Gringo Movie Review

March 9, 2018 (updated March 7, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

The movie “Gringo” finds a way to mix humor into a horrific kidnapping situation. When a timid middle-manager is sent to Mexico to oversee a large corporation laboratory, he gets mistaken for the guy in charge. And when the guy in charge is pulling a fast one on the local drug cartel, then the results might not be so pleasant for that guy. But can the tables be turned on the corporation bosses and the cartel kingpin?

Harold (David Oyelowo) works for that large corporation which manufactures drugs. He is ignorant of many facts around him. His wife Bonnie (Thandie Newton) is having an affair and is going to leave him. His boss Rich (Joel Edgerton) is working side deals with the cartel, and is attempting to cover it up, so he can sell the business to a mega-firm. His partner Elaine (Charlize Theron) is all business, until her trysts with Rich are ending. Then she looks for a way to get even.

Harold goes down to the company lab in Mexico, where a cannabis tablet is being made. When it becomes legal everywhere in the States, then the company will have a gold mine. But Rich has been selling much of the product on the side to the cartel. Harold begins to see where the trail is leading, and he wants out. His wife is leaving him, he is dead broke and the company thinks he is expendable. The cartel wants Harold because they think he is in charge and can make the special tablets.

Harold happens to meet an American girl named Sunny (Amanda Seyfried), who is also in Mexico. Her boyfriend is planning on stealing the tablets and smuggling them back to make drug mule money. Harold is caught between the cartel thugs, and then some amateur thugs, when both try to kidnap him. Rich finally calls his brother Mitch (Sharlto Copley) who an ex-Special Forces guy and can get Harold back home safe. But Harold is not going to trust anyone anymore. Can anyone make it out alive?

“Gringo” takes serious subject and plays it for some laughs. Getting kidnapped in Mexico is not a fun thing. But David Oyelowo plays such a hilarious character that you want to root for the underdog. Joel Edgerton plays a great sleazy businessman in over his head who is courting disaster. Sharlto Copley does a crack-up job with a fairly brief role as Mitch, and he is fun to watch. The rest of cast is also well placed in the roles that they play. Nash Edgerton handles the direction with very few issues, and he keeps the action moving forward at a brisk pace. The action goes from Chicago to Mexico many times, and there are no dull pauses.

The movie takes a pretty good swing at being an action movie with a big dose of comedy. There are many places where it could have been a too dark for comedy, but it pulls it back just in time. The pacing makes it so each scene does not linger too long and become stale. And you even get to enjoy David Oyelowo singing along with “Getting’ Jiggy wit It”. That will warm the heart of any gringo!

A Wrinkle in Time Movie Review

March 7, 2018 (updated March 7, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

This is a story of light overpowering the darkness, good overwhelming evil and love’s triumph over hate. There are some magical moments in the film but a few instances of head-scratching will occur, as well. We are taken on a journey that a young woman, Meg (Reid), must take in order to move forward with her life. Doubting love, unhappy with life and questioning her self-worth most of all, the sweet and happy-go-lucky little girl of the past has lived the last four years in misery and prefers keeping to herself, the only person she can trust. She knows her little brother, the highly intelligent and gifted Charles Wallace, played by an adorable and very into the part, Deric McCabe, loves her. If she’s to believe in love, however, why did her father leave her if he loved her as much as she loved him? The central question eating away at Meg is if he could just walk away, so could anyone else so why get attached?

Its been four years since she last saw her father, Mr. Murry (Pine), a brilliant Nasa scientist who believed you could fold time and move through it. Alone one night, he simply disappeared without a trace. At the time, he and her mother were working on a theory of projecting oneself through the universe with one’s mind. They introduced this idea to a group of scientists who weren’t ready to hear such a thing, not ready to hear that there were no rules to space and time. Her mother, played elegantly by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, a physicist and the more prudent of the two, knew telling them too early about the act of ‘Tessering’, moving from one place to another by closing your eyes, opening your mind and finding the right rhythm or frequency to travel, would not be taken seriously but her husband told them anyway only to be rejected. Not including her in another decision, he works in their lab and vanishes. Unsure if he left because he doesn’t love them anymore, the family is devastated and all work in science is halted… or so they thought. Young Charles Wallace has a secret to share with his big sister and the timing couldn’t be better.

He has been in contact with three divine, ethereal beings, referred to as the Mrs. as their names are (in order of appearance), Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Kaling) and the blessed, more powerful, Mrs. Which (Winfrey). They’re colorful, otherworldly souls who are aware of Mr. and Mrs. Murry and their achievements. They inform Meg, Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin (Miller) that they have heard a call from Mr. Murry and that they intend to help the children find him. They also tell them that he may be in danger. The spirits teach a very stubborn Meg that she needs to believe and to open her heart to find the right pitch in order to leap or Tesser into another dimension. She’s suspicious but joins the group to find herself on another plain in the universe. At a later moment, Mrs. Which explains that to Meg that a lot went into making her and that she’s a part of this giant universe, too. She deserves love… is love.

Zach Galifianakis, who gives a wonderful and somewhat stirring performance as Happy Medium (a fun play on words), a seer who helps point them in the direction their father can be found, tries to break through the wall Meg has surrounded herself with. It’s at this point that they all agree they need to show Meg what’s at stake. The It, which is the darkest mind in the universe, that can reach any and everywhere, even earth, wants to bring pain, despair and darkness to the universe and is where their father is trapped. They must save him, and but the Mrs. can go no further. The children are given a few gifts to help them and are sent out on their own. Once they are on their own, the movie has visual delights that will fascinate and amuse all who watch, especially the youngest in the audience. Structures begin to move and change which is interesting. There are some creepy moments and surreal moments, all done exceptionally well. Michael Peňa makes his appearance in a scene you wish you could rewind to watch again, and before he’s gone, he grabs Charles Wallace and infects him with the evil energy. The actor playing Charles Wallace is wonderful here, portraying a loving child one moment and conjuring a demon the next. He tries to get Meg to join him but she fights for their lives against the darkness; fights for them all. Megs final Tesser is glorious and you’ll know what I mean by that when you experience it yourself.

The film is good. This will be the family movie of the year. Youngsters will have a wonderful time watching it and so will you. Forget about Madeline L’Engle’s fantasy novel, just enjoy the film. I had a few problems with how director DuVernay didn’t set up the connection with Meg and her father enough for the audience to truly feel the love and bond between and scene with them toward the end which makes him look like a complete coward and turns you against him. That doesn’t make sense but overall, she did an exceptional job directing these young actors and bringing this beautiful story to the screen. The score and the soundtrack are fantastic, as well. See this at the theatre to experience it all the ways it should be.

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The Lullaby Movie Review

March 6, 2018 (updated March 6, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Uncork’d Entertainment brings director Darrell Roodt’s vision of a horrific and twisted fairy tale for you to watch, available today on all platforms of VOD.

I liked the film, overall, but it’s hard to root for or feel too sorry for the main character, Chloe (Swart) who has just given birth to little Liam and is now doing everything she can do to stop herself from killing him. Why it’s hard to root for her is, though attempted, you never get a real liking for her. Instead, you feel more for her mother, Ruby (Puren), who is trying to bury her sordid past and makeup to her daughter whom she was anything but loving to. That’s not to say you’re not going to like the film or buy into the characters. All boxes for a great horror are checked and there are two scream queens here, in Swart and Puren and in a few scenes they’re battling it out for top position if they were so interested. They’re both magnificent in their roles.

Chloe is from Eden Rock, a town that has a terrible past. The story is introduced to us by a woman narrating, complete with sound effects that set the tone, the story of what the British soldiers did to the women of Eden Rock in 1901 while their husbands were away. They locked them in concentration camps, raped them and if any of the women had children, the priest and a midwife would take the child and kill it to save its soul from damnation. These scenes will have you on edge and squirming at the thought of what these women and their babies went through.

Chloe had left her mother and Eden Rock, but she needs help and Ruby has taken her back in. It’s not hard to put two and two together and see that since it’s the same town and that babies are involved that a haunting is about to happen. Chloe has rejected her baby and Ruby takes it upon herself to try and get her some help as she falls deeper and deeper into depression. Chloe’s mood darkens when horrible visions of Eden Rock’s midwife begin to assault her. She becomes more aggressive while protecting the child. As the visions have shown the intentions of the midwife which is to see the child is killed.

Ruby decides to get some help from a therapist who’s also an old friend named Dr. Reed. He believes Chloe’s issues are just hormonal. He suggests and encourages Chloe to do as the visions suggest. Maybe he knows more than he’s letting on? His demeanor will lead you to think there’s something not quite right with him. Actor Brandon Auret does a superb job of bringing the creepy character to life. Even with his help or maybe because of it, Chloe grows uglier and more unhinged. She admits she’s a black hole; feels empty inside. A simple case of the baby blues hardly leads to what happens to this young woman and those around her.

The movie is good. I enjoyed the sound design tremendously. Spine-chilling sounds such as creaking floorboards, screeching, the crackle of a fire, shrieks and screams all helped in shaping the overall cadence and allows the audience to feel the pulse without missing a beat. Manipulative camera angles and adequate editing assisted considerably in the broad understanding of both Chloe’s and Ruby’s plight while keeping in mind that poor Liam’s soul is on the line. I close with this last thought. These two wonderful actresses, one playing a woman who’s desperately trying to reconnect with her child and one who’s doing everything she can to stay connected with the world, are tremendous. It would be a shame not to see a lot more of them in the future. I hope we do.

Theaters where you can currently see The Lullaby:

Phoenix – Valley Art

Los Angeles – Laemmle Music Hall

Philadelphia – PFS Roxy Theater

Chicago – Facets Cinematheque

Atlanta – Plaza Theater

Dallas – Texas Theater

Cleveland – Cedar Lee Cinemas

San Francisco – Roxie Theater

Miami – Cinema Paradiso

Denver – SIE Film Center

2018 Academy Awards Winners List

March 4, 2018 (updated March 6, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

2018 Academy Awards Winners List

These are the winners

Best Picture

Call Me by Your Name

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

Get Out

Lady Bird

Phantom Thread

The Post

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Director

Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk

Jordan Peele – Get Out

Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird

Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread

Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name

Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread

Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out

Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour

Denzel Washington – Roman J. Israel

Best Actress

Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water

Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Margot Robbie – I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird

Meryl Streep – The Post

Best Supporting Actor

Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project

Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water

Christopher Plummer – All the Money in the World

Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actress

Mary J. Blige – Mudbound

Allison Janney – I, Tonya

Lesley Manville – Phantom Thread

Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird

Octavia Spencer – The Shape of Water

Best Original Screenplay

The Big Sick – Written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani

Get Out – Written by Jordan Peele

Lady Bird – Written by Greta Gerwig

The Shape of Water – Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Written by Martin McDonagh

Best Adapted Screenplay

Call Me by Your Name – James Ivory

The Disaster Artist – Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Logan – Screenplay by Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green

Molly’s Game – Aaron Sorkin

Mudbound – Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Best Animated Feature Film

The Boss Baby

The Breadwinner

Coco

Ferdinand

Loving Vincent

Best Foreign Language Film

A Fantastic Woman (Chile) in Spanish

The Insult (Lebanon) in Arabic

Loveless (Russia) in Russian

On Body and Soul (Hungary) in Hungarian

The Square (Sweden) in Swedish

Best Documentary Feature

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Faces Places

Icarus

Last Men in Aleppo

Strong Island

Best Documentary – Short Subject

Edith+Eddie

Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405

Heroin(e)

Knife Skills

Traffic Stop

Best Live Action Short Film

DeKalb Elementary

The Eleven O’Clock

My Nephew Emmett

The Silent Child

Watu Wote/All of Us

Best Animated Short Film

Dear Basketball

Garden Party

Lou

Negative Space

Revolting Rhymes

Best Original Score

Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer

Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood

The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – John Williams

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Carter Burwell

Best Original Song

“Mighty River” from Mudbound

“Mystery of Love” from Call Me by Your Name

“Remember Me” from Coco

“Stand Up for Something” from Marshall

“This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman

Best Sound Editing

Baby Driver

Blade Runner 2049

Dunkirk

The Shape of Water

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best Sound Mixing

Baby Driver

Blade Runner 2049

Dunkirk

The Shape of Water

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best Production Design

Beauty and the Beast

Blade Runner 2049

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

The Shape of Water

Best Cinematography

Blade Runner 2049 – Roger Deakins

Darkest Hour – Bruno Delbonnel

Dunkirk – Hoyte van Hoytema

Mudbound – Rachel Morrison

The Shape of Water – Dan Laustsen

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Darkest Hour

Victoria & Abdul

Wonder

Best Costume Design

Beauty and the Beast

Darkest Hour

Phantom Thread

The Shape of Water

Victoria & Abdul

Best Film Editing

Baby Driver

Dunkirk

I, Tonya

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Visual Effects

Blade Runner 2049

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Kong: Skull Island

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

War for the Planet of the Apes

Death Wish Movie Review

March 2, 2018 Published by Shari K. Green

Death Wish is nothing if not intense. We open on 911 calls and statistics of crime rates that plague the city of Chicago. Most of the violence being reported, on TV stations, radio stations and other types of media, is due to guns which tells me one thing… there’s a clear message being made in the film and from the trailer to this smack in the face opening, it’s definitely not hidden.

Bruce Willis plays Dr. Paul Kersey who works as a surgeon in a Chicago hospital that cares for many of the wounded from this gun violence. He sees it every shift. He saves most victims, he loses some, but he isn’t prepared for who’s about to be in the operating room next.

A scene set up a little earlier than our meeting his character is our introduction to his wife Lucy (Shue) and daughter Jordan (Morrone) who are stalked by a valet and his accomplices who break into their home, demanding money and anything else of value. It’s a jarring scene and though director Eli Roth, more known for horror films such as Hostel and Cabin Fever, spares us the visuals, he doesn’t let us out of being terrified out of our wits for Lucy and her only child who are about to suffer for no reason but being present during a burglary. The scene is primed well enough that we’re vested in Lucy and Jordan when we’re there alone with them, fighting for Jordan’s innocence and fighting for both of their lives.

After the scene, we move to the hospital and are with Paul who is leaving one hospital room, ready to go to the next. Unaware of who has been brought into the operating room, he’s encouraged not to go in and is told the horrific news. Luckily, his daughter survives the home invasion, but her mother does not.

Jordan is in a coma when Paul buries her mother. While there, an idea is planted in his mind. The basic idea of which is that the police can’t stop a crime from happening if they’re not there when it happens. He vows to not only find the men who did this to his family but to be there for others… unlike the police.

This is different from the 1974 Death Wish movies that starred Charles Bronson. The concept is the same, but it has been totally modernized to fit more of what the U.S. is going through today versus what it was facing in the 1970’s. That difference is appreciated in Roth’s flair for gore and his creativity when it comes to ending human life and it’s represented here quite well. You won’t be disappointed.

He also shows the American audience how easy it is to get a gun, no matter where you are and who you are. It’s a scary thought, as much as the film’s premise is. If you have the money… you have a weapon. No problem.

After Paul decides to take matters into his own hands, he arms himself, throws on a hoodie and walks the streets. When he sees a crime in progress, he steps in. When necessary, he kills with as much ease as he does with saving lives in the operating room. Soon, as you suspect would happen, a witness to his heroism captures him on video, which she immediately uploads to the internet. The video, of course, goes viral. Memes of him are created! Though he’s killing people by being judge, jury and executioner, there’s no question to their guilt so he doesn’t carry any himself. At this point, he’s being called the Grim Reaper. He smiles at the irony of it all.

I’ll give it to you straight. It’s fun. If you were a big fan of the original film, don’t go into this thinking you’re going to find Bronson. As I stated, this isn’t the same movie. If you like Roth and Bruce Willis, there are plenty of reasons to see this. It’s filled with cringe-worthy moments and, believe it or not, the script has some flashes of comedy which make the film worth seeing even more but I would say this is more for home viewing or a save for matinee. It’s not the ‘must-see on opening weekend’ film of the year. It’s exciting, the cast is excellent and it’s well put together but nothing you haven’t necessarily seen before.

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Red Sparrow Movie Review

March 2, 2018 (updated February 28, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Red Sparrow” is Russian spy craft for what could be called a ‘honey pot’. It is an enticing and intriguing person willing to bend to your every whim, only to double-cross and lead you into destruction. When a former ballerina becomes a Sparrow – then secrets, and blood, will likely be spilled. Hope you can get that carpet cleaned…

Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) is the ballet prima donna at the Russian ballet, until an unfortunate accident. With a bum leg, Dominika will no longer star in the ballet, and she will be tossed out of her place. Her mother will get no medical care, unless her uncle, Ivan (Matthias Schoenaerts), can help her. But she has little choice but to take Ivan’s offer: Sparrow Training Center.

Ivan runs the Russian Security Services (the new and improved KGB). Dominika goes to the training center to become adept at seduction and persuasion. If not, her mother will die. The strict woman who runs the school is the Matron (Charlotte Rampling) and she runs the place with an Iron Curtain fist. Dominika is stripped of all dignity, and at times, all of her clothes. Brutal training includes humiliation, beatings and near rapes. Ivan takes her away for a mission. There is a highly placed general named Korchnoi (Jeremy Irons) who thinks Ivan is not carful enough with the mission.

Her objective is to seduce a Russian oligarch who had made a little too much money. But she is brutalized and he is brutally killed. Dominika is taken away and given a new assignment. She is sent to Europe to attach herself to a CIA agent named Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton). Nash has a super-secret mole, a source inside the Russian government that Ivan and his pals want to ‘talk to’. That is spy talk for torture and slowly kill.

There is much traveling – to Bucharest, then Vienna, then London and then to Moscow and back to Bucharest. Anyway, Dominika gets wind of an American who can get military secrets. She has a roommate in Bucharest who tells her about the woman codenamed Swan (Mary-Louise Parker), but her roommate is brutally murdered. Dominika goes to meet with the traitor Swan and deliver the payoff. So she gets all the US State secrets, all on three and half inch floppy drives? Wow, so up-to-date…

But Agent Nash is attempting to win over Dominika to be his double-agent. But at the same time, it is Dominika’s job to win over Nash to determine the identity of the Russian mole. Both are playing a deadly game of Spy vs. Spy. And neither one can be quite sure whose side the other one is really on. At one point a Russian killer is there to take Nash hostage and begins to torture him to death. Will Dominika come to his aid, or is her training really set in stone?

“Red Sparrow” is based on a novel, but it tries to pack as many Cold War type stories inside as it can. There is a story about the Sparrow Training Center, which Dominika later calls “whore school”. There is the Nash and his mole story, which could have been made much more prominent. This is the subplot of the Swan character selling US secrets, and how that all could have come about. There is the main story of Dominika going to meet with Nash and turn him, while Nash is busy trying to change her into another asset.

Francis Lawrence (as the director) should have picked out one of these stories and stayed with it. The movie ends up being overly long and drawn out. Jennifer Lawrence (as the main character) does a passable Russian accent, which occasionally fades in and out. Lawrence (Francis, not Jennifer) takes way too much time focused on humiliation, brutality, murder, rape, and torture. Lawrence (Jennifer, not Francis) does quite a few bold adult moves with scenes of nudity and some sex scenes.

Both Joel Edgerton and Matthias Schoenaerts do very good with their characters. Also, Charlotte Rampling is quite chilling in her role as an emotionless head of the State-run school. But the movie could have used a lot more of Mary-Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons. These two are wonderful actors and the movie perks up a bit more when they are on the screen.

“Red Sparrow” is a quite adequate spy movie, with a high level of torture and sex thrown in. But that is an unusual combination, and it makes for an icy and chilly reception for the Cold War drama. Red Sparrow does get off the ground and flies, but it never does soar…

The Vanishing of Sidney Hall Movie Review

March 1, 2018 (updated March 1, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

This film is about a young, talented writer who is loved and admired by everyone. With the help of his adoring teacher, he gets a publishing deal almost overnight, comes close to winning the Pulitzer Prize and then, instead of appreciating it and enjoying his success, he vanishes. Of course, there is a lot of tragedy and melodrama in between these moments, which explains some of his character, but it’s the way the story is told you’ll have the biggest problem with.

While watching the movie I couldn’t help but compare it to Catcher in the Rye, a popular book with adolescents about a young man looking for someone to connect with. Not only does the storyline remind me of the book but the main character, Sidney (Lerman), seemed to mirror J.D. Salinger himself. The 2017 film Rebel in the Rye came to mind while watching this, as well, with both the subject matter and the writers having almost the same artistic intentions and success, yet not having an enthusiasm later in life for either one.

Unfortunately, we jump back and forth in the timeline. The first hop leaves you somewhat baffled because where we are in the story isn’t displayed particularly well. After being introduced to Sidney, you’re left to guess if the next point in the story is, in fact, a book being written or a future timeline, but you do catch on to the fact that both story A and B belong to Sidney. In school, Sidney has a friend he was once close to named Brett (Jenner), who has completely changed for the worse. Brett is cold to Sidney and cruel to others and the revelation as to why will come as a shock to Sidney but not necessarily the audience, however, it does bring us deeper into why Sidney is so troubled. When Melody (Fanning) enters Sidney’s life, you know that with her zest for life and their goals and dreams together, will finally help him find a reason to be happy, but Sidney just may have a way to mess that up, too.

Kyle Chandler plays an investigator trying to find the missing writer who couldn’t live with his self anymore after a young fan of his kills himself after reading his book. Blaming himself for his death and the loss of his friend, Sidney sets out to ruin what’s left of himself, even attempting to rid the world of his books if he can.

I liked the acting in the movie but I didn’t much care for all the moodiness Lerman continually gives us. You tire of it quickly, as do other people in his life, but being that it’s a deep psychological introspective, you accept it. It was heavy on the drama and had some slow parts in the middle but an incredibly powerful final act and a wonderful Elle Fanning helps you forget all about the issues I’ve mentioned. The score is nice and the cast is good but had it not flipped around as often as it had, the yarn might have rolled out a bit easier and watching it been a little more enjoyable.

The Party – Movie Review

February 23, 2018 (updated February 23, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

We start this cunning, noble achievement that writer/director Sally Potter (Orlando, The Tango Lesson) has presented us with, by waiting for a closed door to open as if we’re the ones about to be allowed entrance. Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) opens the door but instead of greeting us with a smile, we are met with a gun to the face. Color me intrigued. That’s quite an arresting way to start the film. Potter wanted us immediately captivated and achieves this goal with the violent gesture which is a shrewd move for any director to make. Now that she has us hooked, she jettison’s us to an earlier point in the evening, before people show up for a celebratory dinner at the apartment she shares with her husband Bill (Timothy Spall). Bill mumbles to himself in the living room as if almost in a fugue state of some kind. This gets a little daunting but plays a large part in the story later.

To set the tone, The Party is exhibited in black and white, with the haunting yet seductive tune, ‘What is this thing called love?’ by Sidney Bechet playing on vinyl in the background. In fact, I have it playing as I write this. It’s splendid and both elements together give the film the vibe of an early Woody Allen picture.

Soon, we’re introduced to the guests as they file in, staggered so that we may have a complete and thorough examination of their character. Each congratulates Janet for a political accomplishment of some sort. Whatever the reason, and this is never quite made clear, this has all been a sophisticated setup to keep you restless and itching to find out the consequences as to why a celebration over a political win leads to a weapon being drawn.

Cherry Jones with her gravelly voice and unimposing self-assurance, is a strong presence in the film, playing Martha, married to the younger Jinny (Emily Mortimer) who is with child… with children. Martha, who came for a bash, now faces the biggest decision of her life.

The very memorable character, April, is played by Patricia Clarkson, who gets to somewhat portray the comic relief for the film but also carries the weight of being a more stereotypical female. Bitchy and ruthless, she attacks her beau Gottfried (Ganz) but she doesn’t discriminate, never holding her tongue. You can tell Clarkson has fun with the role getting to point out everyone’s flaws without regret.

Tom, played by the charismatic Cillian Murphy, walks in agitated and frantic about a deed he must carry out. When you learn why he’s there, you’ll wonder how he kept it together for so long. Murphy’s performance is aggressive and potent, however, I would have liked to have seen more of him.

All the players who postulate, proposing to know the reality of their situation, end up being fools, destroyed by their own egos. The actors who play them and bring this terrific tale to life, do a fantastic job of keeping the audience profoundly involved in the alternating storyline, without revealing the nuts and bolts of the situation and not exposing who they are or what’s going on until the director wants you to know.

Outside of these performances, what you’ll appreciate the most is learning what the party truly is… and how this yarn ends. Labeled a comedy/drama, the comedy is, to a large degree, missing and at times it feels like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. This is brilliant because struggles in life often turn out to be exactly that… not what you had planned.

Annihilation Movie Review

February 23, 2018 (updated February 23, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Annihilation” is the movie adapted from the first book in a trilogy by Jeff VanerMeer. It is a science-fiction look at a strange cosmic phenomenon created on the Gulf Coast by a bizarre meteor. Many miles around the lighthouse where it landed is covered by an other-worldly dome that they call “The Shimmer”. Every team of military experts that are sent in to investigate is never heard from again. That is, until he comes back…

Lena (Natalie Portman) is an ex-military vet who is now a biology teacher at a university. Her husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) is a Special Ops soldier who was on a secret mission but when missing. Kane turns up a year later, back at home. But he is very ill and falls into a coma. Lena and Kane are taken by the military to Area X, which the home of “The Shimmer’. That is where Kane and his unit had been sent, and nobody else has every returned.

Lena volunteers for the next mission, led by Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ventress is a psychologist who will lead a group of female scientists into the mysterious Area X. The others on the mission are Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez), Radek (Tessa Thompson) and Sheppard (Tuva Novotny). All are specialists and they want to unravel the mystery of “The Shimmer’.

However, once inside they discover that weeks pass by like days. The radios and even the compass are non-functional. All that they have are their wits and their wills. They must learn to trust each other, and trust in the mission. But when they find that nature inside “The Shimmer” has gone a little kooky, they feel that this has become a suicide mission. The things that they are encountering are becoming more insane, and more deadly.

Lena has her own mission, to find out what was going on with Kane when he was sent here. But the things that she finds out make her more disturbed. Dr. Ventress seems to have her own personal mission, while the others are being led down a path of potential human destruction. The final goal is to find the source of the mystery, which is near the lighthouse. But what can be found in there, and will anyone be alive to find out?

Alex Garland has created some fantastic screenplays in the past, and his first director effort for “Ex Machina” was superb. But here, he is constrained by the original material, and he makes some awkward choices. He has scenes with Lena being interrogated after the mission, and these are intercut with the overall movie. It is a trite excuse to explain or bring up some unknown fact. The scientific language about the event origins and what is happening are somewhat clunky.

Natalie Portman does a very credible job as Lena, with her military and science background helping her to cope. Almost all the other characters are basic movie stereotypes, with minimal depth or back-story. Even Oscar Isaac has very little to do, even when he is critical to the story. The worst off is Benedict Wong, who has to play the inquisitor behind a clean room mask.

This movie is however quite beautiful in how it looks and in the details of the alien environment. The soundtrack is also simple and unassuming, until it slowly builds up tension and suspense towards the end. The photography is amazing and also eerie as it goes deeper and deeper into “The Shimmer”. The story is good, but some of the ideas pull from other sources. Perhaps some parts resemble “The Day of the Triffids” and short story “Weeds” by Stephen King.

“Annihilation” is a brain-teaser, and that itself makes it a cut above most sci-fi movies. But perhaps the subject is a little too weird for most audience members. Let’s hope that “Annihilation” is not what happens to this movie in terms of box office revenue…

Game Night – Movie Review

February 22, 2018 (updated February 23, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Come to Game Night! Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are hosting! Actually, Bateman is one of the producers of the movie, as well, which isn’t all that much of a surprise. This has Jason Bateman comedy written all over it. I was surprised he didn’t write it because it so fit his dry wit. When he gets a fresh winner of a script like this and works with directors like John Francis Daley (Vacation reboot) and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses), who know where his strengths lie and use him to his full potential, gold is struck. It certainly is here. This is what I’d consider a must-see because it was so well written and put together. It’s never once slow or overdone. They even took care to make you feel a part of the game. It’s shot to make it seem as if the actors in the film, the ‘players in YOUR game,’ are moving around a board. At one point, you’ll even see these delightfully insane characters involved in a dangerous game of keep away. Warning, you and everyone in the theatre will laugh until you cry so be sure to check at the customer service desk first to see that the volume is turned up to a level where you can hear over one another.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams play Max and Annie who have wanted nothing more than to play games since they met over trivia in a bar years ago. Now middle-aged, they haven’t grown up much beyond the kids they were when playing board games with the family was the perfect Friday night. Now they’ve gotten several of their friends hooked and every Friday they stream into Max and Annie’s to see what the night has in store for them. Another satisfying element about the comedy is that each and every one of the actors cast, play off of each other exceptionally well, especially Jesse Plemons who plays Gary, their next-door neighbor who used to be welcome on game night. He was only a part of the fun because they were friends with his ex-wife, Debbie, who has since moved. His character is creepy and some of the earlier funny scenes are watching Max and Annie try to get out of his inviting himself over. Plemons plays him so admirably that you’ll never recognize him as being Todd from Breaking Bad.

What spoils this particular game night isn’t just the threat of Gary finding out it’s taking place, but that Max’s handsome and successful brother, Brooks (Chandler), is in town and wants to play. Not only does he come play and, as you might have guessed, unapologetically alerts Gary to the festivities, but he decides he’s hosting next. Unenthusiastically, they all decide to attend and the event Brooks has in store for them this evening is unlike what is usually held. No cards, paper, dice or pegs needed, just your wits. He hires a company to stage a murder mystery for them to solve. They’re paired up and the couple who solves the whodunit gets a Corvette Sting Ray. Now the movie turns into a thriller, mystery as Brooks is kidnapped. Twist! Kidnapped not by the company he hired to kidnap him but by people for whom he has done bad business. This is quite a unique set up and a fun adventure for the audience lies ahead.

The comedic timing everyone displays, while all of this is playing out, is spot on accurate. Rachel McAdams is irreplaceable as her Annie and Bateman’s Max banter back and forth, clueless as to what is really going on. Max even tells the kidnappers to drive safely as they’re pulling his struggling brother out of the house. Hysterical. Do yourself a favor and make this movie a part of your Friday Night amusement. You won’t be sorry. It meets all the requirements of a fantastic and memorable night out.

*Stay through the entire credits for two extra scenes!

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