Cinematic Considerations

Year: 2016

  • Fences: It’s all about the acting

    Fences: It’s all about the acting

    Broadway doesn’t usually translate to the silver screen all that well.

    Oscar winner Denzel Washington’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play “Fences” might just be the truest, most authentic stage to screen transformation in cinematic history.

    “Fences” might not be the year’s best movie, nor a game changer in Hollywood for years to come. However for nearly two-and-a-half hours, Washington and co-star Viola Davis put on an acting clinic few films this decade could match.

    And at the end of the day, that’s really all there is to “Fences,” a movie that feels like the audience is sitting on stage with the performers, most of whom are reprising their roles from a 2010 revival on the Great White Way.


    Washington plays Troy, a former Negro League baseball star living in a small Pittsburgh house now forced to work as a garbage collector at 53. A character-driven drama focused on Troy, his wife Rose (Davis) and their teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo), “Fences” is the perfect slice-of-life film reflecting on middle class African-American life in the 1950s and unfolds more like a stage drama than a cinematic one.

    Scenes are extended in small, tight locales in Troy’s backyard, kitchen or porch for 15-20 minutes at a time without much room for audiences to breathe. The confining nature of the filmmaking along with Charlotte Bruus Christensen’s subdued cinematography make for a unique experience unlike anything you’ll see in theaters this year.

    While his work as director on the project is quite good, “Fences” may go down as one of the five best films Washington has ever done for his masterful portrayal of Troy, a performance he’s clearly thought about and crafted over nearly a decade. 

    Few performances you will see in 2016 will have anywhere close to the charisma and vibrancy Washington exudes out of Troy early in the film. When the entire narrative flips on a dime just prior to the start of the third act, Washington completely reverses course and digs within himself for an incredibly poignant, powerful turn that will leave viewers astonished at the end.

    Normally, a tour-de-force turn from two-time Academy Award winner Washington would chew up all the scenery and be the entire focal point of the feature.

    Previously an Academy Award nominee for “Doubt” and “The Help,” Davis will be this year’s clear frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress in a career best performance as Rose. Her ability to play off Washington’s dynamic performance in a subtle, understated manner until a critical turn late in the feature is a testament to her ability to create a complex character in limited screen time. Davis’ work is devastatingly arresting and worth the price of admission alone.

    “Fences” is also buoyed by a terrific supporting cast, many of whom also reprise their roles from the 2010 Broadway revival. Mykelti Williamson is an absolute revelation as Troy’s brother Gabriel, a war veteran severely injured in battle causing him to become mentally handicapped. There’s both an immense joy and sadness within Williamson’s performance that should be celebrated during awards season, but likely won’t do to higher profile, more flashy turns from other performers.

    Even without the expected reaction to last year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy pushing voters towards African-American led films, “Fences” should be a shoo in for nominations in the Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories. An additional nomination for Washington in the Best Director category would not be out of the realm of possibility either.

    Simply put, “Fences” is unquestionably one of the year’s 10 best films and the closest thing to live theater that cinema can bring to the big screen.

    Washington’s third directorial effort is an amazing foot forward into the possibilities of adapting Broadway plays and a must see for any Academy Award lover this holiday season.

  • Rogue One: Star Wars like no other

    Rogue One: Star Wars like no other

    There’s a reason “Rogue One,” the latest in the world’s most popular film franchises, is tagged as “A Star Wars Story” rather than given an episode number like every other movie in the George Lucas series.

    Like its vigilante, independent title might suggest, “Rogue One” stands alone from all seven previous “Star Wars” films in nearly every way, from plot to characters to cinematography. Though it falls within the same universe, “Rogue One” is far from a traditional “Star Wars” film.

    Set sometime between the events of 2005’s “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and the 1977 original “Episode IV: A New Hope,” “Rogue One” focuses on a secret Rebel mission to steal the blueprints to the Empire’s recently completed Death Star battle station capable of wiping out entire planets. The team is comprised of entirely new characters to the franchise led by a young thief Jyn Erso (Oscar nominee Felicity Jones).


    Director Gareth Edwards’ foray into “Star Wars” operates in the darker, Empire-dominated mold of the prequel trilogy and “The Empire Strikes Back,” though “Rogue One” also often feels like a World War II era war epic set in the far reaches of space. This heavier tone culminates in one of the franchise’s best extended action sequences late in the film’s third act as the body count on both sides inevitably ramps up.

    Jones carries “Rogue One” with gusto similar to Daisy Ridley’s magnificent performance in last year’s “The Force Awakens,” though viewers never get to see the same level of character development in Jones’ Jyn as Ridley’s Rey. The main issue here is that both filmmaker and viewer know that Rey will be a major player in the franchise for several films to come, while Jyn’s story is completely contained in the stand-alone nature of “Rogue One” as a whole.

    “Rogue One” also benefits from a solid supporting cast led by Diego Luna as a Rebel Alliance captain tasked with tracking Jyn down, Forest Whitaker as Jyn’s mentor Saw Gerrera and Riz Ahmed as a Empire pilot sneaking secrets to the Rebellion.

    Like most “Star Wars” entries, one of the best parts of “Rogue One” is in its robots, namely the reprogrammed Empire robot K-2SO voiced by “Firefly” star Alan Tudyk. The script is strongest in K-2SO’s dry humor while predicting the probability of disaster at every turn and Tudyk’s ability to relay sarcasm in relative monotone effectively is key to the portrayal.

    Edwards’ film extends the film’s darker, grittier tone into the cinematography, which relies on tempered browns and grays unlike the bright vibrancy of JJ Abrams’ “The Force Awakens.” His expert use of angles to pit viewers within the shoes of the Rebel Alliance as they take on much larger Empire forces is also a highlight visually in the film’s final hour.

    There’s also a terrific use of CGI to help tie “Rogue One” in to other “Star Wars” films in spite of the circumstances. In order to bring classic villain Grand Moth Tarkin into the movie after the death of original actor Peter Cushing, filmmakers used CGI and digitally altered reference footage to insert Cushing’s likeness over the face of Guy Henry, who acted and voiced Tarkin for “Rogue One.” Fans of the franchise will find it nearly impossible to tell the difference without looking for it, which is a great accomplishment.

    Because “Rogue One” may not have long-term impact on the “Star Wars” story moving forward, it may not seem to some potential moviegoers that catching this off-shoot film in theaters would be necessary. This would be a tremendous mistake.

    “Rogue One” certainly stands out as the year’s best big-budget popcorn franchise film and does a masterful job of filling in the gaps between the original and prequel trilogies of “Star Wars.” The film’s dazzling third act is worth the price of admission alone as Edwards melds old world battle sequences with modern technology to create engaging, visually compelling cinema.

    More than any other film in the franchise since “A New Hope,” “Rogue One” is the most accessible “Star Wars” movie for those audience members unable to tell a Wookie from a Ewok and requires no prior knowledge before viewing.

    If you’re heading to the movies this holiday season, you could do a lot worse than checking out likely one of 2016’s ten best films.

  • Nocturnal Animals: Creatures of the night

    Nocturnal Animals: Creatures of the night

    Chances are there will never be another movie quite like “Nocturnal Animals.”

    Fashion designer turned director Tom Ford’s second film makes bold statement after bold statement cinematically on its way to being one of the year’s best movies – and certainly its most controversial.

    Before any of the feature’s four main stars – Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon or Aaron Taylor-Johnson – even hit the screen, Ford sets the stage with a bizarre, jarring opening credit sequence featuring several aging, obese women dancing naked for three-and-a-half minutes.

    Even after it’s revealed that the women are part of an exhibition showcase for a high-end art gallery run by Susan Morrow (Adams), the sequence still seems so out of place within the context of the rest of the film and may drive some viewers to leave the theater. This would be a mistake as “Nocturnal Animals” is one of the year’s most compelling dramas with a highly complex plot and masterful individual performances.

    The film focuses on three different timelines: Susan’s present day life interrupted by a package from her ex-husband Edward, her romance and marriage to Edward and the content of the novel Edward sends Susan to read after not speaking to her for nearly 20 years. Additional details would ruin Ford’s terrific adaptation of the 1993 novel “Tony and Susan” by Austin Wright.


    One of the best actors working today, Gyllenhaal does masterful work pulling double duty as both Susan’s ex Edward and the male protagonist in Edward’s novel, Tony. Gyllenhaal finely crafts a delicate balance between making each of his characters unique and blurring the lines between the two as the story progresses. No actor exhibits internal or external emotional turmoil better than Gyllenhaal and he is able to put both on display in a perfect effort.

    Adams is constrained by the plot to offset Gyllenhaal with a subdued, internal performance that bridges timeline gaps. As a result, her work is not as showy, but rather Adams portrays Susan as a woman with suffocated elegance struggling to find herself. There are a lot of small, nuanced facial tics that Adams develops to help layer the character and mirror Gyllenhaal’s two roles that are more readily apparent on a second viewing.

    Veteran character actor Shannon has yet to be nominated for an Academy Award, which might soon be corrected with a much deserved honor for his work as a west Texas cop leading a missing persons investigation in Edward’s novel. The consistently fantastic actor delivers as chain-smoking detective Bobby Andes with a measured, scene stealing performance rivaling leading Oscar contender Jeff Bridges’ turn in a similar role in “Hell or High Water.”

    Taylor-Johnson, best known for his work in superhero films like “Kick-Ass” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” turns in a career best performance as Ray, a nefarious drifter that serves as the primary antagonist in Edward’s novel. Ray borders on criminally incompetent or ingenious depending on the given moment and the effort is one of those unexpected gems that elevates the entire film to the next level.

    Ford’s fashion eye carries over well when it comes to the picturesque cinematography of “Nocturnal Animals,” which often feels like it was ripped straight out of a Dior perfume commercial or Vogue magazine advertisement. Director of photography Seamus McGarvey does a tremendous job of making rich Los Angeles and western desert landscapes come to life as Ford allows “Nocturnal Animals” plenty of time to breathe scene to scene.

    There’s a lot of merit – both acting and technical – that should be under consideration this awards season, though it’s quite possible that the film’s controversial open could keep “Nocturnal Animals” out of the running in many major categories. 

    An award nomination for Adams’ performance in the mesmerizing sci-fi drama “Arrival” could easily be construed as a joint nomination with her effort here. Similarly, Gyllenhaal deserves strong consideration for his two-pronged effort in “Nocturnal Animals” coupled with a highly underrated turn as a grieving widower in “Demolition” but this seems like more of a long shot.

    Moviegoers willing to allow themselves not to be swayed by the film’s shocking open will find “Nocturnal Animals” a scintillating and provocative psychological thriller than captivates audiences from start to finish.

    Led by a terrific ensemble cast and gorgeous cinematography, “Nocturnal Animals” will end up among the year’s five best films and is an absolute must see in theaters. 

  • Allied: The spy who loved he

    Allied: The spy who loved he

    Love isn’t easy for the average Joe.
    It mus be massively complicated for spies living on the edge during the heyday of World War II Europe, or at least Robert Zemeckis is banking on audiences believing it.

    His latest film, “Allied,” stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard as veteran assassins who fall in love during their first mission together killing a German ambassador. After the war, Max and Marianne wed and start a family in Britain only to have their entire relationship called into question when Max’s superior receive intelligence that Marianne covertly works as a German agent.


    For the most part, “Allied” is a genre-bending thriller that meanders into a variety of cinematic styles whenever the script from Steven Knight asks for it. The film starts as a “Casablanca”-esque drama that escalates into full scale action thriller before settling into tense seat-clenching spy tradecraft mystery you’d find in a John le Carre novel. 

    Pitt is his usual award-worthy self as Max, the loyal soldier conflicted between love and country. His performance is more stoic than might have been expected given the plot devices, but Pitt plays it off with class. “Allied” will likely be another one of those films where Pitt doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves as an actor because of his ridiculously good looks, but another actor in the same role doesn’t give half of the performance Pitt does.

    He’s well served, though, playing opposite the alluring and mysterious Cotillard, whose Marianne sits firmly on the border between lover and betrayer to keep the audience guessing all the way until the final frames. It’s a nearly flawless performance for Cotillard, whose best film work comes in the femme fatale role.

    “Allied” is also aided by several terrific supporting cast members including veteran character actor Jared Harris as Max’s friend and superior officer Frank and a cameo from British actor Matthew Goode as an ailing British officer hiding vital information to Max’s quest.

    Where “Allied” suffers most is in its opening 20 minutes, which relies much too heavily on slow moving expanse shots of Casablanca in what has to be a homage to the iconic film about the West African city. Chopping the prologue in half would help keep viewers engaged early in “Allied,” which is necessary for audiences to become invested in the outcome of the lead characters.

    Moviegoers planning on seeing the spy drama should not be discouraged by the tepid pace set by editors Mick Audsley and Jeremiah O’Driscoll. “Allied” outlasts this relatively minor flaw to become a solid, worthwhile espionage thriller.

    Zemeckis takes painstaking care to ensure his film is one of the most picturesque of the year, often lingering on Don Burgess’s masterfully composed shots far longer than the average director would. Pacing issues aside, “Allied” is a well crafted, meticulous effort by Zemeckis, who draws the most out of a stellar lead cast to develop the year’s most nuanced film outside of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi drama “Arrival.”

    “Allied” probably won’t receive the same sort of Academy Award nominations and critical accolades last year’s historical espionage drama “Bridge of Spies” received. Whether it’s the lack of a name director like Steven Spielberg or the tabloid publicity generated by Pitt’s divorce, “Allied” won’t have the broad appeal among voters. 

    It’s a shame, however, as Cotillard offers a performance that should be worthy of a Best Actress nomination and Pitt’s lack of a Oscar win feels downright criminal at this point of his exemplary career.

    “Allied” does a terrific job melding historical drama and spy thriller to create an often engaging period film in spite of the film’s slow start. 

    Until the Oscar contenders start hitting the theaters at the end of December, “Allied” will likely be the best adult drama available and a must see for those wanting to head to the movies before “Rogue One” opens Dec. 16.

  • Rules Don’t Apply: Beatty leads Howard Hughes fiction

    Rules Don’t Apply: Beatty leads Howard Hughes fiction

    Nostalgia is a pretty powerful thing in modern moviemaking.

    More than ever, films try to remind us about the good old days of cinema, whether it’s CGI sharks terrorizing Blake Lively in the “Jaws” homage “The Shallows” or any one of a dozen Disney live-action remakes of classic cartoon movies or even “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” which turns into a carbon copy of “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

    Writer/director/star Warren Beatty attempts to remind us of another style of classic cinema, Marilyn Monroe-era dramedy, with his new film “Rules Don’t Apply.” 

    Beatty crams himself right in the heart of the film, playing aging billionaire Howard Hughes as he mingles with naïve starlets looking for a shot on the big screen in one of his pictures and navigates business deals while suffering from depression and paranoia. Much of viewers’ understanding of Hughes is seen through the eyes of Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), a businessman hoping to get in the door with Hughes by serving as a driver for one of the 12-20 starlets in Hughes’ employ. Romance plays a part in “Rules Don’t Apply” with Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins), a devout Baptist torn between her beliefs, attraction to Forbes and loyalty to a benefactor she’s never met.

    What plays out on screen is a largely entertaining, often puzzling dramedy that doesn’t have the impact that Beatty might like or that a character like Howard Hughes ultimately deserves. It can’t help that Martin Scorcese’s Oscar winning drama “The Aviator” set the bar on Hughes films ridiculously high, but even by lesser standards, “Rules Don’t Apply” is middling fare and more on par with the Coen Brothers’ average Hollywood comedy “Hail, Caesar” from earlier this year.

    Beatty’s turn as Hughes is quirky and eccentric, like one might expect Hughes to be, but Beatty finds slight moments of cognitive thinking and understanding to show there’s still some part of the successful businessman hiding under the surface. There’s definitely homage to Tom Wilkinson’s brand of crazy businessman from the vastly superior “Michael Clayton,” but Beatty holds his own enough to dominate any scene he’s in to the film’s credit or detriment depending on the moment.

    Ehrenreich continues to pad his acting resume with a solid, unspectacular performance as Forbes though he occasionally shows enough of his star caliber to remind viewers why he’s in line to play a young Han Solo in the next “Star Wars” spinoff film slated for 2018. “Rules Don’t Apply” puts audiences in Frank’s shoes for much of the way in order to immerse ourselves in the world around Frank. As a result, Ehrenreich mostly tries to get out of his own way and remain just present enough in scenes to keep the action moving while not hitting any major marks of his own.

    The true star of “Rules Don’t Apply” is Collins, who will hopefully receive more dramatic opportunities outside the young adult film genre to sparkle. Her ability to play smart and naïve simultaneously in both romantic and non-romantic settings within the film is remarkable and Collins more than holds her own in scenes opposite Beatty, who does everything he possibly can to upstage her. This feels like a career-defining role for Collins if enough commercial and critical support can boost her up to the next level.

    “Rules Don’t Apply” also benefits from a deep and talented supporting cast in a variety of extended cameo roles, whether it be Alec Baldwin as an executive for Hughes’s company, Annette Bening as Mabrey’s prim and proper mother or Martin Sheen as the oustered CEO of the Hughes empire. Matthew Broderick does yeoman’s work as the more experienced driver mentoring Forbes through the business and Candice Bergen is solid opposite Collins and Beatty as Hughes’ personal secretary.

    Ultimately, Beatty’s first major film project in more than 15 years is a welcome return to the screen, though “Rules Don’t Apply” can’t totally hold together over the two hour stretch.  Talk of Academy Award consideration for Beatty as Hughes feels more like a legacy nomination than for actual merit.

    For Beatty fans, “Rules Don’t Apply” is worth a look whether it be at the theaters or in its inevitable run on basic cable.

  • Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: The magic is back

    Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: The magic is back

    The wizarding world of Harry Potter takes an adventurous left turn in the prequel spinoff franchise “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the first in a series of films based on the J.K Rowling novel of the same name.
    You won’t find Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson or any of the other stars of the eight “Harry Potter” movies within “Fantastic Beasts,” which is set many decades before Potter’s birth in New York City somewhere between World War I and World War II.

    Instead this spinoff franchise is led by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, seemingly the Jack Hanna for sorcerers who is currently researching for a textbook on the world’s most magical creatures. A series of unfortunate events leads to the opening of his suitcase, releasing a number of these fantastic beasts out across the city.

    A tad off-putting at first, Redmayne is the perfect choice for Scamander once viewers get to learn more about the character. Scamander is equal parts daring and shy, a loner both by design and  circumstance who tries not to let his eccentric habits define him. It’s Redmayne’s most light-hearted performance to date and the best possible use of his talents in a major film franchise.

    ​http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vso5o11LuGU

    Katherine Waterston continues her rise up the acting ladder with her first leading turn in a large scale feature film as Tina, an employee for New York’s magical police who aides Scamander in finding all of his freed creatures. Her performance is less quirky than one might expect from a mature woman in the “Harry Potter” universe as nearly all the female witches in the previous eight films were significantly more out there as characters. But Waterston does a fine job balancing out Redmayne scene to scene.

    Veteran character actor Colin Farrell is solid, yet unspectacular as lead magical investigator Percival Graves, while rising star Ezra Miller offers the film’s best supporting performance as a peculiar and often mistreated boy holding in some deep secrets.

    The real stars of the show are the beasts themselves, incredibly unique from animal to animal and expertly designed and created through computer generated images. It would be one thing for a single beast to dominate the show – whether it be the massive half-rhino, half-hippo or the platypus with a pension to steal shiny objects – but each and every single one of the dozens of creatures viewers encounter over the course of two hours is an absolute highlight. Moments featuring the beasts themselves are the highlights of the film and there simply aren’t enough of them.

    Director David Yates, who helmed the final four installments of the “Harry Potter” franchise, brings much needed cinematic continuity to this prequel adventure. Yates imbues his latest film with a fantastic combination of the light-hearted wonder of Chris Columbus’ early Potter films – “Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Chamber of Secrets” – and more mature, frightening elements from Yates’ own “Deathly Hallows” films.

    “Fantastic Beasts” is probably much too scary in parts for younger audiences, especially those who aren’t yet old enough for the final three “Harry Potter” films. There’s plenty of dark magic in “Fantastic Beasts,” things that go bump in the night and scenes of child abuse with a belt that are unfortunately necessary to the plot. Parents need to take caution before allowing their child to see this film.

    That being said, “Fantastic Beasts” is a wonderful blend of the things that made “Harry Potter” one of the most dominant film franchises over the last decade and should ensure magical escapades on the big screen for years to come.

    “Harry Potter” fans should rejoice as “Fantastic Beasts” totally lives up to its name cinematically and is a must see in theaters.

  • Arrival: Can you hear me now?

    Arrival: Can you hear me now?

    There’s something beautifully simple about the complexity of “Arrival,” Denis Villeneuve’s captivatingly science fiction drama.
    While the film’s premise feels cookie-cutter cliché, “Arrival” asks more rhetorical questions than it ultimately answers and should serve as a conversation starter about understanding instead of fearing our allies, enemies and the unknown in trying political and social times.

    Villeneuve’s third major feature film is the perfect counterbalance to the more popcorn “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” of the cinematic lexicon and redefines artistic science fiction filmmaking in a clearer way than Christopher Nolan’s star-studded “Interstellar.”

    Amy Adams stars as Dr. Louise Banks, a linguistics professor brought in by the United States military to interpret and communicate with an alien race after large oval-shaped UFOs land in 12 hotspots throughout the globe. Paired with theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Banks has to provide the foundation for interspecies communication under the pressures of global politics all while grieving over the loss of her daughter Hannah.

    ​http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMo3UJ4B4g

    For all its visual wizardry and narrative complexity, “Arrival” lives and dies by the success or failure of Adams’ lead performance as Banks, who drives the entirety of the action from start to finish. Fortunately for moviegoers, Adams hits it out of the park with her best performance since 2010’s “The Fighter.” Her Banks is logical, yet deeply emotional both from the death of her daughter and the harrowing position the military puts her in. While other actresses might have played Banks on a more one-dimensional level to let the technical aspects shine, Adams elevates her performance to the same level with a thoroughly layered, nuanced turn that will likely be on award voters’ minds as a part of her expected nominated for the yet-to-be-released “Nocturnal Animals” later this month.

    The always solid Renner does a terrific job in a supporting role as Donnelly, balancing a fine line between challenging and supporting Banks throughout her mission. A slight character adjustment one way or another would have made Donnelly a pushover or a bully, but Renner keeps Donnelly right in the sweet spot in between to advance the film forward and accentuate Adams’ terrific performance.

    What viewers will likely remember first when looking back on “Arrival” are the beautifully grotesque aliens that Banks and Donnelly encounter, known in the film simply as heptapods. While describing the heptapods at great length would ruin the surprise of their initial appearance, Villeneuve and his creative team do a masterful job of making such a strange, unappealing creature look stunning nevertheless. The visual artistry displayed in “Arrival” when it comes to these alien lifeforms is worth the price of admission alone.

     “Arrival” confirms Villeneuve as one of the top three to five directors working in Hollywood today following the critical success of the kidnapping drama “Prisoners” and the Oscar-nominated thriller “Sicario.” His film is the perfect thinking man’s sci-fi drama as Villeneuve and crew engage audiences in spirited debate about the meaning of language, reacting out of fear and using communication as a tool to bring people together rather than one to tear people apart.

    The film is a surprisingly poignant think piece that forces moviegoers to question their own interactions and sense of right and wrong on interpersonal and geopolitical levels. The intellectual depth that “Arrival” richly bathes in makes it a prime candidate for multiple screenings in the theaters to better understand the complexities of the film’s underlying themes.

    Cinematographer Bradford Young masterfully crafts each shot with piercing technical skill to reflect the mood and tone of every scene. The visuals developed over the course of the film become key to the movie watching experience as Villeneuve and Young separate the audience from the narrative in a cold, clinical way. It’s as if moviegoers are watching events unfold like tourists visiting a large aquarium or, in a sense, become the scientists engaging with the heptapods through a clear wall as shown in the film.

    It’s unlikely that Villeneuve will see the same sort of awards season success that “Sicario” did sneaking into the Oscar race last year, though a nomination in the technical categories for Young’s cinematography isn’t entirely out of the question given the expected backlash from 2016’s #OscarsSoWhite movement. Regardless, “Arrival” is a film that stays with viewers long after they leave the theater and will likely end up as one of the five best movies in 2016.

     “Arrival” isn’t the alien encounter film anyone has been asking for. It’s the one smart moviegoers deserve. Don’t make the mistake of passing it up.

  • Hacksaw Ridge: What it means to serve

    Hacksaw Ridge: What it means to serve

    Unwavering heroism amidst the ravages of war is explored in Mel Gibson’s latest directorial effort “Hacksaw Ridge,” sure to be one of the year’s ten best feature films.

    Gibson expertly combines gruesome World War II era violence akin to Steven Spielberg’s classic “Saving Private Ryan” with dramatic underpinnings of faith, family and love for your fellow man that one might expect in a traditional faith-based movie.

    “Hacksaw Ridge” tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a Seventh Day Adventist who volunteers to serve in the Pacific during World War II despite being a conscientious objector who refuses to carry a weapon into battle. Doss overcame court-martial to serve his country at the Hacksaw Ridge offensive during the Battle of Okinawa, rescuing 75 men as a combat medic largely behind enemy lines.


    Andrew Garfield shines as Doss, a man imbued with unshakeable conviction for both his country and his nonviolent beliefs. “Hacksaw Ridge” is unquestionably the best work of Garfield’s career and, along with a stellar turn in last year’s “99 Homes,” marks a turning point past two films in the “Spiderman” franchise. While it could be easily said that “Hacksaw Ridge” is an incredible war film, Garfield’s expert portrayal of a man who refuses to fight but demands to serve elevates the performances of every actor around him and the movie as a whole.

    Hugo Weaving, who has largely slept-walked his way through films since his breakout as Agent Smith in “The Matrix” trilogy, comes alive opposite Garfield as Doss’s alcoholic, belligerent father racked with emotional guilt after being the only of his friends to survive two tours of duty during World War I. Many war films attempt to gloss over the home life of the soldiers they feature, but Gibson embraces the task head-on in limited, but well-acted scenes between Weaving and Garfield. Both actors perform flawlessly in developing the character of the man Doss was by hammering home how he came to be that man.

    Less successful in this respect is the film’s romantic interludes as Doss courts a local nurse named Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) who later becomes his wife. At first glance, it’s unclear whether the romance angle of “Hacksaw Ridge” falters due to script issues or Palmer’s bland, ineffective performance, but the on-screen couple have very little chemistry.

    Doss’s military superiors as played by “Avatar” star Sam Worthington and funnyman Vince Vaughn are unusual casting choices, but neither actor gets in the way of the overall film.

    “Hacksaw Ridge” is perhaps the most graphically violent World War II era war film since “Saving Private Ryan,” but Gibson relies on the authenticity of the conflict to drive home just how harrowing Doss’s story of heroism and survival genuinely was. With the lead character serving as a medic, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that the level of gore within “Hacksaw Ridge” is amplified by the length of time bodies with severed limbs are shown on screen. 

    Embracing violence has been a trademark of his films dating back to 1995’s “Braveheart,” but Gibson does a terrific job of approaching the ravages of war from a fresh perspective and is buoyed by Garfield’s strong individual effort. “Hacksaw Ridge” will likely stay in the Oscar conversation, but ultimately fall short due to the graphic violence and controversial nature of the film’s director. It would not be a surprise, however, to see Garfield’s work in the film honored as part of a nomination for his role in Martin Scorcese’s “Silence.”

    Doss’s tale of patriotic heroism is too important for mature audiences not to make an effort to see “Hacksaw Ridge” at least once and Gibson’s film will probably never look better than it does on the big screen. Even though it arrives in a highly charged political climate, the film opts to avoid definitely becoming a pro-war or anti-war piece and benefits greatly from its relative evenhandedness.

    While not a perfect film, “Hacksaw Ridge” will ultimately be remembered as one of Hollywood’s best World War II efforts and a must see for those capable of handling its brutality.

  • Inferno: Hanks, Howard can’t bring the heat

    Inferno: Hanks, Howard can’t bring the heat

    It’s difficult to imagine a film called “Inferno” would be one to pull its punches.

    But aside from a few interesting moments early, Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Dan Brown novel by the same name goes out of its way to play it safe.

    This makes Tom Hanks’ third turn as expert symbologist Robert Langdon a largely flat, uninspiring jaunt around Europe on par with the film adaptation of “Angels and Demons” and well below “The Da Vinci Code.”


    Langdon awakens in a hospital room with a gunshot wound to the head and short term memory loss, tasked with solving a series of puzzles left by a billionaire madman with an obsession with Dante’s classic “Inferno.” Aided by a beautiful doctor (Felicity Jones), Langdon must evade questionable law enforcement officers and solve the mystery to stop a plague from killing half of civilization.

    Hanks has great familiarity with the Indiana Jones-esque Langdon, who essentially devolves into a Harvard-educated version of Matt Damon’s amnesiac Jason Bourne without the killer fight skills in “Inferno.” But three films into the role, it’s readily apparent that one of Hollywood’s best actors cannot muster up enough enthusiasm to elevate the material beyond second tier action fodder. 

    Academy Award nominee Jones makes her biggest feature film appearance to date in “Inferno,” though her role as Langdon ally Sienna Brooks isn’t quite an auspicious major motion picture debut. Looking back, it’s clear moviegoers will remember her 2016 more for her lead performance in the upcoming “Star Wars” standalone film “Rogue One” in December. 

    As Brooks, Jones isn’t quite a damsel in distress or the Watson to Langdon’s Sherlock Holmes or any other definable characteristic. What comes across on screen is an awkwardly lethargic female lead whose main purpose is to take some of the expositional dialogue off Hanks’ shoulders and advance the plot forward.

    Ben Foster, who was incredible as an anti-hero bank robber in “Hell or High Water,” comes off equally as generic as the film’s main villain, Zobrist. The script pulls a lot of the punch from the character, but Foster plays Zobrist with little gusto given the fact that his character is trying to murder half the world’s population. It’s proper casting executed poorly. 

    The film’s best moments come in Langdon’s many visions caused by amnesia, where Langdon glimpses clues to the puzzle as a terror-filled apocalypse. Because “Inferno” is a PG-13 adventure made for wide audiences, Howard doesn’t go too over the top with the gore for his Halloween weekend release. But the departure is the most welcome piece of cinema within “Inferno” as a whole.

    Screenwriter David Koepp could easily be excused from simplifying Brown’s novel for film adaptation by cutting some corners early in the screenplay and eliminating minor fringe characters. What there really isn’t an excuse for, however, is the massive alterations to the film’s final act, which fundamentally changes the core motivations for several characters and weakens Brown’s unique original ending.

    “Inferno” doesn’t really hold up over the course of two hours thanks in large part to poor plot structure and a middling effort from Hanks. The result is a decent, not good thriller that symbolizes a significant downward trend in the Robert Langdon franchise that only ardent Hanks fans may leave the theaters happy with.

    Though Howard may finally be running out of steam, “Inferno” is still worth taking a chance on in theaters for those willing to turn their brains off for 90-plus minutes and just enjoy the ride.

  • Florence Foster Jenkins: Loving the un-pretty voices

    Florence Foster Jenkins: Loving the un-pretty voices

    Award season doesn’t hit for another several months, with major contenders typically not hitting theaters until mid-December.

    There’s usually one exception to this rule annually and in 2016, it comes in the form of Meryl Streep, an actress so synonymous with Academy Award nominations that her mere involvement in a feature vaults it to the top of prognosticators’ lists.

    Her latest film, the comedic biopic “Florence Foster Jenkins,” certainly doesn’t disappoint in any regard. 


    After finding critical and moderate commercial success in early August, Streep’s latest film returned to new theaters last week and wowed audiences with its rarely successful combination of humor and poignancy.

    In the film, Streep stars as Jenkins, a World War II-era socialite who utilizes her family fortune to sponsor classical music concerts across New York City. Eager to make it herself as an opera star, she enlists the talents of her actor/manager husband St Clair (Hugh Grant), pianist Cosme (Simon Helberg) and an assistant conductor for the Metropolitan Opera to coach her despite the fact that she is unaware how incapable she is of singing well.

    Films like “Florence Foster Jenkins” aren’t worth making without a generational talent like Streep and she proves it once again in the film’s titular role. At first glance, there’s a lot of Streep’s Oscar nominated turn as Julia Child in “Julie and Julia” within her Florence. But Streep imbues Florence with significantly more depth than it might appear and certainly more than “the world’s worst famous singer” moniker might imply.

    While it’s obvious to point out how difficult it is to intentionally sing poorly (and Streep does so masterfully), the true brilliance within her performance is how effortlessly Streep layers Florence’s public and private personas. As a character, Florence naturally interacts differently with all the men in her life, but does so in a much more authentic way than one might expect from a traditional biopic. Streep does a wonderful job of invigorating each of her characters with such extreme individuality. 

    Grant’s charming, yet duplicitous turn as Florence’s husband St Clair could very well earn the veteran actor his long overdue first Academy Award nomination. Grant makes St Clair charming and out for himself just enough to justify his secret affair while simultaneously demonstrating his character’s immense and enduring love for Florence.

    “Big Bang Theory” star Helberg surprises not only with his refreshingly touching and humorous role as pianist Cosme McMoon, but with his actual musical talent. A well versed musician in his own right, Helberg plays all of the music within “Florence Foster Jenkins” himself. It’s a unique talent that helped land the TV funnyman his first big movie in a critical supporting role opposite Streep. 

    What make Helberg perfect for “Florence Foster Jenkins,” however, is his pitch perfect comic timing in both the verbal and non-verbal sense, matching exactly the audience’s genuine reaction to Florence’s musical idiosyncrasies. Viewers are best able to emotionally connect with the film’s poignant third act by growing to love Florence as Cosme does. Helberg’s terrific performance elevates the entire film beyond being simply “a Meryl Streep movie.” 

    “Florence Foster Jenkins” isn’t remotely close to director Stephen Frears’ best work, with 2006’s “The Queen” and 2013’s “Philomena” both being better written, more technically savvy works. But Frears knows enough to get out of his own way and let his stars’ performances shine.

    In all likelihood, “Florence Foster Jenkins” will only be in contention for accolades in acting categories despite being one of the year’s most singularly delightful offerings. Streep’s name alone could garner her 20th Academy Award nomination for a deserving performance while a charming Grant could slip into best supporting actor contention depending on how other films shake out in December.

    Though the humor is dry, “Florence Foster Jenkins” is anything but a bore and should be a must see for movie fans looking for the film’s second theatrical run or as a rental at the end of the year.