Maybe I Do

Going back decades, Hollywood has produced a plethora of romantic comedies or more affectionately called romcoms. I haven't seen them all, however I've seen enough of them to come to the realization that most of them are predictable, unoriginal and mot written very well. Well, "Maybe I Do" definitely falls on that predictable side for sure.

Michelle (Emma Roberts) and Allen (Luke Bracey) have, sort of, reached the point in their relationship to take the next steps toward marriage. Thinking it is a good idea to invite their parents, namely Grace (Diane Keaton), Howard (Richard Gere), Monica (Susan Sarandon) and Sam (William H. Macy), to finally meet, they set a dinner and make it a family affair. To everyone's surprise, the affair takes on a whole new meaning as the parents already know each other all too well--they've been cheating on their spouses for months...with each other. Trapped in this precarious predicament, they try to hide their dalliances from the kids while confronting their spouses' lovers head on. Let the games begin!

Others to round out the cast are Gina Jun as Michelle's friend, Natalie Ortega as Sofia and Kevin D. Benton as wedding guest.

This was stiffly directed by Michael Jacobs. He has written a fair amount of work--mostly TV, but he has never directed before--feature films, TV, shorts, etc. Even though he had very seasoned, talented actors to work with, his staging, pacing and areas of forced lines were evident. Surely I realize that a filmmaker has to start somewhere when branching out into an untapped arena, but he should seriously start with TV or maybe a short or two. This certainly proves that he's definitely not ready for prime time. This was also written by Michael Jacobs ("Cheaters" (TV movie) '80, "First Family"(TV movie) '93) plus other TV. Even though the premise has an interesting twist to it, I'm not sure if the writing was so clumsy as it seemed, or was the directing so questionable that it made the writing suspect. There were too many continuity issues as well as a fair amount of choppiness in the script. This being his first feature film probably has a lot to do with his seemingly being in over his head. With his writing experience, I feel that if he just receives more work, he will find his niche as a feature screenwriter. I suppose this film is an expose of the fact that screenwriting is definitely different than playwriting since this film was based on Jacobs' play. Certainly having the star power that this certainly has helps with this project, but I can't help but think that Hollywood should've gone with a more seasoned director. 

If you like the different stars in this film, you'll revel, however if you're searching for a meatier script, you may want to pass on this, and maybe rent it or view it on Netflix. The one positive aspect of this film is that when anyone does something such as cheating, the consequences certainly will follow. To quote a bible verse that's indicative in this would be, "Your sin will be shouted on the rooftops". Of course, since it is a romcom, how meaty of a screenplay would you be expecting? Just saying. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                             Rated: PG-13                                       95mins.

Living

There are roles that actors play that are over-the-top and those that are consistently underplayed, but with the film "Living", we have a character that is clearly depressed, but with subtlety, slowly transcends more to the person he truly is looking to be. We don't see this in many films which makes this movie somewhat of a one-of-a-kind. 

This is the story of an ordinary man, Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy), reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who, at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful. This is 1950's London, and after a point, Mr. Williams, a humorless civil servant decides, without telling anyone, to take time off from work to experience life after receiving a grim diagnosis of cancer. He subsequently confides in a stranger of his diagnosis, Mr. Sutherland (Tom Burke) and he takes Mr. Williams out on the town so as to start his new reawakening. Then later, he confides in a former co-worker, Margaret Harris (Aimee-Lou Wood) about his diagnosis only after they had gotten to know one another more. He is a very closed-mouth kind of man where he doesn't divulge too much of himself but is extremely careful. He likes the men he worked with, especially Mr. Wakeling (Alex Sharp). He told few people of his illness, but most at work, as well as his son Michael (Barney Fishwick), he simply didn't want to bother them. But, as difficult as it was, he truly started to come out of his shell. 

Others to round out the cast are Adrian Rawlins as Mr. Middleton, Hubert Burton as Mr. Rusbridger, Oliver Chris as Mr. Hart, Michael Cochrane as Sir James, Anant Varman as Mr Singh, Zoe Boyle as Mrs. McMasters, Lia Williams as Mrs. Smith, Jessica Flood as Mrs. Porter and Jamie Wilkes as Talbot. 

This was directed with such poignancy and pathos by Oliver Hermanus ("Shirley Adams" '09, "Beauty" '11, "The Endless River" '15, "Moffie" '19). With all the subtle nuances that Nighy had to traverse through this film was not only an incredible acting vehicle for the actor but an expertise directing talent by Hermanus. The transformation in which Nighy had to become was a journey that was able to showcase an individual, in this case Mr. Williams, a transitional trek in which we, the audience, were able to see. It was equally well drafted by writer Kazuo Ishiguro ("A Profile of Arthur J. Mason" (TV movie) '84, "The Gourmet" (TV movie) '84, "The Remains of the Day" (novel) '93, "The Saddest Music in the World" '03, "The White Countess" '05, "Never Let Me Go" (novel) '10, "An Artist of the Floating World" (TV movie) '19) plus TV and a short. based on the original 1952 screenplay "Ikiru" by Akira Kurosawa. This was a very interesting expose on a rather mundane civil servant who truly believed that he really had no purpose in life. So, finding that he had only so much time left on this planet, he decided quite quickly that he needed to find a new purpose in order to live life depending on how much time he had left. It's a brilliant premise that in 1952 was probably cutting edge for a gritty storyline. After so many decades, this premise might seem mundane, but Ishiguro really was able to put a whole new slant on this story. This has got to be the finest performance by Nighy I've ever seen, and I feel he is a fine actor. He could nab the Oscar for best actor this year even though he's up against some hefty competition of the likes of Brendan Fraser for "The Whale" and Austin Butler for "Elvis". Time will tell for sure. 

If you are a Nighy fan, you will absolutely revel with this. As I've said prior, this has got to be his finest performance to date. Even though the premise seems rather ordinary, the script was handled with such expertise that it just left me in a state of awe. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                      Rated: PG-13                                           102mins.

Missing

Technology can be our friend or foe depending on how we use it or what is going on in our lives. This story is another tale about how society corrects a problem via the internet as we saw in the film "Searching" '18. However, even though the computer can help, sometimes, as we traverse it, we can find more questions than answers as what happens in this.

When her mother Grace (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung), June's (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to attempt to find her, including the use of a private detective in Colombia by the name of Javi Ramos (Joaquim de Almeida). She fights to find her mom before it's too late, but as she continues to search the internet and speaking to FBI Agent Elijah Park (Daniel Henney), her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers...and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.

Others to round out the cast are Amy Landecker as Heather, Megan Suri as Veena, Tim Griffen as James and Tracy Vilar as Detective Gomez.

This was intensely directed by Nick Johnson ("Searching" '18) and Will Merrick (shorts). Certainly we received the same heart-pounding pace as with "Searching" considering this was co-directed by the same filmmaker--Johnson, but I'm sure Merrick had some pivotal ideas as well. Considering their limited experience, they were able to keep the pace and intensity flying. I have to believe that since both of these filmmakers come from a fair amount of editing experience, this had to of assisted them tremendously. It was also well written by Merrick and Johnson. The fact that neither have any other writing experience at all simply amazes me. Sure, there were some places that weren't quite explained enough or that didn't connect as much as some places needed that connection, but all in all, these writers pulled off a very hair-raising, white-knuckle film that will definitely garner your attention from the first frame to the last. The cast was truly believable and all connected well. If this is their first attempt at writing, I can't wait to see what they will write next, and there will be a next time. 

If 'keeping you on the edge of your seat' type of film is something that you would want to sink your teeth into, this is the film for you. It has it all: suspense, grit, intensity, all while being an action, high-adrenaline film that you will be able to escape in for a couple of hours. And isn't this why, so much of the time, we go see films? It's a nail-biter, Grab the popcorn!

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

 

The Son

Through the many years, Hollywood has attempted to address a very important societal issue of our time which is mental illness. There have been many films, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "It's Kind of a Funny Story", "Side Effects", even the most recent "The Whale" to mention a small handful, so when the film "The Son" was released, it gets even more 'in your face' about the topic. 

A cautionary tale that follows a family as it struggles to reunite after falling apart. This story centers on Peter (Hugh Jackman), whose hectic life with his infant and new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) appears at his door to discuss their son Nicholas (Zen McGrath), who is now a teenager. The young man has been missing school for months and is now deeply troubled. Peter arrives to take care of Nicholas as he would have wanted his own father (Anthony Hopkins) to have taken care of him while juggling his and Beth's new son, and at work an offer of a dream position in Washington D.C. However, by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto Nicholas in the present. 

Others to round out the cast are William Hope as Andrew, Hugh Quarshie as Psyche Doctor, Joseph Mydell as Brian, Akie Kotabe as Mr. Yama, Isaura Barbe-Brown as Sophia, Erick Hayden as Allan and Gretchen Egolf as E.R. Doctor.

This was directed with such soberness by Florian Zeller ("The Father" '20) plus TV. Considering his limited directing experience, he's either a natural or because this film is based on his play, he certainly knew of the different nuances of character development involved. These characters simply jumped out at the audience I'm sure purposely considering the the heavy-laden message this film carries. He will receive more work since the pacing and staging were spot on. It was equally well written by Christopher Hampton ("The Quiet American", '02, "Imagining Argentina" '02, "Atonement" '07, "Cheri" '09, "A Dangerous Method" (his play- "The Talking Cure") '20) plus TV, a play and an adaptation, and Florian Zeller ("Castle in Sweden" (TV movie) '08, "Le pere" (TV movie)'14, "Florida" '15, "The Father" '20) plus TV and a play, based on the play by Florian Zeller. Certainly these two writers have the experience in which to create a powerful message film which, as a society, we need to see more of. Things were explained well in how this troubled 17-year-old was reeling with such issues, except, it would've helped to find out in more of the detail of why he ended up with such a severe case of depression due to his parents' divorce. Other than that, this script was truly documented well. 

This film brings out the fact that until we address more thoroughly the mental health issues in this country, we will continue to see people killing others or themselves. I believe that society thinks that if we can just get rid of the guns, that everything will be solved, because that's a tangible approach. But because dealing with the mental health issues is so much more intangible, it's a tougher journey for people to grasp. The mental health situation is not going to go away if we continue to ignore it, and this intense story truly brings that to a head. 

Out out 4 Stars: 3.5                                      Rated: PG-13                                      123mins.

Plane

We've seen many 'disaster' films through the years where the plane either has a malfunction or one of the passengers are or become psychotic or maybe there are hidden terrorists on board. Well, "Plane" does the disaster perspective where the plane crash lands but, apparently, that is just the beginnings of their problems.

In this white-knuckle action movie, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making an emergency risky landing on a war-torn island--only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels headed up by Junmar (Evan Dane Taylor), the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who is being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare's help, and will learn there's more to Gaspare than meets the eye. 

Others to round out the cast are Tony Goldwyn as David Scarsdale, Daniella Pineda as Bonnie, Lilly Krug as Brie, Yosan An as co-pilot, Dele, Joey Slotnick as Matt Sinclair, Oliver Trevena as Carver, Remi Adeleke as Shellback, Paul Ben-Victor as Hampton, Tara Westwood as Sydney and Kelly Gale as Katie.

This was directed with incredible intensity and grit by Jean-Francois Richet ("Etat des lieux" '95, "Ma 6-T va crack-8" '97, "De l'amour" '01, "Assault on Precinct 13" '05, "Mesrine: Killer Instinct" '08, "Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1" '08, "One Wild Moment" '15, "Blood Father" '16, "The Emperor of Paris" '18) This filmmaker certainly knows the definition of white-knuckle flight. Whatever fear anyone might have connected with flying, this director covered it. The actors simply exuded that intense element of frenetic feel and this was clearly the directing. I especially liked the way Richet collaborated with Brendan Galvin, isc, the cinematographer in angling certain frames of film in order to reach that out-of-control feel. If this director impresses you, his "Twice" is in development. It was written with incredible intensity by Charles Cumming ("A Spy by Nature" in pre production) and J.P. Davis ("Fighting Tommy Riley" '04, "The Neighbor" '07, "The Contractor" '22) plus TV, based on a story by Charles Cumming. I have to believe that with Davis having the lion's share of experience here, it was mostly written by him. Since the story came out of Cumming's head, he undoubtedly received top billing for the writing. Surely Cumming's input was pivotal, but it was clearly Davis' vehicle, especially considering how concise, taught, cohesive and thrilling this script was. The sequencing was spot on as well as the staging and pacing. 

Certainly if you're a Butler fan, you'll revel with this. He does play a military or ex-military thrusted in a dangerous situation. He simply plays an everyday commercial airline pilot with no military background. So it was a little different for this actor. It was so intense and gritty that it had you on the proverbial edge of your seat most of the time. Talk about a film you can escape into.  It's a real nail-biter for sure!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: R                                                  107mins.

A Man Called Otto

Hollywood produces many dramas and probably as many comedies, but when you throw both genres together in a single film, what comes out of it is poignancy, humor and a heartfelt story which is called "A Man Called Otto". Certainly there have been other drama/comedy films made, but this film definitely allows the audience to subtly see a transformation Otto;s life when others have been thrusted into his.

Based on the critical acclaimed comical bestseller, "A Man Called Ove", this tells the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a curmudgeon widower whose only joy comes from criticizing and judging his exasperated neighbors. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match in quick-witted and very pregnant Marisol (Mariano Trevino), leading to an unexpected friendship that will turn his world upside down. Through Marisol, her husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Jimmy (Cameron Britton), Anita (Juanita Jennings) and Malcolm (Mack Bayda), Otto begrudgingly and slowly starts seeing life through somewhat different glasses. 

Others to round out the cast are Rachel Keller as Sonya, Christina Montoya as Luna, Alessandra Perez as Abbie, Peter Lawson Jones as Reuben, Kailey Hyman as Barb and Truman Hanks as young Otto Anderson.

This was sequenced well, paced and staged with expertise by Marc Forster ("Loungers" '95, "Everything Put Together" 2000, "Monster's Ball" '01, "Finding Neverland" '04, "Stay" '05, "Stranger Than Fiction" '06, "The Kite Runner" '07, "Quantum of Solace" '08, "Machine Gun Preacher" '11, "World War Z" '13, "All I See Is You" '16,"Christopher Robin" '18) plus TV and a short. The subtle transformation in which Hanks had to create was pure genius, not only on the part of Hanks and his incredible acting ability, but for Forster to be able to extract those subtle nuances of emotion to pull off Hanks even being able to make that transition was amazing. Even Marisol had to transition from being curios and perplexed by Otto's anger to seeing the person in Otto that Otto himself couldn't see. And Forster had to tie all this into a film that worked because the character development was handle as such. It was executed well by writer David Magee ("Finding Neverland" '04, "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" '08, "Life of Pi" '12, "Mary Poppins Returns" '18, "Lady Chatterley's Lover" '22) based on the novel "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman and the film, "A Man Called Ove" by Hannes Holm. After seeing the trailer on this film, I felt that Otto would've been a fairly simple character development in which to write a screenplay about, however after seeing this, I came to realize that Otto was, indeed, a complex  individual with an array of emotions he was carrying since his wife's demise. Anger wasn't his only issue; other emotions seem to go off on a tributary with lives of their own. This takes a very talented writer to capture this. Really, other than a couple of very small slow places in the story, this script was simply amazing. Tom Hanks gave his usual dependable performance that he can and does so well and certainly Mariana Trevino as Marisol was incredible as the neighbor to pull Otto out of his funk. 

Certainly if you're a Hanks fan you'll revel with this as with all of his films, but even if not, the character of Otto is an intriguing character in and of itself--practically a case study in humankind. It's funny and sad but in all the right places.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                          Rated: PG-13                                          127mins.