which has a similar feel to Element, is a drama with no real comedic moments.

 

In the near future, Major Motoko Kusanagi (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: a human saved from a terrible terrorist attack who is cyber-enhanced but with a transplanted human brain in order to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major Kusanagi is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major Kusanagi discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was actually stolen. She and her colleague, Batou (Pilou Asbaek) will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this and stop them before they do it to others.

 

Others to round out the cast are Takeshi Kitano as Aramaki, Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet, Michael Carmen Pitt as Kuze, Chin Han as Togusa, Danusia Samal as Ladriya, Lasarus Ratuere as Ishikawa, Anamaria Marinca as Dr. Dahlin, Yutaka Izumihara as Saito, Tawanda Manyimo as Borma and Peter Ferdinando as Cutter.

 

This was stylistically directed by Rupert Sanders ("Snow White and the Huntsman" '12) plus shorts. Although this director doesn't have a tremendous amount of experience in the director's chair, his style is exceptionally distinctive. The way he was able to get Johansson to convey human emotions with robotic characteristics was subtle and conveyed well. He will go far in this field. It was cleverly written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger based on the comic "The Ghost in the Shell" by Shirow Masamune. The experience of these writers run the gambit from one to many films to their credit. Kruger has the lion's share of the experience and it shows with this screenplay. Sure, it does have a couple of very small places of slowness, but this storyline is cohesive, tight and well thought out. It is as slick as the glossy overtones it emulates. And Johansson is superb in her role as Major. Visually, it is stunning as were the costumes.

 

This sci-fi flick is slick and moves right along keeping the audience glued to their proverbial seats. Production values as well as the story is entertaining and keeps one's attention all in a 4DX format is that is something you might want to try out.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                     107mins.

 

Going in Style

In this day and age of slapping a movie together, Hollywood has stooped to presenting to its audience either a banal of mediocre originals stories to franchises or reboots to a never ending pace. And we, the audience, falls prey to the manipulative marketing that comes from the Hollywood machine. Usually reboots turn out to  be lackluster versions of the original, even if the original was mediocre itself. Very few turn out to be the same quality or even better quality than that of the original, but when I viewed "Going in Style", I can say that as I was walking out of the theater, I felt that this version was every bit as well executed as its 1979 version counterpart.

 

Lifelong buddies Willie (Morgan Freeman), Joe (Michael Caine) and Al (Alan Arkin) decide to buck retirement and step off the straight-and-narrow for the first time in their lives when their pension fund becomes a corporate casualty. Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, the three risk it all by embarking on a daring bid to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money. Since they obviously had no experience in robbing a bank, Joe was able to find a guy, Jesus (John Ortiz) to show them the ropes since he was considered an unsavory character. With his help, they weren't perfect, but maybe, just maybe, they might be able to pull it off. Actually the idea of the bank robbery came to them when Joe's bank was robbed and the crooks were never caught. So as Special FBI Agent Hamer (Matt Dillon) continues to investigate that robbery, they must be expressly careful that their plans aren't thwarted by anyone, especially Hamer. 

 

Others to round out the cast are Ann-Margaret as Annie, Peter Serafinowicz as Murray, Joey King as Brooklyn, Christopher Lloyd as Milton, Maria Dizzia as Rachel Harding, Joe's daughter, Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Mitzi, the waitress, Kenan Thompson as Security Guard and Josh Pais as Chuck Lofton, bank manager.

 

This was directed well by Zach Braff ("Garden State" '04, "Night Life" (TV movie) '08, "Wish I Was Here" '14, "Self Promotion" (TV movie) '15) plus TV and shorts. This filmmaker being an established actor--"Scrubs" TV series, certainly knows what it takes to get his actors to work well with each other as well as emitting the most effective emotion needed to 'sell' the character they are playing. It was originally directed by Martin Brest who was one of the directors of the day, and Braff was every bit as talented as Brest. It was crafted well by writer Theodore Melfi ("Winding Roads" '99, "St. Vincent" '14, "Hidden Figures" '16) plus shorts based on the 1979 story by Edward Cannon. It was fairly similar to the original, however with a more modern kick to it. In this version, this seems to be a commentary of the 2008-09 financial debacle that caused poverty to so many people, and it's certainly making a statement of how the elderly are not respected in this society. Melfi is a very diverse writer and obviously chooses his projects with caution, so with this film, it's one more project where he can take an otherwise original screenplay and put a spark into it. And what can I say about Freeman, Caine and Arkin? These guys are consummate pros in their field, and certainly helped make this film sing, which makes it pure joy to see these actors do what they do best.

 

If you like comedies, as I do, you'll love this, especially considering it's not inanely written like a lot of comedies today. It's funny without being gross, and leaves us with a great message about the geriatric crowd without hitting us over the head. Grab the popcorn for this one.

 

Out of four Stars: 3.5                              Rated: PG-13                                 97mins.

 

The Zookeeper's Wife

Ever so often we are offered a sobering film that wakes us up and forces us to look at our lives (problems and all), and realize we have it made considering what unfolds on the silver screen. We've seen many: "The Color Purple", "Schindler's List", "Amistad", "12 Years a Slave", "The Pianist" and the like to mention a handful. So, that time comes again in the form of "The Zookeeper's Wife".

 

Poland, summer of 1939. All is well at the Warsaw Zoo. Caretakers, Antonina and her husband Jan Zabinski (Jessica Chastain and Johan Heldenbergh) are enjoying the reaping of their zoo. Antonina loves her animals and they are happy. Poland, September 1, 1939. Germany invades Poland with a vengeance bombing several areas, including parts of the zoo.

This true story tells of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds of Jews and animals during that invasion and throughout World War II. Antonina and her husband Jan covertly helped the Resistance--out of their Warsaw zoo. One of Antonina's colleagues, zoologist, Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl) is forced to join the Reich and is appointed their chief zoologist. He then is sent to the Warsaw Zoo to collect the best specimen of animals for the Reich to protect them, or so he says. He basically starts running the zoo with an iron fist, so Antonina gets on his good side and offers to raise pigs for meat for the men. He agrees and then Antonina and Jan begin their plot. This is a true cat-and-mouse game.

 

Others to round out the cast are Timothy Radford as Ryszard Zabinski (Younger), Antonina and Jan's son, Efrat Dor as Magda Gross, Iddo Goldberg as Maurycy Fraenkel, Shira Haas as Urszurla, Michael McElhatton as Jerzyk, Goran Kostic as Mr. Kinszerbaum, Val Maloku as Ryszard Zabinski (Older), Martha Issova as Regina Kenigswein, Daniel Ratimorsky as Samuel Kenigswein, Frederick Preston as Miecio Kenigswein and Viktoria Zakharyanova as Stephania Kenigswein.

 

This was emotionally and compassionately directed by Niki Caro ("Memory & Desire" '98, "Whale Rider" '02, "North Country" '05, "A Heavenly Vintage" '09, "McFarland, USA" '15) plus TV and shorts. The pathos and the amount of subtle passion she was able to extract out of her actors, especially Chastain was perfection. However, by her very resume, one can see this. It was equally well written by Angela Workman ("War Bride" '01, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" '11) based on the book by the same name by Diane Ackerman. Even though this writer doesn't have a ton of experience, the continuity, and the flow of the script was spot on. She has as many as four other projects in the works--three of which are in preproduction, so it will be interesting to see how those films are executed. The cast in this was truly well performed, especially Chastain, Heldenbergh and Bruhl. Chastain could be looking at a nod come Oscar time. This story certainly speaks to the heart in that if we, as a society, could treat each other to more the positive as much as treat each to the negative, we would be able to solve so many more of our problems.

 

If you are a war buff, this will be right down your alley, but even if you're not, this is not as much a war film as it is a commentary on the human psyche and condition societally. If it shows us anything, it shows us how much we are in imperative need to reach out to one another a lot more than we do.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: PG-13                                     127mins.

 

The Boss Baby

When we start seeing animated feature films, we know that the summer movie season is ready to explode. There's still about another month to go, but DreamWorks Animation's "The Boss Baby" is certainly a summer fare flick that is ripe for one to get their movie-going juices ready.. After seeing the trailer on this film, I felt it was going to be a smartly produced film that will suit the young and old at heart, and it lived up to that premise.

 

A suit-wearing briefcase-carrying baby (Alec Baldwin) pairs up with his seven-year old brother, Tim (Miles Bakshi) to stop the dastardly plot of the CEO, Francis Francis (Steve Buscemi) of Puppy Co.

This story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, Dad (Jimmy Kimmel) and Mom (Lisa Kudrow), told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, involves a wildly imaginative boy named Tim. Tim has his life turned upside down by his new baby brother who has the brusque manner of a businessman. However, the two are forced to get past their initial antagonism when they must work together on a mission involving the rivalry between babies and puppies.

 

Others to round out the cast are Tobey Maguire as Adult Tim/Narrator, James McGrath as Wizzie/Elvis impersonator, Conrad Vernon as Eugene, ViviAnn Yee as Staci, Eric Bell Jr. as Triplets, David Soren as Jimbo, Edie Mirman as Big Boss Baby and James Ryan as Story Bear.

 

This was freshly and humorously directed by Tom McGrath ("Madagascar" '05, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" '08, "Megamind" '10, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" '12) plus TV. Obviously, this filmmaker is no stranger to animated films, hence his resume, so his ease in how to handle this kind of film shows in his work every time he sits in the director's chair. His characters simply come to life no matter what the subject matter and characters involved. It was creatively written by Michael McCullers ("Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" '99, "Undercover Brother" '02, "Austin Powers in Goldmember" '02, "Thunderbirds" '04, "Enough About Me" (TV movie) '05, "Baby Mama" '08, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" (add'l. screen. mat'l) '14) plus TV. Unlike McGrath, this writer has written not only for animated films, but for live-action as well. Although the live-action films are live, they certainly have had a cartoonish quality about them. The premise of this story was fun-filled, inventive and captured your attention. And even though their were a couple of very small slow areas in plot, and a couple of places where the continuity could've been a bit better, this film surely was hilarious. The sad commentary here is that in order to see a good comedy these days, I typically have to resort to watching animated films. Maybe Hollywood should be hiring the writers on animated films to write more of the traditional comedies. Just food for thought. As I suspected, Baldwin as the Boss Baby was brilliant casting. He was born to play this role. A smart-alecky baby played by a wise-cracking actor. These type of roles has been the trademark of Baldwin's career.

 

If you like animated films, you'll revel, however, whether it be animated or not, the premise of this film along with the execution of Baldwin's performance is why you'll be watching this. And it's all presented with a great family message to boot!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG                                    98mins.