“The Zookeeper’s Wife” is a tale that does need to be told. The amount of courage and bravery shown makes for an interesting story.
“Ghost in the Shell” has been around for quite a while, first as a Japanese manga comic series, and in 1995, as an animated movie based on the series. Now it has become a live-action version. This cyber-punk classic is given a new look and feel, still keeping with the dystopian future and the Asian-themed storyline. The most prominent roles are not played by Asian actors in this version. But it still has a futuristic vibe that has been seen before.
In this future generic Asian city, the largest company is Hanka Robotics. A crucial experiment is successful when Dr. Ouélet (Juliette Binoche) oversees a living human brain merged into a cybernetic ‘shell’ body, with a perfect human form. The Major (Scarlett Johansson) becomes a super-powered crime fighter for a counter-cyberterrorist group called Section 9. This group is led by Togusa (Chin Han), who reports to the government about all criminal activity.
Major and her partner Batou (Pilou Asbæk) are caught in a series of murders when top executives from Hanka Robotics are brutally killed. Evidence leads to a shadowy figure called the Puppet Master, later found out to be named Kuze (Michael Pitt). The Major catches up to Kuze and they find very unusual similarities. Major starts to question everything about her past, which has always been clouded and mysterious.
The more that Major and Batou investigate, the more troubled Major becomes. She knows that her body is manufactured, but she tries to understand why her brain (her “ghost”) is leading her to a place and time in her past. Hanka Robotics is led by a shady CEO who keeping many secrets from Major. When she finally learns the truth, it will change everything in her world.
Marvel will probably not release a stand-alone “Black Widow” movie for a long time. So now with “Ghost in the Shell”, you can see it as “I, Black Widow Robot”. Scarlett Johansson has perfected her bad-ass, take-no-prisoners hot chick fighting machine persona. In this movie, she further perfects the ‘machine’ part of that equation. She is always cool and in control, and this movie demands that she continue in that role. She pulls it off with no problem.
The rest of the cast is very much on target to the original source material. Pilou Asbæk is terrific as Batou, and he looks like a young cyber-punk Kiefer Sutherland. Juliette Binoche brings a very conflicted worry to her role, as she does not want Major to know her true origin. Chin Han has the perfect look for a wise man who can lead the Section 9 group, always speaking his native language when everyone speaks English.
The production values and set designs are stunning. They are beautiful to see and visually very active and colorful. The action sequences are set up and carried out with a smooth style. The story leads deeper into the background of the Major, and finds that she might want to be there.
However, the main drawback is that all has been done before. All classic science-fiction movies are copied here and there: ‘The Matrix’, ‘The Terminator’, ‘Blade Runner’, The Fifth Element’ and others. Even the animated version of this same movie beat it by over 20 years. If all you want is something 100% original, then you must look somewhere else.
If you are looking for a well-produced and action-filled science-fiction movie, then this will please you. Scarlett Johansson plays the role well, even without being Oriental. If you do not mind all the places where they have borrowed from other movies, you might really like “Ghost Blade in the Matrix Runner Shell”…
In Wikipedia, this movie is described as an “experimental romantic drama film”. Well… that makes it different. Exactly what is “experimental” about it?
Well, there are lots of nice shots that are visually pleasing, many at sunset with the light fading just right… There are actors in the movie, and they sometimes speak words. But when they do, it is usually in a voice-over when the image on the screen is the actor in close-up looking ponderous or pensive out to the horizon…
There are people portrayed (sort of) in the movie. Cook (Michael Fassbender) is some type of rich music industry big-wig, I think. BV (Ryan Gosling) is an up-and-coming artist who works with Cook to create his music, but then feels cheated by him and goes independent. I guess.
Faye (Rooney Mara) is a woman who works at Cook’s company as a receptionist, but is also an artist, but she never makes any albums. She was Cook’s girlfriend, but he gave up on her and now she is BV’s girlfriend. Perhaps? Rhoda (Natalie Portman) is a teacher who works now as a waitress but is swept off her feet by the rich and powerful Cook. Maybe? Will any of this ever come together?
But there is no movement, no plot, no development… The scenes are arranged in no particular order, and there is no continuity. Damn, it sure is pretty to look at. The way each scene is framed and shot shows that more thought was given to the camera work and the visual images than to the actual movie.
It seems to have something to do with the music industry. Wait, look – there’s punk icon Patti Smith and Iggy Pop. And there are some cameo roles. Was that Holly Hunter? Hold on, that looks like Cate Blanchett. No way, was that Val Kilmer???
Experimental movies are OK, if you are going to show them to bored college students on a Friday afternoon. Taking some fantastic acting talent and putting out a weird nonsensical junk-fest like this is a crying shame.
“Wilson” is an oddball of a movie, with very wide variations in tone and style. But with the main title character being playing by Woody Harrelson, it is not all bad. The character of Wilson is a free-spirited and determined guy, who tells what he sees as the truth. He has no filter or very many social skills. That is why he comes off as a rude and uncouth person to most everyone he meets.
Wilson (Harrelson) lives alone except for his dog, Pepper. He was married years ago, but Wilson and wife Pippi (Laura Dern) are divorced. He thinks she is a drug fiend and has never gotten any better. Wilson goes to see his father, but he is dying, and Wilson gets more upset with the world. When he comes back home, he hears that Pippi is back in town.
Wilson picks up his dog Pepper from the lady who took care of his dog while he was gone. Shelly (Judy Greer) lets Wilson know that she is always willing to take Pepper. Wilson goes to the place where Pippi is working. But his abrupt rudeness gets Pippi fired, so now Pippi stays with Wilson. She lets him know that years ago, when she left, she kept the baby. Wilson is shocked to hear that he has a daughter that was given up for adoption and has never met.
Wilson and Pippi go stalking on the teenage girl named Claire (Isabella Amara). They get introduced and they all spend some time with each other. Pippi gets invited over visit her sister Polly (Cheryl Hines). Polly was always the perfect one in the family, and now Wilson and Pippi convince Claire that she would be welcome as their ‘daughter’. Claire lies to her adopted parents as to where she is going to be for the weekend.
The homecoming and visit with Polly does not turn out very well for any of them. Claire’s parents find out that she is with Wilson and Pippi, and they say she was kidnapped. Polly gets the police involved and they arrest Wilson and Pippi. Wilson winds up in prison for long stretch. He is able to make enemies of the white supremacists and the Christian faith group. What a guy…
He eventually gets out and finds that he has lost Pippi and his dog Pepper. Shelly considers Wilson a sad soul who needs a friend, so she takes him in. It is a couple of years later and now Claire is older and can do what she wants. She was important in the case against Wilson earlier, but she was forced by her adopted parents to go against him.
Claire is about to move away and she will have a baby. Wilson still thinks he can be a part in her life, but she says no to that idea. Shelly and Wilson work out any differences and try to make the best of things. The story allows you to speculate on the future of the two of them.
Woody Harrelson plays his heart out to make you like this unlikable character. Wilson can be a total dick, yet he never sees how much of pain that he is in people’s lives. Laura Dern is a great addition to any move, and her she makes the best of a thin role. Her character is never given much in the way of any development or any growth, but Dern plays her with an honest sincerity.
Judy Greer and Cheryl Hines also get no real character development, and not a whole lot to do. They both could use a little better and more thought-out dialog on the screen. Isabella Amara as Claire does a nice job doing a role of typical angst-ridden teenager. She takes her plus-size weight and throws it into the basis on her character, and why she does not ‘fit in’.
If you are a total fan of Woody Harrelson, then this movie is for you. If you also have a soft spot for Laura Dern, then movie would be a fine recommendation. However, if you want characters that are not dripping with quirky sarcasm, then a different movie might be better for you. It takes the saying “To have a friend, you need to be a friend”, and it throws that away. Wilson has no friends, so you might not be one either…
During the mid 1990’s the children-based TV program was created based on Power Rangers. They were teenagers who were selected to receive special powers and colorful armor suits. They could fight off the evil forces in the universe, led by Zordon and his assistant, a robot named Alpha 5. The TV series spawned a few movies, and then it lay dormant, until now.
Zordon (Bryan Cranston) was almost defeated by Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), oh sometime back in the age of the dinosaurs. But when some special Power Rangers coins are found by high school students in Angel Grove, things start moving and getting serious.
Zordon and his robot helper Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) see that five students have discovered the Ranger coins, and they will be the ones to defeat Rita. Jason Scott / Red Ranger (Dacre Montgomery) is a football player who got into a little bit of trouble. Kimberly Hart / Pink Ranger (Naomi Scott) is a cheerleader was also is in trouble. Billy Cranston / Blue Ranger (RJ Cyler) is an autistic black guy with a good grasp of science. Trini Kwan / Yellow Ranger (Becky G) is a new kid at school, and outcast, who happens to be gay. Zack Taylor / Black Ranger (Ludi Lin) is an Asian dude who rarely goes to class because of a sick mother.
These five squabble and fight because they have no idea of what type of power the enemy has. The enemy is Rita Repulsa who quickly shows up in town and is ready to destroy it. Zordon and Aplpha 5 continue to train the new Power Rangers. They also have hidden away some mechanized fighting units called Zords. When the Ranges need these units, they will use them to fight and to defeat Rita and her henchmen of living rock monsters.
The town is getting destroyed until the Power Rangers find the strength to fight as a single team. Zordon makes a major sacrifice to ensure the team is together. They are finally motivated to fight together to defeat Rita and to save the Earth. The team find out that the key to the team is trusting each other and working together.
This version of the Power Rangers is a new reboot, and like so many others, might lead to several more movies. The audience is built-in, as the kids grown up from the 90’s are ready to watch the Power Rangers in action yet again. But it seems they did it right this time, with several very capable actors in the roles for the Ranges, and some top-notch talent to support them.
The main support is having Bryan Cranston on board, even though he does not do very much. His voice lends authority to the Zordon character. Bill Hader uses his finely-tuned comedy skills to do the Alpha 5 robot voice. But most of all Elizabeth Banks creates a major evil character playing Rita Repulsa. She plays it very over-the-top and looks like she is having a great time. She is ready to be a rotten, no-good, all-powerful presence.
All of the people playing the Rangers are good. With having a widely diverse cast, it shows that the movie is trying to be open for anyone and everyone. Having a character who is autistic and another who is gay is pretty daring move. It may not add a whole lot to the movie overall. But it does notice that people are like that in the world…
So, for a reboot of an existing franchise, this movie does everything that it needs to do. It makes a credible first opening act with the hint of more to be done later. The actors are decent for the roles, even when none of them look close to being the age for high school. The story line sticks to the basics, and it give the different Rangers a chance to tell a bit of a background story.
If you are up for a fun little time to see some action and some humor based on the 1990’s TV show, then Power up for the Power Rangers. It’s Morphin’ Time!
Director Danny Boyle made the movie “Trainspotting” 20 years ago, and has gone on to make many superb movies. The original cast of the movie has also done well, especially Ewan McGregor. With a script that updated the original main characters after twenty years, Boyle is back with “T2 Trainspotting”. This new sequel has all the characters back for a new visit to the Scottish underclass, with an updated look at their lives.
“Trainspotting” introduced the heroin-addicted characters who made up the 1996 movie. There was Mark (Ewan McGregor) a de-facto leader of companions. “Spud” (Ewen Bremner) was along for a fun time, as was Simon (Jonny Lee Miller). The tough guy in the group was Begbie (Robert Carlyle) who was always in a fight. The last story ended with a bad drug deal where Mark took all the money. Spud knew and never let on, and Simon and Begbie wanted revenge. Begbie was the fall guy and was jailed.
“T2 Trainspotting” brings the group back into the present day, where Mark has been in Amsterdam for 20 years. After a medical scare, he comes back to Edinburgh – but he has other issues. His wife has kicked him out and the job he had is now gone. He has kicked the heroin habit and replaced it with exercise. Spud has never left heroin behind, and is about to end it all, but Mark saves him. Simon now runs a dumpy bar near the docks, but he cannot kick cocaine. Begbie finds a way to escape prison so he can raise more mayhem.
Simon is not pleased to see Mark return. Simon has a girlfriend named Veronika, who is planning to become a high-class Madame when Simon turns the bar into a brothel. The local crime boss has a say in that, so it never gets off the ground. Simon and Veronika instead go about trying to blackmail some locals in compromising positions.
Begbie tries to get back into the breaking and entering game, and he gets his son involved. When that does not work out too well, he goes to see Simon. Simon does not let on that Mark is back in town, but Begbie is still looking for revenge. Getting put back into prison would be enough for Begbie, as long as he can kill Mark.
Simon and Mark have a night out at a local pub, trying to grab some extra wallets. Mark and Begbie have a run-in where Mark is able to narrowly escape. Spud finds a new hobby in his quest to fight off addiction. But they all notice that the world around them has changed in the past 20 years, but they have stayed the same.
Danny Boyle burst onto the scene with “Trainspotting” all those years ago. He found some very talented actors, and he was able to bring them back for another go. Boyle’s style and camera flourishes are always on display, in many clever and noticeable ways. The acting is all-around terrific, because these actors have lived these lives before.
But the nagging feeling is that you cannot bottle lightning twice. Everything that was fresh and new and exciting in the first movie has a less of an edge here. The setup is not exactly the same of course, but the lovable loser group will always end up with the short end of the stick. Mark’s 20 year escape from the poverty and lowlife of Edinburgh might have made a better story just by itself.
“T2 Trainspotting” is a familiar ride for those who know the original film. And the returning cast and crew do their best to make the journey enjoyable. But when this train pulls into the station, you might feel that the return trip was a little rough going down the tracks…
When a person dies, there is usually a line, a paragraph or an entire page in the obituary section. It depends on how notable that person was, and how connected they were. Or perhaps, if you are the control-freak type, you hound the local newspaper obit writer and you make the final decisions about what should be in “The Last Word”.
The control-freak is Harriett (Shirley MacLaine) who is a former business leader in the small town. She is divorced with one adult child, whom she never sees. She has a snippy attitude towards everyone, because – obviously – they could never do as great a job as she can. She berates the gardener and harasses the cook. And one night she has too many sleeping pills with her bottle of red wine.
When she recovers, he doctor asks if it was actually just an accident. Of course, she replies, “I was very tired and I was very thirsty!”. But Harriett starts thinking that some day an obituary will be written for her. So, by God, while she still has the gumption, she will make sure it is written correctly!
The local paper has an obituary writer named Anne (Amanda Seyfried). Really, how many obituaries will they need in a week? Harriett uses her influence to have Anne ‘assigned’ to her full-time, so that Harriett can properly get “The Last Word” done to her liking. Anne objects to her boss, saying that Harriett puts the “bitch” in obituary…
Anne is stuck with Harriet, so she starts interviewing people from her past. Harriet turns out to be none too popular, even getting the thumbs down from her pastor. Anne wants to find out about Harriett’s family, her ex-husband Edward (Phillip Baker Hall) and her daughter Elizabeth (Anne Heche). But Harriet has more immediate needs.
Anne takes Harriett to a school for at-risk kids, so she can ‘connect with a disadvantaged child’. A young girl named Brenda (AnnJewel Lee Dixon) thinks Harriett is only there for court-ordered reasons. Brenda has foul attitude, and a mouth to match. She is as feisty as Harriett, so they wind up being a good match.
Harriett still has some tricks up her designer sleeves. She takes Brenda and Anne to a local radio station, one that actually uses live DJs. She impresses the station manager with her eclectic tastes that he actually does give Harriett a morning DJ slot. Anne is finding out her first impression of Harriett was incomplete, and she does have many more talents than anyone knew.
Harriett, along with Anne and Brenda, take a trip to visit Elizabeth. But she does not want to reconnect with her mother. Harriett goes to see her ex-husband Edward, and they realize that they could never live with each other, but they do miss each other. Harriett has a few snappy words when she first meets Edward…
Edward: As I live and breathe..
Harriett: Well, from what I see, you have not been too successful at either activity!
Harriett learns that sometimes people can be good to her, if she is good to them. Anne becomes like a substitute daughter. Anne finds a new purpose in her writing, and wants to make a substantial impact with her work. Brenda learns to believe in herself and knows that she can make a difference in the future.
The story does follow a typical formula and it has more than a few loose ends. The ending seems unlikely. Harriett is a local pariah one day, and then in the course of a few months, people would flock to her funeral and have nice things to say about her. The way that Brenda gets squeezed into the plot is a bit hokey.
Shirley MacLaine is the star of the show. She has a command of the screen and can look in to be in total control in any situation. Her role is pretty interesting, and she appears to have fun playing a grumpy old lady. Amanda Seyfried has a paper-thin character and can do nothing more that react to the Harriett character. She could use a little more depth in the role, but there is not much to offer.
Anne Heche and Phillip Baker Hall have little more than a cameo in the movie. They are good in the roles, but there is nothing that adds to the movie. AnnJewel Lee Dixon is a cute little hell-raiser, and does a great job. But you just want to wash out her mouth with soap afterwards…
“The Last Word” is a cute little movie that hints how great Shirley MacLaine could have been with a much better written role. This one will give you a few chuckles while you watch, and eventually you can rent it and watch it with your mother. She probably knows a few grumpy old ladies herself…
At the onset of World War I, it was a dangerous time to be in Europe. Even more dangerous was to be in Turkey, and greater still was the border between Turkey and Russia. The Ottoman rulers of knew that war was coming. The people in the wrong place at the wrong time were American medical staff at a volunteer hospital in Turkey.
Lillie Rowe (Hera Hilmar) is a young woman training to be a nurse. She comes from a very wealthy family, and since her older bother died, she is listless. She hears a plea from a young idealist doctor named Jude (Josh Hartnett) who needs funds for the far-off hospital. Lillie is strong-willed, and takes her brother’s truck and fills it with medical supplies to be shipped to Istanbul.
Lillie cannot trust anyone else to deliver the supplies, so she takes it there herself. In Turkey, there are wild bandits out on the border. So she gets a Turkish military man, Lieutenant Ismail Vitaly (Michiel Huisman) to escort her to the hospital. They are attacked and lose everything, and they barely escape with their lives. They make it to the hospital in one piece.
The hospital founder is Dr. Woodruff (Ben Kingsley) who is an older disillusioned grumpy man. His advice is to leave and go home. Lillie stays to tend to the sick, and her nurse training finally pays off. But there is too much tension in the air. The Turks are fighting with the Armenians, and the Muslims do not trust the Christians. The Great War will be on their doorstep soon.
Lillie ignores the puppy-dog longing from Dr. Jude, and she instead has an inner longing for the Lieutenant. They are different religions, and they follow different customs and both come from cultures. But the love between them is too great. It is not forbidden, but is not at all encouraged. They sneak away when they can to take a sailboat out on lake. Or they ride their horses through the wild wheat fields. It is so romantic and poetic that nothing could come between them. Nothing except War, of course…
This movie wants to be an ‘Epic’. It does come close, but there are some issues. The storyline is not all that believable. A young woman alone in the hinterlands of Turkey just before the Big War would have a nightmare experience. Instead, you are shown that she is having a grand old time, with love just around every corner. The American flag above a remote hospital in a hostile area would draw bombs and machine gun attacks, not the praise of the local military.
Michiel Huisman does a believable job as the Ottoman, but Hera Hilmar is a weak leading lady. Her occasional voice-over work during the move is flat and monotone. There is not much of a spark between the two of them as ‘star-crossed’ lovers. Josh Hartnett does a reasonable job, but looks like John Denver with round wire-rimmed glasses. Ben Kingsley classes up the movie, but he does not have enough of a part to make it soar like it should.
So if you want a real Ottoman Lieutenant, then take a trusted military officer to a home furniture store to find the right piece. Then you can put your feet up on the ottoman and watch “Lawrence of Arabia’ or ‘Gone with the Wind’. Any true War Epic will do…
“Logan” proves out the old adage from the Bible: “Those who live by the adamantium blade will die by the adamantium blade”, or something like that. Logan being the X-Man called Wolverine who has been enhanced with the indestructible metal called adamantium; this movie shows the difficult end times of the former superhero. His strength and powers of regeneration are almost gone, and the years have not been kind.
In 2029, Logan (Hugh Jackman) is visibly aged. We is emotionally and mentally drained. All other ‘mutant’ being are thought to be long dead. But Logan is hiding a frail Prof. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who is up into his nineties. Xavier’s mind is fading and starting to fail, and at times he seizes up and sends telepathic waves that will cause a state of paralysis. One other mutant exists, called Caliban, who helps tend to the disabled Xavier.
Logan meets a woman who begs him to take a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) to North Dakota. Logan is driving a limo in El Paso to make money, but the woman offers a large amount to protect the child. There are evil forces from a government-run research industry. The security team headed by Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) finds and kills the woman, and then comes for Logan and the girl.
Soon there is a wild fight at Logan’s Mexico hideout, but he escapes with Xavier and Laura. The girl is shown to be a super-powered Wolverine Junior, with the retractable blades and such. Her fighting skills are as sharp as her weapons. Logan finds out that the research company was raising many children in Mexico and they were turning them into miniature weaponized mutants. Pierce and his crew of bounty hunters, called Reavers, will stop at nothing to get them all.
Before you can ‘road trip’, the group are heading across country to get to a special ‘safe place’ that Laura read about in the X-Men comic books. Logan is mortified that any of his past exploits were put into a comic book. Prof X has another seizure and it causes a lot of grief for everyone around them. They barely escape, and they are running low on medicine for Prof X. Pierce and the head of the research place named Dr. Rice (Richard E. Grant) are closing in.
After stopping to help a farmer with some wild horses, Logan, Prof X and Laura are invited to take a break. But things do not work out well for anyone, and more death and mayhem occur. Logan and Laura get back out on the road to find the safe zone, where Laura hopes to find the other mutant offspring who escaped with her from the research facility. If she can make it there, they can all cross the border to Canada, eh!
But every time he fights and every bad guy killed by Logan keeps draining him of his powers to heal and rejuvenate. He is looking all the worse for wear, and the days have been rough. As Indiana Jones would say “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage”. Logan is feeling every little ache and pain that was inflicted on him for all those years/miles.
You may have heard that this is Hugh Jackman’s last performance as the Wolverine (or Logan). He has intended to make this final movie the most bad-ass swan song ever. He has made sure that the movie cuts to the core of Wolverine. It is brutal, violent and profane. The movie is rated R, and for very good reason. The language is very rough; the fighting is bloody and sometimes gory. It perfectly suits a character like Wolverine.
Jackman worked with director James Mangold to get everything just right. The theme resembles an old Western in which the heroes are being chased over the frontier hills and valleys. The tone of regret and despair falls over everyone. All the super powers are nearly gone, and days of a quick recovery turn into weeks of pain and agony. Will there be any redemption for Logan?
Hugh Jackman has taken this character over seventeen years of X-Men movies to this one as the final conclusion. His performance is distinct and precise, and evokes a great deal of inner pain and mental anguish. He plays it all to the letter, and does not hit any false notes. Patrick Stewart is also terrific as a mentally diminished Professor X. He is pained by the fact that is losing control of his mind. He lapses into a seizure and the world around him gets a taste of his telepathic skills gone very wrong.
Dafne Keen gives a masterful performance as a little girl who has been raised to be a brutal killing machine. She has a physical presence that can give you chills when you see her become angry. You know that something very, very bad is about to happen. But she can do that with her stance and the glare in her eyes. It is quite an impressive feat for this young actress. All the rest of cast are also well-cast in their roles, but main three are the ones that count.
Logan movie review by JMcNaughton
Jordan Peele is well known as a comedian and a funny guy, but now he gets to stretch out his inner Hitchcock with “Get Out”. This story is written and directed by Peele, and it is a far cry from his stand-up sketch routines.
