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Brigsby Bear Movie Review

August 11, 2017 (updated August 11, 2017) Published by Shari K. Green

Brigsby Bear is nothing if not quirky. It’s a story about a boy who never has to give up his childish things because, essentially, he never has to grow up. Well, until he’s rescued, that is. I’ll explain.
In the situation the main character, James (Mooney), finds himself, he wouldn’t know how to grow up so the subject would never be breached. He lives in a perfect world with supportive parents who love him, take good care of him and always let him watch his favorite show, Brigsby Bear.
Not unlike a popular children’s show of any era, from Mister Rogers to Barney, Brigsby Bear is fun and educational and James has watched it so long he couldn’t live without it. It’s who he is. It’s who he is because it was actually produced for him by his parents to teach him what they wanted him to learn and to inject only their feelings and belief system.

It turns out, though always taken care of by them, James’ parents, Ted (Hamill) and April (Adams), kidnapped him when he was a baby and they’ve been keeping him in an underground bunker, in the middle of the desert, ever since. Sadly, never being around other children or seeing the real world, James is childlike, yet he’s in his twenties. He’s immature and his life is only what they have allowed it to be.
He hasn’t mentally grown beyond the age of a ten-year-old and his mind knows only what Ted and April have fed it. The world of Brigsby, a sci-fi series given to him to watch on VHS, has so penetrated his psyche that no amount of truth could drill it out. It’s who he is. This is tested when the police finally discover what Ted and April have done and come to ruin the only world James has ever known.

When he is taken away from the only parents he has ever known, he meets Detective Vogel (Kinnear) and his birth family and is introduced to the harsh reality of the real world; most especially, that the Brigsby Bear show is gone forever. Or is it? Saying too much will give away what’s so compelling about this flick. It’s completely original… strangely and so absurdly unlike anything I’ve seen before. An adult who acts like a child because he has been treated as one his whole life. What a fascinating concept. Saying too much at this point would give away the plot.

He does try and thwart having to grow-up as much as he can but when he looks at the broader picture, he knows what he has to do to grow up and finally move on. All he asks of everyone is to let him do it in his own way. It’s this part that makes this narrative so unique. Well, that and the unconventional jokes that make you draw back a bit… but that’s all on purpose.

Brigsby Bear is an amusing ride. There are a few bumps in the road but overall the story has heart, integrity and is surprisingly clever. You’d do well to put it on your summer must-see list for the experience of watching the cooperation, love and support that helps a man-child become a man. The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child so imagine…

Annabelle: Creation Movie Review

August 11, 2017 (updated August 9, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

First in 2013 came ‘The Conjuring’, which later brought ‘The Conjuring 2’ and a movie called ‘Annabelle’, which was a spooky possessed doll first seen in ‘The Conjuring’. Now this movie ‘Annabelle: Creation’ goes way back to determine the reason this doll is so evil. It is basically an excuse to create a non-stop scare machine that runs in turbo mode. And it does that very well.

Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) and Esther Mullins (Miranda Otto) have a little girl nicknamed ‘Bee’. Samuel is a dollmaker by trade and he is the one who created the ‘Annabelle’ doll. But the daughter dies tragically at a young age. Their house is empty for twelve years, until they open it up for new guests. The people moving in are orphans and a young nun named Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman). One of the orphans is named Janice (Talitha Bateman) who suffers from polio and is crippled in one leg. Another orphan is Linda (Lulu Wilson), who is close friends with Janice.

All the orphans are told to stay out of a locked room, which was the dead daughter’s bedroom. Of course, this being a horror movie, Janice goes in there and (JUMP SCARE!) finds a secret locked room containing the ‘Annabelle’ doll. Soon things go very haywire (LOUD SCREECHING STRING NOISES!) and soon Janice is fighting off a demon (DOOR SLAM!). Linda wants to protect her friend but (QUICK CUT TO GLOWING EYES IN THE DARK!) the monster comes after her.

Mr. Mullins thinks he can control the evil (SOUND OF BONES CRACKING!) but that does not end well. Mrs. Mullins, who was attacked many years ago, by the creature, is set up for another attack (BLOODY IMAGES!). Also, that does not end well. Sister Charlotte does her best to protect the children (FLASH OF A SHARP KNIFE!) and ends up knocked out on the floor. Janice may have become a victim of the ‘Annabelle’ horror (JUMP SCARE!). Will the orphans and Sister Charlotte be able to get to safety and (SCARY SCARECROW ALERT!) contain the horrible monster?

This movie follows the basic formula of what a horror movie should be. It does follow the guidelines very well. All the dark backgrounds with a glimmer of movement are there. All the rising string crescendos that get louder and louder as the screen slowly zooms into a scary image are there. All the normal, standard common things are there, but they are done really well. This movie does not break any new ground, but the results are spooky and effective.

The acting is perfectly fine, with most of the good shots saved for reacting. Reacting to sounds, to quick sudden events, to all the weird paranormal things that are going on around them. As it always goes in these movies, everyone does the least logical thing to keep the scary stuff going on. Not supposed to go into that room? Sure, get in there – why not? Not supposed to open a locked door? Hey, here’s the key, go and get that possessed evil doll – that’s ok…

Yup, there is the normal amount of (JUMP SCARE!) and (BLOODY IMAGES!) that you would expect in a horror movie. “Annabelle: Creation” does not disappoint.

Wind River Movie Review

August 11, 2017 (updated August 8, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

Taylor Sheridan has written the screenplays for some terrific movies, including ‘Sicario’ and ‘Hell or High Water’. Now you can add ‘Wind River’ to his growing list of accomplishments. On top of that, he also directed this movie. Sheridan is becoming a major player in Hollywood. ‘Sicario’ was set in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. ‘Hell or High Water’ was set in West Texas. Now ‘Wind River’ is set in the Pacific Mountain West, and it is brutal look at the land and people who live there.

Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) works for U.S. government in Wyoming for Fish and Wildlife department. He is in charge of ‘predator control’, meaning he tracks and kills wolves, mountain lions and the like. One day he is out tracking and he finds the body of a young Indian woman. She is from the Wind River reservation. His ex-wife is also from the ‘rez’, so he goes and checks out what they say. He meets the Tribal Police Chief Ben (Graham Greene) and meets with the father of the young woman. Martin (Gil Birmingham) is the father and he is heart-broken.

They all meet up with a young and inexperienced FBI agent, Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen). she was sent to help solve the murder. The young woman was raped and beaten, then while bleeding still she ran six miles barefoot in the snow. However, the local coroner is not helping. Even with the amount of violence heaped on her, he will not mark the cause of death as ‘murder’. The FBI will not send any more resources in to help out. Jane must ask Cory for his help, even though he is not in law enforcement.

Cory knows how to track, so that is how he helps. They go out and discover another body. So there is plenty of bad stuff going on. They just need to see what is behind it all. They go with Chief Ben to visit the young woman’s druggie brother and a couple of loser friends. That ends in a violent confrontation. But they learn that the woman had a white boyfriend named Matt (Jon Bernthal). Matt works on a security team at a nearby oil rig setup, about six miles from where Cory found the body.

Cory and Jane are beginning to think that some things are starting to come together, as a cloud of suspicion falls over Matt. So they plan for a trip out the oil rig location to find out what the people stationed there know about Matt or the woman. If they can place Matt somewhere near the place where Cory found her body, then they might be able to solve the case. But could there be more twists and turns in store for the investigators?

Jeremy Renner plays Cory in a very understated manner. He is not flashy, but focused – his character also has a tragic past with a dead daughter. He agrees to assist Jane because she is out of her depth when she is out on the reservation and in the wilderness. He portrays a dedicated man in touch with deep inner sense of justice, and he is not afraid to be a tracker/hunter for all types of predators.

Elizabeth Olsen does a wonderful job as Jane. Because her character is struggling in an overwhelming situation, she uses the talents of the people around her; Cory, Chief Ben and others. She is not afraid to confront wrongdoers, and she can take charge when she needs to. She has a palpable sense of outrage over the young woman’s rape and murder. The local customs and traits of the reservation are alien to her, and she out of her range when in the wilds of Wyoming.

The rest of the cast fits in perfectly with all the roles helping move the story along. The pacing is slower at the beginning, and then there are some areas where the danger and suspense kicks in and keeps you tense. It is an intriguing story that marries the reservation world with the larger one surrounding it. It keeps you wanting to learn more of Cory’s background and what makes him tick. You want to see a murder solved, even if the local coroner is not able to declare it a ‘murder’.

Justice must be served, and it is served in the chilly snow of the Rocky Mountain peaks. Taylor Sheridan has created a new genre with this movie. I would call it ‘Snow Noir’.

The Dark Tower Movie Review

August 6, 2017 Published by Shari K. Green

By now, we’re all used to movies being two hours long, right? That’s the norm these days. With The Dark Tower at only 95 minutes, I felt I had just adjusted myself in the seat and I was hopping out of it again headed home. Part of why it felt short was because what should have been an imaginative and vivid excursion across worlds, that promised so much, was dark (as in hard to see) and dull; almost as exciting as someone reading a menu. Well, maybe not THAT dull. There are a few moments that will thrill you. The scenes that center on guns and bullets are quite enterprising but that’s about all The Dark Tower brings. A scene fighting monsters is so amateurish if I had been watching a student film, I would have graded it higher.

Perhaps directed by someone other than Nikolaj Arcel, who doesn’t have very much directing experience other than the film, A Royal Affair, we would have a much better, action-packed, colorful thriller on our hands. Arcel may want to stick to writing which he is very good at doing. As it is, we have this disjointed, routine, uninspired misfire that falls short of the expectations of, not only the general audience but of most of the Stephen King fans that have seen it.

The Dark Tower is a movie based on a series of eight King books; it’s number seven in the set. The Tower, itself is a point where all universes connect. The film is about Good vs. Evil but doesn’t give the impression that it believes in either. Being that it’s a series, bringing number seven about doesn’t make sense and also leaves one to wonder if the previous six books are crammed into one film. If so, this could be why it appears to be so vexing and why King fans are not or will not be too happy. What is being missed and what is the point in doing this to a wonderful, successful series?

Anyway, rather quickly, we are introduced to the antagonist of the tale, the Man in Black, played mutedly by Matthew McConaughey. We also meet Jake Chambers, (Tom Taylor). He’s a young boy who has the ‘Shine.’ The Shine, referenced also in the King book and film, The Shining, is an amazing psychic ability. The presence is strong with this one! The Man in Black only wants to use Jake’s powers to his advantage to destroy the Tower but is also aware that the ‘mind of a child’ can work against him and this plan.

We then make the acquaintance of the protagonist, Roland (Idris Elba), also known as a Gunslinger. His guns are made from the metal of the Excalibur and he is the last living Knight who has the strength to defend the universe against the Man in Black. What’s on the other side of the universe is death and destruction and the Tower is the only thing holding it back. Children like Jake, and their strong, potent, telepathic minds, are being used to attack the Tower.

In the beginning, we see that Jake has fevered dreams about the destruction of his world. He stumbles on the mid-world of his dreams and meets the Gunslinger. This Gunslinger is sold as powerful and almost unbeatable but the film almost immediately turns on that theme and shows him to be weak and vulnerable to a tiny stab and to infection. Jake meets Roland, teams up with him to help stop evil from winning, there are battles and… The End. Yes. It’s like that.

So, maybe if you love the books and would like to examine this close enough to look for a few of the Easter eggs within, such as the Shine and the Man in Black seeming to resemble Randall Flagg, the bad guy from, The Stand, check it out for the curiosity factor. I’d recommend going to the matinee or waiting for cable release. Either way, you’re going to be disappointed in the results. Maybe pick up a book instead?

Detroit Movie Review

August 4, 2017 (updated August 3, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

You can’t spell Detroit without R I O T…

Kathryn Bigelow wants to take you back fifty years in “Detroit” to see one of the most vicious race riots in America. The fuse had been lit long before that and was smoldering. But an incident where the Detroit police closed down an unlicensed after-hours bar set off the spark. This movie takes a close-up view of the events in that time. It shows a brutal and unfiltered look at the Algiers Motel incident and the aftermath. This was an awful display of racist police brutality and indifference by people who might have stopped it.

After three days of rioting in the streets of Detroit, destruction is widespread. But a new Motown vocal group is about to hit the stage at the Fox Theatre. The police close it down and send everyone home, since more rioting is coming closer. But not before Larry (Algee Smith) takes a shot a singing to the empty seats. Larry and his friend Fred (Jacob Latimore) head over to the Algiers Motel, hoping that it will be free from disruption. They meet two white girls there at the motel, Julie (Hannah Murray) and Karen (Kaitlyn Dever). They have met some other black guys named Carl (Jason Mitchell) and Greene (Anthony Mackie).

After hanging out in various rooms, Carl takes a starter pistol and says he can shake up the white police and National Guard. He aims the harmless pistol out the window and shoots a few times. The National Guard thinks they are under attack from a sniper at the Algiers Motel. The Guard bands up with the Detroit police and Michigan state troopers to surround the building. They are insisting that they will not leave until a sniper or a weapon has been found. The police patrol is led by Officer Krauss (Will Poulter) who is partnered with Officer Flynn (Ben O’Toole) and rookie Officer Demens (Jack Reynor).

A black security guard named Melvin Dismukes (John Boyega) also follows the other officers inside, thinking that he can defuse the tension. But Krauss is taking no prisoners and all three officers round up all people inside the hotel annex building. Carl tries to run and is shot dead. Every other person there, all the black men and the two white women, get hours of harassment and beatings. Krauss is the bigoted leader and Flynn and Demens follow his lead.

The Michigan state police see the Detroit police abusing people and leave the area. There are some National Guardsmen also inside, attempting to keep order. But when they see that Krauss is out of control, they also leave. Before the end of the night, there are three people dead in the hotel annex, most of the rest are bloodied and beaten. There is never any gun found…

There is a section of follow-up in the last part of the movie. Kraus, Flynn and Demens are charged with abusive behavior and murder. For some reason, Melvin Dismukes is also charged, even though he tried to keep things calm. At the trial, police union Attorney Auerbach (John Krasinski) puts many of the victims under suspicion for their past crimes. An all-white jury found nobody was guilty of anything.

Kathryn Bigelow has (again) made a very moving and profound movie. She and screenwriter Mark Boal also teamed up to make “Zero Dark Thirty”. This time they tackle the historical events of a terrible tragedy. The Detroit riots cause 43 deaths in total, including a few police and firemen. But the big focus here in the inept and racist ways that a few people in authority could destroy the lives of some folks at the Algiers Motel.

The movie is shot with a documentary style, with camera movement tracking closely behind various groups. The tension and the panic and stress are perfectly portrayed. Each situation where a bad decision is made turns into several other worse choices. The entire event seems to spin wildly out of control, with deadly consequences.

Every actor is well-cast and does a superb job. John Boyega and Will Poulter both stand out in the role. Boyega is the small-time security guard in over his head. Poulter is an over-the-top sadistic racist cop who would rather shoot all of them dead. Algee Smith is also convincing as man who wants to be free to sing to the world, yet he is trapped in the worst place ever.

Race relations back fifty years ago could bubble up into hatred and violence. But it has done so again since then; in Los Angeles (1992), then again in Ferguson (2014) and in Baltimore (2015). The movie “Detroit” can never solve the problems of racism and deep internal feelings of rage. Perhaps watching this will give people a chance to reflect, and then talk about it, instead of acting on it.

Kidnap Movie Review

August 4, 2017 (updated August 3, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

Halle Berry has won an Oscar for her role in “Monster’s Ball” back in 2001. But then she got a Razzy award for her terrible acting in “Catwoman” just a few years later. So, her work is really all over the place. Now she is starring in “Kidnap” and the results are a bit dubious. Berry may hope for another Oscar nod someday, but she will not get one for this car wreck of a movie. Literally, a good half of the run time is her driving like a maniac causing and being in many car wrecks…

Karla (Halle Berry) has a six-year-old son named Frankie (Sage Correa). She is in a custody battle with her ex, and her son is the best thing in her life. She and Frankie go to the park, and she takes a phone call from her lawyer. Her phone battery is almost dead, and she gets emotional when she hears that the ex wants sole custody. But when the phone dies, she turns around and see Frankie is missing. She asks several people about her boy, and nobody knows where he went. Then she sees him across the parking lot being dragged off by a large lady who is putting him in a battered car. She gets to the lot and the car takes off, so she gets her minivan in hot pursuit.

At this early point in the movie, the ridiculous factor kicks into high gear. Two kidnappers plus Frankie are going to be chased by Karla and her minivan for about half the movie. They cause numerous accidents and possibly a couple of fatalities. Even when a motorcycle cop catches up to Karla’s bad driving, the bad guys dispatch him with no problem. There is an unbelievable showdown between Karla and the male kidnapper named Terry (Lew Temple). His accomplice, the large lady named Margo (Chris McGinn) will ride with Karla to take her to the destination. This does not end well for Margo, who winds up on the side of the road.

Karla keeps after the car to try and get Frankie back. But there are more accidents and hit-and-runs, then Terry hot-wires a new getaway car. But Karla continues to chase them even when she runs out of gas. By the way, the movie ran out of gas much earlier than she did. Karla somehow finds a house where Frankie is being held, and by that time, Terry is out of the picture and Margo is back at the house. So, there must be a final showdown with Karla and Margo. Karla has caused countless accidents, injuries and more than a few fatalities, but she must prevail and be declared a hero – damn it!

Halle Berry plays a brain-dead character here, so that does not help her at all. Karla will literally stop at nothing, driving her minivan into all kinds of traffic violations. She has no depth and no clever ideas about how to combat the kidnappers. She seems to use a ‘spidey-sense’ to know where the bad guys go, because she never uses any logic or serious thinking. Karla just never gives up, but never makes any smart choices either. Halle plays her as determined, but dumb. It is amazing how much damage is done in the wake of Karla’s pursuit.

There is no other acting as such in the movie, just a few characters up on the screen playing the worst stereotypes ever. There is little in the way of plot, other than making Karla into a ‘Mad Max in a Minivan’. The editing and shot selection are rough and choppy. It is difficult to get a sense of place or direction when the scenes are cut together so awkwardly. There are several somewhat suspenseful scenes near the end, but these seem to come from a different movie. The final wrap-up is pretty bad, declaring Karla a hero, when she was responsible for several deaths and untold property damage.

The hashtag line for this movie is “#DontMessWithMom”. I would suggest a better one is “#DontMessWithLogic” or “#DontMessWithPlot”.

Atomic Blonde Movie Review

July 31, 2017 (updated July 31, 2017) Published by Shari K. Green

Perfect for the summer heat, this is a fun, exciting and provocative action packed spy thriller. Atomic Blonde is based on the ONI PRESS Graphic Novel Series called “The Coldest City,” written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sam Hart. I’m quite certain they’re happy to see Charlize Theron was cast in this because she’s both incredibly steely and sexy in this screen adaptation of their character, Lorraine Broughton, a fearless MI6 agent.

Set in 1989, Lorraine is sent to Berlin around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. When she goes in for her next task, she learns of the assassination of her colleague and her lover. She is sent out to retrieve a list of highly secret agents and their codenames that was filched from him at the time of his murder by a Russian agent. As she begins her work, she glides her way through Berlin’s clubs to an awesome 80’s soundtrack, some of which I believe may have been only in her head to help her become what she must to be the badass, callous killing machine she may need to be to get the job done.

Speaking of what it takes to get the job done, she meets up with British agent David Percival (McAvoy) who she has an immediate distrust of but still builds something of a coalition with. Soon, she meets a beautiful French spy (Boutella) and is more than willing to get down and dirty and use her to get the information she needs. This movie isn’t afraid to show you exactly what that is and, much to the bewilderment of some and awe of others, we crawl in bed with these two women and stay there through a scene that can only be described as explicit. This scene gives Atomic Blonde the edge that many films before it were afraid to stroll up to and gives the director, David Leitch, a head up on the competition.

McAvoy is incredible in the role and Boutella stands out but this is a Carlize Theron film. Theron, knowing her way around Hollywood well enough, has brought us many memorable characters and Lorraine is no different. Willing to do many of her own stunts, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her with several more movies of this ilk, come her way because she’s cold and brutal when she needs to be and wells with passion and warmth whenever the right moment presents itself.

There are a few scenes that are so gut wrenchingly painful looking that you’ll not only laugh at the ridiculousness of them but cheer at how bold the film is and how fully Theron committed herself to this character. There’s one scene in particular in a stairwell that is the example for my previous sentence. You’ll recall these words when you see the film. The movie itself may not be perfect but it’s exactly what you want out of a summer release. Leitch is known for his stunt work in 82 films, including Hitman: Agent 47, The Bourne Legacy, The Mechanic and many more so it’s not hard to see why the technical performances are so on the nose here.

It goes over the top as films of this genre do but I don’t think that hurt it. If anything, that is its appeal and more than makes up for the few times when the plot drags some getting to the point. Told through flashbacks, it’s colorful, stylish and memorable and something I recommend seeing at the theatre this weekend. You’ll want to see these fight sequences on the big screen.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Movie Review

July 21, 2017 (updated July 20, 2017) Published by JMcNaughton

Luc Besson has a history of involvement in many action-packed fun movies. His movies are more concerned with moving the plot along than just pure logic. When he creates a new world, such as in “The Fifth Element”, it can be impressive and very detailed. When he has a strong emotional tie to the material, he treats it with great care. That is what is happening with “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”. He wanted to bring the graphic novel source material to life.

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” makes a quick update on the state of human space exploration. In the first few minutes, it visually shows that an International Space Station is welcoming humans of every race up on board to make a new home. Soon there are non-human species that also arrive, so the station gets bigger and bigger. It soon has to be moved out to its own little corner of the galaxy, now that it is home to hundreds of species and tens of thousands of beings.

This place is called ‘Alpha’ and it ruled by large council. There is a Defense Minister (Herbie Hancock) and a leading General Filitt (Clive Owen). There are two Federal agents working to keep the peace in space. Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) is ready to defend the Federation laws in space. There he is joined by Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne). They are about to go on a super-secret mission, but Valerian has just had the oddest dream. He was captivated with a vision of a planet called Mül. This perfect world is destroyed by sinister outside forces, and the dying princess of the Mül people cried out to Valerian.

But first the mission needs to happen, so they meet a military team on a distant planet. Valerian and Laureline are disguised as tourists in a freakish bazaar. This multi-dimensional place has lots of gaudy visitors and gift stalls. There are also pirates selling stolen one-of-a-kind items. Items like the “converter” which is the same small armadillo-like creature from Mül. This is the last of its kind, and someone wants it bad. But Valerian gets into the deal and takes the “converter” before the aliens can buy it for the big ugly beast pirate (voiced by John Goodman). Valerian and Laureline get away, but the danger is just beginning.

But in Alpha, there is a growing danger in the planet-size spaceship-conglomerate. There is an area near the core that has become a dead zone. It is radioactive, and nothing that comes in will ever come back out. If it is not stopped, it could take over everything. General Filitt is now being guarded by Valerian and Laureline. The “converter” creature is being held by Laureline. Mystery beings break into the council chambers and kidnap General Filitt. Valerian gives chase and goes into the dead zone, so they lose contact. Laureline goes to try and find him. She finds Valerian, but soon Laureline gets kidnapped by some ugly monster type creatures.

Valerian finds a place called “Paradise Alley”. He meets Jolly the Pimp (Ethan Hawke) who sets him up with a shapeshifting entertainer named Bubble (Rihanna). Bubble agrees to help Valerian find Laureline and get her out. Laureline is being dressed up to attend a fine dinner for the monster king, and is not pleased when she becomes part of the menu. Valerian and Bubble arrive to help her escape. Valerian and Laureline go on to find General Filitt and the mystery creatures that have been making a home in the dead zone.

The visuals created in “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” are breath-taking. The various worlds created are amazing and the creatures are fantastic. The ease in which it goes from current time to many centuries into the future is interesting. But then the story gets wrapped up in the job that Valerian and Laureline must do, and it totally bogs down. Any sense of wonder and awe gets disrupted.

The direction is very broad and enveloping, because Luc Besson is caught creating these new worlds. But then the people who fill these worlds start to fail him. Dane DeHaan starts out in smart-alec mode, doing a Keanu Reeves voice over. Cara Delevingne has little personality to make her the smarter and more likable of the two. There is no chemistry between them, and the jokey quips feel too forced.

Clive Owen is a non-impressive bad guy. Ethan Hawke has little more than a cameo. Rihanna is good edition and her story has some pizzazz. Herbie Hancock is an odd choice, but does little more than appear as a concerned face on a screen. John Goodman has few lines in voiceover for a big ugly beast.

The 3D effects are helpful to bring more life to the great production design, but it gets wasted a lot during the long stretches in dark and dreary places. The story and the acting cannot come close to the efforts put into the visual aspects.

Overall, this is fine movie to see if you are a big Luc Besson fan, especially if you liked “The Fifth Element”. If you like a good well-visualized alien world, then go see this. It is a fun little summer popcorn flick, but don’t work your brain too hard by trying to make any sense out of it.

Dunkirk Movie Review

July 20, 2017 (updated July 21, 2017) Published by Shari K. Green

I think that with Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan, writer/director of such outstanding films as Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Interstellar, will finally get his Best Director Oscar Nomination, if not win. He could possibly capture gold from the Academy for Best Screenplay, as well. This is a near perfect film. It’s hard to find a flaw in the presentation of its visuals and its sound. To find something, one would have to be really digging for it and if you are, you’re certainly missing the entire point of this beautifully crafted piece.

Dunkirk is meant to enlighten you as to what people will do to help one another endure when pushed to the brink of survival; even if they themselves don’t make it. People were willing to risk their lives to be sure others survived at Dunkirk. These people were just every day British citizens and those they were rescuing were the 400,000 British soldiers, trapped on a beach in France just over twenty miles from the shores of England. I knew nothing of their heroism but it is well displayed here and the only way to see how and why they were so desperately needed and welcomed is at your nearest IMAX theatre; THIS I can’t stress enough.

The story centers around three different points of view of this agonizing situation; by land, by air and by sea. Prepare yourself because shortly after the opening, the story and the accompanying music is relentless as it crescendos to a crowning finish. You’ll be clutching your seat and biting your lip watching these poor souls do whatever it takes to live through the night. Tom Hardy is a pilot with an eagles eye look on the entire goings on. It was interesting seeing a war film from this perspective and, once again as he did with Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, he’s able to suck you into his character with just his eyes since his face is covered with an oxygen mask the entire time.

On the land portion, you’re with the most vulnerable in the attack; the soldiers who are stuck with nowhere to go. These men are the last chance England has of fending off the advancing attack from the Germans. If they fall they’ll lose the war. Had things not happened the way they did, the history books would read very differently right now. German soldiers are moving in on the town on one side of the beach. The British and French soldiers are dodging their bullets to get to the beach where they are hoping to get onto a ship to sail to England. The trouble here is that the ships can’t get to them because the water is too shallow. With no other choice but wait, they are also having bombs dropped on them from the German Air force. They are bona fide sitting ducks. The cast of young actors, Fionn Whitehead and Harry Styles among them, do a fine job of expressing fear as well as the spirit of duty to their homeland. You will weep when you put yourself in their place, which you can’t help but do. In the opening scene alone it becomes hard to peg this film a Drama or an Action. The two genres work together from there to move you and they never stop their assault.

On the sea, you meet a few of the heroes who volunteer their vessel and their time to bring the boys home. Mark Rylance does a beautiful job of explaining to his sons, and to one soldier he rescues, why it’s important that they go to Dunkirk. It’s their duty. The way he said the word Dunkirk still rings in my ears… the speech was so filled with passion.

What Christopher Nolan did so well to bring this true story to life was to, basically, keep it as simple as possible so that the important and more meaningful events stood out most. There was no narrative or unnecessary scenes explaining who the people in the film were.
There was no need to overwhelm you or pollute the screen with names, dialogue, back stories and plotlines that led you anywhere but on that day, on that beach, in that ocean or looking down on it all. This also keeps you in their skin and involved in their conflict at all times, maneuvering the plane, running from the bombs and dodging the bullets.
When you see the boats come for them, you’ll remember the tag line on the poster that says, ‘When 400,000 men couldn’t get home, home came for them’ and a shiver will run down your spine. Just try not to cry along with Kenneth Branagh who, if you didn’t love before this, you will after.
Enjoy the film and remember, don’t cheat yourself out of seeing this on an IMAX screen; the way it was meant to be seen.

Wish Upon Movie Review

July 14, 2017 (updated July 17, 2017) Published by Shari K. Green

Wish Upon was not only predictable but sophomoric in its intention and style. There wasn’t anything about this self-professed horror movie that would come anywhere close to startling even a new fan of the genre and definitely will not be surprising or shocking your average movie watcher.

Often, the narrative seems to lack the discipline that’s needed to stay on track and be true to the characters, instead relying on the audience to grasp and accept what is being portrayed without a complete structure set up and we’re also asked to not mind the obvious stereotypes. Most jarring of these would be the females being nothing but jealous of one another and decidedly empty between the ears. This is used in a somewhat comedic way but to a ridiculous extent.

The dialogue between the main character, Clare (King), and a senior boy, Paul (Slaggert), whom she has a crush on, is possibly the biggest example of regurgitating tired plotlines to the degree that they lose what could have been unique almost from the very beginning.

What I mean by that is the use of the wish itself could have been so much better. Not until the very end of the film are they even used creatively.

To back up a bit, Clare is raised by her father, Jonathan (Phillippe) after her mother’s suicide. She hasn’t had the best of lives but she has a few best friends who stick by her side and her father loves her very much. Jonathan stumbles upon a beautiful box and gives it to her as a gift. The box has Chinese writing all over the outside of it and, conveniently, the high school she’s in has a Chinese language class that she happens to be taking. The box doesn’t open but she can read the script on the outside of it that reads, ‘seven wishes.’ She soon realizes that if she makes wishes upon it… they do come true. How? She wishes for something to happen to her mortal enemy. This wish is quite awful and something that, if it were to happen, would baffle all medical science. She’s shocked to find out it does happen. Knowing that it was impossible and had to have been her wish, she tries again to see if she now possesses the power we’d all wish to have and it once again comes true. After using several wishes and happy that she now has almost everything she has ever wanted, she all but abandons the person she was before getting the box and, oddly, doesn’t mind when she, at last, learns about the ramifications of using the box.

I’ll let the movie explain more about that but if she is going to get a wish, the box, or what controls it, gets something in return. What it wants is blood. What it gets is blood. So, what ultimately doesn’t work here is that you could have seen the wishes coming a mile away. In fact, you see the entire story unfold in your mind before it plays out on screen. Not even the consequences are original which adds the humdrum and stale to what was expected to be a fun flick. The box that gives you seven wishes and how that came about is interesting but it’s counter productive to have a provocative idea and disappoint the audience by doing nothing avant garde with it. Wish Upon instead plays it safe and uses a formulaic thread or technique that works. Every step it takes has been done before and I believe the filmmakers missed a real chance to have something really memorable.

I feel I must admit that the acting wasn’t much better. Joey King is excruciatingly awkward and somewhat too childlike for the role while Ryan Phillippe needs to be checked for a pulse. There isn’t one performance that really stands out in a positive manner.

In its defense, I would like to say that if you don’t watch many horror films, prefer not to or aren’t supposed to watch anything bloody or gory, then this may be perfect for you. This isn’t a bad introduction to the category and isn’t much of a fright. I would, however, suggest you catch it at a matinee. There are some humorous moments and it does wrap up well but fans of horror and thrillers in general… this is not for you.

Category: Reviews