Forever My Girl

As with romantic comedies, romantic dramas are about as predictable and schmaltzy. These are typically films about the trials and tribulations of a couple that, through tough times, are brought through the ringer until they realize they need each other. And all this is usually written in predictable ways with a nice tied up bow by films' end. So, Hollywood has offered us yet another one of these films appropriately titled "Forever My Girl".

This tells the story of country music super-star Liam Page (Alex Roe) who left his bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), at the alter choosing fame and fortune instead. However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget his Southern roots in the small community where he was born and raised. Eight years later, when he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind. Because these types of films are predictable, Liam and Josie surely will get back together, it's just how and in what way this will occur.

Others to round out the cast are John Benjamin Hickey as Pastor Brian, Liam's father, Tyler Biggs as Jake, Josie's brother, Peter Cambor as Sam, Liam's manager, Abby Ryder Fortson as Billy, Josie's daughter, Gillian Vigman as Doris, Liam's publicist, Morgan Alexandria as Kiera, Lauren Gros as Laura and James Rackley as Johnny.

This was directed compassionately by Bethany Ashton Wolf ("First & Last" '97, "Don's Plum" '01, "Little Chenier" '06) plus shorts. This filmmaker was certainly able to extract the compassion, the empathy, the anger and the hurt that these characters exuded in order to make this more of a human drama. The performances were effective, however the chemistry between Liam and Josie was the talented directing this woman was able to convey to the audience. This was predictably written by Wolf as well. She writes the films she directs which gives her more creative control, but this being as predictable as it was made it a bit schmaltzy. In any other genre, this would be a tough film to get through, but considering this is within the romantic drama genre, there has to be a lot of forgiveness when it comes to the adjectives it's been given. After seeing what these two characters go through, knowing pretty much the direction this film was going, it allows the audience to be able to handle the aguish these characters were going to have to handle. Sometimes it's therapeutic to see a fluffy film where it allows us to go to that safe place so we can sit back and know that these characters are going to be alright, especially when they are characters that are redeeming.
Also the fact that Alex Roe does all the singing his character performs makes this even more palatable, and being a super-star country singer, he sings more than once.

Certainly if you like romantic dramas, this film is a shoe-in, but even if you're not, this does have heart, compassion, openness all with good singing with catchy lyrics. This is not a great film, but my impression was that this was created to entertain us at the same time giving us something to think about.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                 Rated: PG                                      108mins.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure

In the history of Hollywood films, we have seen a plethora of franchises, and then there have been several franchises with a teen angst as its center: The Twilight Saga, The Divergent Saga, even The Harry Potter Saga. Now we have the third and last of The Maze Runner Saga entitled "Maze Runner: The Death Cure". Is this the end or could there be yet another?

 

In the epic finale to The Maze Runner Saga, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his group of escaped Gladers including Newt (Thomas Brodie Sangster), Brenda (Rosa Salazar), Frypan (Dexter Darden) and Aris (Jacob Lofland) on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary last city, a WCYD controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get the answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze. Will Thomas and the crew make it out alive? Or will Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson) and Janson (Aidan Gillen) get their way?

 

Others to round out the cast are Ki Hong Lee as Minho, Kaya Scodelario as Teresa, Will Poulter as Gally, Giancarlo Esposito as Jorge, Barry Pepper as Vince, Nathalie Emmanuel as Harriet, Katherine McNamara as Sonya and Walter Goggins as Lawrence.

 

This was intensely directed by Wes Ball ("The Maze Runner" '14, "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" '15) plus shorts. As with this films' predecessors, this quite literally cuts to chase practically from frame one. It kind of is reminiscent of the matinee idol days of film where the swashbuckler came to save the day, so as with this, these characters are on edge from beginning to end. It was effectively written by T.S Nowlin ("The Maze Runner" '14, "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" '15, "Phoenix Forgotten" '17). Certainly writing the other installments of this franchise has only caused this to be as effective as it was. Being a film based on a novel geared to the teenager mindset, this has a certain amount of predictability and schmaltzy lines, but, in this case, this actually helped this film--it was the elements that kept the audience on the edge of their proverbial seats. As this film was unfolding, as with its predecessors, we were rooting for these young adults all the way to the films' end. So, although Nowlin could've been a bit more creative--plot wise, his way of writing it is what made this script work. If you like his brand of writing, "Pacific Uprising" is completed for a release date this year and "Godzilla vs. Kong" has been announced for a 2020 release. The visual effects cleverly designed by Weta Digital actually enhanced the storyline instead of just filling in places where storyline dropped off as with other similar films.

 

As aforementioned, will there be another Maze Runner? I realize that this is supposed to be the third and last installment, but it leaves us fairly open-ended where it could go either way. If it didn't continue, I suspect it would be for that O'Brien has certainly been a very busy actor lately. But who knows? Grab the popcorn and enjoy this two hour plus fluff.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                   Rated: PG-13                                        131mins.

 

Hostiles

While westerns have certainly made quite the resurgence in the past couple of decades, they haven't been as prolific as those made in the 1930's and 40's during the matinee idol period. One of the more recent quality westerns made have been "Unforgiven" '92 and more recently "The Revenant" '15. These being the quality they are, I had to believe that "Hostiles" would have that same quality and my beliefs were accurate.

 

Set in 1892, this tells the story of a legendary Army Captain, Joseph J. Blocker (Christian Bale), who, after stern resistance, reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief, Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family back to tribal lands, making the harrowing and perilous journey from Fort Berringer, an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico, to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounters a young widow, Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike), whose family was murdered on the plains. Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape, hostile Comanche and vicious outliers that they encounter along the way.

Others to round out the cast are Jesse Plemons as Lt. Rudy Kidder, Rory Cochrane as Master Sgt. Thomas Metz, Adam Beach as Black Hawk, Stephen Lang as Colonel Abraham Biggs, Ben Foster as Sgt. Charles Wills, Scott Wilson as Cyrus Lounde, Paul Anderson as Corp. Tommy Thomas, Timothee Chalamet as Pvt. Philippe DeJardin, Bill Camp as Jeremiah Wilks, O'orianka Kilcher as Elk Woman and Jonathan Majors as Corp. Henry Woodsen.

This was brilliantly and brutally directed by Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart" '09, "Out of the Furnace" '13, "Black Mass" '15). Although this filmmaker's experience is limited, it is gritty, intense and has an abundance of quality. The realness of characters in which he manipulates is stunning in that it also seems that the audience is watching a documentary as opposed to a feature film. Bale apparently strove to be in this film, because he wanted to work with Scott again--"Out of the Furnace" being the last time they worked together. Brutal is his business, and if that is the type of film you are drawn to, his "Antlers" has been announced. It was also written for the screen by Scott ("For Sale by Owner" '09, "Crazy Heart" '09, "out of the Furnace" '13) based on the manuscript by Donald E. Stewart. There aren't typically any westerns out there that have a message attached to them, but in this, these two--Capt. Blocker and Yellow Hawk were similar in that they both hated each other's race, but by being thrusted together, they must confront their prejudices during this escort. We, as a society also have our own forms of hatred--more than we know, so as the audience watches this, it causes us to look at our own prejudices. As stated prior, we rarely see these kinds of messages in the genre of the western, but considering the popularity of westerns, it high time this happens. Other than a couple of places of slowness where the story sort of goes into a lull period, this script is extremely tight, gritty, intense and well thought out. Bales' cold, steely, flat-affected Capt. Blocker has got to be one of his better performances--a true tour de force.

If you're a western freak, this has got to one on your must see list, but even if you're not, the quality acting, writing and directing will certainly be enough to justify the price of admission. This was a bloody, grueling, intense film--one of the most violent westerns, but considering the intensity of that era in the west, this was the way society was--another message for us all.

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

Call Me by Your Name

As teen angst films have become prolific since the 1950's, Hollywood has been able to bring us many different ways to show us how young adults come into their being. Every decade explores new and different ways to allow these teens to see what they need to do to find themselves. And with every decade, cultural changes ensue and complexities can be the order of the day. When "Moonlight" was released last year, it brought its audience a look of what it's like to be forced to 'come out'. Well, "Call Me by Your Name" reiterates that look.

This story is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love. It's the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet), a precocious 17-year-old young man, spends his days in his family's 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, and reading and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio's sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old American college graduate student working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

Others to round out the cast are Victoire Du Bois as Chiara, Vanda Carriolo as Mapalda, Antonio Rimoldi as Anchiese, Elena Bucci as Art Historian 1, Marco Sgrosso as Art Historian 2, Andre Aciman as Mounir and Peter Spears as Isaac.

This was poignantly and delicately directed by Luca Guadagnino ("The Protagonists" '99, "Melissa P." '05, "I Am Love" '09, "A Bigger Splash" '15) plus documentaries and shorts. This filmmaker is a consummate pro when it comes to encouraging his actors to extract the most subtlest of emotion to reach that particular impact he's attempting to convey to his audience. Even though both Chalamet and Hammer gives quite the performances, the direction was spot on. It was written by veteran writer James Ivory ("The Guru" '69, "Savages" '72, "Quartet" '81, "Maurice" '87, "The Divorce" '03) plus others, documentaries and TV, based on a novel by Andre Aciman. Ivory's script was delineated with precision and cohesiveness and well thought out. As the summer unfolded, one could see these two get closer and closer in the most realistic, yet subtle ways. The emotions ran the gambit: uncertainty, anger, aloofness, fear and love. This all takes talented writing coupled with fine performances. The only negative I could see with this is that it was a bit slow in places and was a little long-in-the-tooth. I realize it takes time and character development to connect these two guys into any type of relationship considering they didn't know one another, however there was a bit too much time and effort in getting these two to connect. Otherwise this story was compelling and involved. As with any life going through the growing pains, this shows the awkwardness, the pain, the desperation, and the well-being of finding oneself.

This was extremely well written, directed and acted and it is no wonder that it obtained the Oscar nods that it did. I suspect that the message here is to not push oneself into a life that scares you to death unless exploration, reflection and patience come into play.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: R                                   132mins.

Phantom Thread

Even though "Phantom Thread" is technically a work of fiction, it is loosely based on the British born real life designer Charles James. So this is fiction, but also based on some fact as well. What makes this different than other films about fashion designers is the fastidious, but odd designer this film centers around.

Set in the glamour of 1950's post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty--Countess Henrietta Harding (Gina McKee), movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock's life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed, manipulative woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love.

Others to round out the cast are Sue Clark as Biddy, Joan Brown as Nana, Harriet Leitch as Pippa, Dinah Nicholson as Elsa, Camilla Rutherford as Johanna, Philip Franks as Peter Martin, Brian Gleeson as Dr. Robert Hardy, George Glasgow as Nikki Angus-Campbell and Harriet Sansom Harris as Barbara Rose.

This was directed by one of the most quirky of filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson ("Hard Eight" '96, "Boogie Nights" '97, "Magnolia" '99, "Punch-Drunk Love" '02, "There Will Be Blood" '07, "The Master" '12, "Inherent Vice" '14) plus shorts, video shorts and TV. Since Anderson also writes what he directs, this film being of no exception, I feel it gives him a leg up on knowing how to manipulate his actors to woo them to do what they can do with their respective characters. His trademark is the quirkiness and oddity of the characters he writes about which allows his characters to come across meatier than a lot of characters in most Hollywood formulaic films. Both the characters Day-Lewis and Krieps play often banter with each other so the audience feels as though one of the characters is awful, than the other is. Soon afterwards, it truly becomes difficult to feel sorry for either character--since they both have extreme issues--deceit, selfishness, manipulation, and anger. Although this screenplay was delineated well, it had a couple of slow areas, mostly near the beginning, that a slightly shorter running time could've remedied. Once the story got going, the script soared. This film was phenomenally acted and directed, and even though the story was a bit of a downer, it was well crafted. This happens to be Daniel Day-Lewis' last film--he is retiring. He claims that he hadn't considered retirement before making this film, but that this character was so depressing, it made it extremely difficult to make and get through. Who knows if he won't come back to films after a hiatus. The costumes in this were beautifully designed by Mark Bridges and will undoubtedly be receive an Oscar nod. These fashion designs were absolutely incredible, and should be recognized.

This , as with most Anderson films, is not for the mass audience appeal and I believe Anderson strives for it to be that way. He is a true artist and really isn't in it for the money as much as for the privilege of being able to entertain his audiences with something quirky, meaty and obscure.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: R                                 130mins.

12 Strong

War films have been a common staple genre in Hollywood dating back to WWI, and since then we've seen a plethora of films centering around every war we've seen in our history. Certainly we've seen many films based on the Iran/Afghani War that the list is endless. Ones that come to mind are: "Jarhead" '05, "Stop-Loss", '08, "The Hurt Locker" '08, "Zero Dark Thirty" '12, "Lone Survivor" '13, and "American Sniper" '14, but, suffice it to say, there are tons more.

This true story is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when a U.S. Special Forces team, lead by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) and including Hal Spencer (Michael Shannon), Sam Diller (Michael Pena), Ben Milo (Trevante Rhodes), Sean Coffers (Geoff Stults), Vern Michaels (Thad Luckinbill), Pat Essex (Austin Hebert), Fred Falls (Austin Stowell) and others, is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Talaban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans--accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare--must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghani horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners.

Others that round out the cast are Ben O'Toole as Scott Black, Kenneth Miller as Kevin Jackson, Rob Riggle as Lt. Colonel Bowers, William Fichtner as Colonel Mulholland, Kenny Sheard as Bill Bennett, Jack Kesy as Charles Jones, Elsa Pataky as Jean Nelson, Mitch's wife and Arshia Mandavi as Najeeb.

This film was well directed by virtual newcomer Nicolai Fuglsig ("Exfil" '17). What amazes me is that although this filmmaker has only one film toward past experience--even no TV, the emotion he was able to extract from his characters was consummate and extremely realistic. With this limited experience, I'm very curious to see what he'll helm next--and there will be a next time. This was creatively written by Ted Tally ("Terra Nova" (TV movie) '84, "The Father Clements Story" (TV movie) '87, "White Palace" '90, "The Silence of the Lambs" '91, "The Juror" '96, "Before and After" '96, "All the Pretty Horses" 2000, "Red Dragon" '02) and Peter Craig ("The Town" '10, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1) '14, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2) '15, "Blood Father" '16) based on the book "Horse Soldiers" by Doug Stanton. I believe what made this screenplay work was the fact that the two writers have experience that spans thirty plus years. Considering their experience covers a multitude of genres, their combination of style and the ability to collaborate work. It's not without issues such as it did get a bit bogged down in a couple of places and was a bit long-in-the-tooth, but it was gripping and kept the audience on the edge of their seats. If you like Craig's style of writing, "Top Gun: Maverick" is in pre-production for a 2019 release. By the time I left the theater, my legs were wobbling as I walk down the aisle. My only regret was that I didn't see this in the IMAX format because the fighting scenes were that intense.

With all the war films I've seen in the past, this one was a real roller coaster ride replete with great direction, writing and acting especially by Hemsworth. Even Hemsworth's real wife, Elsa Pataky played his wife in the movie which gave that much more reality.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: R                                      130mins.

Paddington 2

Children's stories have been an avenue Hollywood has used to base films from for a number of decades. Ever since Danny Kaye starred in "Hans Christian Andersen" in 1952, about a children's storyteller, Hollywood has been fascinated with creating more of these films. The list is too numerous, but suffice it to say, when "Paddington" was released in 2014, because of its popularity, "Paddington 2" simply had to be made.

 

Paddington (voice of Ben Whishaw) is happily settled with the Brown family including Henry (Hugh Bonneville), Mary (Sally Hawkins), Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) in Windsor Gardens-- where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy's (voice of Imelda Staunton) 100th birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber's (Jim Broadbent) antique shop, and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book comes up stolen, it's up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief before Aunt Lucy's big celebration.

 

Others to round out the cast are Brendan Gleeson as Knuckles McGinty, Hugh Grant as Phoenix Buchanan, Michael Gambom as voice of Uncle Pastuzo, Tom Davis as T-Bone, Noah Taylor as Phibs, Aaron Neil as Spoon, Nicholas Lumley as Farmer Jack and Peter Capaldi as Mr. Curry.

 

Since "Paddinton" was so creative in its direction, this was also directed by Paul King ("Under One Roof" (TV movie) '07, "Bunny and The Bull" '09, "The Pajama Men: Last Stand to Reason" (TV movie) '11, "Paddington" '14) plus TV and video shorts. After watching this film for a while, Paddington comes across as being so human that it doesn't seem possible that he's actually a bear. He's real, compassionate, has heart and doesn't appear to have an enemy in the world--this is talented direction that King pulled off in this as he did in its predecessor. It was also methodically well thought out by writer King ("Bunny and the Bull" '09, "Paddington" '14) plus TV and Simon Farnaby ("Mindhorn" '16) plus TV based on "Paddington Bear" created by Michael Bond. This was easily as well written as its predecessor if not better. It was cohesive, tight, easy to follow and methodical as the film unfolded. Down to the smallest detail this film was delineated with such precision. Everyone reprised their respective roles with the exception of Hugh Grant who played the baddie in this one--Nicole Kidman played the baddie in "Paddington", and Brendon Gleeson was also thrown in with a great role. If sequels were written as well as this was, I might look forward to them more often.

 

This film has it all: humor, heart, compassion, great direction and writing-- why can't Hollywood produce more films like this? It's funny, thrilling, is a great family film and with a great message. Will there be a "Paddington 3" in the works sometime in the foreseeable future? Hopefully. This is pure entertainment at its finest. Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                   Rated: PG                                       104mins.

 

The Commuter

High-pressure thrillers are definitely a crowd pleaser type of film, and Hollywood has certainly capitalized on this concept. Ever since the 1970's with all the disaster films, people have been fascinated with this whole genre. Since then, we've seen many more thrillers to keep the audience on their proverbial seats. So when "The Commuter" came along, it shouldn't be surprising that this film will make a profit.

In this action-packed thriller, Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson), an insurance salesman, whose daily commute home quickly becomes anything but routine. After being confronted by a mysterious stranger, Joanna (Vera Farmiga), Michael is blackmailed into finding the identity of a passenger on his train before the last stop. As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, Michael is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that carries life and death stakes for himself and his fellow passengers including Walt (Jonathan Banks), Vince (Shazad Latif), Tony (Andy Nyman) and Eva (Clara Lago). Will Michael beat the clock or succumb to the consequences for making the wrong choices?

Others to round out the cast are Patrick Wilson as Alex Murphy, Sam Neill as Captain Hawthorne, Elizabeth McGovern as Karen MacCauley, Michael's wife, Killian Scott as Dylan, Roland Moller as Jackson, Florence Pugh as Gwen, Ella-Rae Smith as Sofia, Colin McFarlane as Conductor Sam, Adam Nagaitis as Conductor Jimmy, Nila Aalia as Sherri and Dean-Charles Chapman as Danny MacCauley, Michael and Karen's son. 

This was directed by Juame Collet-Serra ("House of Wax" '05, "Goal II: Living the Dream" '07, "Orphan" '09, "Unknown" '11, "Non-Stop" '14, "Run All Night" '15, "The Shallows" '16) plus TV. By his very resume, this filmmaker certainly knows the timing, the pacing and the intensity of what makes an effective thriller. Neeson started as this typical every man insurance salesman taking his routine commute he has for the last ten years only to be thrown into a gripping situation and he did this with such realism. Now Neeson is no stranger to these types of films, however this takes talented direction to really pull this off. If you like this filmmaker's brand of direction, his "Jungle Cruise" is in pre-production for a 2018 release. It was grippingly written by virtual newcomers Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi and Ryan Engle ("On a Clear Day" '05, "Non-Stop" '14) plus a short. The first two writers have no other experience whether feature film or TV and the latter has minimal experience, so considering their limited experience, this script was amazingly tight, fast-paced and gripping. This seemed like a cross between "Speed" '94 and "Unstoppable" '10. One area this might have lacked in is the fact that it needed to be a bit more cohesive and sequential. There were spots that had a problem following itself, but in most places it wasn't an issue. All in all, this was a rollicking and moving script that gave its audience that rush that the writers were obviously looking to convey. Engle certainly has gotten more experience since both "Rampage" and "Breaking In" are in post production and will be released this year. The visual effects by Cinesite, Iloura and Nvizible were seamless especially when it came to the work on what happened to the train throughout the film.

Certainly if you're an adrenaline, action-packed junkie, you will be in heaven, because this rapidly turns a corner and takes off to give you that roller coaster ride of a lifetime. It creates a tone in a subtle way at the beginning, but then goes for the juggler and with the different twists, it will have you wondering what's going to happen next.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                    Rated: PG-13                                     105mins.

The Post

Certainly in the past several decades Hollywood has delved into government cover-ups. If not government, big business which is usually linked to government. At least one film akin to "The Post" is Alan J. Pakula's "All the President's Men" '76, which was about the exposure of the Watergate incident-- "The Post" is about a major governmental cover-up of the Vietnam War.

 

Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper-- The Washington Post. With the help from editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), Graham races to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spans three decades and four U.S. presidents. Together, along with Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk), Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) and Fritz Beebe (Tracy Letts), they must overcome their differences as they risk their careers-- and very freedom-- to help bring long-buried truths to light.

 

Others to round out the cast are Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee, Ben's wife, Bradley Whitford as Arthur Parsons, Bruce Greenwood as Robert McNamara, Michael Stuhlbarg as Abe Rosenthal, Jesse Plemons as Roger Clark, Alison Brie as Lally Graham, Katharine's daughter, David Cross as Howard Simons, Zach Woods as Anthony Essaye and Carrie Coon as Meg Greenfield.

 

This was intensely, but subtly directed by the incomparable Steven Spielberg ("Duel" (TV movie) '71, "Jaws" '75, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" '81, "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" '82, "Jurassic Park" '93, "Saving Private Ryan" '98, "The Terminal" '04, "Munich" '05, "Lincoln" '12, "Bridge of Spies" '15) plus many others and TV. With all the films about government corruption, espionage, 'big brother' and the like, it would be so tempting for Spielberg to direct this like so many other films with similar topics, however the way he was able to extract a subtle intensity from his characters gave it that difference we just don't see in similar films. Although both Streep and Hanks are consummate actors to enable to pull this off, it still takes a director with an amazing amount of finesse coupled with chutzpah to give us, the audience, that something extra so as to allow us to see a different film. It was creatively written by Liz Hannah (TV and short) and Josh Singer ("The Fifth Estate" '13, "Spotlight" '15) plus TV and video short. Even though I'm sure these two were passionate about what they wrote about, since Hannah obviously has the more minimal amount of experience and received top billing above Singer, she must've had a super amount of passion and a good deal of the ideas for script. Singer having not only more experience, but with the films that deal with sensitive subject matter as with this film, definitely gives this a wallop of a script to contend with. And last but not least there's John Williams' subtle, yet powerful score that works so well with this. He has scored so many of Spielberg's films, i.e. "Jaws", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Jurassic Park", "Lincoln", "Bridge of Spies" and others, which makes him the obvious choice to score this.

 

If you are an individual that is intrigued with government cover-ups, conspiracy theories and the like, you will be in for a treat, but even if you're not political, like I am, the direction, acting along with a tight, cohesive, suspenseful script will more than make up for what the film is about. With Oscar nominations looming, it could come out a winner. We'll see.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: PG-13                                      116mins.

 

 

 

I, Tonya

There are films based on true stories, then there are films based on true stories that have such bizarre premises, it's difficult to believe it is actually based on anything but fiction. We saw this in Michael Bay's "Pain & Gain" '13, whereas it was so obscure, how could that be possibly true? Well, truth can be stranger than fiction and we saw this in "I, Tonya".

 

This biopic uses the format of a faux documentary to trace the rise and scandal-fueled fall of figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie). Pushed into skating by her domineering, abusive mother LaVona Golden (Allison Janney), Harding finds great success, yet ends up clashing with the sport's desire to mold its female athletes into an image of wholesomeness. She ultimately hires a trainer, Diane Rawlinson (Julianne Nicholson) to give her that edge she needs to get her to her major goal: the Olympics. Later, her career comes crashing down when her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) along with his buddy Shawn (Paul Walter Hauser) orchestrates an attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver).

 

Others to round out the cast are Bobby Cannavale as Martin Maddox, Bojana Novakovic as Dody Teachman, Maize Smith as Tonya (3-1/2 years) and McKenna Grace as Tonya (8-12 years.

 

This was deliciously directed by Craig Gillespie ("Mr. Woodcock" '07, "Lars and the Real Girl" '07, "Fright Night" '11, "Trooper" (TV movie) '13, "Million Dollar Arm" '14, "The Finest Hours" '16) plus TV and a short. As with a number of his past films, such as "Lars and the Real Girl", he brings life to the characters written in the script so by the end of the film, you feel as though you know these characters better than you walked in the theater. He can direct both commercial and independent film with equal quality whereas most of his colleagues cannot which makes this director that much more in demand. It was equally written well by Steve Rogers ("Hope Floats" '98, "Stepmom" '98, "Earthly Possessions" (TV movie) '99, "Kate & Leopold" '01, "P.S. I Love You" '07, "Love the Coopers" '15). By his very resume, he has gnawed his teeth on the rom-com genre and with aplomb. Now he finally has a chance to show what he can do with this story under his belt. This is anything but a rom-com, and with that, he gave us a one two punch script where the characters simply leaped off the pages. This is a writer to contend with. Speaking of characters, Allison Janney as Tonya's totally dysfunctional mom absolutely stole the show. It's no wonder that she was nominated for a supporting actress Golden Globe award and won! Janney is a consummate actor and she simply raised the bar on herself with this meaty character.

 

This is not only a film based on a true story, but one that is a quirky, independent film which, in my opinion, is the best of both worlds. This film has it all: fine acting, writing and directing that will obviously garner Oscar nominations which should be announced soon. My prediction is that Janney will receive the Oscar supporting win as well.

 

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

 

Molly's Game

Once again Hollywood has thrown at us a film based on a true story that will knock your socks off if not for the story, for the person it is about: an Olympic hopeful that through a skiing accident, turns her life toward starting a high-stakes poker circuit. There have been a number of poker films in the past, "The Cincinnati Kid" '65 comes to mind, but none that is as intense as "Molly's Game".

Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), a beautiful young Olympic-class skier, ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense attorney Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.

The story is told as a series of flashbacks by Molly to us, the audience ,and to her attorney, Charlie, which starts with her training as an Olympic skier by her tough as nails father, Larry Bloom (Kevin Costner) to her new boss in the poker field, Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong). As she becomes more powerful and rich, this merely starts her downhill spiral being in a field that was seemingly way over her head.

Others to round out the cast are Michael Cera as Player X, Chris O'Dowd as Douglas Downey, J.C. MacKenzie as Harrison Wellstone, Brian d'Arcy James as Brad, Bill Camp as Harlan Eustice, Graham Greene as Judge Foxman, Justin Kirk as Jay, Angela Gots as B and Natalie Krill as Winston.

This was remarkably directed well by Aaron Sorkin. I say remarkably because this is his directorial debut for anything--feature films or TV. The way he was able to achieve life from these different characters was nothing short of perfection. Certainly he knows his actors well considering he's written many screenplays for films plus when a director has the consummate actors this guy had--Chastain and Elba, how could anyone go wrong? As long as he wants to continue down this path, he will be in the director's chair again. It was also well written by Sorkin ("A Few Good Men" '92, "Malice" '93, "The American President" '95, "Charlie Wilson's War" '07, "The Social Network" '10, "Moneyball" '11, "Steve Jobs" '15) plus TV. Obviously writing is like second nature to this filmmaker and this script certainly shows it. Although the story was powerfully written, it was a bit long-in-the-tooth to let us, the audience, know how Molly's world was turned upside down. It probably could've been cut about 10-15 minutes off the running time, otherwise this film rocked. This writer likes to write message laden subject matter, but it would be interesting to see this writer create something that is strictly entertaining and fluff. If you like his writing, "A Few Good Men" (TV movie), is in pre-production and is due a 2018 release. The performances by both Chastain and Elba were acted effortlessly and could possibly garner Chastain an Oscar nomination come that time.

If you like message films, you'll be in message heaven, but even if you're not, the acting by Chastain, Elba and even Costner will be enough to justify the cost of admission. If you leave the theater with more questions about Molly as when the film started, don't feel like you're a lone star. Molly is such a complex individual, it's difficult to weigh whether she won at the end or not.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                               Rated: R                                 141mins.

Darkest Hour

As we approach the Golden Globe Awards on January 7th, we already know which films have been nominated for their respective awards, Although the nominees are well chosen, the one that obviously stood out is that of Gary Oldman playing Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour" with painstaking realism.

May, 1940. Within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiating peace treaty with Nazi Germany, or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation. It becomes extremely difficult to convey his solutions to Parlament, specifically King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) and previous Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup),  so he hires a dictation secretary, Elizabeth Layton (Lily James) in order to make his written speeches come to life. As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe and threat of invasion is imminent, and with an unprepared public, a skeptical King, and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.

Others to round out the cast are Kristin Scott Thomas as Clemmie Churchill, wife of Winston, Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax, Nicholas Jones as Sir John Simon, Samuel West as Sir Anthony Eden, David Schofield as Clement Atlee, Richard Lumsden as General Ismay and Malcolm Storry as General Ironside.

This was directed by the 'period' king, Joe Wright ("Pride & Prejudice" '05, "Atonement" '07, "The Soloist" '09, "Hanna" '11, "Anna Karenina" '12, "Pan" '15) plus TV and shorts. This filmmaker has put a whole different twist on the period film in that his eye for detail is painstaking so it almost seems that you're viewing a documentary. He brings the character of Churchill to life in this production, although with a consummate actor such as Oldman is, how could he go wrong? It will be interesting to see how his direction for "Stoner" turns out which is in pre-production. It was written with cohesiveness, and with a tight script by Anthony McCarten ("Show of Hands" '08, "Death of a Superhero" '11, "The Theory of Everything" '14) plus TV. This writer doesn't have a huge resume, but what he has is quality, especially "The Theory of Everything". With this film under his belt, he will be able to obtain a plethora of more quality work. Has this guy earned more work? Well, the future says yes considering he has three films brewing: "The Siege" which is announced, "National Anthem" '18 which is in pre-production and "Bohemian Rhapsody" '18 which is in post production. I think he's paid his dues. As I was watching this film, I couldn't help but believe that not only Oldman will be nominated for a best actor Academy Award, but will surely win. How do I know? Just a gut feeling, but so much of the time, those feelings are accurate.

If you're a history buff and love fine acting you will love this, because it's a great way to learn something historical all the while being entertained with great writing, directing and acting, specifically by Gary Oldman and the supporting cast as well.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: PG-13                                       124mins.