At Theaters 3.0

More Reviews of Films in Theatrical Release

© by John Arkelian

“A Real Pain” (Poland/USA, 2024) (B/B+):  Two cousins from America embark on a guided tour to Poland to visit the places where their beloved late grandmother lived (the picturesque city of Lublin) and where she survived the Holocaust (the closely adjacent Majdanek concentration camp).  They make an odd couple indeed:  David (Jesse Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed the film) is quiet and introverted; Benji (Kieran Culkin) is boisterous and extroverted — equal parts obnoxiousness and ingratiating charm.  David confesses to the rest of their tour group that he both loves and hates his cousin, being partly in awe of him and partly embarrassed by him.  For this viewer, Benji’s capacity for boorishness may tip those scales in one direction rather than the other.  He may not be likeable, but it’s a bravura performance.  Their acerbic interaction is entertaining for its dry humor and character friction borne of a mismatch in temperament and manners.  There are hints of incipient poignancy about the two young men, but they remain somewhat inchoate.  The rest of the small tour group is likewise well-drawn, starting with standout Jennifer Grey (of “Dirty Dancing” fame) as a mature lovely solo traveler, Kurt Egyiawan as a survivor of an African genocide, and Will Sharpe as their young British guide (with Daniel Oreskes & Lisa Sadovu rounding out the group).  The film was nominated for the Grand Jury and Screenwriting Prizes at Sundance.  For ages 18+:  Abundant coarse language; drug use.

“Small Things Like These” (Ireland/Belgium/USA, 2024) (B+):  Set in Ireland in 1985, a good man (very sensitively played by Cillian Murphy) runs a small business delivering coal to assorted customers.  One of them is a local convent, where unmarried young mothers-to-be are put in the none-too-tender care of nuns.  The nun-in-charge (played Emily Watson) is as cold as ice, and Bill comes to be concerned about the welfare of one of her charges (Zara Devlin) when he finds the frightened, shivering girl locked in the convent’s coal-hut on a winter night.  Her plight, more implied than overtly described, has deep resonance for Bill, as his own mother was an unwed woman, who, atypically for this time and place, found a safe refuge with a benevolent wealthy woman (Michelle Fairley, who played Catelyn Stark in “Game of Thrones”).  The recurring flashbacks to Bill’s childhood are a bit hard to follow at times, and that backstory feels a tad inchoate.  We know his childhood left Bill emotionally wounded, but it’s not entirely clear why.  That cavil aside, this is a finely acted drama, an impressionistic and very subtly performed dive into its protagonist’s psyche.  In addition to those already named, Eileen Walsh as Bill’s wife, Helen Behan as the friendly pubkeeper who advises Bill to go along to get along, and the girls who play Bill’s daughters all add to the authenticity of the film. Based on the novel by Clare Keegan, who co-wrote the screenplay, it takes its premise from the real-life plight of young unmarried women who were harshly treated (and forcibly separated from their infants) in the nun-run ‘Magdalene Laundries’ which operated in Ireland as late as 1996.  The film was nominated for the Golden Bear (Best Film) and Supporting Performance (Watson) at the Berlin Film Festival.

“Conclave” (U.K./USA, 2024) (A):  When the Pope dies, the Cardinals convene in Rome to choose a successor, and this engrossing story brilliantly turns that seemingly straightforward process into the stuff of high drama.  Competing ambitions, conservative versus liberal agendas, secrets, and subtle intrigues yield an award-caliber result thanks to a first-rate cast led by Ralph Fiennes as the man responsible for overseeing the election.  He is ably supported by Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Jacek Koman, Isabella Rossellini, Carlos Diehz, and others.  Fiennes was deservedly nominated as Best European Actor at the European Film Awards, and the result is easily one of the best films of the year.  Highly recommended.

“Here” (USA, 2024) (C+):  The be-all and end-all of this film is to have a stationary camera record the doings in one little corner of the northeastern United States over the span of two centuries — with some flashbacks even further in time to prehistory.  The setting (the eponymous “here” of the title) is the living room of a ordinary house — and that’s all (though we can glimpse temporal changes on the residential street outside through a picture window).  Characters come and go as the separate stories hop, skip, and jump to-and-fro in time with vignettes from the lives of the humans who occupy this particular space.  We get moments of joy, conflict, loss, and change from the lives of six different couples, culminating with the one played by Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who are digitally rejuvenated for most of their time on screen.  The relentlessly static physical perspective is a  novel approach; but, frankly, it gets tedious rather quickly — with the unchanging locational point of view very soon feeling like a gimmick and the multitude of non-linear interludes with a myriad of characters diluting our interest in any and all of them.  Oddly, the trailer for the film is much better than the film itself, suggesting a more linear narrative that’s mostly about a single couple’s life together.  In stark contrast, the film’s disparate threads lack cohesion and focus and fail to engage us emotionally — until the last couple of minutes, when, coincidentally or not, the camera finally gets off its perch and moves.  Skip the film and see the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_id-SkGU2k

“Blink” (USA, 2024) (A-):   A Canadian couple take their four young children on a round-the-world expedition to create visual memories for them in this up-close-and documentary account of their journey. Three of the four children have been diagnosed with retinitus pigmentosa and are seemingly doomed to lose their sight in time.  There are no luxury hotels here:  the family stay at no-frills hostels as they experience deserts, jungles, and a multi-day trek through the Himalayan mountains.   The family are engaging, their story is affecting and inspiring, and the locations are pleasing to the eye.  The result is highly recommended.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” (USA/Canada, 2024) (B-/B):  A little Gaga go-goes a long way in this follow-up to 2019’s surprisingly effective “Joker.”  This one takes place in Arkham, a prison for the criminally insane, while the severely mentally disturbed Arthur Fleck (Joachim Phoenix) awaits trial for his killings in the first film.  Audaciously, the sequel frames itself as a partial-musical (with periodic musical numbers depicting imagined sequences) and assigns most of the singing to Lady Gaga, who is the ‘Harley Quinn’ romantic interest for its chief antagonist.  What’s good here is the gritty realism of its characterization and setting.  There’s still no Batman.  Instead, the focus here is exclusively on the villain of the piece, and, somehow, we can still feel a modicum of sympathy for him as a mentally unwell man who needs help.  The orchestral score by Iceland’s Hildur Guðnadóttir is excellent — full of dark brooding and ominously moody notes.  Brendan Gleeson (as a guard) and Catherine Keener (as a defense counsel) each make solid impressions.  But there’s too much Gaga, face paint, and singing:  all three of which feel over-the-top and wrench us out of the story.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; violence; disturbing subject-matter.

“Ezra” (USA, 2023) (B+):  Here’s an engaging serio-comic look at family dynamics and dealing with disability.  Max (Bobby Cannavale) is a stand-up comedian by profession.  He lives with his father Stan (Robert De Niro), still carries a torch for his divorced wife Jenna (Rose Byrne), and dotes on his young son Ezra.  Ezra is autistic — brightly precocious in some respects, a behavioral handful in others.  But Max will have none of it when school and medical officials want to move the child from his elementary school to a special-needs school and put him on medications to moderate his moods.  So, he absconds with Ezra on a cross-country road trip.  There’s humor along the way, as well as touching moments.  When Max confides, “I don’t know where to put all this effing rage,” his usually non-nonsense father shows a gentler side:  “You don’t put it anywhere.  You bury it.”

The cast is very appealing, with those named above nicely supported by Whoopi Goldberg as Max’s agent, Rainn Wilson and Vera Farmiga as family friends, Tony Goldwyn (who also directed the film) as the new man in Jenna’s life, and Matilda Lawler as a girl who befriends Ezra.  Surprisingly, it’s a little harder to warm to the title character (played by William A. Fitzgerald), but perhaps that is, in part at least, intentional.   A couple of scenes — one involving a confrontation in a bar that’s a bit too sour in tone, the other a foolhardy shortcut by car through a forest, feel off-key in the writing department; and an unlikely reunion at a roadside cafe in the middle of nowhere is hard to credit.  But, overall, it’s an enjoyable journey of both the literal and metaphorical kind.  For ages 18+:  Frequent coarse language, including a crude sexual reference.

For a sneak peek, here’s the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkufAtl5eSQ

“How Deep is the Ocean” (Australia, 2023) (C/C+):   A 20-something woman named Eleanor (Olivia Fildes) arrives in Melbourne from the city of Adelaide with little more than the clothes she’s wearing.  We don’t know exactly what has prompted the seemingly sudden relocation.  Was it an unhappy romance?  Was it distress over a father’s incarceration for killing a man in a fight?   Was it a general disenchantment with her life?  All we know for sure is that Eleanor has boarded a train with the objective of leaving her past life behind her and starting anew somewhere else.  The ambiguity adds interest to the protagonist.  And her new life unfolds in very ordinary ways:  she needs a room to rent and a job to pay the bills.  The landlord (Cris Cochrane’s troubled Matt) seems like an incipient abuser at first, but segues unexpectedly into a somewhat sympathetic new friend.  Eleanor rejects a nice guy (Will Weatheritt’s Matt) in favor of an older guy (Adam Rowland) who proves to be married.  It’s a poor choice on her part, but, then, real life is full of poor choices.

Writer/director Andrew Walsh gives the story a nice naturalistic tone: these are just ordinary working class people doing everyday things.  However, the film too often feels inchoate and a tad aimless — with its lead character a little too impenetrable emotionally for much of the time.  If the film is headed anywhere, it never really arrives.  A pay-off, a life arc, an explanation for where its protagonist came from and where she’s going, figuratively-speaking, are all missing in action.  It’s a good cast (Simone Oula makes an impression in a too-brief role as a competing candidate for a job); and the director shows enough promise that we want to see his future work.  But this effort falls short of its potential.  The film’s best moments come near the end:  we return to a scene that opened the film, with Eleanor wading into the sea.  This time the whole scene plays out:  she goes underwater, then reemerges.  There’s a quiet look on her face.  Peaceful?  Reborn, perhaps, and ready to start again?   Then back at the train station to return whence she came, she espies Matt, whom she had brushed off, with another woman.  He has found happiness, and Eleanor slightly smiles.  If she’s happy for him, it suggests that she has grown enough to put another’s interest first; so, there’s that hint at least of a story arc.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKaTswi3WA

“Thelma” (Switzerland/USA, 2024) (B/B+):  The title character in this amusing tale of ‘senior-power’ may be 90-something — as is the actress, June Squibb, playing her — but she proves herself to be a determined and resourceful force-to-be-reckoned-with when she is defrauded by a telephone scam.  Off she embarks, atop a senior’s scooter, intent on getting her pilfered monies back.  Although they are at opposite ends of the age spectrum, we are reminded of the song “Little People” sung by the child Gavroche in the stage musical “Les Misérables:”  “And little people know / When little people fight / We may look easy pickings but we got some bite! / So never kick a dog because he’s just a pup / You better run for cover when the pup grows up!”  Far too often, older folks are underestimated or simply ‘humored’ by society.  Here’s an entertaining and heartwarming antidote to that mistaken way of thinking!  June Squibb is ably supported by Richard Roundtree (who died not long ago), Fred Hechinger (as Thelma’s close-knit grandson), and Malcolm McDowell (who has never been better than in his current co-starring role on CBC-TVs “Son of a Critch”).  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0NlEIXbjcw

“The King Tide” (Canada, 2023) (B/B+):  “And so the island remained.”  The inhabitants of an isolated island rescue an infant from a turbulent sea and come to regard her as a totem of good fortune in a story that gets high marks for originality.  Its characters are just ordinary people (and therefore entirely believable); but their decision to cut themselves off from the outer world (even radios and televisions have been banished) smacks ever so subtly of something cult-like:  “Those Mainlanders, they can’t touch us here.”  That same sense of vague unease goes double for their veneration of the child whom they regard as their bringer of health and plenty.  Their common salutation to her is: “Many thanks to you Isla.”  There’s something vaguely discomforting about those words, despite the seemingly benign little society in which they are regularly uttered.

The everyday meets the subtly mythic in a beautiful setting.  The film’s emblematic scenes of the sea are breathtaking; an aerial scene with a multitude of fish is visually striking.  Filming took place in Keels, Newfoundland (population 30), and it seems at once as close as home and as distant as a fairy tale.  Or perhaps a morality tale.  For here we have insularity run amok, the dangers inherent in too much of a good thing (and the ensuing greed for more of it), belief systems that can grow too rigid, and the inescapable human proclivity, even amongst mostly decent folks, to exploit others.

Directed by Christian Sparkes and written by KC Coughlin, Ryan Grassby, and Albert Shin, “The King Tide” had three nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards:  Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Visual Effects.  It won Best Atlantic Feature Film and Editing at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax.  The solid (mostly Canadian) cast includes Frances Fisher, Alix West Lefler, Aden Young, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Clayne Crawford, Emily Piggford, and Cameron Nicholl.  The thought-provoking result isn’t meant to be conventionally ‘frightening.’  Rather, it has an abiding sense of unease and a strange, almost subconscious, resonance with our deepest feelings about the power of trust and belief and group-think.  Fresh, very original, and subtle (almost to the end), it is worthy of note.  For ages 18+:  Occasional coarse language; adult themes.  See the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU4UPnJiD_M

“The Braid” [“La Tresse”] (France/Canada/Italy/Belgium, 2023) (A-/A):  Three strong women in three different countries face daunting challenges and grievous loss but strive to come out the other side whole. Smita (Mia Maelzer) belongs the so-called “Untouchable” caste in India.  She wants a better life for her young daughter and risks everything in a bid to get it.  Guilia (Fotinmi Peluso) is devoted to her skilled artisan father in a picture-perfect seaside town in Italy.  When he is felled by a health crisis, everything she knows and loves is at risk.  Sarah (Kim Raver) seems to have it all as a high-powered lawyer in Montreal.  She’s career-driven and on-track to become her firm’s managing partner, but she also loves her kids.  A sudden calamity puts everything in jeopardy. Directed and co-written by Laetitia Colombani, “The Braid” has three compelling story strands, each of them utterly engrossing — three women, three stories, three life-altering forks in the road, and three inspiring examples of overcoming adversity.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AsbS9KGk4I

“In the Country of Last Things” [“El País de las Últimas Cosas”] (Dominican Republic/Argentina, 2020) (B+):  “The end is only imaginary — a destination you invent to keep yourself going even if you never get there.”  It opens with words by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the 19th century American writer whose fiction, like “The Scarlet Letter,” often dealt with moral questions:  “Not a great while ago, passing through the gate of dreams, I visited that region of the earth in which lies the famous City of Destruction.”  Apt words indeed about this artful dramatization of the 1987 ‘dystopian epistolary novel’ of the same name by Paul Auster, for the setting here, in some nameless land, is indeed a bleak, half-lost city of destruction.  In the aftermath of some unspecified calamity — be it man-made or natural, or perhaps just the collapse to which all human polities ultimately fall prey — a young woman (Jasmin Diz’s Anna) is on a forlorn quest to find her long-lost brother amidst the flotsam and jetsam of a city in which most of the trappings of civilization have fallen away.  People are forbidden from burying their dead; instead, the dead are collected by what remains of the state to be used as fuel.  Scavengers make their circuitous way through detritus-filled streets, slowly pushing shopping carts to hold their meager finds.  Hulks of wrecked ships lie in the harbor; plumes of dark smoke punctuate the near-horizon.

The desolate setting is juxtaposed with the protagonist’s quest, which is fueled both by hope and by memories of better days.  Only dreams and memories are depicted in color; the rest is presented in stark black-and-white.  The result is at once surreal and visually striking, as smoky clouds race by overhead.  Anna unexpectedly finds love (expressed with a lyrical, poetic sensibility as “the best days of my life”) and both extremes of the moral spectrum in those who ruthlessly prey on others and those who selflessly give succour to those in need.  The side of human benevolence is personified by the Good Samaritan figure of Victoria (Maria de Medeiros, who brings her customary sensitivity to the role and makes it real) who asks, “I wonder what’s better:  to help many people a little bit or just a few people a lot?”

Directed and co-written by Argentina’s Alejandro Chomski, the film is at once poetic (a character is said to have “spun off into his own orbit — an errant star with no definable trajectory”), philosophical, and elegiac.  Very well-acted by Jasmin Diz (in her feature film debut), Maria de Medeiros, Christopher Von Uckermann, and others, there are a series of well-drawn characters and a sad resignation about a world half in ruins.  It is refreshingly different — as much a journey of the psyche as a physical one, with a timelessness and artful beauty born of  Diego Poleri’s gorgeous B&W cinematography.  For ages 18+:  Brief nudity; adult subject-matter.

For a sneak peek, here’s the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hJvZofbkQY

“Wicked Little Letters” (U.K./USA/France, 2023) (B+/A-):  A small British town in the 1920’s is the location for this rollicking comedy about a clash of personalities, manners, and mores.  When the townsfolk start receiving foul-mouthed poison-pen letters, Edith (Olivia Coleman) points the finger of suspicion at her purported new friend, Rose (Jessie Buckley).  The proverbial shoe seems to fit, for Rose doesn’t fit comfortably within this little society’s politely constrained parameters.  For one thing, she’s a newcomer.  For another, she’s Irish.  For yet another, she’s a single mother.  It doesn’t take much to get her dander up.  Nor is she the least bit inclined to suffer fools — preferring to head-butt them.  And her spoken discourse is unapologetically littered with unladylike profanities.

What ensues is outrageously funny, with satirical nods to the emancipation versus repression of women and to what might today be called ‘trolling.’  With its half-serious themes about repression, jealousy, and social impatience with non-conformity, there are some touching moments in the midst of this laugh-out-loud melee.  And there’s a talented cast, with the aforementioned Coleman and Buckley joined by a scene-stealing Anjana Vasan as a determined policewoman bucking-up against an old boys’ club, Alisha Weir as Rose’s no-nonsense young daughter Nancy, and the always watchable Timothy Spall, here playing against type as a wholly unsympathetic chauvinist.   For ages 18+:  Abundant very coarse language.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgqQvmbP-UU

“Cabrini” (USA, 2024) (A-):  “What kind of world do we want, and what will we do to live in it?”  A young nun from Italy is driven by a sense of purpose.  Her goal (ultimately achieved) is to create a network of housing and healthcare for orphaned children around the world.  She starts, in 1889, freshly off the boat from Europe, in New York City, with only a handful of colleagues and a staggering host of obstacles.  Undaunted, she faces each challenge in turn and accomplishes great things.  Cristiana Dell’Anna is a force to be reckoned with in the title role.  Based on the true story of the first American to ever be sainted by the Catholic Chruch, the heroine of this tale may be indefatigable, but she is always utterly believable as a strong woman who has to overcome external opponents and her own frail health:  “We can serve our weakness or we can serve our purpose.  Not both.”  An able supporting cast includes Giancarlo Giannini  (as Pope Leo XIII), David Morse (as the archbishop who is skeptical about the feasibility of Cabrini’s goals), and John Lithgow, as the city’s hostile mayor who grudgingly comes to respect Cabrini.  He tells her, “It’s a shame that you’re a woman, Mother.  You would have made an excellent man.”  She replies, “Oh no, Mr. Mayor, men could never do what we do.”  Directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde, “Cabrini” is a complete surprise — unexpectedly moving and powerfully inspiring:  “It takes a lot of courage to be who we’re meant to be.”  See the trailer at:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaMlUazXvyY

“Perfect Days” (Japan/Germany, 2023) (A-/A):  “It’s a new dawn; it’s a new day; it’s a new life for me.  And I’m feeling good.”  Those lyrics from a 1965 recording by Nina Simone perfectly encapsulate the outlook and psyche of the lead character in this beautifully contemplative film from German writer/director Wim Wenders.  It’s a lyrical depiction of the quotidian rhythms and routines of an ordinary life.  Hirayama (an award-caliber performance by Koji Yakusho of 1996’s “Shall We Dance?”) awakens each morning to the sounds of an old person sweeping the street.  His daily preparations include the gentle misting of his array of delicate seedlings.  His watch, keys, and coins are neatly arranged lined-up on a small shelf by the door.  And when he opens that front door, he never fails to greet the incipient dawn with a smile.  Hirayama goes about his day quietly.  Not one for idle chit-chat, he’s a man of very few words.  Yet, he is always fully alive — alert, highly observant, and interested in the smallest details — be they the interplay of dappled sunshine and shadows on leaves or the dance-like movements of an old homeless man he sees in his travels.

Hirayama’s work is not glamorous:  he cleans public washrooms in Tokyo.  But, oh, what washrooms these are!  They are architectural works of art — designed, apparently, for the 2020 Olympics.  Hirayama is meticulous in keeping them spotlessly clean.  When customers arrive, he bustles out of sight to give them their privacy; when a young child, separated from his mother is crying, Hirayama is kind and gentle in protecting the child until its frantic mother appears; when his none-too-conscientious young co-worker needs a subsidy for a date, Hirayama obliges, though it leaves him short on cash himself.  It’s a solitary life on its face, but we come to realize that it is not a lonely or bitter one.  Hirayama is full to the brim with the inner peace of being fully, joyfully, in the now.  When the young niece he hasn’t seen in years arrives for a visit (having run away from home), he tells her that “Next time is next time.  Now is now.”   Like the plants he cares for or the trees he photographs, Hirayama blossoms under the unexpected company.  And there are other important people in his life, like the lovely barkeeper, nicknamed ‘Mama’ by her customers, who sings a touching rendition of “House of the Rising Sun,” and the twenty-something girlfriend of his irresponsible co-worker, who takes a shy interest in Hirayama’s collection of music on cassette tapes from the Seventies and Eighties.  Those songs punctuate and mirror the film’s moods and themes, and one of them gives this film its title.

Deceptively simple in its minimalistic presentation of one man’s daily life, the film is immersive, spellbinding, highly original, and poetic — as observant and sensitive to the world around it as is its lead figure.  He and the film are about living in the now and noticing and savoring the myriad of small, everyday, seemingly unimportant things in our lives.  Its protagonist is quiet, but he is full of feeling; he keeps to himself, but he is kind to others; he is solitary, but he is full of love.  “How can you put so much into a job like this?” asks his careless co-worker.  Hirayama doesn’t reply, but the answer is simply (yet profoundly) that he cares about everything he sees and does.  “Perfect Days” won Best Actor at Cannes, where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or (Best Film).  It was also nominated as Best Foreign Film at the Oscars and at France’s César Awards.   We can infer that Hirayama chose this simple lifestyle (and accepted a seeming ‘demotion’ in terms of worldly status) to heal some unspoken past hurt or unhappiness.  The film ends with a sublime interplay of different emotions passing across his face.  Other critics have called it “a profound tale of finding peace, meaning, and beauty in life” and “a humane, hopeful embrace of everyday blessings.”  The result is one of the best films of the year.

For a sneak peek, here’s the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzZBbX5A1FA

“One Life” (U.K., 2023) (B):  “I have seen this, and I cannot unsee it.  And because I may be able to do something about it, I must.  At least try.”   In 1938, a 29-year-old British man donates a week of his time to a volunteer-driven effort in Prague to help refugees who have fled the Nazi take-over of the Sudetenland.  He is struck by the squalid conditions for children, in particular, and he proposes an audacious effort to evacuate them to London.  But the laudable humanitarian objective of getting children, most of them Jews, out of danger is an against-all-odds struggle.  They need the children’s parents to agree to the separation from their children.  They need foster families and funding back in Great Britain.  They need to accomplish the evacuations (by overland train) quickly, before the Nazis draw closer.  And they need to procure the requisite visas from a British government which then, as now, is decidedly reluctant to admit large numbers of refugees.  (Shamefully, in the lead-up to the Holocaust, giving desperately needed sanctuary to Jewish refugees was a hard sell throughout the Western world.)   A handful of people make the impossible possible, driven by their own compassion.  In the end, they save 669 children — and over 6,000 of their descendants.

Dividing its time between 1987 and 1938-39, this biopic tells the true story of the man, Nicholas Winton, who conceives of and leads the plan, together with his small band of intrepid fellow volunteers.  Winton is played in wistful old age by Anthony Hopkins and as a young man by Johnny Flynn.  They are ably supported by such players as Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai, Lena Olin, Alex Short, and Juliana Moska, with Jonathan Pryce in a cameo scene.  The screenplay is co-written by the lead figure’s real-life daughter, Barbara Winton, who also wrote the 2024 biography of the same name about her father.   The story told in the film is very simple but earnest and uplifting.  It’s about decency, determination, and resourcefulness.  It’s also about remembering the past and not repeating its mistakes.  Generally low-key in tone, it delivers an emotional pay-off near the end.  A good film rather than a great one, it is definitely worth seeing.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hpuRzZn0Yc

“Origin” (USA, 2023) (B):  A writer tackling the root cause of man’s inhumanity to man examines three case-studies:  (i) slavery in America, (ii) anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, and (iii) the deplorable stigmatization of India’s Dalit class (also known as “Untouchables”).  The chief narrative thread involves the writer’s family relationships amidst her quest for “insight into the nature of hate.”   And there are three additional partial storylines involving people facing such hatred in the three different historical settings she explores:   “There’s connective tissue here… I could show how all of this is linked.”  Trouble is: the story’s conclusion kind of misses the point.  It congratulates itself on concluding that “caste… the phenomenon of placing one group above another group in a hierarchy” is the common ingredient in its three seemingly disparate instances of oppression.  But, in fact, caste is just one of many guises that the real source of much man-made evil dons.  There’s something much more primal at work in fueling the oppression of others, and that is our innate capacity and proclivity and (alas) dark delight in arbitrarily dividing “us” from “them.”  The basis for that distinction scarcely matters.  Any excuse will do.  Once we differentiate some from others, we give ourselves license to neglect or oppress or enslave or kill them.  So it is now, so it has ever been.

At times, the film sacrifices effective storytelling to facile theorizing.  Worse still, it is prone to being didactic, with some too-long (and too-heavy-handed) digressive monologues.  But, despite those failings, it has good performances, some dramatically effective moments, and at least two memorable lines.  The first one is a touching ode to a sundered loved one:  “You will walk with me.  You will live in me.  For as long as I am here, watch over me…  I won’t see you, but you’ll see me.”  The second passage is a good metaphor for the social, political, and cultural ills that currently beset America and other parts of the West:  “Here we are the current occupants of a house with stress cracks in the foundation… The cracks won’t fix themselves.”   “Origin” isn’t perfect, but it is worth seeing.  Among its many nominations, it was a nominee for the Golden Lion (Best Film) at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.

“The Eternal Memory” [“La memoria infinita”] (Chile/USA, 2023) (A):  The publicity materials compare this film to “Doctor Zhivago” and “Casablanca,” and they aren’t exaggerating, for this is a love story for the ages.  Chilean writer/director Maite Alberdi drops us into the middle of two lives.  No narrator or explanation is needed.  Instead, we share quotidian moments from the life and relationship of Augusto and Paulina.  He’s a retired journalist, she’s an actress.  Together for 25 years, they are close as two people can be, and their mutual love is palpable, as they navigate the currents of his decline from Alzheimer’s disease.  Anchored in strong, up-close-and-personal characterization, the emotional impact is powerful in this Oscar nominated documentary feature.  The result is a masterful thing of beauty in which joy and sorrow join hands in poignant union.  See the trailer at:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-hxO7_oEZw

“Freud’s Last Session” (Ireland/U.K./USA, 2023) (B+/A-):  “From error to error, one discovers the entire truth.”  Two great minds meet for one day in a verbal joust of big ideas.  It’s not just any two men, for the interlocutors are the famed Viennese creator of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and the Oxford professor and writer C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode).  And it’s not just any day, for the exchange takes place in London on the very day in September 1939 that the United Kingdom declares war on Nazi Germany in response to its invasion of Poland.  Freud is an atheist; Lewis has wholeheartedly embraced Christianity:  “One of us is the fool,” observes Freud, dryly.  While opposing views about God’s existence is at the heart of their free-ranging conversation, its ambit includes Man’s seemingly contradictory yearning for joy and capacity for brutality, our shared fear of death (“We’re all cowards before death”), the philosophical problem of bad things happening to good people, the things that shape our psyches for good or ill, and the sometimes complicated nature of our attachments to others.  History, theology, philosophy, poetry, and psychoanalysis all figure into the eloquent exchange of ideas that ensues.  And for every firmly professed certainty held by one man or the other, each has to concede the existence of a multitude of unresolved questions.  What of pain, for example?  Freud points out, “There’s so much pain in this world.  And that is God’s plan?”  Lewis admits that he has no sufficient answer to that lamentable fact of life; but, he asks if, maybe, “pleasure is [God’s] whisper [while] pain is his megaphone?”

Brief flashbacks fill in the backstories of our two lead characters and some of the pivotal relationships in their lives.  For Lewis, there’s his ambiguous connection to the mother of the friend he lost in the Great War, his friendship with fellow scholar turned writer J.R.R. Tolkien (Stephen Campbell Moore), and the childhood trauma of a mother lost too early and a father unable to show affection.  Puzzlingly, the film suggests that his devotion to the 26 years older Janie Moore (Orla Brady of “Into the Badlands”) is romantic and physical, when, in fact it may very well have been chivalrous and chaste.  As to Freud, is his close relationship with his daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries) a case study in unhealthy co-dependency?  She puts her own career (as a child psychoanalyst) second to caring attentively for her father.  Does he stand in the way of her romantic attachment to Jodi Balfour’s Dorothy because it’s of the same-gender variety, or, more likely, simply because it might distract her from her single-minded devotion to him?

Character-driven, theatrical in tone, comprised of intelligent conversation about big and important ideas, the film has first-rate actors delivering smart dialogue.  Based on the play by Mark St. Germain, which in turn was suggested by the 2002 book “The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life” by Armand Nicholi Jr., the film is thoughtful, impassioned, and full of humanity.  Its director (and co-writer) Matt Brown says it’s “a film about tolerance” with immediate timeliness for the world we live in today.  The film’s Freud says, “I woke and suddenly I recognized the face of the beast.  Our moral certainty is the beast.  We are the pestilence.  We are the famine and death.  We are the apocalypse.”  For ages 16+:  Adult subject matter.

See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPJM9lEMyV4

“Napoleon” (U.K./USA, 2023) (C+/B-):   What makes a great man?  Is it talent, verve, ambition, willpower, destiny, a lasting legacy, sheer élan in appealing to the imagination of others, being in the right time at the right place, or some combination of all of those things?  An analogous question can be asked about movies:  what makes a great movie?  Well, it starts with fine writing and involves, inter alia, strong acting and powerful emotional impact.  Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was one of the greatest military geniuses who ever lived.  Propelled by talent and

ambition and an unflagging sense of his own destiny (he often spoke of his guiding ‘star’), he captured the popular imagination in a way that very few historical figures (before or since) have ever done.  Indeed, more books have been written about Napoleon than anyone else in history, excepting only Jesus Christ.   He came from an obscure backwater (the island of Corsica) and became the very exemplar of the self-made man.  He defeated the foes of post-Revolutionary France (namely, the Great Powers of Europe), united most of Europe (albeit briefly) under his rule, included other nations’ forces in his armies in an ahead-of-its-time nod to pan-European post-nationalism, rarely lost a battle, favored a meritocracy (though he was, admittedly, prone to putting close kin in charge of various allied nations), and enacted a (mostly enlightened) legal civil code (the Code Napoleon) which ended the last vestiges of feudalism and established equality before the law, religious toleration, and security of property rights.  Infused with the ideals of the Revolution during his youth, he eschewed its barbaric excesses, like the Reign of Terror; and, while he became an autocrat, he was a moderate one who ruled with a positively light hand compared to modern tyrants.  He was, first and foremost, a soldier.  His wars cost many lives, but, he was beloved by the armies he led.

While we had misgivings about the casting of Joaquin Phoenix (whom we liked very much in 2019’s “Joker”), we’ve been surprised before:  Rod Steiger, a prototypically modern and American actor, nailed the role of Napoleon in 1970’s commendable “Waterloo.”  (That film also had a strongly emotive musical score, by Nino Rota, which this film lacks.)   Alas, director Ridley Scott and writer David Scarpa, have fallen short, very far short, in their depiction of the great man.  Their film lacks a point of view about its protagonist — be he hero or anti-hero.  His documented charisma is missing in action.  The adeptly edited trailers looked promising, suggesting something foreboding and dramatic.  They gave a sense of gravitas and import and power.  They also hinted at a character who was innately different from other men (“I am not built like other men”) and somewhat solitary as a result.  But drama, let alone emotional impact, is conspicuous by its absence in this film.  Everything here, from the rise to power, to the ambition born of an abiding sense of conviction about his own destiny, to his sometimes tempestuous relationship with the love of his life, his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais, feels flat and lifeless.  We get no real sense of the man.  An example of a great victory (Austerlitz in December 1805) is reinvented (and dumbed way down) as a ice trap.  The screenplay flits from one historical moment to another, such as:  the Egyptian campaign, the Brumaire coup in 1799 that made Napoleon First Consul), the self-crowning inauguration as Emperor in December 1804, the ill-fated invasion of Russia in 1812, the first exile (to nearby Elba) in May 1814, the audacious Hundred Day return to France (and to power) nine months later in February 1815, the decisive defeat at Waterloo in June 1815 (one of the very few battles Napoleon ever lost), and transportation to a final distant exile on St. Helena, an inhospitable island in the South Atlantic, where Napoleon died in 1821 at the age of only 51.  Inevitably, the film omits as many moments in Napoleon’s life (and rule) as it includes, but it somehow misses the mark in all of them.  Where’s the power, the force of will, the charisma, the desire to be enlightened, the emotional impact?  They are just a succession of things that happened, a Classics Illustrated roll-call of milestones in one man’s life.  The thing is that this man’s life was so much larger than life in its aspirations and in its accomplishments, that one would be hard pressed to tell his story in such a flat, bloodless manner.

The filmmakers choose to concentrate on the relationship of Napoleon and Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby, who brings some seductive allure to the role), but even that falls flat, with an inadequate sense of either of them as people.  A couple of scenes with them in the clinch, intimately speaking, are kind of silly and kind of crude at the same time.  A film about Napoleon needs drama, complexity, and, above all, a strong sense of character.   There is triumph and tragedy in that life, but they are absent here.  Napoleon inspired a whole nation with his victories and his call to ‘gloire’ (or glory).   But inspiration, triumphalism, and strong characterization are precisely what this film lacks.  And that makes it a disappointment.  For ages 18+:  Sexual content and brief violence.   See the trailers at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZWXUkrjPc & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DJYiG6wh0w

“Next Goal Wins” (D):  An experienced soccer coach (Michael Fassbender) is exiled to American Samoa to preside over the world’s worst team.  Feeble humor in a would-be underdog story.  Tries too hard to be lovable, but fails to ignite any interest in its kooky ensemble. It devotes too much time to a heavy-handed transgender theme.  A disappointing entry from the usually reliable Taika Waititi.

“May December” (D):  Another film with two actresses we like — Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman — but, my goodness, this film grates.  An actress signed for a biopic spends time with a couple who first became romantically (and sexually) involved when he was 13 and she was 36 — an unlawful pairing that sends her to prison.  Twenty-three years later, their status as a couple is legal, and they have kids, but a power imbalance persists in their age mismatch of a relationship.  We didn’t glean while watching it that this was (apparently) intended to be a dark comedy.  We took it (mistook it?) for a would-be psychological drama.  It’s neither fish nor fowl.  Not funny, not engaging, not enlightening, utterly bereft of likeable characters, and somehow pervasively unpleasant.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VdAParM4h8

“The Marvels” (F):  Painfully bad supposed superhero action/adventure that fails utterly to engage with its gimmick of three females who keep switching places with each other.   There’s no story here worth telling.

“The Holdovers” (A-/A):  (Q) “Sir, I don’t understand.” (A) “That’s glaringly apparent.” Paul Giamatti is Paul, a cantankerous teacher of ancient history at a private boys’ school in Massachusetts.  He may be cynical about the sons of rich men, but he’s also a man of integrity, even to his own detriment.  He’s not keen on his spoiled, entitled, and too often lazy students, and the feeling is largely mutual.  The head of the school punishes Paul for failing a U.S. Senator’s son by assigning him the unwanted task of babysitting a handful of “holdovers,” that is, students who are staying at the school during the Christmas holidays.  It’s just Paul, five students, and the school cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Mary), who is grieving the loss of her son in Vietnam.  But the number of charges soon diminishes, leaving Paul alone with Mary and one recalcitrant student (Dominic Sessa’s Angus).  Gradually, all three come out of their respective shells.  Paul is introverted and socially awkward, but he is tempted into town with Angus and Mary to attend a Christmas house-party.  Might something wholly unaccustomed unexpectedly be in the works with the highly sociable school secretary (a highly engaging performance by Carrie Preston)?  Might romance be making a belated arrival in his hitherto solitary life?  Paul lets himself hope so, anyway.   And, as jaded as he may be as an educator and as an ironic observer of the human condition, Paul unexpectedly bonds with his troubled student. The film reunites Giamatti (who is note-perfect in the role) with director Alexander Payne, after their equally successful work on 2004’s “Sideways.”  Gently funny, gently poignant, “The Holdovers” is a real treat — and one of the best films of the year.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language.  See the trailer at:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhKLpJmHhIg

“Desperation Road” (B+/A-):  An engagingly character-driven Southern noir with Garret Hedlund (channelling a younger Sam Elliott) and Willa Fitzgerald (whom we mistook for “1883’s” Isabel May) as two damaged souls whose paths intersect.  Mel Gibson is an asset in a understated role as a supportive dad. Well-acted with a solid sense of place and a redemptive theme.   For ages 18+ only:  Violence and sexual violence.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmkL_cu_qw0

“She Came to Me” (C/C+):  It’s got two actresses we like (Marisa Tomei & Anne Hathaway), but it is too relentlessly peculiar for primetime.  Offputtingly odd at first (nearly provoking a walk-out), it ultimately grew on us, a bit.  Peter Dinklage (who was effective in “Game of Thrones”) feels miscast as the oddball male protagonist.  He’s none too convincing as an opera composer, but all too believable, if not likeable, as full-time walking neurotic.  Marisa Tomei steals the show as a tugboat captain and serial seductress.

“The Creator” (C+/B-):  A soldier (John David Washington) with reason to hate humanoid androids bonds with one in child form.  Derailed by incessant shootouts and explosions.  They should have stuck to the tender but underdeveloped relationship of a man and a childlike A.I. and jettisoned the surfeit of de rigueur action stuff.   See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex3C1-5Dhb8

“Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One” (C+/B-):  It clocks in at 2h 43m, yet it’s only the first half of a two-part movie.  It’s too long and too interchangeable with the rest of its franchise, with a handful of secret operatives (the titular Impossible Mission Team) led by Tom Cruise set against the latest uber-villain.  Fairly entertaining while you’re watching it, but instantly forgettable.  It’s a shame they (permanently) lose Rebecca Ferguson (as a highly adept British agent) along the way:  she’s been the standout of recent installments of the franchise.  The television series upon which it is nominally based did very nicely without the need for the constant action stunts, relying on brains rather than brawn.

“A Haunting in Venice” (C+/B-):  The early trailers made it look like this was a supernatural thriller — and a mighty suspenseful one at that.  But the actual film is a whodunnit with the eccentrically mustachioed Hercule Poirot (the always engaging Kenneth Branagh, who also directed) on the case of mysterious doings at a canal-side villa in Venice.  See the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEddsSwweyE

“Polaris” (Canada) (C-/C):  In an post-apocalyptic near future, a speechless girl and her polar bear protector wander the frozen wasteland, a place peopled by hostile human gangs who are kin to those from the “Mad Max” movies and “Waterworld” — with a wintry setting in place of the desert and open sea, respectively.  It gets points for an original-looking take on familiar genre tropes.  There’s a lovely scene in which girl and bear spread their figurative wings with a side-by-side roll in the snow.  But, ultimately, things feel a tad underdeveloped and inchoate, with the plotting ambling in too-casual fashion to an underwhelming destination.  See the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4fXygkUWwk

“The Equalizer 3” (B-/B):  This entertaining final chapter in the story of the relentlessly efficient one-man avenger gets a boost from Denzel Washington’s star presence and its picturesque setting on the coast of southern Italy.

“Golda” (U.K./USA, 2023) (B+):  Helen Mirren is unrecognizable as the chain-smoking tough old bird Golda Meir, who led Israel as Prime Minister during the 1973 Yom Kippur War with Egypt and Syria.  It’s an award-caliber, full body immersion into the psyche of the woman who ably presided over male counterparts — cabinet ministers and generals — during a perilous few days in her country’s history.  See the trailer at:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eDU96K_VXE

“Blue Beetle” (C+):  This superhero movie, like all of its brethren, wears out its welcome with uninvolving but incessant action overkill.  What distinguishes it from the rest of the pack is the Hispanic-American identity of the accidental hero’s family.  Trouble is:  they soon devolve into broad humor.  The same can be said for the film itself, which lacks substance.

“When Morning Comes” (Canada/Jamaica) (B-/B):  A young boy ponders his imminent relocation from rural Jamaica to urban Canada.  It’s a not-bad slice of life over the course of a few days, which gives us a tangible feel for life and assorted people on that island nation, from a child’s point of view.  Unpretentious and naturalistic.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgGmf6uJ6Fc

“Oppenheimer” (USA/U.K., 2023) (B):  Directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan, this take on the life of Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist who led the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, is competent but underwhelming.  The Bomb may have ended World War II (by obliterating the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), but it (and its even more destructive successors) have made all of our lives profoundly more dangerous ever since.  At three hours, it’s a bit of a long slog, and, when you get right down to it, the efforts of scientists closeted away in a New Mexico desert isn’t really the stuff of high drama, however dramatic the devastating fruit of their labors undoubtedly was.  Cillian Murphy, with his unusual look, is distracting in the role, and it’s hard to get very invested in the personal lives of him and his colleagues.  Some of the political stuff on the margins is more interesting.  See the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK6ldnjE3Y0

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (C+/B-):  2018’s animated “Into the Spider-Verse” was an entertaining treat — eye-poppingly original and thoroughly engaging.  This follow-up is a step down:  either the novelty has worn off, or they simply failed to write an involving story.  Worst of all, it has a to-be-continued ending.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shW9i6k8cB0

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (C/C+):  The latest long-lost ancient artifact can open a portal through time, which strains credulity a bit.  So does the fact that an ex-Nazi (Mads Mikkelsen) is still around and still intent on resurrecting the long-dead Third Reich many years after the war.  It’s a heavy-handed, unconvincing way to make Nazis the villains, even though history has left them behind.  Harrison Ford is always fun in the role of the intrepid explorer.  But he’s teamed up with newcomer Phoebe Waller-Bridge here, when the film’s best moments by far come in its final handful of minutes, when Karen Allen (of the franchise’s original entry) makes a cameo. Why not pair her with Ford for the entire film, spending more time on relationships and far less on hollow action?  Mildly entertaining as a time-waster, but nothing more.

“The Little Mermaid” (B-):  The live action remake of Disney’s classic 1989 animated musical has a lovely leading lady in Halle Bailey and a handful of first-rate songs (like “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World”), but it nevertheless feels more superficial and less consequential than the original.  Changing the gender of the scatterbrained seagull and some other details of character and plotting left us missing the wow-factor of the original.  Javier Bardem feels miscast as Ariel’s disapproving father:  we kept seeing the actor more than the character.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpGo2_d3oYE

“Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” (B+):  It’s a treat to see the gang reassembled, if a downer to know it’s their last outing as a group.  This ragtag assembly of misfits who become a surrogate family have remained as endearing as they are amusing.  The first film was a home run; the second was weaker in plotting; and the third falls in between those two.  The engaging, kind of loveable characters make it as winner with their very high likeability quotient.  Perhaps there’s a bit too much attention to an unpleasant backstory and a megalomaniacal villain who seems to lack convincing motivation for his machinations.  See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3V5KDHRQvk

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“Guaxuma” (Brazil/France, 2018) (14:16 minutes) (A/A+):  “I was born on a beach… I learnt to keep the sea within me.”  So says the voice-over narrator of this autobiographical ode to a childhood by the sea from writer/director Nara Normande.  Poignantly evocative, it is also a tour de force of mixed media animation, masterfully segueing from one style to another, as it combines three-dimensional sand sculptures, figures assembled before our eyes from moving sand, actual photographs, snippets of video footage, and sepia images that look like charcoal renderings.  Dreamy, impressionistic, captivating, magical — this is Oscar-caliber stuff.  Wistfully redolent of childhood and memories, it’s a thing of beauty with a message that goes to the very heart of what it means to be human:  “Even the things we think are strongest and the most beautiful may one day disappear.”   This award-winning documentary short played at TIFF in 2018 and DRIFF in 2022.  (Portuguese with English subtitles)

“Sweet Disaster” (Germany, 2021) (1:30:00) (B+):  Here’s an engaging romantic comedy from Germany that combines whimsical humor with serious moments about coping with romantic break-ups and with impending motherhood.  Its extremely appealing heroine is given to flights of fancy, and whatever she imagines springs to life in fanciful moments of magic realism.  In her mind’s eye, her boyfriend’s response to news of her pregnancy will be accompanied by a flurry of bright balloons streaming out of the window.  Likewise, all of the paraphernalia needed for baby-care blinks into existence as she contemplates the lay of the land nine months hence.  The irresistibly cute, somewhat gamine-like, lead is played to perfection by Friederike Kempter.  Her Frida is kin to Audrey Tautou’s title character in 2001’s “Amélie.”    But this film is utterly original and charming in its own right, buoyed by its wryly whimsical leading lady.  Another critic described the tone as “bittersweet optimism,” and it is sure to elicit smiles.  The filmmakers favor bright primary colors:  look for the ubiquitous presence of bright yellow in Frida’s flat — as if the sun itself had taken up residence there.  The figurative sunshine doesn’t desert Frida even at night:  A bus shelter on a dark street has merry dollops of yellow and red above the heroine’s head.  Later, a coterie of card-playing women all carry purple umbrellas and that color is also splashed across their attire.

When things look difficult for Frida, her inner dismay is playfully given form by an imagined backwards free-fall in slow motion accompanied by brightly colored fruit of all shapes and sizes.  The screenplay, by Ruth Toma, is often witty.  When her paramour (Florian Lukas’ Felix) announces, “I’m seeing someone else,” Frida asks, “Do you love her more than me?”  To which Felix replies “No, just longer.”  The solid supporting cast includes Lena Urzendowsky as Frida’s precocious young neighbor.  Young Yolanda is fond of robots, aerial drones, and Canada (where she yearns to go for a study-year), and she has a novel way of getting Frida back into her apartment after she has accidentally locked herself out.  Yolanda’s anthropomorphized mechanical devices are in tune with the film’s quirky, eccentric tone.  Lasse Myhr and Diana Ebert are effective as a sympathetic friend from work and the rival woman, respectively.  And David Hasselhof (of television’s “Baywatch”) makes a mute cameo. We look forward to the next film from Finnish director Laura Lehmus.  Among its many festival appearances, this award-winning feature played at Toronto’s Pendance Festival in 2022, where it won Best Director.  For ages 18+:  Very brief coarse language and adult subject-matter.  (German with English subtitles)

“The Blue Caftan” [“Le bleu du caftan”] (France/Morocco/Belgium/Denmark, 2022) (B+/A-):  “A caftan must be able to survive the one who wears it…. Stand the test of time.”  The same goes for a marriage, like the one tenderly depicted in this film.  Halim (Saleh Bakri) and Mina (Lubna Azabal) run a tailor shop in the old market district (or medina) of a Moroccan city.  And not just any tailor shop.  Halim is a “mallem,” or master-tailor, and the clothes he lovingly makes are works of art.  Caftans, the sleeved, angle-length garment made of cotton or silk which are worn in Arabic countries, are a house speciality.  They’re only middle-aged, but the couple are of an old world ethos, true craftspeople in a time of mass-produced, disposable commodities.  Offended on her husband’s behalf by the impatience of a disrespectful customer, Mina retorts, “My husband is a maalem, not a machine.  He works at his own pace.”  And the work in question is evocatively depicted, with all the tactile beauty of fabrics, threads, embroidered designs, and fig-shaped golden buttons. The handling and fashioning of those materials is presented as an act of love.  It’s both lushly sensual and engagingly tender, as though it were human skin.

There’s no doubt that Halim loves and honors his wife.  There’s a touching scene when he washes her hair while she’s battling illness:  “I’ve waited 25 years for you to wash my hair,” she teases.  “All you had to do was ask,” he quietly replies.  But his love for Mina is in tension here with his passion, for Halim is attracted to his own gender.  It’s mostly unspoken between the married pair, but nothing escapes Mina’s perceptive gaze.  She sees the furtive glances Halim exchanges with their new apprentice, the handsome young Youssef (Ayoub Missioui).  It may be a hint of jealousy that makes her dismiss Youssef’s commitment to learning the craft:  “No one wants to learn the craft anymore, Halim.  It’s all over.”  She predicts that Youssef will soon lose interest in the work and leave them.

Halim is determined not to dishonor his wife but unable to fully purge himself of his same-gender attraction.  How to circle that square?  Halim has anonymous physical assignations with strangers at a public bathhouse, but he stays aloof from entering a romantic relationship outside his marriage:  Confining his infidelities to merely physical ones seems like less of a betrayal than acting on his romantic feelings for his apprentice would be — an infidelity of the body, but never a betrayal of the heart.  In a moving exchange, he confides to Mina that, “[For all my life], I’ve tried to suppress it.  I didn’t succeed.”  What’s as unexpected as it is touching is Mina’s response:  “I don’t know any man as pure as you.  As noble.  And I’m proud to have been your wife.”  The pair compliment each other nicely:  Mina is extroverted, expressive, and no-nonsense, perfect for front-of-shop contact with customers, while Halim is the behind-the-scenes artisan, quiet, dignified, and not one to make a scene or raise his voice.

Directed and co-written by Maryam Touzani, “The Blue Caftan” is a memorable character study and love story.  All three of its main figures are sympathetically drawn, and it manages to make accessible a subject which some might find otherwise find unappealing.  Tender, gentle, sweet-natured, and sensual, the film is one of the best of 2022.  And pride of place goes to the Belgian-born Lubna Azabal (of 2010’s stellar “Incendies”):  she has a warm, wise, nuanced, and compelling presence on screen.  Despite the constraints of her culture, Mina is a free-thinker.  Commenting on the passing funeral of a fellow free-spirited woman, she observes, “I’m sure she dreamed of something different” — different, that is, than a drab traditional send-off by chanting men.  The story is about dreams, passions, and a solid faithful love for the reality that’s right in front of us.  The eminently practical coexists here with dream-values — all of it cloaked in the irresistible ‘petroleum blue’ of the film’s title.  “The Blue Caftan” won a prize at Cannes, where it was nominated for two other awards.  And among its other recognition, it won the Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.  For ages 18+:  Brief partial nudity (not sexualized); implied sexual content elsewhere; adult subject-matter.

See the trailer at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRAHt9PFv0E

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Cinematic Forced Fasting During the Global Pandemic

Fall 2020:  During the Great Stay-at-Home Seclusion born of the global pandemic of 2020, it’s been well-nigh impossible to see new movies.  Cinemas were closed for months (along with almost everything else), and even when they tentatively reopened (with strict restrictions on the numbers of patrons allowed in at any one time), the ongoing plague-days gave the impression that the prudent thing to do was to give indoor public venues a wide berth.  But, by hook or by crook, we have managed to see some promising new cinematic fare.  Some of these films are available now on streaming platforms; others will hopefully be coming soon to a theater near you.

“Our Children” [“Aos Nossos Filhos”] (Brazil/France, 2019) (A-):   The relationships between mothers and daughters

are rife with emotional possibilities.  Whatever strains may divide them, there is always an unbreakable bond that connects them.  That is certainly true for the two grown women who are the subjects of this memorable new character drama from director and co-writer Maria de Medeiros.  Vera runs an NGO that cares for orphans who are HIV-positive.  (The organization’s name, “Positivia” seems to do double duty – as a reference not only to the kids’ medical challenge but also to the positive mindset Vera seeks to inculcate.)   The facility is situated in attractive hillside premises; but it’s on the edge of one of Rio’s favelas and automatic gunfire is often heard nearby.  But Vera keeps a steady hand on the helm, nurturing her young charges with love as she rebuilds their self-confidence.

Her grown daughter, Tania, has a same-sex spouse and the pair is intent on having children of their own.  But fruitless in vitro fertilization efforts and a succession of miscarriages are taking their toll on the pair’s domestic harmony.   Vera’s outward calm is likewise shaken by circumstances that cause her to relive past severe trauma.  Here are two strong women who are, at the same time, very vulnerable.  When things are emotionally fraught for each of them, they reenter each other’s lives after a long estrangement.   The result is an engrossing, award-caliber drama about multifaceted characters who engage our interest and never let go.

Here’s a marvelous case of note-perfect casting, starting with Marieta Severo, who plays Vera.  The actress is of mature years, but

she radiates magnetism, intelligence, beauty, and self-assurance.  It’s a truly charismatic performance.  There’s a great deal of life experience in her face.  She knows her own mind but also her own hidden fragility: she may appear to be an unshakeable pillar of strength, but she’s haunted by memories of physical and psychological torment as a political prisoner of Brazil’s past military dictatorship.  In an unsettling nightmare, she is hemorrhaging as a horde of bugs rush toward her in an invasive V-formation.  Called upon to recall those days, she offers up “emotional memories.”  Laura Castro, who co-wrote the film, plays Tania.  She’s called upon to juggle a career (as a newly minted judge), a temperamental spouse (Marta Nobrega’s Vanessa), and her own outspoken mother.  Both of the women in her life accuse the other of trying to manipulate her.  And, to some extent, they both might be right.  Claudio Lins (as the young man who prompts Vera’s deep dive into her darker memories), José de Abreu (as Vera’s ex-husband), Andrei Cardoso (as Caique, Vera’s charge who has aspirations of soccer stardom), and Ricardo Pereira are all assets to the storytelling.

There’s wisdom in the story, heartfelt emotion, and that unbreakable bond between parent and child:  “I wanted to see you happy, make you happy.  I still do.”  There’s some sly humor:  when Vera learns that Tania and Vanessa both plan to breastfeed their child, she rhetorically asks if they’re “going to give four breasts to one child.”   There’s a startling moment or two (like a crocodile loose in a kitchen).  There’s a nice flute solo on the soundtrack as Vera talks about liberation as a ‘sequel of dictatorship.’  There’s an enigmatic challenge to one character (“You do not exist”), which was ambiguous enough to leave us wondering if it was literally true or not.  And there are some evocative visuals – like an empty white pool surrounded by verdant rainforest and a scene in which we see Vera emerging from a car with university gates between her and our vantage-point on the other side.  (Those gates do nice metaphorical duty in representing emotional confinement and/or liberation.)  “Our Children” ought to be Brazil’s selection for the list of Oscar’s Best Foreign Language Film nominees.  It is easily one of the year’s best films.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; nudity; and sexual content.

“Blackbird” (USA/U.K., 2019) (B+):  Eight characters assemble at an elegant beach house for a few days.  Lily (Susan Sarandon) is

suffering from an incurable debilitating disease (probably ALS), and she has gathered those closest to her for a final visit before she ends her life with chemicals procured by her physician husband Paul (Sam Neill).  Their guests consist of their elder daughter, Jennifer (played by an unrecognizable Kate Winslet), their troubled younger daughter Anna (Mia Wasikowska), Lily’s longtime best friend Liz (the warmly attractive Lindsay Duncan), Jennifer’s hapless husband (Rainn Wilson), Anna’s tomboyish same-sex partner Chris (Bex Taylor-Klaus), and Jennifer’s teenage son Jonathan (Anson Boon).  It sounds like a prescription for a sad, downbeat story.  But, in fact, it’s an engaging story about relationships, mending past slights, and coming to terms with mortality.  Its central motif may be the pros and cons of ‘dying with dignity;’ but, it’s really all about life, and love, and emotional healing:  “I think that the trick is you just show up and give life your best shot.”   There’s gentle humor here (Lily tells someone, “I will take your secret to my grave”); and, it’s the gentle moments like that that linger.  Regrets, bitterness, and real or imagined past grievances ultimately recede in the face of shared love and the intermingling of separate lives.  Indeed, the misgivings expressed by some characters (“I’m not ready.  She’s says she’s ready; but I’m not.”) melt away in the face of loving acceptance.  “Blackbird” was directed by Roger Michell and written by Christian Torpe, based on his screenplay for the award-winning 2014 Danish film “Stille hyerte” (“Still Heart”).   It does a fine job of delineating its several characters, following in the relationship-driven tradition of such films as 2013’s “August: Osage County.”  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and adult subject matter.

“Euphoria” (U.K./Sweden/Norway/Germany. 2017) (B+):  Two estranged sisters reunite at a secluded European spa.  Emilie

(an almost unrecognizable Eva Green in what may be career-best work) has arranged the reunion.  She desperately wants to reconnect with her long alienated sibling.  For her part, Ines (Alicia Vikander) is distant, reserved, and on her guard emotionally.  The two share a painful history, and it’s all about to come out:  “I don’t have time to lie,” says Emilie.  The first revelation is that she is terminally ill; the second is that the luxurious manor, isolated in the midst of a forest, is a euthanasia spa.  Guests come there to be pampered as they await their prearranged “leaving” day, comforted by their assigned ‘personal companion.’  Charlotte Rampling is magnetic in the role of Marina, bringing her trademarked gravitas to the character.  It’s her job to be empathetic and supportive as she guides her clients through their last days, but it’s obvious that her sympathetic understanding is genuine – earned by her own painful loss of a loved one.  It sounds like somber subject-matter for a story, but the relationship between the siblings is beautifully written and performed – it’s full of tenderness, complexity, and authenticity.   They’re a study in contrasts:  Emilie is effusive and she wears her heart on her sleeve, whereas Ines is straight-faced and closed-off.  As Emilie puts it, “I’ve never been able to control my feelings; my sister has always been able to turn her feelings on and off.”   Both Green and Vikander do award-caliber work here, and they are ably supported by Rampling and by Charles Dance, who likewise deliver first-rate performances that are a pleasure to watch

The result is an involving sibling relationship-driven drama, and a gentle, introspection reflection on life and on mortality.  Dance’s character says, “I understand everything, but I’ve yet to find the meaning in anything.”  Elsewhere, Ines, wonders bitterly, “Why would a life suddenly become important just because you are about to die?”  Nature looms very large here, with the encompassing forest and a long still lake.  At times, the silence of the setting feels heavy and oppressive.  Ines gets lost in those woods for awhile, both figuratively and literally. The color grey is prevalent:  it is the hue of the bed-sheets, the staff uniforms, some interior walls, and Ines’ clothing.  Emile shares a tender dance of comfort with Marina in an affecting scene.  And Marina also comforts Ines is a very touching scene.  The moment of passage beyond the veil is depicted with admirable sensitivity.  But, there are a few mildly intrusive distractions:  the song in the final scene feels jarring; one unnamed woman wanders in and out of backgrounds nude; and the tolling of a bell each time someone ‘departs’ skirts the clichéd.  Written and directed by Lisa Langseth, “Euphoria” has excellent performances and gentle sensitivity to recommend it.  In fact, it’s one of the best films of the year.  For ages 18+:  Strong sexual talk; some coarse language; and adult subject matter.

“My Days of Mercy” (U.K./USA, 2017) (B+/A-):  Two groups of protesters assemble outside the walls of a penitentiary in

Kentucky:  one is there to decry the death penalty in tandem with an execution that’s due to be carried out that very day; the other has an opposing view:  “An eye for an eye!”  Lucy (played by Canada’s Ellen Page) is with the former group.  She is accompanied by her older sister Martha (sympathetically portrayed by Amy Seimetz) and young brother (Charlie Shotwell).  They’re there because their father (Elias Koteas) is on death row at another prison, waiting for his appeals to run out.   Lucy crosses paths with Mercy (Kate Mara) from the pro-capital punishment group, and there’s an instant mutual attraction.  Lucy, in slacks and a hoodie, is taciturn and bitter, ironically noting that, “I don’t think we’re supposed to fraternize.”  But she can’t muster much conviction for obeying that unwritten injunction.  The subject of her attraction is sunny and vivacious and clad in a sea-green dress.  Before long, an impassioned same-sex romantic relationship develops.  Both women are very well drawn in this fine drama, a drama that’s solidly grounded in character and believable nuance.  For her part, Lucy wants to believe that her father didn’t kill her mother eight years ago, but we can feel the suppressed doubt gnawing away at the borders of her consciousness.  Did he commit the crime?  “He says he didn’t,” she replies.

Lucy’s life is in suspended animation, as she and her siblings struggle to make ends meet between driving to far-flung execution venues.  Her passionate affair with Mercy brings her back to life.  Both women seem a little surprised about falling so hard for a person of the same gender.  For her part, the middle-class, successful Mercy has a boyfriend and a conventionally respectable life back home in Illinois.  There’s sexual passion here, as well as some really touching gentle moments, along with a deep-seated need to connect with someone else.  And, maybe opposites really do attract.

At periodical intervals, between scenes, we get an overhead shot of various ‘last meals’ with the name of the condemned convict superimposed.   In a nice life-affirming touch, the final meal we’re shown is one destined for someone who is not condemned to die.  The result (written by Joe Barton and directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer) is well-written, with a strong cast, and convincing relationships.  It’s one of this year’s best films.  For ages 18+:  Nudity; fairly strong sexual content; and coarse language.

“Choir Girl” (Australia, 2019) (C+):  A self-styled ‘street photographer’ roams an urban wasteland at night, taking pictures of the mean streets and its underclass denizens.  Why chose such bleak subjects?  “That’s what it’s like there,” he blandly explains.  But an editor at a prominent magazine rejects the proffered images as “voyeurism and exploitation.”  It’s hard to entirely disagree with her.  The down-at-the-heels photographer is pudgy, bespectacled, unshaven, and bedraggled.  Is he a latent creep, a self-justifying stalker, or a basically decent loser (albeit one who lurks in dark alleys)?  We suspect that the screenplay is aiming for the third of those possibilities, with Peter Flaherty playing Eugene as an underachieving, down-and-out everyman.  He’s mostly meek by nature, though there may be suppressed darker impulses lurking inside somewhere.  Although he fails to intervene when he encounters an oppressed woman for the first time, a second encounter prompts him to stage an impulsive rescue, because, he says, “She just seems like someone you’d want to save.”  He’s at his best at that moment, an unlikely antihero who acts to help a stranger.  But are his motives entirely pure?   Or, does he subconsciously have selfish designs – of a sexual and/or photo-journalistic nature – on the woman in distress?   Josephine (Sarah Timm) is a young illegal immigrant, in thrall to an organized crime boss (Jack Campbell, who brings a sinister charisma to the role).  It’s unclear whether she is only now being coerced into prostitution or whether she’s been at it for some time.

Whatever grudging respect we may have mustered for Eugene for his intervention on Josephine’s behalf is squandered when the story goes in a distasteful and unnecessary direction.  Eugene is coerced into doing something extremely ugly.  It is unpleasant to watch, and, just as bad, it is unconvincing in terms of plot and character motivation:  there isn’t a reason to believe that either of the film’s flawed protagonists would survive the ordeal that’s sadistically forced upon them.  Its inclusion in the story is a misstep.  Shooting the entire film in B&W heightens the starkness of the setting and characters.  It has a somewhat novel lead:  Eugene is, quite deliberately on the filmmakers’ part, an utterly unprepossessing guy, and he is portrayed in a naturalistic manner.  We never get a clear, consistent sense of who Josephine is – the acting is fine, but the writing feels inchoate and contrived.  Likewise, the interactions with an ambitious magazine staffer (Kristy Vendy), who has an inexplicably high opinion of Eugene’s pictures, and the aforementioned mobster feel inauthentic.  Their motivations and behaviors feel arbitrary – ‘written,’ rather than real.  Written and directed by John Fraser, the result has its shortcomings: its reach too often exceeds its grasp.  However, it is worth a look for its good points and for the promise of better things to come from its cast and crew.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language; nudity; and a scene of sexual violence.

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“Emma” (U.K., 2020) (B+):  This engaging new adaptation of

Jane Austen’s 1815 novel has a willful, self-styled young matchmaker involving herself in the romantic fortunes of others – utterly heedless of their feelings in the matter.  Anna Taylor-Joy was mesmerizing in 2015’s masterful “The Witch,” and she makes a very credible anti-heroine here – with an idiosyncratic, fawn-eyed beauty that can convey both innocence and slyness – only gradually learning the value of humility and empathy.  Come to think of it, the cast is peppered with unconventional-looking faces (e.g. Mia Goth).  One of them is Bill Nighy, who is, as always, a treat.  For his part, Johnny Flynn looks wrong (too modern, perhaps?) for the role of the kind, noble, and aptly named Mr. Knightly, though we can’t fault his performance.  The score makes original use of English traditional songs.  For ages 13+:  Very brief (but gratuitous) partial nudity.

“The Way Back” (C):  An unhappy, dysfunctional man (a middle-aged construction worker played by Ben Affleck) is recruited to serve as basketball coach at the Catholic high school where he’d once been a star player.  He gradually whips the current crop of underdogs into shape by instilling determination and self-respect.  But the film is torpedoed by the lead’s alcoholism.  He is all but drowned in an endless flow of booze.  The constant drinking is as tiresome as it is off-putting – all but sinking the film.  For ages 18+:  A lot of coarse language; frequent alcohol use.

“Greed” (U.K., 2019) (B):  Writer/director Michael Winterbottom and lead Steve Coogan (of “Stan & Ollie”) reunite from their “The Trip” series of dryly comedic travel films for this pointed satire about the profit-motive run amok, conspicuous consumption by the very rich, and the exploitation of Third World workers by the garment industry.  The primary setting is a Greek isle that’s hosting a rich mogul’s lavish toga party cheek-to-jowl to destitute Syrian refugees on a beach.  It’s filled with pointed barbs, but its dark humor doesn’t mesh well with the serious real-world message about exploitation set out in its closing moments.  For ages 18+:  Frequent very coarse language; brief violence; brief gore.

“The Invisible Man” (Australia/USA/Canada/U.K., 2020) (B/B+):  Were we ever wowed by the first half of this drama

loosely inspired by H.G. Wells’ classic 1897 novel.  A woman (Elizabeth Moss of television’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”) nervously flees her sleeping husband in the dead of night.  Turns out he’s a controlling abuser; and, she’s afraid to set foot outside her temporary sanctuary.  Word comes that he’s killed himself, but initial relief soon turns to skepticism as little things inexplicably go amiss in her daily life.  Could her husband (a cutting-edge innovator in the optics industry) be alive and somehow invisible?   For once, we get some longed-for subtlety in a movie!  For the first half, along with the harried protagonist, we see a series of small ‘effects’ without ever seeing their ‘cause:’  a stove burner is on too high; important papers aren’t where she left them; a front door is ajar; and so on.  It’s a sheer pleasure to be spared the usual explicit tropes of a horror story.  The key word here (at first) is subtlety – along with tension that’s expertly kept at a relentless simmer:  the suspense is nerve-wrackingly palpable.

We’ve heard about the bad husband’s nature, but we scarcely get a glimpse of him even before he turns invisible.  The first half is excellent.  What follows is more conventional – with overt violence, bloodshed, and objects being moved by unseen hands:  in effect, we “see” the villain in action.  That stuff is very competently handled; but it’s a big step down from the first half, which deliciously left so much to our imagination.  There are flaws.  For one, does a suit that refracts light also (improbably) confer superhuman strength?  For another, the heroine is framed for killing her sister – a graphic, unexpected moment of violence (it’ll propel you right out of your seat) that takes place in a crowded restaurant full of witnesses – yet, preposterously, she’s told by the villain’s emissary that he’ll make the murder charge “go away” if she’ll just play ball.  And, how, precisely is he going to do that?  (Does he have magical legal powers, too?)  Finally, does just being invisible make even a spousal abuser willing and able to wantonly murder a succession of complete strangers?  Also, the ending isn’t entirely satisfying, suggesting, as it does, that the beleaguered heroine is as capable of ruthless violence as her oppressor.  We liked the film’s ominous score (by Benjamin Wallfisch) and many of its supporting players (the policeman, the sister, and a morally ambiguous lawyer).  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language; violence; frightening scenes.

“Disappearance at Clifton Hill” (Canada, 2019) (B-):  A somewhat unstable young woman returns home to Niagara Falls, Ontario, where her late mother operated a run-down motel.  Abby (Britain’s Tuppence Middleton of 2014’s “The Imitation Game”) is a compulsive liar (for reasons unknown); but she’s haunted by an actual incident in her childhood in which she glimpsed an injured boy in the gorge near town.  Being back on her home turf prompts her to investigate the disappearance of a child that coincided with what she saw – throwing her into the orbit of her feet-on-the-ground sister (Hannah Gross); an eccentric, conspiracy-minded blogger (David Cronenburg); the seemingly charming scion of the town’s leading developer family; and some not entirely respectable people from the world of magic shows and tiger-taming (one of them portrayed by a hard-to-recognize Marie-Josée Croze).  The result is nicely atmospheric, with an off-beat setting in the off-season of a tourism town that’s part tinsel-decked glitz and part frayed-around-the-edges drabness.  There’s an effective moodiness here, a protagonist who holds our sympathies despite her clearly unreliable and erratic ways, quirky supporting characters that give it a sort of “Twin Peaks” feel, and a sustained tone of loss, confusion, decadence, and decay.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and adult subject-matter.

“Dolittle” (C):  The eccentric veterinarian who can converse with animals is in seclusion after the loss of his beloved wife.  An unkempt, antisocial, and hirsute hermit, with an annoying accent of indeterminate origin (is it meant to be Scottish?  Welsh?), he is, frankly, off-putting.  And, he never grows on us.  American lead Robert Downey Jr. feels miscast here:  he’s the weak link in the entire enterprise.  On the plus side, some of the talking animals (like a squirrel with a chip on his shoulder) are entertaining enough to make it watchable.  The young male apprentice is okay; but we could have sworn that he looks older in some scenes than in others.  Were sections of the film re-shot after the actor had gotten older?  The fetching young Carmel Laniado made an impression as a royal emissary and merited a larger role; but the villains were cartoonish, despite the accomplished actors (Jim Broadbent & Michael Sheen) playing them.

“The Call of the Wild” (C+):  Jack London’s famous story of a dog named Buck who learns to channel his inner wildness in Canada’s Yukon is a passably entertaining adventure.  It’s narrated by Harrison Ford, who plays Buck’s human friend.  But, using a CGI dog with anthropomorphic facial expressions and behavior is a distraction, and it undermines the story’s realism.  It needlessly adds a juvenile hue to the story.  And, heavens, why use CGI landscapes in some scenes?  The real Yukon is beautiful enough to fill the screen; and its northerly town of Dawson looks in real life like it is frozen in time in the 19th century.  So, why use sets or painted backgrounds when the real thing is made-to-measure for this story?  The villain is rather cartoonish; but, we liked Ford and the sleigh-going postal-delivery couple.

“The Photograph” (C+):  “I wish I was as good at love as I am at working.  I wish I didn’t leave people behind so often.”  Jumping back and forth in time, this romantic drama tells the stories of a mother and daughter in New Orleans and New York.  Each has a chance at true love; each risks losing it.  The result may be a bit too low-key for its own good.  Despite the able cast, our attention wandered at first – perhaps the result of the very gentle pacing, perhaps a reaction to the over-intrusive, ubiquitous score – as melancholy as it is jazzy (with a dominating piano), it was somehow off-putting (and, frankly, soporific).  But, the gentle, relationship-driven dual stories grew on us as they unfolded.  Lil Rel Howery provided some welcome comic relief as one character’s brother.  For ages 18+:  Very brief coarse language; mild sexual content.

“Downhill” (B/B+):  An avalanche of snow precipitates a downhill emotional trajectory for a family vacationing in the Austrian Alps in this remake of Sweden’s “Force Majeure.”  In an instant, a husband and father saves himself and leaves his family behind to their fate.  Is it the unconscious instinct for self-preservation, misplaced priorities, or sheer cowardice?  No one dies; but, in the aftermath, the anguish and shame on his face are met with looks of profound disappointment in the eyes of his wife and young sons.  Their mutual discomfort is palpable.  Comedic actors Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus play it straight here, while Australia’s Miranda Otto (“The Lord of the Rings”) brings the comic relief as their flamboyant, and exceedingly randy, resort hostess.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; brief sexual content; and sexual talk.

“Birds of Prey” (D):  The Joker’s ex, the happily deranged but oddly authentic Harley Quinn (what you see is what you get with her) – recent Oscar nominee (for another film!) Margot Robbie – teams up with two other women and a girl against a sadistic crime-lord.  This follow-up to 2016’s “Suicide Squad” is, alas, more cartoonish than a comic book and a bit of an ordeal to sit through.  And it has the dubious distinction of being the first time we haven’t liked Ewan McGregor in a movie.  For ages 18+:  Abundant very coarse language; brutal violence; and some disturbing content.

“The Rhythm Section” (C/C+):  Blake Lively (from 2018’s very good “A Simple Favor”) is (unconvincingly) knocked off a promising course into a degraded life of prostitution by the tragic loss of her parents and siblings in a plane crash.  Turns out they were collateral damage in a terrorist bombing.  That revelation turns our protagonist into an angel of vengeance, courtesy of freelance training by ex-spy-guy Jude Law.  Competent acting notwithstanding, we never bought the premise.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; violence; and brief gore.

“Gretel & Hansel” (C+/B-):  The classic fairy tale gets a

grown-up retelling, with an artful look, a good cast (including Sophia Lillis, who was a standout in “It,” and the always interesting Alice Krige), lush Irish locations, and a female empowerment theme.  Things feel a tad stilted at moments; but, it is very nicely atmospheric and strange.  For ages 16+:  Not suitable for younger children.

“Rabid” (C-/C):  This remake of David Cronenberg’s 1977 horror movie has a disfigured young woman turned into something vampiric/cannibalistic by a mad scientist.  Canada’s lovely Laura Vandervoort is on similar terrain as in her turn as a werewolf on television’s “Bitten.”  The cast is better than the material deserves, but it’s all squandered on a descent into gratuitous gore.  Something more subtle and ambiguous would have been better.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; brutal violence; and gore.

“The Gentlemen” (B):  Writer/director Guy Ritchie’s latest tale of rival criminals in London has his trademark juxtaposition of dark deeds and even darker humor.  Awash with crude language, it’s also darkly, dryly witty, peopled with the likes of Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, and an unrecognizable Cockney-tongued High Grant (who steals the show).  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language and violence.

“The Turning” (D+):  Henry James’ 1898 novella, “The Turn of the Screw,” was a brilliant psychological drama about a governess and two children who may or may not be possessed by malevolent spirits.  His story spawned a masterpiece in the form of 1961’s “The Innocents,” starring Deborah Kerr.  But this addle-headed revision gets everything wrong:  the setting is too modern; the boy is too old; the housekeeper is an antagonist rather than a well-meaning but ineffectual confidant; the characterization is superficial; there is no coherent idea about what is amiss with the children; and the plot goes completely off the rails in the last reel, with at least two incomprehensible alternate endings – neither of which makes a whit of sense.  It is an ill-conceived despoiling of superlative source material, with a dearth of subtlety or intelligence.  Instead, people behave foolishly (like a game of hide-and-seek with a creepy kid in a creepy dark basement).  Canada’s Mackenzie Davis was effective as a super-soldier in the latest Terminator movie, but she feels miscast here as the governess.  The film’s release was delayed for a year or more, which is never a good sign.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language and frightening scenes.

“The Last Full Measure” (B-/B):  In 1999, some Vietnam vets want to upgrade the medal awarded to the medic who lost his life attending to them in a firefight 32 years earlier.  The frequent flashbacks (to a pedestrianly-depicted battle) are distracting and our attention wandered a bit early on.  But it picked up a head of steam, courtesy of its first-rate cast – among them, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Diane Ladd, and the late Peter Fonda, each of whom gets some moments to shine.  Based on a true story, its gains its emotional power slowly but surely.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language; brief gore.

“Little Women” (B/B+):  This retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story about the four March sisters had five Oscar nominations (including Best Film, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay), winning for Costumes, though director Greta Gerwig was overlooked.  The result is fresh and vital, a first-rate new look at familiar source material.

“Just Mercy” (B+):  Michael E. Jordan is a freshly-minted defense attorney who moves from the comfortable north to racially troubled Alabama to represent wrongly convicted black men (like the one played by Jamie Foxx) on death row.  Other than a glaring failure to explain why law enforcement authorities knowingly framed a man for murder and neglected to find the real killer, the film is an effective drama about the quest not just for mercy but also for justice.  Based on a true story, the film was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Screen Actors Guild.

“The Grudge” (C):  This reboot of a franchise about a restless malevolent specter sacrifices focus by jumping to and from several haunted characters.  Nothing new or memorable, but it’s serviceable enough as a standard fare spook-fest.  John Cho makes an impression, as he did in Season Two of television’s undervalued “The Exorcist.”  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and frightening scenes.

“Underwater” (B-):  A mining operation at the bottom of the sea is suddenly hit by a catastrophe.  Those few still alive (Kristin Stewart & Vincent Cassel among them) have to make a desperate egress if they’re to survive.  But they’re being hunted by predators unleashed from the deeps.  This undersea variation on the “Alien” model is better than expected.  We get a feel for the ragtag fugitives and connect with them in their desperate struggle to survive.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and violence.

“Weatherng with You” (Japan) (B):  This Japanese animated fantasy didn’t linger long at the theater, alas.  We caught only 30 minutes late in the story; but, its gorgeous animation (of clouds and water) in a Tokyo beset by incessant rain, really caught our eye (and interest).  Seek it out.

“1917” (A):  Two British soldiers (George MacKay & Dean-Charles

Chapman) in the First World War are dispatched to warn their distant fellows of an enemy ambush.  Director Sam Mendes filmed their harrowing trek to look like it’s all a single continuous shot, with us accompanying the messengers every dangerous step along the way.  The result is gripping and visceral – one of the year’s best movies.  It got seven Oscar nominations (including Best Film and Director), winning for its superlative Cinematography, as well as for Visual Effects and Sound Mixing.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language and violence.

“Knives Out” (B/B+):  An entertaining whodunit that has a patriarch (Christopher Plummer) dead and a houseful of bickering kin (including Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, and Ana de Armas) under scrutiny by the cryptically inscrutable investigator played by Daniel Craig.  It’s a darkly amusing good time.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language.

“Ford v. Ferrari” (B):  This Oscar nominee for Best Film (it won for Sound Editing) is based on the true story of Ford Motor Company’s damn the torpedoes goal of beating the famous racing cars from Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans 24-hour race.  There’s racing action for aficionados; but the story is anchored in strong characterization, courtesy of Christian Beale, Matt Damon, Tracy Letts, et al.).  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language.

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (D+):  The ninth (and

final) installment in the saga of the extended Skywalker family is a crushing disappointment.  Two trailers and a TV-spot artfully conjured a counterfeit promise of something exciting, dramatic, consequential, and even moving.  But the movie was none of those things!  Its story is an incoherent muddle; and we didn’t care about any of its shallow characters.  The evil, maniacal Emperor, dead and gone several movies ago, is suddenly back, without the slightest rhyme or reason, to conspire and cackle again.  An oversized Imperial fleet (why is everything in Star Wars liable to overkill, as if ‘bigger’ and ‘more’ are inherently better?) has been lying in wait (idly, under the ice) for decades.  So, why aren’t its crew all geriatrics?  Two central characters are (improbably in each case) torn between the light and dark sides of the Force.  But, who cares?  It’s all so arbitrary as to be utterly pointless.  Star Wars movies almost always disappoint (1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back” being the notable exception), but this one disappoints more than most.  Fire the writers – and the director!  This dud should never have seen the light of day.  And, in case you’re wondering, the film’s title makes no sense at all.  For ages 10+: Violence.

“The Song of Names” (Canada/Hungary, 2019) (B-):  A British family takes in a young violin prodigy from Poland just before the outbreak of World War Two.  He becomes, in effect, an adopted son, when returning to his Jewish family becomes impossible.  Arrogant and imperious from the get-go, he is haunted by the loss of his kin and, without warning, he abandons his adoptive family (and his promising career in music) when he’s a young man.  The story jumps around in time, but it is centered on two foster siblings (played as middle-aged adults by Tim Roth and Clive Owen), with a legacy of bitterness between them.  From Canadian director François Girard (1998’s “The Red Vioilin” & 1993’s “Thirty-Two Short Films about Glenn Gould”), it’s a solid character drama.  But, it always feels a bit clichéd and hollow, never quite achieving its potential.  Like the director’s best-known films, it aims to draw emotional heft from its connection to music – with just modest success in this case.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Cats” (B):  Andre Lloyd Webber’s popular stage musical

transitions to the big screen with its day in the lives of homeless felines.  One of them is destined to reborn, and the competition is keen among character types like a ruthless villain, a fallen woman, a hammy old theatrical cat (Ian McKellen), and a couple of plus-sized comic relief cats.  It all unfolds to lyrics inspired by poems by T.S. Elliot, with verbal rhythm and rhyme counting for more than strict comprehensibility.  Some bits (involving dancing mice and insects, and a fat cat’s gluttony) don’t work.  There’s a theater of the absurd vibe to the cats and their concerns; but there are also touches of poignancy, courtesy of Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Memory,” Judi Dench’s empathetic matriarch, and, best of all, the new cat on the block, Victoria.  An all-white housecat who’s been abandoned by her human owner, she’s sometimes wide-eyed, sometimes bemused, and sometimes achingly vulnerable as she explores this unfamiliar new world.  She’s played by Francesca Hayward, a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, and we were hopelessly smitten:  not only is her graceful physicality eminently balletic, her expressive face carried us along for the ride.

“Bombshell” (B-):  Based on the true story of sexual harassment in the top ranks of Fox News, we get not one, but three strong women, personified by Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie (who earned an Oscar nomination for the role, though we’d have nominated her for “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” instead).  John Lithgow, who usually exudes integrity, is cast against type as the predatory Roger Ailes.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and sexual talk.

“Richard Jewell” (B+/A-):  A much better than anticipated character drama (based on a true story) from director Clint Eastwood about the security guard (Paul Walter Hauser) who is wrongly accused of planting  a bomb at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.  The title character took awhile to grow on us:  he’s a simple, decent man, but, on first glance, we mistook his directness for pomposity.  Sam Rockwell steals the show as his able lawyer, and there is strong work by Kathy Bates, (who got a richly deserved Oscar nomination for her work here), Olivia Wilde, and Jon Hamm.  And, we were delighted to see “Stan & Ollie’s” Nina Arianda (who played the sharp-tongued, suffer-no-fools Ida Laurel in that earlier film) back as another strong-willed woman.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language.

“Dark Waters” (B):  “The system is rigged.  They want us to think it will protect us.”  A corporate defense lawyer strays well outside his comfort zone by representing the plaintiffs when a heedless corporation (DuPont Chemical) pollutes a community (and far beyond) with an unregistered (and therefore unregulated) “forever chemical.”  Based on a true story, it’s an involving ‘David and Goliath’ conflict, with Mark Ruffalo, along with Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman, and Canada’s Victor Garber.  It’s also a useful reminder that the corporate profit motive ignores public health (and simple decency) when it is not closely regulated by government.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language.

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“Waves” (USA, 2019) (B-/B):  Here’s a story with two parts – both of them centered on a bright, middle class black family in a well-off neighborhood in Florida.  The first part centers on Tyler (Kevin Harrison Jr.), a high school senior whose passions are the school wrestling team and his Latino girlfriend (Alexa Demi).  But an overbearing (if well-intentioned) father, a recklessly neglected sports injury, and an unexpected pregnancy send the boy’s promising life into a sudden downward spiral, creating a crisis for him and for his family.  The second part of the film involves Tyler’s sister, Emily (Taylor Russell).  When trouble comes to her popular, successful brother, she has to make a independent place for herself – at school and at home.  Sterling K. Brown (from television’s award-winning “This is Us”) is the film’s standout as Ronald Williams.  He is strict and demanding, pushing his kids to excel, but we see a softer, more vulnerable side in an excellent scene with his daughter.  It’s the film’s best scene, though there are other effective ones, too.  But the film is undermined by its heavy-handed attention to stylistic devices, like flashes of neon lighting, jerky camera movements, and a too-prominent musical score. (The songs on offer didn’t appeal to us; so their loud prominence was off-putting.)  Renée Elise Goldsberry makes an impression in a supporting role as Catherine (Tyler & Emily’s stepmother), and Lucas Hedges is solid as Emily’s burgeoning love interest – a white boy from the same wrestling team as her brother.  An incidental observation:  Severely distracted driving is ubiquitous among the teens depicted here.  No ill comes of it, but it easily might have been otherwise, which constitutes a compelling argument in favor of raising the age requirement for driving.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and some sexual content.

“Queen & Slim” (USA/Canada, 2019) (C+):  An ordinary first date abruptly turns into a desperate flight from the authorities after a routine roadside stop by police goes terribly wrong.  We liked Daniel Kaluuya (from 2017’s “Get Out”) very much as the male lead, but we never bought Jodie Turner-Smith as his female counterpart.  Surely a lawyer would know better than to suddenly go on the lam as a fugitive, when the pair are more or less blameless.  Sure, the film posits that it’s impossible for blacks to get a fair break in a scenario like this one; but, it all feels too heavy-handed and didactic.  That goes double for the outlaw street-cred lavishly bestowed on the fugitives during their interstate journey.  A complete stranger proffers, “It’s an honor to meet y’all.”  C’mon!   Queen’s uncle is a ridiculous character who lives with two or three scantily clad ‘bunnies.’  There’s an impossible-to-believe scene with a well-meaning black kid shooting a black policeman for no reason.  There’s a scene with some gratuitous nudity and sex.   And, most problematic of all, the couple’s sudden transition from middle class, law-abiding citizens to perceived desperadoes is just not credible.  The ensuing succession of far-fetched events, inauthentic sounding dialogue (“Chill, I got this”), and too many non-credible characters undermines the film; but, truth be told, we’re not sure its heavy-handed, clichéd premise isn’t half the problem.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language, nudity, and sexual content.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (USA/China, 2019) (A-):  Ostensibly a story about the beloved children’s television host Fred Rogers, this story is really about the quietly damaged magazine writer (played by Matthew Rhys, whom we mistook for Zach Braff) who is assigned to write a brief profile about the unassuming celebrity.  Tom Hanks does a masterful job of portraying a man whose kindness, gentleness, and great empathy rise almost to a kind of holiness.  How wonderful to encounter someone of such decency and humanity – a figure whom we can admire.  The result is sweet without being saccharine.  A gentle, redemptive story, it is as moving as it is uplifting; and it is one of this year’s best films.  Highly recommended for all but young children.

“Frozen 2” (USA, 2019) (B/B+):  This animated musical sequel

to Disney’s 2013 hit “Frozen” continues the story of the royal sisters Elsa (with an affinity for wintry things that was loosely inspired by the fairy story “The Snow Queen”) and her feisty younger kin Anna.  The same cast (with Broadway musical star Idina Menzel and Kristin Bel in the leads) and the same filmmaking team reassemble for this engaging follow-up.  It may, by definition, not be as original as the first entry, but we remained fully engaged by the love and loyalty in this sibling bond.  (And we’ve got a bit of a crush on Elsa).  The story involves a mystery, righting past wrongs, and counting on those you love through thick and thin.  There are some good songs (one or two of which channel tangible emotion), though no breakaway hits like the original’s Oscar and Grammy award winning “Let it Go.”  On the downside, a little of the tale’s comic relief (the bumptious sentient snowman voiced by Josh Gad) goes a very long way.  Every Disney animated film has a zany fool – to lighten the mood and to entertain young children – but they almost always (as here) grate on those of us who prefer more dignified, more serious, more grown-up story.

“Midway” (USA/China, 2019) (C+): About six months after the Japanese attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in December 1941, the Americans struck a resounding counter-blow in a naval and air encounter at the Pacific island of Midway.  This depiction of both battles does an effective job with the aerial dogfights and bombing runs.  But it feels otherwise lackluster.  There’s no powerful connection to the assorted servicemen depicted here, though a Japanese admiral, an American counterpart (Dennis Quaid), and an ace pilot (Ed Skrein) demonstrate some on-screen charisma.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“The Good Liar” (USA, 2019) (B):  This thriller is buoyed by its

distinguished leads (Ian McKellen & Helen Mirren), and it gains interest from the fact that their characters are older (over 65) than one would typically encounter in a thriller.  On the downside, however, the material is inferior to the cast.  While we may not be able to divine the precise nature of the eventual big twist, it’s obvious very early on that one is coming.  McKellen plays a suave seducer of aging lonely hearts, a conman who divides his time between counterfeit romance and financial investment fraud.  It’s in the latter area that things quickly become hard to swallow:  Feigning romantic interest in lonely women is a big step away from bilking well-heeled businessmen through outright fraud, with elaborate multi-player scams right out of “The Sting” (though this film has none of that movie’s carefree élan).  And the villain’s capacity for sudden brutal violence makes him less believable as a character.  Soon enough, our suspension of disbelief starts to crumble in the face of increasingly far-fetched plot turns – and a flashback several decades that feels like a detour into another film altogether.  It’s worth seeing for its cast, and it is a serviceable enough suspense-thriller; but it falls well short of its potential, with a screenplay built on the shaky foundation of contrivance and excess.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language; strong violence; and mature content.

“Doctor Sleep” (USA/U.K., 2019) (B+):  Danny Torrance, the

very odd little boy from “The Shining” is all grown up now and leads a squalid peripatetic life, haunted by his psychic powers and by all too vivid memories of what befell his family in the malign Overlook Hotel years earlier.  As always, Ewan McGregor brings great sensitivity, humanity, and depth to the role.  Adult Dan gets guidance from a spectral friend from his past (Carl Lumbly’s Dick Hallorann) and soon finds benevolent friends (Cliff Curtis & Canada’s Bruce Greenwood) among the living to help him right his course.  And it’s not a moment too soon, because he is telepathically contacted by a young girl who possesses psychic powers like his.  Kyliegh Curran is very effective as the gifted and brave Abra Stone.  Her powers have made her the prey of a nomadic cult of vampiric killers who hunt and kill people

(they seem to prefer children) who “shine” and feed on their psychic essence (or “steam”) after subjecting them to intense fear and pain.  A scene with them cruelly torturing a child to death certainly establishes their credentials as horrific serial killers; but, it’s a mighty unpleasant scene to force us to endure – far better to have left it to our imagination.

The film spends quite a bit of time with the cult, to no particular advantage.  We learn (and want to learn) little about them, other than that they are creepy, remorseless, brutal killers.  There are more or less human, but their diet of choice gives them a vastly extended lifespan.  What is noteworthy about them is their leader, ‘Rose the Hat,’ who is played with charismatically diabolical menace by the drop-dead gorgeous Rebecca Ferguson.  Elsewhere among the cast, we liked Emily Alyn Lind as a new recruit to the cult, Zackary Momoh & Jocelin Donahue as Abra’s parents, and Henry Thomas & Alex Essoe as young Danny’s parents (the roles originally played by Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall) in flashbacks.

The result is much better than we’d have expected, with quiet moments of poignancy and friendship every bit as important as the scary stuff.  Based on Stephen King’s 2013 novel of the same name, “Doctor Sleep” is a sequel to “The Shining,” drawing inspiration from both King’s 1977 book and the 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick.  In the end, the story returns to the scene of the earlier story’s crime; but, truth be told, the final confrontation is less satisfying than the 152-minute trip we take with these characters.   For ages 18+ only:  Brutal violence; coarse language; horror; and a very disturbing scene.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” (USA/Spain/Hungary, 2019)

(C+):  “There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”  The latest entry in the long-running franchise ignores everything that transpired after 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”  It amounts to a revisionistic reboot, killing off the all-important future leader of the human resistance to machine rule in its opening moments and replacing him with a new incipient savior in the form of a young Mexican woman.  In other respects, it duplicates the plotting of past films in the series.  A human who’ll prove vitally important in the future is hunted by lethal robot from said dystopia, while being protected from it by a guardian dispatched from that same future.  Violent melees ensue, with a firestorm of bullets.  It still mystifies us that the good guys in all of the Terminator movies expend so much ammo against mechanical men who are invulnerable to bullets.

The action stuff is well-done, even if it’s nothing notably new.  What’s best here is the return of Linda Hamilton (as an older Sarah Connor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (as a variant on his T-800 android, alias ‘Carl’).  It’s a treat to see the two of them back in action.  Canada’s Mackenzie Davis is very good as a cyber-augmented super-soldier sent from the future to protect Natalia Reyes’ unwitting Dani; and Gabriel Luna is the villain of the piece as the implacable ‘REV-9.’  The abundant very coarse language adds nothing; it is gratuitous, making the film unfit for tender ears.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language; violence.

“Jojo Rabbit” (Czech Republic/New Zealand, 2019) (A):

New Zealand writer/director Taika Waititi delivers one of the year’s best, and most original, films with this funny, surprisingly warmhearted satire about a little boy in Nazi Germany.  Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is a true believer in the ruling ideology; indeed, his imaginary friend (visible only to him – and us) is a child’s jovial version of Adolf Hitler (played with comedic perfection by Waititi himself).   Jojo proudly sports his Hitler Youth uniform; but his kind heart prevents him from killing a rabbit upon command – hence the derogatory moniker of the film’s title.   His free-spirited (and freedom-loving) mother (Scarlett Johansson) is no friend of the Nazis; and Jojo accidentally discovers, to his consternation, that she is secretly giving sanctuary to a Jewish girl.  The girl is played by the preternaturally beautiful Thomasin McKenzie (of 2018’s superlative “Leave No Trace”), who tells Jojo:  “You’re not a Nazi…. You’re a ten-year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club.”

It’s an adept filmmaker who can write such a funny and goodhearted film set in this particularly unpleasant time.  Roberto Benigni’s 1997 “Life is Beautiful” is the closest precedent that springs to mind.  Sam Rockwell is on hand as an inept (but ultimately decent) captain, and Archie Yates plays Jojo’s butterfingered friend Yorki:  (Jojo) “Nothing makes sense anymore.”  (Yorki)  “Yeah, I know; [it’s] definitely not a good time to be a  Nazi.”  Based on the novel by Christine Leunens, “Jojo Rabbit” is a joy of originality – for all its wry, and sometimes dark humor (e.g. Rebel Wilson’s enthusiastic Nazi asks who’s up for a little book burning), it’s a movie with abundant gentleness and an admirable message against despotism and war.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language; adult subject-matter.

“Parasite” [“Gisaengchung”] (South Korea, 2019) (A-):  A poor family in Seoul uses resourcefulness and guile to ingratiate themselves, one-by-one, into the employment of a wealthy family, as tutors, housekeeper, and chauffeur.  They do their jobs competently, but they got their jobs through deceit.  The two families are a study in contrasts.  One lives in effortless luxury; the other struggles for necessities of life.  We like the four interlopers, and their pampered employers, too.  We like the ‘imposters,’ that is, until things a darker turn later in the film, when their facility for ruthlessness suddenly reveals a capacity for violence.  We wish the swerve to violent deeds had been omitted, but it doesn’t change our view that this is one of the best films of the year.  Often sly and darkest humorous, it is a character-driven social satire of the first order.  Directed and co-written by Bong Joon-Ho (of 2016’s likewise very fine “The Host”), “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or (Best Film) at Cannes.  It is nominated for Best International Film at British Independent Film Award; and it got twelve nominations at South Korea’s Blue Dragon Awards, including Best Film, Dir4ector, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress twice), Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, & Editing.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; violence; and one scene with sexual content.

“Harriet” (USA, 2019) (B):  Harriett Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1849 to find freedom in Philadelphia, then repeated that perilous trek in the years before the Civil War to bring other enslaved blacks to freedom. Evidently, this is the first dramatization of her remarkable life – and the arc that saw her become a strong, brave, independent woman, an active member of the famed Underground Railroad that secreted escaping slaves to the distant safe haven of Canada, and an armed combatant when the war years came.  The British actress Cynthia Erivo (who was so good in the neglected 2018 film “Bad Times at the El Royale”) invests her character with admirable dignity and determination, without ever losing sight of her humanity.  The result is a solid, very watchable biopic, even if there’s nothing unexpected about it.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“The Lighthouse” (Canada/USA, 2019 (B+/A-):  “How long

have we been on this rock? Five weeks?  Two days…? Help me to recollect.”  Two men are stationed on a remote islet in a turbulent sea to maintain a lighthouse off the coast of England in the 1890s.  What ensues is a descent into mutual madness, propelled by isolation and the enforced abrasive proximity to a sole other companion.  But is it madness?  Or it is some dark enchantment born of the sea’s roiling depths:  “Hark Triton, hark!  Bellow, bid our father the Sea King rise from the depths full foul in his fury!   Black waves teeming with salt foam to smother this young mouth… to be lapped up and swallowed by the infinite waters of the Dread Emperor himself – forgotten to any man, to any time, forgotten to any god or devil, forgotten even to the sea… even any scantling of your soul is [you] no more, but is now itself the sea!”  Poetical, artistic, infused with the mythological, mysterious, and as a strange as a sightless creature from the deep depths itself, here’s an audacious work of art, directed and co-written by Robert Eggers (the writer/director of 2015’s masterful “The Witch”).

Filmed in Nova Scotia, peopled by a cast of only two (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson), if you don’t count visions of an unearthly feral mermaid (Valeriia Karaman), it’s a master study of obsession, superstition, guilt, jealously guarded secrets, and disintegrating psyches – delivered with artful poetry.  Its B&W hues, its always off-kilter visuals, and its extreme weirdness of tone are very reminiscent of films by Canada’s Guy Maddin, like “The Saddest Music in the World.” “The Lighthouse” is dizzyingly original.  It’s dead-certain to have a place on Artsforum’s list of 2019’s best films.  But, truth be told, it is not entirely satisfying.  Some of its pervasive strangeness feels gratuitous; that is certainly so for a couple of very crude sexual scenes (at least, we think they were sexual), as well as its drunken frenzies and brutal violence.  It conjures mysteries from effervescent sea-spray, but it delivers no coherent explanation for what unravels in these men or for what they see (or think they see) in the heart of the lighthouse’s pulsating light.  Do they fall afoul of the sea’s taboos?  Is madness contagious, or were they both already afflicted before they arrived?  Is their plight and their fate internally driven or imposed upon them by some preternatural external agency?  Expect no answers.  The film paints in artful strokes, but style seems to win over coherence and substance.

With poetry made from the visceral, there are unexpected moments of dark humor here, as well as intimations of horror.  This result is emphatically not for everyone.  But it is a work of art, regardless, complete with master-class performances:  (A) “What made your last keeper leave?”  (B)  “He believed that there was some enchantment in the light. Went mad, he did.”  For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language; crude sexual content; nudity; violence; some gruesome content; and some disturbing content.

“Black and Blue” (USA, 2019) (C):  Naomie Harris (Moneypenny in the recent James Bond reboot series) is a freshly-minted police officer in New Orleans who inadvertently witnesses cold-blooded murder by some very bad cops.  She’s marked for death by those killers and by the gangsters with whom they’re in cahoots.  The police who aren’t corrupt are duped into thinking she’s a dangerous rogue, while civilians in this poor part of town aren’t interested in getting involved.  One decent man (Tyrese Gibson) and her own fierce determination are her only chance in this passable action and suspense blend that’s buoyed by its charismatic lead.  For ages 18+: Coarse language and violence.

“The Addams Family” (Canada/USA, 2019) (B-):  A picture perfect suburb has a haunted house on a hill, and that’s the perfect place for a very odd family of newcomers to call home.  This cute new animated movie iteration on characters created by the American cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine in 1938 has a voice cast that includes:  Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, Allison Janney, Martin Short, and Catherine O’Hara

“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (USA/ U.K., 2019) (B-):

Disney’s live action fantasy “Malificent” (2014) was an unabashed success with its revisionistic take on the tale of Sleeping Beauty that had the traditional villain of the piece (the story’s eponymous dark fairy) reinvented as a sympathetic character who had herself been betrayed and terribly wronged.  She ends up becoming the protector and surrogate mother to the young princess Aurora.  With razor-sharp cheekbones, long curved horns, and hot temper, she also possessed a good heart and fierce loyalty to kith and kin.  That film’s attention to character; its avoidance of juvenile trappings, and its lush setting made it a first-rate winner, a film that merits repeated viewings.   The sequel reunites Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, and Sam Riley (as the fairy’s devoted amanuensis, who is sometimes human, sometimes avian).  We’re glad to spend time with these well-drawn characters again, but the story doesn’t do them real justice:  There just isn’t enough here that’s new and worth telling.

The result is not memorable, in contrast to the original.  Michelle Pfeiffer ought to have been a good addition to that cast as Aurora’s prospective mother-in-law, but she’s too one-dimensionally ruthless and malign.  Why not make her character and motivations more ambiguous and subtle?  Instead, she’s a single-hued villain, even though it’s her foe (Malificent) who’s wearing black.  The whole human versus fey conflict that Pfeiffer’s queen precipitates is too heavy-handed and arbitrary.  And, while, it’s a small matter, the human kingdom that borders the magical realm was nowhere mentioned in the original film. Suddenly, it’s there – check-to-jowl abutting Faerie – and it’s only there as a contrived plot driver.  Likewise, the fey-folk (and their protector) were much more adept in the first film at securing their borders against the other hostile human kingdom (the one to which Aurora was heir) – by, for instance, an impenetrable thorn hedge; here, by contrast, human incursions and poaching are commonplace.  Finally, the discovery of a lost race of fairies like Malificent is not developed into more than a hollow distraction.   With too much attention to action and not enough on character and story, the sequel falls short of it worthy progenitor.  Note:  Not suitable for young children.

“Zombieland: Double Tap” (USA/Canada, 2019) (C):  In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, what’s left of humanity makes do with some smart-ass humor and zombie-dispatching smarts.  The 2009 film “Zombieland” was rollicking good fun; this belated sequel reunites the original cast without fully recapturing its magic.  Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin make an entertaining surrogate family bonded by a combination of affection and bickering.  We’re glad to see these characters again; trouble is: the plot doesn’t give them enough interesting stuff to say or do.  The writing feels weak at first (some dialogue early in the film is pretty lame), though things grew on us eventually.  Among the newcomers, Zoey Deutch is surprisingly affecting as a vacuous “Valley Girl,” while Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch are amusing in an extended cameo as a pair of survivors who have the same nerd vs. redneck personality dynamic as Eisenberg and Harrelson:  it’s a revealing look in the mirror for those two characters.  The always charismatic Rosario Dawson is briefly along for the ride; and, be sure to stay for the credits to see a cameo by a character (played by Bill Murray) who didn’t survive the original.  The irreverent humor and quips still entertain, but these characters needed a better movie in which to strut their stuff.   For ages 18+:  Very coarse language; gore; and violence.

“Gemini Man” (USA/China, 2019) (B+):  “Mutts like Henry were born to be collateral damage.”  The supposed big deal about Ang Lee’s new action thriller is the pairing of actor Will Smith with a digitally-created much younger version of himself.:  so, we get present-day Smith (as a retired government assassin) battling a CGI version of a young Smith.   Personally, we don’t see what all the fuss is about:  The computer-drawn Smith is okay, but he never really feels completely real – there’s a residual animated feel, a vague blankness behind the eyes that falls short of verisimilitude.  Having said that, however, “Gemini Man” is a better than competent entry (kin to the Jason Bourne series) in its genre, with performances and action sequences that hold our interest throughout.  Smith (real and faux) is ably supported by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen (whom we still think would make a very fine James Bond), and Benedict Wong.   For ages 18+:  Some coarse language; violence.

“Joker” (USA/Canada, 2019) (B+/A-):  It’s impossible to take

your eyes off Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a terribly troubled man on the road to full-blown psychopathy. It’s an award-caliber performance of a very dark character.  Before he’s a cold-blooded killer, he’s a deeply damaged psyche.  He’s aware of his affliction, but an uncaring world offers no help.  To a harried public counselor, he says in despair,  “You don’t listen, do you? You just ask the same questions every week… ‘Are you having any negative thoughts?’  All I have are negative thoughts.”  Fleck is what’s known as an ‘unreliable narrator.’  We see the story through his eyes, but how much of it is objectively true is impossible to discern. Nominally inspired by the figure who becomes the chief nemesis to the superhero Batman, this is no comic-book story.  It is set (in a manner others have compared to “Taxi Driver”)

on the mean streets of Gotham (New York), at a time (like ours) when the dispossessed many are growing resentful toward the ever more wealthy few.

The tone is hyper-realistic and gritty:  uncollected garbage is piling up, social services are being pared down, and the powers that be seem indifferent to the plight of the struggling many.  Exaggerating present-day social ills to make its point, the film is unsubtle and heavy-handed at hammering home its incipient class conflict theme:  “Have you seen what it’s like out there…?  Everybody just yells and screams at each other.  Nobody’s civil anymore.  Nobody thinks what it’s like to be the other guy.”  And it certainly doesn’t offer any light at the end of its dark tunnel.  It’s an unremittingly bleak, nihilistic vision of a dysfunctional society; but it’s propelled into art by distilling that bleakness into the lost soul of a damaged psyche who can find no safe harbor.  There comes a point when our sympathy for Fleck’s anguish collides with his headlong descent into violent madness; but, it’s a remarkable work of characterization that evokes our empathy for this wretched, ruinously damaged figure of a man.  For ages 18+ only:  Disturbing subject matter; strong (occasionally brutal) violence; and coarse language.

“Judy” (U.K., 2019) (B+/A-):  “I just want what everybody wants; I just seem to have a hard time getting it.”  Mostly set in 1968, this biopic about the last few months in the life of the actress and singer Judy Garland opens with a flashback to her younger self (fetchingly played by Darci Shaw) on the set of “The Wizard of Oz.”  It’s we fist encounter we see between the vulnerable girl and the overbearing, bullying studio system personified by Louis B. Mayer.  The starlet is chided when she yearns for moments of normalcy.  She’s reminded that the studio can consign her back to the anonymity whence she came should she resist their all-pervasive control over how long she works, what she eats, who she dates, and what she says.  She’s given drugs to make her sleep, drugs to wake her up, and drugs to suppress her appetite.  (Denied lunch by a studio watchdog, she’s told to have a pill instead: “That’ll take the edge off.”)  It is appalling child abuse:  she’s used by the big business as a cog in their money-making machine.  And, if that weren’t bad enough, there seems to be a subtle implication that Mayer has actual or incipient designs on her of a sexually predatory nature.

Flashbacks to her youth establish that history of callous exploitation.  In the present, Judy is portrayed by Renée Zelleweger in an award-caliber performance.  Outwardly hardened, she’s inwardly as vulnerable as ever.  Short on cash, she’s obliged to separate from the children she loves, leaving them stateside with her ex while she goes to earn some money singing in a London club.  Brittle, worn out, and afflicted by drink, she’s also beset by crushing unhappiness.  Denied a normal life, her whole life has become performing – on the concert stage or on the sound stage.  Weighed down by a lifetime of neglect and abuse, she can still sporadically muster great talent, charm, and élan, but her prevailing trajectory is that of a downward spiral.  It’s a poignant, very humane portrait of an artist who died prematurely, at the age of only 47.   For ages 18+:  Some coarse language.

“Zeroville” (USA, 2019) (B/B+):  James Franco (who also directs the film) plays an extremely odd fellow who arrives in Hollywood in 1969 and gets swept along by an irresistibly strong current of serendipity.  With no ostensible qualifications whatsoever (if you don’t count an obsession with all things cinematic), Vikar very shortly becomes a highly sought-after film editor.  Highly laconic and mostly passive, he’s propelled by events beyond his control.  Like a much darker variation on Forrest Gump or Peter Sellers’ simpleminded Chance in “Being There,” things just happen to Vikar; and others attribute insights (and artistry) to him that may or may not actually exist.  His bald head is a living tapestry bearing the tattooed likenesses of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor from 1951 “A Place in the Sun” – a film and characters that form the heart of his obsession.  He’s described as a “cine-autistic,” an autistic whose very identity and persona are inseparably linked to cinema in general and the aforementioned film in particular.  Based on a novel by Steve Erickson, “Zeroville” gets points for sheer, audacious originality.  It’s emphatically not for all tastes, but we liked its quietly eccentric tone.  However, its last half is less satisfying:  perhaps all that quirkiness runs out of steam or just outwears its welcome.   For ages 18+:  Very coarse language and some nudity.

“Abominable” (USA/China, 2019) (B-):  The entertainment industry in the United States hasn’t missed the fact that China’s bursting-at-the-seams population is a big, lucrative market for our movies, music, and sports programming.  And, ever since we perversely transferred most of our industrial sector to China, that country’s new-found wealth has enabled it to participate in financing ostensibly Western films.  The result is often the artificial injection of Chinese characters or places into scripts; sometimes, alas, the result is an unacceptable blunting of Western values to avoid offending the one-party dictatorship that unfortunately holds sway in Beijing.  In the case of the animated children’s adventure flick “Abominable,” the setting and characters are Chinese, while the voice-cast is Western.  It’s an engaging story of a juvenile (but very large) yeti who is aided in its escape from ruthless captors by three urban kids as they makes their way across China to the distant Himalayas in occupied Tibet.  It’s a story of friendship, acceptance, and bonding, built around a cross country road-trip.  The villains are typically one-dimensional and overblown, but the kids and their white-fur-covered friend are fairly cute.

“Downton Abbey” (U.K./USA, 2019) (B/B+):  The immensely

popular British drama about life at a country estate in Yorkshire ran for six seasons (2010-15) on television, with a story that spanned the years 1912-1926.  Its big-screen incarnation, set in 1927, is an unabashed treat for devotees of the television series, reuniting its cast from both upstairs and downstairs at the country mansion.  It is character-driven, and it’s a pleasure to see these colorful characters again:  they’re as familiar and engaging as old friends.  And none is more colorful than Maggie Smith, who gets the best lines – in the form of dryly delivered ironic quips:  “Machiavelli is frequently underrated.  He had many qualities.”  The story revolves around the impending visit of the king and queen, an honor that will test the mettle of the great house’s staff to the limit, as they find themselves curtly brushed aside by the imperious royal servants.  Among the new characters, Kate Phillips (as Princess Mary), Imelda Staunton (as a Crawley family relative), and the uniquely-named Tuppence Middleton (as a lady’s companion and potential love interest for the family’s Irish in-law) all make welcome additions.  (The only missing character is the headstrong Scottish cousin played by Lily James.)   Precisely like the television series, the film favors very short scenes, jumping from this group of characters to the next.  Perhaps that’s inevitable with such a large cast; but we’d have liked to spend more time with each scene.  Cavils, aside, it’s a must-see for those who followed its television progenitor and a solid period piece for everyone else.

“Ad Astra” (B/B+):  “In the end, the son suffers the sins of the father.”  Here’s an introspective character study dressed in outer space gear that has a no-nonsense astronaut (Brad Pitt) dispatched to the far end of our solar system to find his long-lost father (Tommy Lee Jones) and a classified experiment that may be imperiling all life on Earth.  The tone here is laconic and matter of fact.  It’s the near future, and there are permanent manned bases on both the Moon and Mars.  The work of space travel is presented in a realistic manner:  there are no aliens or space battles (other than an unnecessary shoot-out with lunar pirates) here.  Instead, the screenplay and performances aim for something introspective, thoughtful, poetic even.  Its vision of the future isn’t entirely pleasing.  Recurring psychological evaluations, delivered as a monologue in a monotone voice, seem as much designed to ensure conformity with the established order as they are to look for psychological stresses.

Society feels subtly regimented and sterile, like a Brave New World that’s over-mediated by quietly mandated compliance and constant scrutiny.  There are softer, gentler intimations of Big Brother here, as though society is actively ironing out all life’s messy ‘wrinkles.’  Credibility is strained at times.  At one point, several astronauts (who are clearly identified as scientists and technicians, not soldiers, let alone assassins) suddenly (and oh-so-unconvincingly) go into lethal attack mode.  Also, the aforementioned pirates on the Moon are a bit hard to swallow:  they’re only there as a transparent excuse for an action sequence.  And, the ‘big threat’ to all human life feels at once trivial and contrived.  The film also under-utilizes most of its cast:  we see too little of Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, and the irresistible Ruth Negga (of “Preacher”).  Perhaps that can be justified to some extent by the fact that this is a very subjective story, set inside the seemingly unflappable psyche of Pitt’s astronaut voyager.  The voyage is as much metaphorical as it is literal, and the film gets points for reaching for the figurative stars, even if its reach exceeds its grasp.  For ages 18+:  Very brief coarse language; violence; and a frightening scene.

“Rambo: Last Blood” (C):  Sylvester Stallone reprises his character, John Rambo, a psychologically-scarred war vet who can’t escape the trauma of conflict and frequently finds cause to revert to trained killer mode.  He’s a one-man army, obliterating all in his path.  And for that premise to appeal, he has to be set against truly despicable villains.  In this installment, the bad guys (and eventual cannon fodder) are Mexican gangsters who have abducted our hero’s beloved surrogate daughter (an appealing Yvette Monreal), who has made an unwise solo trip south of the border, hooking her on drugs and enslaving her in involuntary prostitution.  For a revenge picture to work, we first need to get a dose of the bad guys doing bad things.  But the terrorizing and degradation of the sweet young girl is too disturbing to witness (even though much of it happens off-stage).  Perhaps some other, less unpleasant, trigger for the vengeance to come should have been used.

And, as much as these ruthless killers richly deserve their lethal fate, some of it is delivered with unnecessarily graphic, gruesome, and over-the-top violence.  The big confrontation at the end has a common sense problem and a continuity one.  As to the latter, there are more thugs than would fit in the small convoy of cars we are shown – unless perhaps they are clown cars, each with a dozen or more occupants?  And speaking of clowns, common sense suggests that when the brutal slaughter begins, at least some of these unlucky villains would turn tail and run for their miserable lives – yet, none do so.  Flaws notwithstanding, it works okay for what it is.  Call it a guilty pleasure, but we welcome seeing Stallone revisiting this damaged character.  An all-but-unrecognizable Paz Vega gets under-utilized as a passing ally.  Unexpectedly, for a film built around violence, it’s best in its pacific opening section, with a Rambo who is finally at peace on his southwestern ranch with his surrogate family.  (So, why not try a Rambo story with no violence at all – a story about healing and redemption?)  It’s probably unintentional, but the film’s depiction of bloodthirsty Mexican criminals and the seeming ease with which armed men cross the border lends some credence to those in the real world who are looking for reasons to ‘Build that wall!’  For ages 18+ only:  Brutal violence; very coarse language; gore; drug use; and disturbing content.

“Brittany Runs a Marathon” (USA, 2019) (B+/A-):  What a lovely surprise!  We nearly bypassed this film, on the (incorrect) assumption that it was another inane comedy.  Instead, we were treated to a really engaging blend of drama, humor, and poignancy, as a young woman (Jillian Bell) struggles to turn her life around.  Her personal and professional life is floundering, and that goes double for her self-esteem.   Can we reinvent ourselves and find happiness?  This surprisingly touching ‘dramedy’ will keep you hooked as its imperfect protagonist seeks the answer to that question.  Bell is very good here, and her disliked neighbor turned ally (played by Michaela Watkins) makes a strong impression.  For ages 18+ only:  A lot of coarse language; sexual references.

“Hustlers” (USA, 2019) (B-/B):  Inspired by a true story, some New York City strippers take advantage of the well-off men who raucously ogle them (and often seek to buy sexual favors from them), spiking their drinks to run up their credit card charges.  It’s a scam, but our sympathies are more with the women than the mostly obnoxious Wall Street ‘victims.’  Constance Wu (who was the lead in “Crazy Rich Asians”) plays the newcomer, and she’s teamed with Jennifer Lopez as the experienced hustler.  The sheer élan of the women held our interest in a film that relies partly on character, partly on situation for its momentum.  The tone is often light, sometimes downright zany.   For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language; brief nudity; sexual subject-matter.

“The Goldfinch” (USA, 2019) (B+):  Some of those familiar with the novel by Donna Tartt have reportedly been finding fault with the film; but, for us (without said basis for comparison), it was a appealingly original dive into idiosyncratic, unconventional characters and situations reminiscent of  the fiction of John Irving.  It starts with a terrorist bomb going off in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Two of the young survivors are orphaned and forever bonded by the tragedy.  What ensues is a life journey – though regret, guilt, longing, rebellion, disquiet, and the yearning for a kind of redemption.  It’s buoyed by a solid cast, including Oakes Fegley  and Ansel Elgort (each playing the lead character at different ages), Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Wilson, Sarah Paulson, Willa Fitzgerald, Aneurin Barnard, Finn Wolfhard, Ashleigh Cummings, and Aimee Laurence.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Overcomer” (C): A faith-based drama about a husband and wife couple who teach at a southern high school.  His main duty is coaching the school’s competitive basketball team.  But hard times have hit the locality, and the team is decimated.  So the coach is assigned to lead the school’s cross-country running team – a team with only a single member.  It’s an unfamiliar sport for him, and his sole runner has asthma and family troubles.  The result is watchable, with the faith-references more restrained than in some religiously motivated films.  Among the cast, Cameron Arnett (as a hospitalized man with many regrets) and Shari Rigby (as the coach’s teacher wife) are the standouts, followed by the actors who play the two sons; while Aryn Wright-Thompson has a couple of solid moments in a mostly low-key performance as the initially reluctant runner.  Director and co-writer Alex Kendrick is adequate in the leading role, though another actor might have given it more emotional heft.

“It: Chapter Two” (USA/Canada, 2019) (C+):  Twenty-seven

years after seven children prevailed over a malevolent fright in their hometown, that predatory evil has reemerged, obliging them to reassemble and again face their worst fears.  Director Tony Muschietti remains at the helm for this continuation of 2017’s “It” (though with different screenwriters), the source material, Stephen King’s lengthy novel, having been divided into the kids’ story and the adult’s story for this two-part movie adaptation.  The lovely Ontario town of Port Hope (with its Victorian buildings) again personifies the fictional town of Derry, Maine (while Oshawa, Ontario has the dubious distinction of being home to the ruinous haunted house, which was constructed for the films).  We liked the kids’ struggle (in the first film) better than the grown-ups’ in this one, despite some strong acting talent like Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy.

What’s best about the novel and the movies is the sinister clown incarnation of the evil being that feeds on the fear it engenders.  Its centuries-long presence hidden beneath the town has left a miasma of aggression on the part of some, and willful blindness on the part of others, hovering over the townsfolk.  Neglected in the films (and even in the novel) is one of its most disturbing aspects: not all of the evil done in Derry is done by the demonic predator.  Its presence seems to give many of the town’s human inhabitants license to let loose their own inner ugliness.

The entity in the novel (and the movies) takes on many forms (all the better to scare you with); but, in truth, its most unnerving form, by far, is that of Pennywise the clown – chillingly portrayed, under a lot of make-up, by Bill Skarsgård.  Instead of sticking with what works, so very effectively, both the book and the movies switch it up with other incarnations – and, right on cue (for contemporary movies) that means over-indulging in CGI.  It’s a shame, because acting (with some make-up) can beat so-called ‘special effects’ any day in the fright sweepstakes.  The film posits a half-baked explanation for what is really behind the clown-face; but its confused amalgam of the supernatural and the extraterrestrial makes not a whit of sense.  If this ‘devourer of worlds’ is a flesh and blood space traveler, where is its spacecraft?  The film doesn’t even attempt to explain the “dead lights” at the heart of the evil presence.  The most disturbing thing in the whole film is some human-on-human violence in the opening moments, as a gang of thugs brutalize a minority member for the sheer ugly ‘fun’ of it.  It’s an unpleasant way to open the story, and it leaves us wondering if Derry is worth saving.  For ages 18+ only:  Brutal violence; frequent coarse language; gore; horror; and some very disturbing content.

“Ready or Not” (C+):  A young bride marries into a wealthy family who made their fortune selling games.  She learns on her wedding night that she has to play one.  It’s a lethal variation on “hide and seek,” and she only wins if she stays alive till morning.  Participation is not voluntary.  The result is a manic plunge into the darkest of dark humor, with the Parkwood mansion in Oshawa, Ontario providing the luxurious backdrop for the inept blood sport that ensues.  The body count is high and they don’t spare the graphic violence and gore.  We could have done with a little restraint in those departments, but the sheer outrageousness of the concept and the ineptitude of these would-be killers are darkly amusing, even if the film runs out of some of its steam once the novelty wears off.  For ages 18+ only:  Brutal violence; extremely coarse language; and gore.

“Angel Has Fallen” (C): Gerard Butler is back in the latest chapter from this series of action flicks about a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the president.  Shameless overkill is de rigueur here (the White House came under massive armed attack in a previous chapter), with one man overcoming a whole lot of opponents.  Butler’s charisma is the chief propellant for the series (along with the action stuff).  But, in this installment, Nick Nolte steals the whole show as the lead’s gruff-voiced hermit-father.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and violence.

“The Peanut Butter Falcon” (USA, 2019) (B+):  A good-hearted young man with Downs Syndrome (Zack Gottsagen) escapes from the seniors’ home where he’s been warehoused to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler.  He encounters a young ne’er-do-well (a hard to recognize Shia LaBeouf) who’s on the run from some thugs, and a concerned caregiver (the ever-so-appealing Dakota Johnson).  The quirky trio bond, forming an unexpected surrogate family, as they follow a meandering path by land and water across the American South: the result is a road story with heart, an underdog saga that reels you in with its gentle, character-driven relationships.   Supporting players Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, and Jon Bernthal are met along the way.   The result is a quintessential film-festival film.  For ages 18+: Coarse language.

“After the Wedding” (USA, 2019) (B+):  The life trajectories of Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and Billy Crudup intersect in this American remake(directed by Bart Freundlich) of the 2006 Danish original.  (Abby Quinn also makes an impression as the daughter who’s about to get married.)  It’s a drama anchored in characterization and relationships and it’s all about love, family, and sacrifice.  It dares to be low-key, confident that its sure-handed performances will carry us through to the end – and they do.  The classy result is one of the year’s best films.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“Luce” (USA, 2019) (B/B+): Here’s a study in suspicion, doubt, and manipulation that started life as a stage play.  Naomi Watts and Tim Roth are proud parents of their adopted black son Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), whom they extricated from a savagely war-torn African country.  Luce seems to be the model son and student.  He’s a bright, well-mannered, high-achiever (both academically and athletically) at his middle class high school.  But there are intimations that not all is as is seems.  An initially supportive teacher (Octavia Spencer) starts to wonder if Luce is deceptive.  His parents (and we) are buffeted by doubt – is he, or isn’t he the upright, well-adjusted young man he seems to be?  It’s a strong premise, with a strong cast, but there are flaws.  For one thing, Luce always comes across as too good to be true.  There’s a persistent feeling of phoniness about him that undermines our uncertainty and suspense.  Things end up being a bit clichéd.   It is very probably unintended, but the film could be seen as a cautionary tale against welcoming immigrants from severely troubled places.  The film didn’t need the teacher’s disturbed sister subplot, or said teacher’s descent into near-hysteria, or an explosion and fire, or the off-putting, muddled allusions to sexual misconduct.  The story should have surprised us and shunned the predicable to the very end.  Instead, there’s a hard-to-swallow moment of blind loyalty on the part of characters who know better:  It didn’t ring true.  The result is very good, despite those flaws; but it falls short of its potential.  For ages 18+: Coarse language; sexual content; and other adult content.

“Blinded by the Light” (U.K./USA, 2019) (B):  1987 Britain is the setting for this quirky coming of age story from Gurinder

Chadra, director of 2002’s “Bend it Like Beckham.”   It’s a time of Thatcherism, job lay-offs, and social unrest.  Non-white immigrants are subject to verbal abuse from emboldened fringe elements (sound familiar in 2019?); and, the story has a good dose of teenage alienation for good measure.  Javed is of South Asian descent; he regards himself as English, but his traditionalist parents see things differently.  He’s a bit of an outsider, longing for a girlfriend and an escape from the dreary industrial city where he lives, when he’s introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen, whose lyrics give voice to his inner angst.  It’s a winning performance by Viveik Kalra:  his Javed is a completely engaging character – sincere, decent, and earnest.  He’s surrounded by able cast-mates, and there’s an appealing theme at work.  If Springsteen’s music hit as powerful a chord with us as it does with the film’s young protagonist, this would have been a home-run.  As it is, Springsteen’s music is effective enough as a plot driver, but it’s mostly unknown to us and therefore never electrifies our imagination.

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (B):  Cate Blanchett plays an eccentric one-time architect who was an avante-garde wunderkind early in her career.  But that came to a screeching halt years ago, and she finds herself severely under-employed as a full-time stay-at-home mother.  She loves her 15-year old daughter (Emma Nelson) to bits; but her marriage (to Billy Crudup) is drifting apart, her leaky old house is dilapidated, and life in the suburban Pacific Northwest feels conventional and stifling.  She’s restless, unpopular with the other school moms, and at odds with a pushy neighbor.  What ensues is an excursion into straight-faced dry humor and quirky characters, along with a more literal journey to the ends of the Earth.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“The Art of Racing in the Rain” (B):  “A true champion can accomplish things a normal person would consider impossible.”

Here’s a surprisingly affecting story told from a dog’s point of view.  He’s adopted from amidst a tangle of noses and tails by a professional race car driver, and they’re bonded for life.  It’s a perfect pairing for our canine protagonist (he’s given truly engaging narrative voice by Kevin Costner), because he years to be reborn as a race car driver.  It seems that traditional Mongolian beliefs (the subject of a TV documentary he sees) posit that dogs will be reborn as humans, when they’re ready.  It’s a solid cast, with Milo Ventimiglia, the note-perfect husband and father from television’s “This is Us,” playing a similar figure here.  Amanda Seyfried is the blue-eyed beauty who becomes his wife, and there are good roles for Kathy Baker (of the gone but not forgotten series “Picket Fences’), Gary Cole, and others.  There are salutary life lessons, like: “There is no dishonor in losing the race.  There’s only dishonor in refusing to race because you think you might lose.”  Best of all, there’s a thoroughly convincing four-legged point of view – an original perspective that feels wholly authentic:  wry, innocent, wise, mischievous, and loving by turns.  Based on the 2008 novel by Garth Stein, it’s much better than we expected.  Go see it!

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (C):   A horror story told from the point of view of several kids, with a script co-written by Guillermo del Toro, this film doesn’t achieve its potential.  It’s spooky enough; but the concept – a group of friends being dispatched one-by-one by assorted frights after they open a haunted book – is lightweight and derivative.  The acting and writing are of afternoon TV caliber:  In tone and polish, it is far closer to television’s “Goosebumps” (or, at best, the silly movie “The Goonies’) than it is to 1982’s superlative “Poltergeist.”   And, speaking of the small screen, there’s a glaring oversight in the script and production design:  The lead character is a horror maven, her bedroom walls adorned with genre movie posters.  But, this in 1969, and American kids at that time were entranced by the Gothic horror series “Dark Shadows.”  It was at its peak that very year, drawing an astounding 20 million viewers daily in the U.S.  So, where are the pictures of Barnabas, Quentin, Angelique, and Josette on the fan-girl’s walls?  Nowhere to be seen, that’s where, which makes this a pretty unconvincing representation of its time and place.

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (B+): Here’s an

idiosyncratic look at the lives of three denizens of Hollywood on three disconnected days in 1969.  Leonardo DiCaprio plays an insecure actor, whose glory days (playing a television bounty hunter) are behind him.  The stuntman who doubles as his companion, amanuensis, driver, and loyal friend is played by Brad Pitt.  There are drives hither and yon, days on sets, an excerpt of a film within the film (we wanted to see how it played out), and an amusing contest between Pitt’s laconic character and a boastful Bruce Lee.  (Lee gets the worst of it.)  There are a profusion of allusions to the time and place – movie posters, songs on the radio (too many at times, as though the dial had a life of its own), period cars, neon storefronts, and passing hippies.  Some of those so-called ‘hippies’ are actually members of the death cult led by the vile Charles Manson.  We only meet him in passing; but his disciples are truly chilling, giving new meaning to the phrase “if looks could kill.”  The third leading player here is Margot Robbie as the presumptively doomed Sharon Tate.  Robbie is a revelation in the role, in which a sex siren (in ubiquitous short skirts) who never heard a song she didn’t dance to (in sultry fashion) is at the self-same time astonishingly sweet and innocent.  That wide-eyed innocence is utterly, irresistibly winning.  She goes into a cinema to watch herself in a Matt Helm movie (a tongue-in-cheek, poor man’s 007 starring Dean Martin), and she guilessly takes joy in reliving the experience of simply being in the movies.   There’s nothing jaded about her:  the fairy dust of moviemaking still thrills her.

It’s not so much a seamless, self-contained plot as it is moments from the lives of its three characters, with stops along the way for a visualization of DiCaprio in Steve McQueen’s role in “The Great Escape” (McQueen himself is uncannily impersonated in a brief bit elsewhere), words of wisdom from a precociously self-possessed child-actor who takes her work very seriously, and a glimpse of the everyday life behind the seeming glamour of the movies.  The vignettes are often mundane in content (Brad feeding his fierce dog canned gloop), though things culminate in startling hyper-violence.  Quentin Tarantino always gives the impression that he’s a self-indulgent storyteller, playing these songs, or including that cameo (there are too many to spot), or getting down and dirty with the violence, or including a faux cigarette commercial halfway through the end credits, simply because he wants to.  And part of the reason he wants to is his obvious preoccupation with creating an homage to movies and pop-culture of the past.  That motivation feels a tad heavy-handed and self-conscious at times, however well-intentioned.  But, be that as it may, his look at Hollywood at the end of the Sixties is a memorable one.  And because the title includes the words “Once upon a time,” things don’t necessarily unfold in the awful way they did in real life.  (Expecting that the film would depict the heinous real-life murder nearly kept us from seeing this film at all.)   For ages 18+ only:  Very coarse language; sexual talk; strong violence; and frightening scenes.

“The Farewell” (USA, 2019) (B/B+): An extended family gathers in China to spend time with their matriarch.  She is dying; but her kin elect to keep that fact from her to allow her to enjoy her remaining weeks without stress.  Based on real events in the life of writer/director Lulu Wang, it’s a quiet, gentle, and very gently-paced look at a few days in the life of a family who’ve reunited from their far-flung homes to celebrate their bonds and secretly grieve the impending loss of their eldest member.  There’s nostalgia, humor, sadness, and the uneventful stuff of daily life in a very authentic, naturalistic mixture, with much of the dialogue in Mandarin.  Comedic actress Awkwafina plays a non-comedic role as Billi, the young relative from America who is deeply conflicted about keeping the terminal prognosis from her “Nai Nai” (an affecting Shuzhen Zhou).  And Diana Lin makes a strong impression as Billi’s emotionally reserved mother.

“Hobbs & Shaw” (USA, 2019) (C+):   There are umpteen movies in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, but this spin-off is the first one to actually prompt us to see it.  It satisfied as fast-paced (albeit mindless) action, with an odd couple theme (courtesy of bickering leads Dwayne Johnson and Jason  Statham – a pair of likeable lugs), a dynamic dame (Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in television’s “The Crown”), scene-stealing (but oddly uncredited) cameos by Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart, and a hard-to-defeat villain played by Idris Elba (a past contender for the role of James Bond, whose character here  is self-described as “Black Superman”).  For ages 18+:  Occasional coarse language and violence

“The Lion King” (USA, 2019) (C):  The 1994 animated musical film about a young lion’s coming of age is re-done here for photo-realistic effect.  In other words, the wildlife looks like the real thing:  indeed, some scenes look like they leapt from a nature documentary.  Trouble is:  real animals don’t talk, let alone sing, and having these CGI simulacra do so looks (and feels) distractingly unnatural.  (For some reason, that wasn’t an issue in 2016’s “The Jungle Book.”)  Worse still, the story doesn’t hold up all that well, with its alternating attempts at poignancy, drama, and humor never engaging us more than superficially.  There are only one-and-a-half memorable songs (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Hakuna Matata,” respectively), which is slim pickings for a musical.  Among the voice cast, only James Earl Jones (Darth Vader himself), reprising his role from the original, makes an impression.  The film feels a tad tired and dull.

“The Secret Life of Pets 2” (France/Japan/USA, 2019) (B):  This follow-up to the 2016 animated film continues the story of Max and his animal friends in the New York apartment building where their human masters keep them as pets.  When the humans are away, these dogs, cats, and other assorted mammals have a busy life of their own.  Max’s (actor and comedian Patton Oswalt) is chiefly occupied these days with the safety of the young human toddler in his household.   It takes a few days in the country, under the tutelage of a gruff farm dog (voiced by Harrison Ford) to reconnect Max with his inner self-confidence.  Meanwhile, back in the city, a bunny (Kevin Hart) with dreams of superhero glory is on a rescue mission with a plucky canine (Tiffany Haddish); while a coiffed and pretty female show-dog (Jenny Slate) has to master the ways of the cat to retrieve a lost treasure.  Rather like Gaul, the story is divided into three parts; but the sum of the whole is heartwarming, amusing, and entertaining.  It has a nice lesson or two, such as the choice between running from or at the things in life that intimidate us.  It may be too suspenseful for very young children.

“Unplanned” (USA, 2019) (C+):  Here’s an advocacy piece on

the pro-life side of the abortion debate.  It’s based on the actual story of the administrative director (played by Ashley Bratcher) at a Planned Parenthood facility in Texas.  She has mixed feelings about abortion (though she’s had two herself); but she stands on the side of a woman’s freedom of choice.  That changes, in an instant, when she’s called upon to pitch-in in the operating room.  As a surgeon prepares to vacuum it into oblivion, the protagonist sees (on the ultrasound screen) what looks like a tiny human figure twist and turn in an effort to save itself.  It’s a disturbing scene, and it’s the first thing we see in the film.  What follows is competently done, if somewhat heavy-handed.  It’s a faith-based film, though religious references are kept to a minimum.  Mostly, it’s an indictment of abortion in

general, and Planned Parenthood in particular.  Polemical in presentation and intent, it does not pretend to be objective, neutral, or even-handed.  On the contrary, it has a very particular point of view.  And that’s fair game.  Intentional deviations from the truth, on the other hand, would, if they are present, clearly not be acceptable.

One example that left us skeptical is the film’s reference to a room in the facility known by the initials “PFC.” We’re told that that’s where staff reassembles pieces of a fetus to ensure that all of it has been removed from the patient’s uterus.  Supposedly, “PFC” stands for “Parts of Children.”  That left us incredulous.  Would well-meaning staff at any abortion clinic refer to fetuses as children?  It seems highly unlikely, else how could they rationalize their performing of abortions?  Likewise, a senior Planned Parenthood executive is depicted as relentlessly cold and heartless.  (She is played by the stunningly attractive Robia Scott, who resembles Madeleine Stowe here, and who appeared in television’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” under the name of Robia LaMorte.)  But, would a Planned Parenthood representative really promote abortion to her clientele, even if it is the organization’s biggest revenue generator?  There’s enough gratuitous gore shown in the abortions to scare off the squeamish.  And, why on earth, would the film’s protagonist, an otherwise ethical person, lie through her teeth to a parent who is concerned about his daughter’s well-being, while said patient is in the process of hemorrhaging nearly to death after a botched procedure?

On the other hand, a line which questions ‘sacrificing the unborn on the altar of convenience’ does hint at the serious moral and religious issues posed by abortion.   Certainly, the film is driven by emotion and conviction more than scientific facts.  But, when you get right down to it, science has its limits.  There is an inherent (and possibly insurmountable) arbitrariness to protecting unborn life at one given threshold and not at another.  How society should balance the competing interests (and mayhap rights) involved is not as black-and-white as some might have us think.   For ages 18+:  Disturbing content and gore.

“Super 30” (India, 2019) (C+):  Weighing in at a whopping 160 minutes (we saw 75% of it), this drama (presented in Hindi), based on a true story, is about a man (Anand Kumar, played by Hrithik Roshan) who decides to teach poor kids to get them into a prestigious institute for math and science.  It is sometimes overwrought, by Western standards, with close-ups of anguished eyes and/or clenched-jaw determination in lieu of real character development.  But, it held our interest as the story of underdogs who find a champion who dares to defy the status quo and his society’s oppressive social stratification.  A Greek chorus comments musically on what’s going on.  We liked a big Bollywood-style song and dance number in a crowded city square.

“Stuber” (C+/B-):  An action-man detective (Dave Bautista) who thinks with his fists is teamed with a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (the always funny Kumail Nanjiani of “The Big Sick”) in an action/comedy that generates laughs from its ever-so-odd couple pairing and from one-liners like this inside reference to the Terminator movies:  “Let me guess.  You want me to drive you to all the Sarah Connors in town.”  The tough guy and ironic quipster pairing is amusing.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and violence.

“Toy Story 4” (B+):  The fourth film with Pixar’s favorite animated characters takes them on a road-trip – to a state farm and beyond.  It has a nice bittersweet vibe that carries us from humor to romance to adventure, while orbiting the unenviable situation of being passed-over.  The key figure here, Woody (Tom Hanks), is increasingly left behind when he is passed on to the younger sister of the boy with whom he’s long been connected.  He selflessly moves heaven and earth to safeguard the child’s melancholy new favorite on a journey that reunites him with a long-lost friend.  The result evokes a gamut of emotional responses – when it is funny (an encounter with a cat), when it gets romantic (Bo-Peep is back as a self-reliant action figure), and when it is poignantly nostalgic (about change and the partings of old friends).  On the other hand, perhaps too much play is devoted to the morose new toy made of a plastic fork.

“Spider-Man: Far from Home” (C):  Sad to say, but here’s a pointless film.  Reprising his role from other Marvel films, Tom Holland makes a likeable Peter Parker; and Marisa Tomei is a real treat as his warmly alluring Aunt Mae.  But, there’s no story worth telling here:  A high school trip to Europe runs afoul of mindlessly destructive forces comprised of fire and water.  But, so what?  Big menacing things doing pointless damage for no discernable reason – it’s just more meaningless action and effects.   And a new character played by Jake Gyllenhaal has motivations that are every bit as hollow.  Nothing here connects with us.

“Yesterday” (U.K./USA, 2019) (B/B+):  An aspiring singer/songwriter is about to throw in the towel when he awakens to discover that suddenly no one else remembers The Beatles or their songs.  It’s as though that famous musical quartette have been (literally) erased from the history books.  The temptation is too great to resist, and despite his initial qualms, our protagonist sings their songs (after straining to remember all the lyrics) as his own.  That propels him from abject obscurity to instant fame.  Success is his for the taking – but his conscience is giving him pause.  So does the distance fame is putting between him and the dear friend who has long loved him in secret.  There’s an appealing cast (Himesh Patel & Lily James), great songs, romance, humor, and some intoxicating ‘what-if’ fantasy.  Directed by Danny Boyle (of “Slumdog Millionaire”) and written by Richard Curtis (of “Love, Actually”), the result is thoroughly winning – and sure to put a smile on your face.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language.

“Rocketman” (U.K./USA/Canada, 2019) (B-/B):  “You gotta kill the person you were born to be in order to become the person you want to be.”  Someone gives that advice to ‘The Young Artist Who Will Become Elton John,’ and he takes it to heart – embracing a flamboyant demeanor and wildly outlandish costumes in his self-transformation.  Trouble is:  he also dives head-first into substance abuse and epically bad relationship choices.  The garish garb and descent into drug-fueled decadence is a turn-off.  We liked the early part of this bio-pic best, before dope, drink, delirium, and really dumb jumbo-sized eyewear take over.  The usual trajectory of success spiraling into self-destruction gets tiresome, and the same-sex preoccupation is off-putting.  On the plus side, we liked the fact that it’s a real musical – with people bursting into song and dance.  Taron Egerton gives it his all (even singing the songs himself), but the character he’s playing just isn’t particularly likeable or sympathetic.  On that score, we preferred his grandmother (Gemma Jones) and his lifelong lyricist (Jamie Bell).  For ages 18+:  Coarse language, sexual content, and drug use.

“The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir” (France/India/Belgium/Singapore/USA, 2018) (B+/A-):  Straight out of left field comes this thoroughly appealing bit of whimsy about a

good-hearted young street performer named Aja from India who finds himself on a fanciful adventure in Europe.  He’s on a mission to deposit his mother’s ashes at the Eiffel Tower; but his unpredictable trajectory has him fall hard for an American in Paris, cross the Channel by accident, befriend a diva in Rome, take flight in a hot-air balloon, evade smugglers, help refugees on the coast of Libya, and keep his kind heart through thick and thin.  Along the way, there’s a Bollywood-esque song-and-dance number to the tune of an irresistibly catchy song.  The leading man (Hanush) is engaging, and we liked the women in his life, namely Amrutha Sant (as his mother), Erin Moriarty (as the woman he is fated to love), and Bérénice Bejo (as the Italian film star).  The result, based on the novel by Romain Puôtolas, is a sheer treat – quirky, original, remarkably endearing, and often very funny, it puts most of the summer’s better-known fare to shame.  The dialogue is in English throughout.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language

“Anna” (France/USA, 2019) (C):   A runway-worthy assassin (Russian model Sasha Luss) uses international modeling as a cover for her actual occupation.  She’s lethally effective; but all she really wants is to be free from the iron grip of the KGB.  Russian nesting dolls are an apt metaphor for the plot, which has a succession of intrigues and deceptions hidden within others.  Luss doesn’t do much emoting; besides, it’s hard to sympathize with a cold-blooded killer.  Helen Mirren generates more interest as her colorful boss.  Lera Abova makes an impression as Luss’ girlfriend, and Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy are along for the ride.  Written and directed by Luc Bresson.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language, violence, sexual content, and brief nudity.

“Late Night” (B):  A seemingly unqualified novice (somehow) gets hired for the writing team of a famed late night television talk show host.  Mindy Kaling wrote and co-stars in this dramedy.  But prize role is Emma Thompson’s, and hits a home-run. The prima ballerina of her medium, her character is friendless (save for a patient, supportive, and forgiving spouse played very nicely by John Lithgow), and childless:  she’s a haughty, imperious, driven, type-A personality who’s not at all inclined to suffer fools gladly.  Deemed (by the corporate powers that be) to be past her prime, she is initially at a loss what to do about it.  Pandering to the lowest common denominator and the shallow fad of the moment are not in her playbook.  But the persistent newcomer on her team, who doesn’t ‘know her place’ (at the bottom of the pecking order), pushes her to rethink her long-established modus operandi and upend the status quo.  For ages 18+: Coarse language.

“Men in Black: International” (C): New agents (Chris Hemsworth and the appealing Tessa Thompson, reunited from “Thor: Ragnorok”), a new setting (London, with side-trips to Paris and the Sahara), and new management (Emma Thompson & Liam Neeson), yield a mildly entertaining adventure, seasoned with a hefty dose of humor.

“The Dead Don’t Die” (C-):  Indie director Jim Jarmusch (2005’s “Broken Flowers”) has assembled an enviable ensemble cast for his dryly (and darkly) comedic take on the zombie genre:  Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Chloe Sevigny, Danny Glover, Steve Buscemi, and Tom Waits are among the offbeat inhabitants of a town that’s suddenly beset by undead ghouls.  But Tilda Swinton takes the cake as the oddest of them all, wielding a samurai sword with aplomb (in a nod, perhaps, to “The Walking Dead”) as she strides to the beat of her own peculiar drummer.  The result is Quirky with a capital Q.  It’s way too odd for its own good; worse yet, it lacks energy.  It feels like it’s heavily improvised – trouble is, the ad-libbing actors too often draw a noticeable blank, looking at each other blankly, as if bereft of anything worth saying.  “If you ask me, this whole thing’s gonna end badly.”  How true – in more ways than one.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language; violence; and gore.

“All is True” (U.K., 2018) (A):  Prologue:  The cinema was

nearly empty; so it must be an unpromoted gem of a film. The estimable Kenneth Branagh directs and plays the lead in this account of the last days of William Shakespeare.  Branagh is nearly unrecognizable as Shakespeare – the result, presumably, of facial prosthetics.  The Bard is in retirement here, after his Globe Theater has burned down, contending with a long-neglected family:  There’s an older wife (Judi Dench), an embittered daughter (Kathryn Wilder) who seems self-destined for spinsterhood despite a lively mind and vigorous personality, and a second daughter (Lydia Wilson) who is unhappily married to a priggish Puritan.  It’s fair to say, “Retirement has not brought the peace we might have hoped for.”  Shakespeare at home really gives us the measure of the man, with a first-rate cast (Ian McKellen drops in to give voice to a sonnet).  The ensemble’s rich, nuanced performances are a treasure, and this delightful film is one of the year’s best.  Amidst the teeming mediocrities that dominate the silver screen, it’s enough to restore one’s faith in filmmaking.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“Dark Phoenix” (C-):  It’s time to retire the team.  The twelfth X-Men movie makes no impression at all.  We’ve lost track of competing timelines:  An early installment had the titular Jean Grey at a more mature age, unburdened by the destructive cosmic superpowers she unwittingly acquires here.  It’s a case of diminishing returns: the greater the powers, the less interesting the character.  It’s passable as a time-waster, but there’s nothing new here, save the presence of “Game of Thrones’” Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) in the role of a young Jean.  Michael Fassbender provides some grim gravitas, and a final battle aboard a train is the action set-piece.  But, there is a dearth of emotional engagement with any of this crew – and that’s a fatal flaw.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“Aladdin” (C):  Disney’s 1992 animated musical gets the live action makeover, with an Egyptian-Canadian (Mena Massoud) in the title role.  The lackluster result is instantly forgettable.  Its villain (Marwan Kenzari) is unconvincing, and too many other members of the cast likewise lack gravitas and conviction.  There’s nothing special about the songs, either, though we liked Naomi Scott’s princess best when she’s singing.  Will Smith has some amusing moments as the genie, and his romantic interest (Iranian-American actress Nasim Pedrad) makes an impression.

“John Wick, Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (C-):  This time, everybody (and their dog) is out to get the laconic professional killer (Keanu Reeves) in a series that practically invented the term ‘overkill.’  The lethal protagonist here is now on the official hit-list of his assassin brethren, and, by our count, at least one in three New Yorkers is a hired gun.  (Who knew?)  Those who aren’t part of that not-so-secret society are oddly unperturbed by the violent mayhem erupting all around them.  131 minutes of non-stop fighting (with martial arts, knives, and guns) gets kind of tiresome.  It would be far more effective to have just a few villains, instead of the dozens and dozens eager to line-up as cannon fodder.  The operational HQ for ‘Murder Inc.’– with tattooed staff solemnly announcing bounties – is ridiculous.  The film’s best section is a side trip to Casablanca, where Wick meets his distaff match in Halle Berry and her pair of battle dogs.  (Give her character a movie of her own!)  Lawrence Fishburne also makes an impression in a brief role.  The John Wick movies are like the Harry Potter series:  they each inhabit an alternate universe – so-called magic is the organizing principle in one, murder in the other.  But both franchises inure us to their chief attribute by inundating us with it.  (Hence, the aforementioned overkill.)  It’s watchable as mindless violence with some dark humor.   Incidentally, the Latin words ‘para bellum’ mean ‘prepare for war.’  For ages 18+:  Very violent; some coarse language.

“Tolkien” (USA, 2019) (B):  The formative adolescent and

young adult years in the life of the creator of Middle-Earth are the subject of this worthwhile bio-pic.  Famous for his literary High Fantasy about elves, hobbits, and orcs, J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1972) was a distinguished scholar of philology (the study of language) at Oxford.  And his life pivoted on the close friendships he made in academia, his fascination with mythology (like “Beowulf”), his facility with ancient languages (like Old English, Old Icelandic, and Finnish), and his love for the woman who was to become his wife.  His life (and fiction writing) was indelibly marked by his experiences in the trenches of World War One, a ruinous conflict that took the lives of the friends closest to him and presented a dreadful spectacle worthy

of Mordor itself.  The result is best suited to those (like this reviewer) who are ardent devotees of Tolkien’s work and/or those favorably disposed to gentle depictions of intellectual life in Academe:  It’s the life of the mind, of ideas, and of the imagination, surrounded by the golden spires of the unforgettable place that is Oxford.  But, those without those twin predilections may find this gently paced look at a few years in the life of a beloved author to be not quite their cup of English tea.  It is well-acted by Nicholas Hoult, the lovely Lily Collins, Derek Jacobi, Anthony Boyle, Colm Meaney, Laura Donnelly, et al.   For ages 15+:  Some war-related violence.  (In any event, it is not a children’s movie.)

A closer look:  Those not already familiar with Tolkien’s life are

apt to glean the incorrect impression from the film that “The Hobbit” was his first venture into imaginative fiction.  In fact, that classic children’s tale was pre-dated by decades by Tolkien’s labors on the all-grown-up heroic epic that eventually became known as “The Silmarillion.”  Its draught of undiluted High Mythology was deemed unpublishable until long after the massive popular success of Tolkien’s more accessible (but no less literary) masterpiece “The Lord of the Rings” (which, in turn, was technically a ‘sequel’ to “The Hobbit”).  The film is silent about Tolkien’s magnum opus – though its tale of heroic men, elves, and fallen demigods dominated his imagination for his entire life.  As briefly mentioned in the film’s epilogue, the tombstone for Tolkien and his wife bears the names of the great romantic duo from those early seminal tales – the human hero Beren and the elven princess Luthien, who danced for him under the trees (as Edith Tolkien did for her husband-to-be).

“Avengers: Endgame” (C+):  In 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” half of all life in the universe was erased from existence by the snap of two purple fingers.  Among those unmade were many of Marvel’s roster of comic-book derived heroes.  In this follow-up, the survivors are reduced to bitterness and sorrow by their defeat.  But a risky, convoluted plan to undo the catastrophe sees them regroup and renew their alliance.  Oddly, for an action film, it’s kind of dull at times, kind of uninvolving at others, and kind of forgettable over-all.  And, at 182 minutes, it’s too long.  It is reputed to be the final ensemble piece with this cohort of characters.

“Breakthrough” (C):  A faith-based drama about a 14-year-old boy who miraculously recovers from drowning and nearly an hour-long death.  He’s urged on by his family (led by Chrissy Metz from television’s “This is Us”) and pastor (Topher Grace).  It’s hard to make a movie that promotes religious faith without coming across as preachy, didactic, awkwardly earnest, or just plain heavy-handed.  This one’s not immune from that hazard, but it’s buoyed by a not-bad cast.  Still, none of these characters really grabbed us.  (A fireman who is confronted by the inexplicable comes closest.)  Metz’s character feels one-dimensional at first, but she gains some traction as time passes.  And the film generates a moment or two of emotion, despite its lack of depth.  Directed by Rosario Dawson, who always makes an impression when she’s in front of the camera (as an actress).

“The Grizzlies” (Canada, 2018) (B+/A-):  In a season of

empty been-there, done-that blockbusters, routinely formulaic thrillers, and other cinematic disappointments, here’s a unexpected homegrown treat that made us sit up and take notice.  Freshly-minted high school teacher (Ben Schnetzer) from southern Canada takes a temporary posting in a small community in the Arctic.  Russ is pretty sure of himself, until he comes face-to-face with the harsh realities of this dreary, seemingly hopeless place.  In real life, the territory of Nunavut has the highest suicide rate in North America; and, in the story’s small community, rampant boredom, apathy, alcohol abuse, and truancy contribute to self-inflicted harm among teens.  Those who do attend school are surly and openly contemptuous:  one boy punches the new teacher in the face on day

one.  The Inuit kids contend with poverty, parental neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse, and hopelessness on a daily basis.  Caught between their eroded traditional culture and a seemingly alien modern lifestyle, they lead lives of quiet desperation.  But, as an advisory at the start of the film promises, this is a story not about despair but about overcoming despair.

At a loss as to how to motivate (let alone teach) teens who clearly don’t see the point of education (or anything else), their new teacher introduces them to the game of lacrosse (which, appropriately, was invented by aboriginal peoples).  It’s a new spin on the tropes of a challenging endeavor – be it a sport, or music, or a competitive spelling bee – that has the power to motivate those who have been

written-off (even by themselves) as losers.  The film works, very effectively indeed, because we connect with these characters, perceive their well-concealed human dignity, and root for them as they learn self-respect and team solidarity.  Finding a surrogate family among their teammates and coach, they dare to hope, to try, and to overcome the bleak oppressiveness of their lives.  It’s a pleasingly redemptive arc – in a novel setting – and it kept us utterly involved from beginning to end.  “The Grizzlies” is on its way to a place on Artsforum’s list of 2019’s top ten films.  Kudos to the cast for authentic, naturalistic performances:  many of these characters feel like they just walked out of a documentary about young Inuit.    This feature film directorial debut by Miranda de Pencier was nominated for Best Actor (Paul Nutarariaq) and Supporting Actress (Anna Lambe) at the Canadian Screen Awards; and it was nominated for Best Screenplay at the Writers Guild of Canada.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language and mature subject-matter.

“The Intruder” (D+/C-):  A couple of well-off young urbanites buy a manse in the California countryside but can’t seem to rid themselves of its possessive former owner.  Like a proverbial bad penny, he keeps turning up.  Before long, his only slightly concealed menace has gone full-throttle raging psycho, with illicit peeping through windows at night morphing into stalking and then outright violence.  It’s a tired old formula, utterly predictable and ultimately over-the-top.  We sing our plaintive refrain:  why not employ some subtlety and ambiguity, instead of favoring overt overkill?   The film is further handicapped by uneven casting, with Meagan Good faring best as the wife, Michael Ealy too bland as the husband, and the usually reliable Dennis Quaid restricted to two gears – marginally veiled aggression and free-range madman.  The beautiful Alvina August makes an impression in a brief role as a gratuitous temptress.  For ages 18+: Brief coarse language, and violence.

“Long Shot” (C+): A high-powered U.S. Secretary of State (the beauteous Charlize Theron), with an eye on the top job, gets involved with a shaggy, pudgy, unrefined gonzo-reporter (Seth Rogen) whom she knew (slightly) in her teens.  He’s newly unemployed; their paths improbably cross at a reception; and he even more improbably lands a job as her speechwriter without even asking for one.  In short order, sparks fly, a sexual affair is ignited, and bystanders aren’t sure if they should be astonished or appalled.  It’s a verified odd couple; though, in the plus column, Rogen’s character has integrity and a sense of humor.  The humor here is crude, lewd, and sometimes overtly sexual.  Somehow, though, it often made us laugh – despite ourselves – largely thanks to Rogen’s likeable oafish persona.  For ages 18+ only:  A lot of very coarse language; and very crude sexual content.

“The Curse of La Llorona: (C-/C):  Standard fare involving a malevolent Hispanic ghost preying on children.  Buoyed by its protagonist (actress Linda Cardellini), but undermined by its scripting.  Improbably, a mother is called to a crime scene in the middle of the night (though her presence there, as a family services caseworker, is entirely pointless), and she drags her young kids along for the ride.  It’s an unbelievable plot device that’s only there to put them in harm’s way.  Also, in its parade of people behaving very stupidly, neither child bothers to tell their mother about the ghoul that’s menacing them.  For ages 15+:  Frightening scenes.

“The Mustang” (B): A violent inmate (Mattias Schoenaerts) in the American southwest is redeemed by his work with a wild mustang.  The contact between the taciturn, anti-social man and the unruly horse ends up civilizing both.  Neither the lead character, nor the prison setting are at all congenial; but the redemptive theme, Bruce Dern’s presence, and the gradually developing relationship between man and horse hold our interest.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language and some violence.

“Hellboy” (C-/C):  A horned red demi-devil is raised by a human foster parent to become an irreverent, hardboiled superhero in a reboot of the comic-book-derived story.  There is some attention to character, but too much of the emphasis is on pushing the envelope with unpleasant hyper-violence, gruesome gross-outs, and a barrage of very bad language.  The story is predictable; the villain is nothing new; and the result is inferior to Guillermo del Toro’s takes in 2004 & 2008.  For ages 18+:  Extreme violence; gore; and a lot of very coarse language.

“Pet Sematary” (C/C+):  There’s a glaringly absurd heart to this screen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel.  If, against all good sense, you bury the family cat in a haunted wasteland with an evil reputation, and it comes back aggressively feral, why on earth would you repeat the perversely rash act by burying your beloved child there, too?   The absurdity of the premise sinks the story.  It’s creepy, yes; but it’s also ridiculous to the core.  Not even the redoubtable John Lithgow can save the day.  Ironically, the low-key opening stuff with the family – before the demonic reanimations begin – is actually quite good.  Why not stick to psychological horror when things take a turn, instead of reverting to the usual bloody overkill?  For ages 18+:  Violence, horror, gore, and coarse language.

“Dumbo” (C+/B-):  Disney’s 1941 animated film gets remade with live actors interacting with a CGI protagonist.  The eponymous hero of the piece is a very sweet baby elephant with big blue eyes and unexpected aeronautical skills.  The story is pretty predictable; the kids are good; the rest of the cast is serviceable.  It does generate some emotion in its last reel, so there’s that.

“Hotel Mumbai” (B+/A-):  This gripping dramatization of the murderous violence perpetrated by terrorists at a deluxe old hotel in Mumbai, India in 2008 is propelled by effective characterization of the intended victims – hotel guest and staff alike.  Some survive, some do not; and we get invested in their fate.  Acts of selfless courage in the face of such vile criminality give us an array of characters to root for.  There’s nothing to sympathize with among the killers, as we see them blithely commit mass murder, blaspheming the very God they purport to follow, while their mentor (safely back in Pakistan) drips metaphorical poison in their ears, urging them on through cell-phone earpieces.  Sadly, the reprehensible crime of murder in the name (inter alia) of religion continues to afflict the world today.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and violence.

“Gloria Bell” (B+):  “Some days I’m happy, some days I’m not.”  This English-language remake of the very fine 2013 Chilean film “Gloria” happily hews close to the original.  Julianne Moore takes over from the delightful Paulina Garcia as the 50-something woman who chooses to smile her way through life’s disappointments and heartaches.  It’s a winning story of a character who keeps despair at bay with sheer élan.  The original film’s director/co-writer, Sebastián Lelio, remakes his own film here without losing any of the subtlety and pathos of the memorable original.  We love the final scene with Laura Branigan’s version of the title song.  For ages 18+:  Nudity; sexual content; and coarse language.

“Five Feet Apart” (B-/B): Two teens in hospital with cystic fibrosis are supposed to stay six feet apart from each other to avoid infection.  But that’s hard to do when you’re falling in love.  What you expect is what you get here – but it works, on the strength of Haley Lu Richardson’s considerable charm and her winning smile.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“Captain Marvel” (C):  Brie Larson plays the titular superhero in a film with lots of fighting, energy blasts, and explosions – and also a plodding, instantly forgettable story.  It’s never edge-of-your-seat stuff – just more been there, seen that.  Samuel L. Jackson provides some much needed comic relief (and Jude Law some charisma); and there’s one big plot surprise.  But there’s no real arc for the lead character – she’s powerful throughout and therefore kind of static.  For ages 18+:  Very brief coarse language.

“Us” (B):  In a prologue, a child finds her way into a carnival hall of mirrors and cries out in terror at whatever happens there.  The story jumps to the present day; she’s a mother with a couple of kids of her own, and they’re holidaying at the same beachside destination where she was traumatized.  In short order, her family is menaced by strange, malevolent doppelgangers.  The film, from Jordan Peele, director of 2017’s excellent “Get Out,” doesn’t match its illustrious predecessor.  It is undeniably creepy, generating suspense with its family in danger and the sheer dizzying strangeness of its proceedings.   What it lacks is the earlier film’s masterfully slow build.  That film’s smart protagonist had a vague uneasy feeling that something was amiss, keeping us in delicious suspense.  This time, however, the build to outright menace is very brief, with too short a transit from unease to explicit horror.  And its chief protagonist feels a tad “off” from the get-go.  An implausible, incoherent explanation for what’s going on spoils things.  And multiplying the threat oddly diminishes it:  It would have been far better to have kept the focus on a single family.  For ages 18+:  A great deal of very coarse language; strong violence, horror, and gore.

“The Hummingbird Project”(Belgium/Canada, 2018) (B-/B):  Two would-be entrepreneurs (Jesse Eisenberg and a barely recognizable Alexander Skarsgård) hatch a scheme to lay a thousand mile fiber optic cable in an unwavering straight line between the stock market and points west and thereby get stock trading information a few precious milliseconds before everybody else.  These offbeat, eccentric characters race against time as they struggle with nature’s obstacles, a ruthless rival (Salma Hayak), and their own foibles.  Those ingredients invest their quest with darkly comedic interest.  Written and directed by Canada’s Kim Nguyen.  For ages 18+: Coarse language.

“Captive State” (C-):  In the near future, unseen alien invaders call the shots from underground.  Most humans collaborate; a few rebel.  Here’s an inchoate story – a concept without adequate substance.  Murky-looking, with jerky hand-held camera work, it spends way too much time in decayed urban alleyways and deserted industrial sites.  There’s just not enough story to fulfill its potential; and, it never spends enough time with any of its characters for us to get to know them, let alone invest them with our sympathies.  For ages 16+:  Violence and very brief coarse language.

“Greta” (C+/B-):  A young woman (Chloë Grace Moretz) gets psychologically ensnared by a predatory older woman (Isabelle Huppert), who plays upon her need for a surrogate maternal figure.  A good cast (the protagonist’s roommate, played by Maika Monroe, makes a strong impression in a supporting role) buoys things.  But, overall, the film disappoints.  It needs (and lacks) subtlety and ambiguity.  It telegraphs way too soon that Huppert is a villain.  And she’s not just troubled; she’s chew-the-scenery malevolent, without adequate motivation (other than presumed psychopathy).  The police get involved, but they’re inexplicably ineffectual.  Canadian Colm Feore is wasted in a thankless role.  The victim acts too stupidly.  And, it’s all too far-fetched and implausible.  For a director of Neil Jordan’s reputation, it’s a disappointing misfire.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language; violence.

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (B/B+):  The animated film series based on the books by Cressida Cowell began in 2010 with strong characterization, an unexpected, touching friendship between a couple of misfits (a Viking boy and a solitary jet-black dragon), inspirational scenes of flight, a thrilling Oscar-nominated score by John Powell that raised goosebumps of delight, and a mixture of humor and drama.  That same mix of ingredients has held up admirably for the second and now the third films (not to mention some spin-off television series).  There’s intelligence, artistry, and humanity at work in these films.  If this third outing is a tad less galvanizing, it’s because its characters are growing up and contending with separation, loss, and other changes.  There’s a wistful end of an era vibe here (which resonates with current events in the real world), which is kind of downbeat.  Canadian talent still shines with lead voice actor Jay Baruchel (he of the nasal, oft-ironic voice) and director Dean DeBlois.  But the story is more about accepting the winding-down of things and about letting-go than about overcoming challenges; and, for that reason, we preferred the earlier films.   Nevertheless, like the others, it conjures moments of real emotion, helped as always by snippets of Powell’s original, emotive music.  As an incidental matter, the standard-issue villain should boast less and be more sinister.  More problematically, there’s a “call of the wild” theme here; but it doesn’t seem entirely consistent with all that’s gone before.

“Arctic” (B+):  The sole survivor of a crash somewhere north of the Arctic Circle ekes out a rough subsistence amidst the wreckage of his aircraft, catching fish, evading a polar bear, keeping the SOS message visible, and dealing with the utter solitude.  When a second crash leaves a young aboriginal woman barely alive, our protagonist makes the difficult decision to try a cross-country trek, dragging a make-shift sled with his moistly unconscious charge in a desperate bid to save her life.  This harrowing ordeal of fighting the elements (and the doubts and fears that lurk within us) is an engrossing piece of acting by Mads Mikkelsen.  There’s almost no dialogue and only a very sparing monologue. It was filmed in majestic Iceland.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“Fighting with my Family” (U.K./USA, 2019) (B/B+):  A young English woman (Florence Pugh, who got our undivided attention in 2016’s excellent “Lady Macbeth”) grows up in a family of wrestlers – not the sort of wrestlers you’d see at the Olympics, but the sort you’d see in staged, theatrical bouts on television.  She gets the chance at the big-time in the United States; but her equally avid brother (Jack Lowden) is passed over, leaving him jealous and distraught.  What unfolds is an original blend of dark comedy and serious elements, propelled across the ring by a first-rate cast – those mentioned, plus Nick Frost (“Into the Badlands”), Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”), and Vince Vaughn; there’s also an amusing cameo with Dwayne (‘The Rock’) Johnson.  Original, quirky, funny, and surprisingly authentic, it’s based on a true story.  For ages 18+:  Sexual language.

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“Stan & Ollie” (U.K./Canada/USA, 2018) (A-):  Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are considered to be the world’s greatest comedy duo team; their work has continued to be a seminal influence on latter generations of comedians.  They appeared as a team in 107 films, including dozens of short films (both silent and sound) and 23 feature-length films – such as 1934’s “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (a.k.a. “Babes in Toyland”).  They had many characteristic antics (Stan’s inimitable head-scratching and tousled hair, Ollie’s use of his necktie as a prop to wave hello, Stan’s bowler hat with a life of its own) and signature catchphrases, like, “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!”   Evidently, the two men were very different personalities – with Stan always at work writing their next film, while Ollie was happy on a golf course.  But they were as close as bosom friends can be, and when one retired, the other declined to work with alternate partners.  It has been said that the duo never got laughs at the expense of others.  One of the filmmakers here says that, “the jokes were always on themselves:” they had compassion for others.  Each had a solo career before their partnership; but, once you’ve seen them together, it is impossible to think of them apart:  “It was just the two of us.   All we had was each other.”

Watching this enchanting, utterly winning biopic, you’ll swear you’re in the presence of the actual men – Steve Coogan (“The Trip to Spain”) and John C. Reilly (“The Sisters Brothers”) become Laurel and Hardy – in appearance, mannerism, personality, and speech.  They look, sound, and behave just like the genuine article.  But, it’s not just a case of spot-on impersonation:  they give these figures real warmth and depth.  The result is a great treat – a story and a friendship that brings smiles, laughter, and poignancy in equal measure. The film opens in 1937, at the peak of the duo’s popularity and fame; then jumps sixteen years later, to 1953, when their star-currency has waned and they are reduced to playing live shows in small, half-empty theaters in the United Kingdom.

In our recent review of the ‘Blue Man Group,’ we traced a common comedic lineage back to Laurel and Hardy:  “The word that comes to mind is naïf.  It’s a term that describes an innocent – one who is ingenuous, unworldly, and wide-eyed.  In their own disparate ways, comedic figures as diverse as Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy, Mr. Bean, and Slava Polunin are such innocents.  They bring a combination of ‘simpleness’ (which is not necessarily the same thing as simplemindedness), wonder, and mischievousness to the situations they encounter.”   That’s what Stan and Ollie are:  childlike innocents who abide in a world of their own.  As depicted in the film, they brought their playful on-screen personas with them into their real world lives.

As a character in the film says, we get “two double acts for the price of one,” with very funny work by Nina Arianda as Laurel’s Russian-born, suffer-no-fools wife Ida, and the distinctively voiced Shirley Henderson as Hardy’s wife Lucille.  Their sparing is a treat in itself; yet each woman loves her husband unreservedly.  Rufus Jones also makes an impression as their slippery British live-stage tour promoter; and Danny Huston has a brief supporting role as film producer Hal Roach.

“Stan & Ollie” earned three BAFTA nominations – as Best British Film of the Year, Actor (Coogan), and Makeup/Hair.  It had seven nominations at the British Independent Film Awards – including Best Actor (Coogan) and Supporting Actress (Arianda).  And, it had a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor (Reilly).  “Stan & Ollie” feels like a very personal look into the lives of the men behind a loveable pairing.  Gentle, amusing, and poignant, it’s like a reunion with old friends:  It’s the first top ten film of 2019 – and it’s not to be missed!

“Destroyer” (USA, 2018) (B/B+):  When he witnessed the first detonation of an atomic bomb on July 16, 1945, the American physicist Robert Oppenheimer said, “I remembered the line from the Hindu Scripture… ‘I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.’”  But what about the rest of us, who haven’t built weapons of mass destruction?  Are we not equally purveyors of death if we destroy even one person?  And what if that one person is our self?  After all, the Jewish Talmud says that ‘Whoever destroys a single life destroys the whole world, and whoever saves a single life saves the whole world.’  When we first meet Detective Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman), she’s a haggard wreck; barely perambulatory, her physical self reflects her inner psyche – both are withered and ruined.  When someone says, “You look terrible,” they aren’t exaggerating.  A crooked lawyer mocks her by saying, “Do you know what successful people do?  They get over shit.  They move on.”  But Erin can’t move on, or get over the seminal event in her life, one that marked her forever with guilt, despair, and anger:  “I’m mad.  I’m still effing mad.  It burned a circuit in my brain…”

The filmmakers describe “Destroyer” as “a thriller about someone on an obsessive and destructive mission.”  We’ve seen down-and-out antiheroes before, characters who are beset by their inner demons.  But it’s still relatively rare to see a woman in such a role, particularly in the role of a police detective.  It’s strong work by Nicole Kidman.  Completely deglamorized, she’s barely recognizable as a character fueled by “animus, aggression, and resentment.”  But she burns with intensity, even if it’s the blaze of a lost soul who has been fashioned, by circumstances and by her own bad choices, into a self destroyer.  The film’s lead actress, director (Karyn Kusama), and director of photography are all women, and there’s an inescapably cyclical aspect to the story that’s meant to reflect the female gender.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language; sexual content in one scene; and some gun-related violence.

“The Upside” (USA, 2017) (B+/A-):  Based on a true story, this highly unconventional friendship between two polar opposites started life in France (with 2011’s “Intouchables”), jumped the sea to Argentina (with 2016’s “Inseparables”), and now lands in America for this third iteration on its truly winning theme.  A rich man (Bryan Cranston’s Philip) has been rendered paraplegic by an accident, and he and his Girl Friday (Nicole Kidman’s Yvonne) are looking for a new ‘life auxiliary’ to care for him.  Philip’s unexpected choice is Kevin Hart’s Dell, who’s only there by mistake.  A more unlikely pairing can scarcely be imagined:  One’s a convict on parole (and he’s not above stealing a rare book from his prospective employer); the other is wealthy, sophisticated, and educated.  One is well-mannered; the other is blunt, brusque, and seemingly oblivious to social niceties.  Dell can be downright rude; he certainly doesn’t spare the feelings of others.  But, it turns out that that’s exactly what Philip needs.   It’s a head-on collision of street versus elite, while opera duels with the soul music of Aretha Franklin.

In fact, there are things to admire about both men, and, to their mutual surprise, they learn from each other.  This is a redemptive story, a story about dual transformation.  When things begin, Dell’s estranged and embittered ex-wife says, “I can’t count on you.  You’ve never looked out for nobody but you.”  But that’s about to change, as one man learns to embrace the unexpected and absurd in life, seeing things afresh through the eyes of another, while the other learns how to truly care for others.  This version differs from the others by casting a comedian as the companion from the other side of the proverbial tracks.  But both leads are perfect, ably supported by Nicole Kidman, the lovely Golshifteh Farahani, Aja Naomi King, Julianna Margolis (of “The Good Wife”), and the rest of this fine cast.  Released in 2019, this wonderfully uplifting story will give you something to cheer about.  It’s one of this year’s best films – and it won’t diminish your enjoyment one whit if you’ve already seen the French or Spanish language takes on the story.  Don’t miss it — it’s a winner!   For ages 18+:  Brief sexual references.

Editor’s Note:  The real-life relationship between Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and Abdel Sellou was depicted in the documentary “La vie comme un roman: A la vie, à la mort” (2003).

“On the Basis of Sex” (USA, 2018) (B+):  When Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) arrives at Harvard Law School in 1956, she is married, the mother of an infant, and, most unusually of all, female.  Indeed, she is only the ninth woman to ever be admitted there, yet the words of the welcoming address seem to have been written with her in mind:  “What does it mean to be a Harvard man?  A Harvard man is intelligent, of course, but he is also tenacious.  He is a leader devoted to the rule of law.  He is mindful of his country, loyal to traditions, and he is respectful of our institutions.”  Tenacious, intelligent, devoted to the rule of law, and mindful of her country:  that’s an apt summary of our protagonist.  She’s not only at the top of her first year class, but she also simultaneously audits her husband Martin’s (Armie Hammer) second year classes to take notes for him while he is felled by serious illness.  Her goal never wavers:  “I want to be a lawyer.  I want to represent clients before the courts in pursuit of justice.”  But it’s still a man’s world (at the time), and all the drive, talent, and top grades in the world can’t secure her a job with male-led New York law firms.  So, she teaches law – until a small case comes along that offers a way to challenge the existing law of the time, which says that discrimination on the basis of sex is legal!

That too-long-accepted, built-in inequity in the law meant that men and women were not equals.  And that’s an injustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg devoted her life to correcting.  She tells an appellate court:  “You are being urged to protect the culture and traditions and morality of an America that no longer exists… We’re not asking you to change the country.  That’s already happened without any court’s permission.   We’re asking you to protect the right of the country to change.”  Those words are as timely as ever in 2019 – and this fine film, based on actual events, anchors vital principles in a character-driven drama.  The Ginsburgs embodied equality (in their own relationship) long before its time, and their story is no less inspiring for being low-key and grounded in real life. Directed by Mimi Leder, the film has nice work by the leads and by supporting players like Sam Waterston, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen Root, Kathy Bates, and Justin Theroux.  For ages 18+:  Some brief coarse language.

“If Beale Street Could Talk” (USA, 2018) (B/B+): “Love is what brought you here.  If you trusted love this far, don’t panic now.  Trust it all the way.”  Here’s the touching story of Tish and ‘Fonny,’ a young black couple (Kiki Layne & Stephan James) who love each other deeply.  Bad luck, an unfair system, and one man’s malevolence propels them into crisis when Fonny is maliciously accused of a crime he did not commit and unjustly forced to languish in jail without bail (for a protracted time) while awaiting trial.  There’s deep dysfunction among the inlaws, outright malice by a police officer, and the hovering sense of helplessness in the face of ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.’  But there’s also abiding love, family solidarity, and self-respect:  When Tish finds herself pregnant out-of-wedlock by the man he loves, her older sister instantly dismisses shame as a suitable response: “Unbow your head, sister.”  The film is directed Barry Jenkins (2016’s “Moonlight”) from the book by James Baldwin.  It has Oscar nominations for Supporting Actress (Regina King, who plays Tish’s determined mother), Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score; it has nominations at Independent Spirit Awards for Best Film, Director, and Supporting Actress; and it won Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes.  For ages 18+: Coarse language; brief sexual content; and brief nudity.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (USA, 2018) (B):  Here’s an unexpected, and very welcome,  surprise – an animated Spider-Man movie that’s good enough to make it to many critics’ top ten films of the year lists (it’s a runner-up on ours).  The chief protagonist is a young black boy:  he becomes one Spider-Man out of several when parallel universes intersect.  The result has fun, visual flair, humor, action, and even hints of poignancy.  There’s a positive message or two here, too:  “One thing I know for sure: don’t do it like me; do it like you.”   And, (Q) “When will I know I’m ready?”  (A) “You won’t.  It’s a leap of faith.  That’s all it is… a leap of faith.”  The several Spideys on offer here winningly come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders – it is only the leap across species (played too cartoonishly for laughs), to a hero who’s hammy in more ways than one, that goes an arachnid too far.

“Mary Poppins Returns” (B):  “Everything is possible, even the impossible.”  So says the magical nanny Mary Poppins, who floats down to take charge of a troubled Depression-era family in London.  Speaking of making the impossible possible, could the folks at Disney fashion a good sequel to the beloved 1964 classic “Mary Poppins” (which starred the inimitable Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke)?  In fact, they’ve done exactly that.  This follow-up, made 54 years later, may lack the sheer originality of the first one and the bevy of memorable songs; but, it recaptures the innocent tone and magic of its namesake, following a similar patter while still infusing some freshness.  Everything turns on Emily Blunt as Mary, and she pulls it off handily, with a combination of faux sternness and a readiness to lead her charges in song and flights of fancy.   She can sing, and she certainly can act (as evidenced by past work in “A Quiet Place” and “Sicario”).  Lin-Manual Miranda (renowned for the stage musical “Hamilton”) is along as Jack the lamplighter (a likeable latter-day variation on the original’s Bert the chimney-sweep).  Ben Wishaw and the engaging Emily Mortimer play the now grown-up Michael and Jane (who were Mary’s young charges in the original), while Pixie Davis, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson are the next generation of cute youngsters.  Colin Firth does what he can as a one-dimensional, rather gratuitously scheming, villain; Jeremy Swift and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith are his the inept henchmen; while Julie Walters, David Warner, Meryl Streep, and Angela Lansbury appear in supporting roles.  It’s a particular treat to see Dick van Dyke alive and kicking.  The songs are serviceable rather than memorable; the best of the lot, by a kite-string’s length, is the Oscar-nominated “The Place Where Lost Things Go.”  The result is engaging family fare; old-fashioned, yes, but full of appealing innocence.

“Vice” (B+):  Here’s a satirical look at the life of Dick Cheney (an unrecognizable Christian Bale), the reviled vice president (and supposed chief mover-and-shaker) of the unfortunate eight-year administration (2001-09) of George W. Bush.  It’s a tour de force, award-caliber performance by Bale.  And there’s extremely strong work by Amy Adams as his iron-willed wife Lynne (who propels her drunk-driving, ne’er do well young husband to the halls of power) and Sam Rockwell (as a genial, none-too-bright ‘Dubya’).  There’s fine acting and sly storytelling on offer.  Trouble is: we squirmed with distaste at the cast of characters:  Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and their crew engaged in criminal subversion of the U.S. Constitution by lying their way into the Second Iraq War; justifying such egregious illegalities as torture, rendition, and imprisonment without trial; inventing counterfeit categories like ‘unlawful combatants’ as flimsy cover for the grotesque abrogation of human rights; and initiating the intrusive mass surveillance of their law-abiding fellow countrymen.  They had the temerity to voice an obscene doctrine that purported to put the president above all laws.  And they presided over scrapping of the “fairness doctrine,’ which required broadcast and print media to give space to opposing views – a dire change that saw the rise of wholly partisan ‘opinion news,’ cheapening the public discourse and hardening ideological divides in the process, to the lasting harm of the polity.  Breach of oath (to protect and defend the Constitution), breach of trust, and abuse of power ran rampant for eight years, thanks to this despicable crew.  It makes their story mighty hard to stomach, albeit that it is told with panache and dark wit.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and some sexual talk.

“Aquaman” (C-/C):   Here’s a superhero who can breathe water (as well as air), move at great speed through the sea, control water, and summon ocean creatures to his aid.  According to this comic book-inspired action/adventure tale, when the mythical lost continent of Atlantis sank beneath the waves, it took its inhabitants with it, where they survived in the deeps.  Under bellicose leadership (Patrick Wilson), they now find them themselves at odds with their landlubber cousins.  Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) was born on dry land, the love child of a human lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison) and a self-exiled Atlantean queen (Nicole Kidman).   As an adult, he is drawn into the incipient conflict, battling both his underwater half-sibling and a vengeful mercenary (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) in action sequences that range from mano-a-mano to big set pieces.  Therein lies the film’s chief failing – it depends overmuch (like most would-be action blockblusters) on incessant over-the-top action and effects.  Overkill leads to action becoming pedestrian and tiresome – no matter how dressed up it is with splashy effects.  On the plus side, the leading man is a reluctant hero, and he brings some irreverent humor to the proceedings.  And we liked the ladies, with Amber Heard (in flaming red hair) and Kidman standouts in the film.   For ages 12+:  Violence.

“Welcome to Marwen” (C+/B-):   Steve Carell plays the traumatized victim of a brutal assault who is left with no memory of his life before the attack.  He was a talented artist then, an already eccentric character with a fascination for women’s shoes.  The latter trait has inexplicably persisted through his amnesia, and he sometimes tries high heels on for size.  His life revolves around an imaginary world of his own creation – a small French village in Nazi-occupied France that’s populated by dolls.  The sole male in his make-believe setting is Mark’s alter-ego, a variation on G.I. Joe, while the bevy of Barbie-like female dolls represent the various women in Mark’s real life, including the attractive new neighbor played by Leslie Mann.  Recurring animated sequences combine doll bodies and human faces for action fantasies that pit “Cap’n Hogie” and his harem of lovelies against brutish Nazi interlopers.  It’s clear enough that Mark is sublimating his insecurity, trauma, and pain into an imaginary world in which the good guy (and gals) invariably prevail, but it gets repetitive, tiresome, and trite.  Even more problematically, Mark himself is kind of off-putting.  Presumably, he’s meant to be a loveable eccentric, a gentle man-child whose psyche was badly wounded by violent thugs.  But, he comes across as disturbed, self-pitying, and at least half-crazy – and not in an amusing way.  His fascination with women’s shoes is a turn-off, his obsession with his one-note imaginary world is both juvenile and unhealthy (with day-dreams becoming outright hallucinations), and his attraction to his lovely new neighbor skirts the borders of stalking.  The story and its unlikely protagonist are just too odd for their own good; the result just doesn’t work for us.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and violence.

“Ben is Back” (B+):  In the recent “Boy, Erased,” Lucas Hedges played a teen who is sent away for ‘conversion therapy’ to have his same-sex orientation exorcised.  Here, Hedges plays a teen who returns unexpectedly from drug rehabilitation for an impromptu Christmas with his family.  His sister (Kathryn Newton) and step-dad (Courtney B. Vance) are highly skeptical – leery of Ben’s self-proclaimed progress in overcoming his addiction.  His mom (a winning Julia Roberts) greets him with open arms in a glowing depiction of maternal love’s unbreakable bond.  But as much as Holly loves her son and rejoices in his visit, she’s no fool:  she insists on urine tests and keeps Ben on a tight leash for his 24-hour stay.  No precautions are sufficient, though, and Ben’s old life soon intrudes into their peaceable domestic kingdom.  There are some good lines:  Referring to his beloved pet dog, Ben says, “I love five people and Ponze is two of them;” while, in the face of a daunting threat, a determined Holly declares, “Okay, so we’ll just take it one a**hole at a time.”  Written and directed by Peter Hedges (the real-life father of its male lead), the story does a very good job of creating a sense of family – in this case, a family that has long been struggling with the pernicious problem of addiction.  Its detour into suspense territory, with Ben and Holly teaming up to deal with threatening drug dealers, while competently handled, feels like an unnecessary digression into another kind of film altogether.  The suspense thriller stuff could have been left out, in favor of what the film does best – its story of a touching mother and son relationship, one that focuses on those characters while giving some good moments to a sister and step-father.  For ages 18+: Coarse language.

“Mary Queen of Scots” (U.K., 2018) (B+/A-):   This historical

drama about a strong woman aiming to rule the British Isles is one of two excellent new films dealing with that theme – the other being “The Favourite.”  Here, Mary Stuart (1542-1587), the young widow of a French king, returns to her native Scotland in 1561, taking that country’s throne; she has a strong claim to inherit the English throne, too, if its unmarried current occupant, Elizabeth I (1533-1603) should die without an heir.  Saoirise Ronan delivers an award-caliber performance as Mary.  Her queen may be young, but she is smart, courageous, and capable.  Most of all, she is independent-minded.  Those closest to her are her ladies-in-waiting (all of whom are very well portrayed), and the film does a very effective job of depicting their unshakeable solidarity.  Margot Robbie is likewise compelling as Elizabeth.  Figurative ‘sisters,’ these two monarchs each has the right stuff to rule, but each occupies high office in a man’s world.  As strong as these two women are, they are surrounded by males who are intent on swaying them (and, in the case of Mary, overtly forcing her to their will).  Had it been otherwise, could these two queens have been friends?  Added to the mix is the toxic animosity between Catholic and Protestant sectarian camps.  The idea of a Catholic queen ascending the English throne appalls Protestants in that country; while, north of the border, a hateful, openly insurrectionist John Knox (an unrecognizable David Tennant) is driven by rabid misogyny rather the word of God.   The treachery and ambitions of others swirl around the two women, creating an irresistible vortex of instability, suspicion, and conflict which takes its toll on women whose intrinsic strength cannot insulate them from the machinations of very males on whose loyalty and selfless service they ought to have been able to rely.  The screenplay focuses on Mary, giving less time and attention to Elizabeth, though there’s enough there to create the framework, at least, of a royal pas de deux.   The result is one of the year’s best films.  For ages 18+:  Sexual content and violence.

“Once Upon a Deadpool” (B):  We didn’t realize in advance that this re-titled super-hero film is just a re-release of this year’s “Deadpool 2.”  We aren’t quite sure what prompted the Christmas season re-release.  Other than the title, only two things have changed:  (1) the worst of the very coarse language and strong violence has been excised, and (2) some completely pointless bits with the title character talking with the actor Fred Savage (the former child actor from “The Wonder Years” and “The Princess Bride”) have been inserted.  The original release of this film was definitively unsuited to anyone under the age of 18.  The fact that it still works just fine without its harsh language and violence begs the question:  why put all the graphic content in there in the first place?  The sequel reunites Canada’s Ryan Reynolds as the wise-cracking Deadpool, the irresistible Morena Baccarin as his love interest, and various supporting players from the first film.  It also introduces a relentless mercenary from the future in the person of Josh Brolin’s Cable, who starts out as a seeming villain but gradually becomes very sympathetic.  The irreverent antihero, smart-alecky dialogue, absurdist situations, hyper-violent action, and manic sense of fun are all happily intact from 2016’s “Deadpool.”  The only weak link here is a heavyset pre-adolescent with a New Zealand accent, a penchant for fireballs, and a big chip on his shoulder:  We found that character discordant and unappealing, his very youth making him an inappropriate choice for this decidedly adults-only franchise.  For ages 14+:  Crude language and violence.

“The Favourite” (Ireland/U.K./USA, 2018) (B+/A-):

Director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for making very odd films, and this blend of drama and humor certainly retains an offbeat tone; but, it may also be his most accessible film.  Things start off sly, as we hear the 20th Century Fox fanfare delivered by the soft cooing of doves.  Like “Mary Queen of Scots,” this year’s other historical film about female monarchs in the British Isles, it’s a story about powerful women who perforce inhabit a society dominated by men.   The monarch here is Queen Anne (1665-1714) the monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland; a descendant of Mary Queen of Scots, she was last British monarch from the House of Stuart.  Inspired by a true story, the film follows Annes’s (Olivia Colman) relationship with two other formidable women.   One, Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz), is a close friend, adviser, and confidant from childhood; the other, Abigail Hill (Emma Stone), is a one-time noblewoman who has experienced a dramatic fall in fortunes.  A cousin to Sarah, she finds with the royal household employment as a servant, before ingratiating herself into the good graces of the queen.  Thus is born a bitter rivalry between two women for the favor and of the queen.  (The film’s ascribing of a lesbian relationship between at least two of the three characters is, apparently, not widely accepted by historians.)  As things progress, our sympathies are at times with one of these women, at times with another.  Each is a dynamic figure in her own right; each is capable of ruthlessness, manipulation, and betrayal; but, for our money, Rachel Weiss’s Sarah takes first place as an indomitable figure.  Born with the talent to be a ruler herself, she is obliged instead to do so from beside the throne.  Is she only using Anne to influence affairs through the power that relationship gives her?  It seemed to us that the friendship and affection are genuine, even if they are commingled with manipulation.  Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, the film is coyly ambiguous about its three players’ competing (and seemingly changing) motivations.

“The Favourite” is one of the best films of the year, with not one, not two, but three award-caliber performances.  It has five Golden Globes nominations – for Best Film, Actress, two for Supporting Actress, and Screenplay.   It’s likely to match that tally when the Academy Award nominations are announced.  Meantime, at the British Independent Film Awards, it had 13 nominations, winning in 10 of those categories, among them, Best British Independent Film, Director, Screenplay, Actress, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, and. Production Design.  At the Venice Film Festival, it won a Grand Special Jury Prize as well as Best Actress (Olivia Colman), and it was nominated for the Golden Lion (Best Film).  Among its great many other awards and nominations, it was nominated for Actress and twice for Supporting Actress by the Screen Actors Guild; it is an American Film Institute winner  as “Movie of the Year;” and it was nominated as Best International Film at the Independent Spirit Awards.  For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language (including sexual talk); sexual content; nudity; adult subject matter; and some disturbing content.

“The Mule” (B+/A-):  Clint Eastwood directed and stars in one of the year’s best movies, the story of a man who spent a lifetime neglecting his family in favor of his career as a horticulturalist.  He loves day-lilies and floral conventions, but he missed his only daughter’s wedding, creating a years-long rift between them.  He’s 90 years old now, and hard times (and sheer chance) throw him into a new line of work – transporting illegal drugs for Mexican gangsters.  The contraband goes in the back of his old truck, and he hits the road.  As an old man with no traffic ticket history, he makes a most unsuspecting “mule” for the cartels.  Earl takes it all in his stride.  It’s meant to be a one-off, but he finds the familiar freedom of the open road (and the sudden influx of cold hard cash) quite appealing.  He’s resourceful when in jeopardy; and, as a war vet, he doesn’t scare easily, despite the rough company he’s now keeping.  Indeed, he wins over the cartel’s minions (and even their head honcho) with his unflappable, easy-going ways.  The film divides its time between Earl’s new employment, his belated efforts to build bridges with his estranged ex-wife and daughter (he is still on good terms with his granddaughter), and efforts by the FBI to identify the cartel’s most successful courier.  “The Mule” was written by Sam Dolnick, adapted from the N.Y. Times Magazine article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year Old Drug Mule” by Nick Schenk.  Eastwood is ably supported by Bradley Cooper, Dianne Wiest, Taissa Farmiga, Alison Eastwood, Andy Garcia, Michael Peña, and Laurence Fishburne.   It’s a home-run in the acting, directing, and storytelling departments.    For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Mortal Engines” (New Zealand/USA, 2018) (D):  In a post-apocalyptic world of the future, what’s left of mankind mostly live in gigantic cities on wheels.  Improbably over-sized, like some cartoonish caricature of urban sprawl on the move, they lumber across landscapes in search of smaller urban conglomerations in order to swallow them whole for raw materials.   Based on a book by Philip Reeve, we had trouble getting past the preposterous premise.  To make matters worse, these manmade behemoths look like models early in the film, further straining credibility.  But, there are worse problems here, starting with the inexplicable choice to focus on action and effects at the dire expense of story and character.  There’s a scarred woman (Iceland’s Hera Hilmar, who generates some interest), a young man (Robert Sheehan) of good intentions but as yet unproven worth (his rise to heroics comes awfully quickly), a one-dimensional villain (Hugo Weaving, who has been so effective in other films, like the great “V for Vendetta”), a misled young woman (Leila George), an action figure (Anna Fang), and a monstrous, yet ultimately pathetic, cyborg voiced by Stephen Lang.  But their efforts fade into the background of this pointless assemblage of oversized parts.   We ultimately don’t care about these characters or their conflicts.  We’d have expected much better from the screenwriters, all three of whom were intimately involved with the award-winning three-part saga known as “The Lord of the Rings.”

“At Eternity’s Gate” (Switzerland/U.K./France/USA/Ireland, 2018) (B/B+):  “Are all painters crazy?” someone asks.  “Only the great ones,” replies this film’s protagonist, and he surely seems to have at least ‘a grain of madness’ in him.  Willem Dafoe delivers an award-caliber performance as a tortured artist, constantly striving for some sublime he-knows-not-quite-what while he’s ignored or laughed at by society.  He yearns to somehow “make people feel what it is to be alive.”  It’s a look at a portion of the adult life of Vincent van Gogh, a visionary who went unappreciated in his own time:  “What I see, nobody else sees.”   He lives for his art (“I am my paintings”), though it’s an obsessive dedication that seems always to torment him.  Precisely why he suffers such angst remains ambiguous.  Is he dissatisfied with his own work, with its failure to connect with others, or with the seeming monomania that drives him to neglect all else in life save his art?   He has a loyal ally in his brother Theo (Rupert Friend), and, for a time, at least, a artistic soul mate and friend in  Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac).  Able supporting players include Mads Mikkelsen, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Niels Arestrup, Anne Consigny, and Vincent Perez.   Directed and co-written by Julian Schnabel (2007’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), “At Eternity’s Gate,” is an artful, impressionistic film that aims to put us inside the psyche of its enigmatic central character.  Its very story held less allure for us than its riveting central performance, perhaps because it’s centered in character and state of mind rather than story.   Nominated for the Golden Lion (Best Film) at Venice, where it won writing and acting awards), “At Eternity’s Gate” is a Golden Globe nominee for Best Actor; and we’d be surprised if it doesn’t get a nomination in that same category at the Oscars.

“The Possession of Hannah Grace” (B-):  This better-than-expected chiller gets points for a solid cast and an original setting – the graveyard shift (no pun intended) in the morgue of a big-city hospital.  A disgraced police officer gets a job there after battling post-traumatic stress and addiction.  Played by Shay Mitchell, Megan Reed is determined to overcome her inner demons, steeling herself to work with dead and damaged corpses.  Little dies she realize that a literal demon is lurking inside one badly disfigured body of a young woman, a woman who was never seen again after an exorcism gone wrong (which figures in a prelude to the movie).  The setting is intrinsically creepy, and the timer-controlled lights that shut themselves off unless they detect motion are a nice touch in ratcheting-up the tension.  The entire cast (including Canada’s Stana Kasic, the co-star of television’s “Castle”) does good work here; though the screenplay has moments of disjointedness in its final act.  For ages 18+:  Frightening content.

“Clara” (USA/Canada, 2018) (B):  Here’s an unexpectedly

welcome surprise of a film, shot (and based) in Toronto, that blends ideas with relationships as it pairs an obsessive astronomer (Patrick J. Adams’s Isaac) with an intuitive artist (Troian Bellisario’s Clara).  He needs an assistant with his study of voluminous space telescope data; she serendipitously appears on his porch one night with her pet dog.  She has no scientific background, but she’s a quick study and helps with the goal – to be the first to identify a new Earthlike planet in newly mapped nearby sections of our galaxy.  The recurring flashes of celestial grandeur, like nebulae, remind us of the beauty of what we see only distantly from our perch here on the blue planet.  Isaac starts off being all analytical thinking – he’s driven and remote.  Clara has a softer, more aesthetical view of the world – she’s guided by art and intuition.  They make a surprisingly well-matched couple, as work, proximity, and a growing bond draw them ever closer.  Ennis Esmer is engaging as Isaac’s only friend (doing a more restrained variation of his humorously flamboyant character on television’s “Blindspot”) and Jennifer Dale appears in a supporting role.  Written and directed by Akash Sherman, this film impressed us.  It has some kinship to “Contact” and “Arrival” and to a 1984 sci-fi romance film that has to remain unnamed lest we give away too much about the implied import of what takes place here.

“Creed II” (B):  This sequel to 2015’s “Creed” carries on the “Rocky” franchise, with Michael B. Jordan continuing to do the boxing, while Sylvester Stallone is back as his mentor.  They’ve got a bit of a surrogate father and son relationship (Rocky was close to the young boxer’s late father).  And it finds its opposite number in the hard, bitter, and angry antagonists – a father and son team from Russia, with Dolph Lundgren reprising (and improving upon) his role as Ivan Drago, with Florian Munteau as his taciturn son and boxing protégé.  The formula is a familiar one – turning the protagonists into the underdogs, so they can fight their way back with sheer heart – but it still works.  And so does the story, which combines boxing drama and character drama.

“Green Book” (USA, 2018) (B+/A-):   Here’s the must-see film

of the last months of 2018.  Kin to “The Odd Couple” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” it charts the gradual growth of mutual respect and unexpected friendship between two wildly disparate men.  Based on a true story and set in 1962, it traces the relationship between Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a working class Italian-American nightclub bouncer, and Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a virtuoso pianist and musical phenom.  One is white, unrefined, and somewhat bigoted; the other is elegant, sophisticated, educated, and cosmopolitan.  One thinks with his instincts (and often with his fists); the other’s credo is:  “You only win when you maintain your dignity.”  The result is an uplifting (sand often warmly humorous) story of redemptive transformation and friendship.  We wish two brief sequences had been omitted:  in one, Tony is callously careless with the safety of a hapless coat-check girl; in the other, we are introduced to some hitherto unsuspected transgressive inclinations on the part of Don Shirley.  Those sequences distract us from the story’s through-line and neither seems consistent with everything else we know about these two men.  Other than that, their story is a treat to behold.  It’s one of the best films of the year, nominated for five Golden Globes, including Best Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Screenplay.  (Stay tuned for its inevitable Oscar nominations.)   For ages 18+:   Brief coarse language; adult subject matter.

“The Front Runner” (B):  In 1988, a bright, appealing, and thoughtful Senator from Colorado named Gary Hart was the leading contender for the role of presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.  His political hopes sank like a stone when the press unveiled evidence of his marital infidelity.  At the time, it was still relatively unusual for the press and public to inquire closely into the private lives of politicians.  A reporter asserts that, “It’s up to us to hold these guys accountable.”  But, is disclosing an affair part of accountability, or is it just muck-raking?  Does it go to a prospective leader’s judgment and/or to his (or her) moral compass?  How much privacy should those in political life be entitled to expect?   Is “none of your business” a viable answer to such allegations?  Should it be?   The film asks questions about what is important – in public and private life.  Hugh Jackman brings his accustomed charm and charisma to the role; he also conveys integrity   Being unfaithful to his wife hardly boosts his credibility on that score, but, should private infidelity be the concern of anyone but those intimately involved?  The result is a very gently-paced character study that gives time and attention to several different characters, like Hart’s wife (Vera Farmiga) and his campaign chief  (J.K. Simmons).  The way they recorded group conversations is pleasingly natural; but, like real life, we need subtitles to make out all that’s being said in those team scrums.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (U.K./USA, 2018) (C):  What was fresh and entertaining in 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” has lost its luster in this sequel.  The series is a slightly more grown-up variation on writer J.K. Rowling’s world of magic, set some years before its better known cousins (the many “Harry Potter” stories) took center stage.  Eddie Redmayne is still somewhat affecting as the sweet and gentle Newt Scamander, self-appointed protector of exotic and misunderstood magical beasts.  But there is very little sign of life, or heart, or a story worth telling in this installment.  One never really cares about its twists and turns; they feel tedious, swamped by effects and rendered pointless (after its over-long 134 minute run) by an infuriating “to be continued” non-ending.

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” (C-/C):  Despite its misnomer of a title, this fantasy adventure has next to nothing to do

with the famous ballet, though it uses some of that story’s names and snippets of Tchaikovsky’s beloved score.  Mackenzie Foy (she’s 18 but playing a younger character) is cute as Clara, the very capable young girl who is relocated, Narnia-style, to an alternate world, one that’s divided into four separate realms (The Land of Snowflakes et al.).  It seems that one realm is set against the others; but not all is as is seems.  It’s up to Clara to put her quick thinking, ingenuity, and courage into action.  She’s engaging, and a CGI mouse is cute.  As to the rest, it’s too often silly.   There’s not much story; instead, production design and effects get all of the attention.  Having said that, however, the story does muster some emotional moments, and that’s more than most movies can manage these days.  Still, we’d have expected much better from co-director Lasse Hallström (“The Cider House Rules”).  For ages 9+:  Not suitable for younger children.

Note:  “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” grew on us on a second viewing.  For our review of the film on DVD, see:  https://artsforum.ca/film/on-dvd/on-dvd-4-0

“Widows” (B-):  Four career criminals are killed in their latest armed robbery, leaving their widows to pick up the pieces and fend off vengeful gangsters.  They’re led by Viola Davies, who brings a fierce determination to the role of an upper middle class woman who suddenly has to learn the ways of criminality to survive, by joining with three fellow amateurs to pull off a big heist.  Lest the word ‘heist’ give the false impression that this is a half-comedic romp, it most assuredly is not.  On the contrary, it is distastefully harsh and unpleasant.  Although the women are mostly blameless, they are surrounded by violent and ruthless men.  And it’s not just the men who are despicable.  One of the widows (Elizabeth Debicki) has a heartless mother who pushes her into high-end prostitution.  The story is so saturated with corruption, treachery, violent extortion, and general nastiness we almost forget to root for the women, despite the evident female empowerment theme.  For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language; violence; nudity; and sexual content.

“Boy Erased” (USA/Australia, 2018) (B):  A boy in his late teens has everything going for him, with an all-American middle class family life and a girlfriend.  But when he leaves home to start college, his life is turned upside down when a traumatic incident leaves him and his family questioning his sexual orientation.  Up until then, Jared (Lucas Hedges) takes his heterosexuality for granted. When that suddenly changes (the suddenness of said change makes it feel improbable), his father (Russell Crowe), who is a Baptist preacher, sends Jared to a private institution for “conversation therapy,” on the advice of church elders.  Jared’s mother (Nicole Kidman) reluctantly goes along with that course of action.  And even Jared himself initially accepts it, sharing the prevailing desire to purge himself of these hitherto unsuspected inclinations.  The idea is to exhort the same-sex attraction out of the boy.  Almost everyone concerned has good intentions, even the zealous program director played by Joel Edgerton (who also wrote and directed the film, adapting it from a memoir by Garrard Conley).  Trouble is:  their actions are rooted in the ideological conviction that people sinfully choose to be homosexual, rather than in sound scientific or medical evidence.  And that conviction self-justifies the practice of tough love, which takes its toll on the emotional well-being of their charges.  The result is a well-acted, thought-provoking drama about an individual and a family in crisis and the too often intolerant way people and societies react to differences.   For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language; one disturbing scene of sexual violence.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” (U.K./Germany/Sweden/Canada/USA, 2018) (B/B+):   Computer hacker, misfit, and

avenger of wronged women, Lisbeth Salander was the anti-heroine in the novels of Stieg Larsson, inspiring three successful  Swedish films (starring Noomi Rapace) and an American remake (starring Rooney Mara).  With Larsson’s death, the character was adopted by David Lagercrantz, whose novel forms the basis for this new installment.  This time round, British actress Claire Foy (of television’s “The Crown,” 2018’s “First Man,” and 2017’s “Breathe”) takes the character and runs with it:  We can’t take our eyes off this smart, implacable, yet psychologically damaged (and therefore subtly pathetic) character.  It opens with James Bondian opening credits and very quickly establishes a long-lost sister as Lisbeth’s new nemesis.  Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks, who played the ruthless ‘Luv’ in “Blade Runner 2049,” is convincingly menacing as a psychotic killer (with white blonde hair and eyebrows) who can still generate some sympathy, given her legacy of horrific childhood abuse.  Indeed, Lisbeth is conflicted by the knowledge that while she escaped their monstrous father, she was unable to save her sister.  The result is an engrossing, gritty action piece with solid characterization and pacing.  It’s got far more flair and exoticness than a typical action drama.  It has its predecessors’ tone of dark menace, decadence, and corruption.  The international cast speaks English throughout; but the prominent accents (most of them deliberate, we presume) are a tad distracting, feeling like an artificial, hybrid attempt to remind us that Stockholm and environs are the setting:  Spoken Swedish or unaccented English might have been better choices.  Vicky Krieps (from Luxembourg) makes an impression in a supporting role as a police chief.  “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” was directed by Uruguayan Fede Alvarez (who directed and co-wrote 2016’s effective, though, in one scene, unduly gross, thriller “Don’t Breathe”).  For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language, strong violence, and a scene of graphic horror.

“Overlord” (USA, 2018) (C+):  One part war story, one part zombie horror tale, this drama follows a squad of American soldiers who parachute behind enemy lines hours before D-Day with a mission to knock out an enemy communications tower in a church in an occupied French village.  Their flight over the Channel is our chance to quickly get to know the characters – be they brash or frightened.  When they come under heavy anti-aircraft fire and leap from the plane, many are killed in the process.  That opening section of the film is its best.  But, it handles the ensuing horror stuff more than serviceably, with intermittent moments of high octane suspense.  It seems the soldiers have unwittingly come across something straight out of Frankenstein.  The Nazis are experimenting on the living and the dead alike, in a hard-to-swallow quest for an unstoppable undead weapon; in the process, they’ve created an underground chamber of horrors (this village church has improbably extensive catacombs).  The film’s strong start, anchored in real life horrors, and pretty solid characterization keeps us on-board even when the story starts to dissolve into a gore-fest.  A lighter hand (and more subtlety) would have yielded an even better movie; instead, “Overlord” becomes Overkill, to its detriment.   For ages 18+:  A great deal of very coarse language, brutal violence, gore, and disturbing content.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” (B+):  We knew absolutely nothing about the British rock band Queen or their lead vocalist Freddie

Mercury before we saw this biopic.  The infectiously energetic trailer caught our attention in a big way, and the 135 minute film did not disappoint.   Rami Malek felt like a newcomer to us; but, it turns out we’d seen him before (fairly recently, in fact, in this year’s remake of “Papillon,” in which he played the gentle forger Louis Dega).  But, he’s unrecognizable here, in a role that’s at once utterly flamboyant and completely authentic. It’s a charismatic, award-caliber performance:  Malek’s Mercury is in nearly every scene and he commands our attention (as he commands the stage) with his combination of talent, endless self-confidence, and sheer verve.  He struts across the stage in unabashed love for performing.  And what songs!  There’s real emotion, originality, and musicality in the operatic title song.  And when thousands of people stomp their feet and clap their hands to “We Will Rock You,” the effect is powerful.  Despite his regress into alcohol, drugs, and promiscuity, we never stop liking this character, with his off-kilter visage, exuberant personality, and abundance of talent.  For ages 18+:  Very brief coarse language, drug use, and adult subject matter.

“Free Solo” (B+):  If we didn’t see it with our own eyes, we wouldn’t believe it – a young mountain climber who dispenses with ropes and paraphernalia and goes straight up towering precipices with only his bare hands.  This documentary film about Alex Honnold focuses on his ambition to be the first person to do a “free solo” climb of the 3,000 foot high ‘El Capitan’ mountain in Yosemite National Park.  Watching him do so is a scarily close simulacrum of being there, thanks to drone cameras that have us suspended above the abyss, in scenes that induce awe and cold sweat in equal measure.  What’s the secret to this climber’s sang froid?  A brain scan suggests that the part of his brain that processes fear and anxiety may not work like ours.  Honnold’s unusual calm distances us from him a bit, but the gap is bridged by his utterly relatable girlfriend; she’s at once determined to be supportive and frightened over the life and death risks.  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language and high tension.

“Beautiful Boy” (B):  Here’s the true story of a father desperate over his beloved son’s descent into drug addiction.  The pair are played by Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet (Oscar nominee for 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name’).  Frankly, the drug abuse stuff is kind of off-putting.  But it’s buoyed by the cast, especially Carell, whose character arc covers the gamut from benign neglect to acute concern, with stopovers for despair and loss of hope.  He’s a very particular character in a situation any parent could be in, without coming across simply as a cipher or an everyman.  Carell and the screenplay aren’t afraid of having him come across as not always completely likeable (he’s too harsh ands accusatory with his ex-wife and neglectful of his second family, for example) – a choice that adds to the authentic feel of the man and his relationships.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language, frequent drug use.

“Hunter Killer” (B-/B):  An American submarine is sunk near Russian waters, and a hunter-killer sub under the command of Gerard Butler is dispatched to investigate, even as several U.S. special force personnel infiltrate the restricted space of a Russian naval base in the Arctic. The result – on land and under the icy sea – is a surprisingly entertaining action piece, anchored in a solid cast, an unusual setting, and a high stakes effort to stave off all out war.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“The Old Man & the Gun” (B):  What a treat to see Robert

Redford paired with Sissy Spacek.  Their relationship is the heart of this story.  Redford plays Forrest Tucker, a man who’s spent his life robbing banks; for him, it’s almost a calling, and he goes about it without actual or threatened violence (though he does carry and show a gun).  Was he always non-violent, even in his younger days:  The film never really says; but the pesky fact that he does carry (and show) a gun necessitates some suspension of disbelief on our part as to his nice guy demeanor.  Anyway, he’s older than he used to be when he meets up with a sweet and caring widow woman who loves horses, and their touching, gentle relationship is the real treasure here.  The rest may be a tad too laid-back and meandering for its own good.  Casey Affleck grew on us as the resident dogged lawman, starting off as mumbly enough (in the style of Mark Ruffalo) to merit subtitles.  His character’s wife and kids make an impression but are under-utilized.

“Johnny English Strikes Again” (C+):  We normally shun comedies, but Rowan Atkinson’s return as a secret agent who’s a legend in his own mind is amusing.  Johnny English seems to think he’s cast in the mold of James Bond, but he’s really more of a hapless bungler, a slightly less disaster-prone cousin to Mr. Bean.  He doubtless imagines chemistry between himself and the comely Russian agent played by Olga Kurylenko; but, in all likelihood, she’s just bemused by the pratfall prone Brit who is so self-serious.  Emma Thompson is along for the ride.

“Bel Canto” (B-): Here’s an odd combination of ingredients:  An opera soloist (Julianne Moore, with dubbed singing) agrees to sing at a private function in an unnamed Latin American country.  Unbeknownst to her, the driving force behind her appearance is a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Ken Watanabe) who is smitten with her singing.  The by-invitation-only affair, hosted by the country’s vice president is hijacked by armed guerillas with demands that political prisoners be released by the regime.  A stand-off ensues, and hours become days (or perhaps even weeks).  Friendships and romantic attachments (within each of the opposing groups and between them) ensue.  It’s either a novel approach to the ‘Stockholm syndrome,’ or, more likely, proof that there is humanity and decency within most people, regardless of their politics.  That message may be a wee bit heavy-handed, but it nevertheless works in context.  And there’s a moment or two of humor:  “Are you sure they won’t shoot?  Not everyone likes opera.”  Despite its seemingly awkward blend of characters and plot points, we liked the overall result.  Several other cast members (like Sebastian Koch, from 2006’s “The Lives of Others,” as a negotiator, Ryo Kase as a translator, and Maria Mercedes Coroy as an impressionable guerilla) also make an impression.  For ages 18+:  Occasional coarse language and some violence.

“Bad Times at the El Royale” (B+):  Several strangers converge at an isolated hotel that straddles the border of California and Nevada near Lake Tahoe. No one is exactly what he or she seems, including the friendly priest played by Jeff Bridges.  Hidden agendas, secrets, and unseen dangers loom large here in this darkly humorous mash-up of suspense thriller and spin on the “ten little Indians” motif.   Jeff Bridges is a treat to see in action, and he’s in the company of a thoroughly winning cast – among them:  Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, and Dakota Johnson, and Lewis Pullman.  We end up rooting for them, despite their sometimes impure motivations. But Chris Hemsworth and Cailee Spaeny are so good at portraying a lethal, Manson-like cult leader and his disturbed disciple, respectively, that we could not help but shudder in repulsion – good performances, both, but we’d have liked the film better without their characters’ extremely unpleasant presence.  For ages 18+:  Violence, coarse language, and adult subject matter.

“The Sisters Brothers” (B+/A-):  Two brothers (John C. Reilly & Joaquin Phoenix) are killers for hire, and they’re on the trail of a pair of blameless men (Jake Gyllenhaal & Riz Ahmed) who are marked for death simply because they have fallen afoul of a powerful warlord-like figure (Rutger Hauer, whom we didn’t recognize under the make-up).  Somehow, the sibling gunmen are invested with enough depth and humanity to be likeable, despite their grim career choices.  And when push comes to shove, they may be ready to forego their lawless ways for something more civilized.  Fine performances and humor that’s as dry as it is dark make this one the best films of the year.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language, violence, brief sexual content, and brief gore.

“The Hate U Give” (B):  An adolescent girl (Amandla Stenberg) from a working class black neighborhood in L.A. leads a double life.  She’s part of her neighborhood, but she leaves her roots behind as an over-achieving top student at a predominantly white high school in an affluent neighborhood, where she has white friends and a white boyfriend who loves her.  But a police shooting of an innocent black man spurs ‘Starr’ into community activism.  There’s a didactic aspect to the story; but we’d say it overlooks the fact that the shooting is an unpremeditated act that’s prompted by unnecessary fear, it seems, rather than hateful racism.  The policeman may have been too quick to expect the worst in a minor traffic stop encounter with two young blacks; but his resort to violence was born of groundless fear, not by any overt hostility toward blacks.  The young man pointlessly dies, all the same, it’s true, but the difference in nuance (between negligence and malice) is ignored here.  There’s a very good cast on hand, with, for example, Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby, as Starr’s parents.  What we liked best about this film was its depiction of a strong family unit, with an exemplary paternal role model in Starr’s father – he’s an ideal father in any skin tone.

“Sharkwater Extinction” (Canada, 2018) (B-): Canadian filmmaker, diver, and environmental activist Rob Stewart’s posthumous follow-up to his 2006 documentary “Sharkwater” revisits the  massive slaughter of sharks for the sake of fins deemed to be delicacies in some oriental cuisine. If sharks were human, we’d call it genocide. But sharks don’t have to be human to be deserving of a right to exist.  They’ve done so, as a form of aquatic life, for millions of years.  If that doesn’t earn them our respect, Stewart points out the invaluable role they play as the apex predators of the seas, balancing the numbers of other fish, who, in their absence, are likely to wreck havoc on the plankton that generates a great deal of the oxygen upon which we depend to exist.  It makes us uneasy to see Stewart swimming unprotected amongst their wild creatures; but he insists there is nothing to fear, pointing out that more people are killed by elephants every year than by sharks.  Stewart’s tireless advocacy for species toward which many of us might otherwise give little heed and his skill as a documentary filmmaker (his second feature documentary, “Revolution,” was released in 2012) are as admirable as his work is timely.  Some attention in this film is given to his untimely death after a deep dive.  What struck a chord with us was Stewarts’s decision to focus on optimism in the better angels of human nature rather than succumb to bitter despair over our apparent rapaciousness.  Now, that’s something to admire and emulate.

“First Man” (B/B+):  Canada’s Ryan Gosling is reunited with director Damien Chazelle (of 2016’s “La La Land”) in this low-key story about astronaut Neil Armstrong, who became the first human being to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.  Its protagonist is quiet, matter-of-fact, and introspective, not one for emotional displays; the film is the same way.  But there’s a sub-current in the story of the feeling of accomplishment Americans (and the rest of the world) earned from doing the seemingly impossible, for reaching out to our nearest neighbor in space and landing on her surface.  Aspiring to do great things, to explore what is unknown, to push the frontiers of scientific knowledge, technical achievement, and human ingenuity and endurance – this is the stuff of great stories.  Claire Foy (“The Girl in the Spider’s Web”) plays Armstrong’s wife.

“The Wife” (B-/B):  Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce play a married couple with a complicated relationship.  Born out of matrimonial infidelity, it grew to encompass other varieties of infidelity, with ad hoc sharing of responsibilities in a literary partnership that have come to feel intolerable an inequitable to one of the partners.  He’s about to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature; but she sees little cause for celebration. The result is intelligent and theatrical (it would work very well as a play) – a collision of competing ambitions, unrewarded talent, and weariness with the status quo.  Without spoiling any key ploy points, we have a two-fold cavil with the premise:  (1) the arrangement that now causes so much bitterness was entered into freely by both parties, and (2) said arrangement could easily be tweaked at any time to ameliorate the sense of unfairness.  Those facts strain credulity a tad.  Also, a sulky adult son and slimy muckraker aren’t appealing plot drivers.  It‘s the core relationship and the two core performances that hold our interest.  Close is meant to be the injured party here, but this viewer found much in Pryce’s likewise damaged persona with which to sympathize.  For ages 18+:  Abundant coarse language, some sexual content.

“Venom” (C+):  Talk about an unconventional “hero.”  This character from the Marvel comic book franchise is a strange hybrid of human and alien, co-existing in one shared body.  The alien side of the equation is all jagged teeth, with a fondness for biting off heads.  But its symbiosis with its human host convinces it to save its lethal acts for bad guys:  “You come in here, preying again… In fact, you go anywhere in this city, preying on innocent people, and we will find you, and we will eat both of your arms, and then both of your legs, and then we will eat your face right off your head.  Do you understand?”   What’s best here is the sarcastic sense of humor, with the alien predator commenting pointedly on its host’s love life and foibles.  Tom Hardy plays both sides of this tag-team personality.  The result is surprisingly amusing.  For ages 18+:  very brief coarse language, violence.

“A Star is Born” (B+):  Bradley Cooper’s past his prime country and western singer meets Lady Gaga’s aspiring singer and sees her potential.  They fall in love; but it’s a relationship that’s bedeviled by his alcoholism.  As off-putting as the recurring abuse of alcohol and drugs is, there’s no denying the quality of the performances.  Both leads are excellent; and Cooper does double-duty by directing the film.   After his star turn in 2017’s “The Hero,” Sam Elliott wowed us with every scene he’s in as Cooper’s brother.  In a film of high caliber work, it’s an award-worthy performance.  For ages 18+:  A lot of coarse language, drug use, and brief nudity.

Note:  For our separate review of “A Star is Born” on DVD, see:  https://artsforum.ca/film/on-dvd/on-dvd-4-0

“Colette” (U.K./USA, 2018) (B+/A-):  Best known by a single name, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) is one of the most

beloved writers of France; she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.  She (Keira Knightley) starts off as a young woman from a middle class country family who marries a successful (and older) writer from Paris.  ‘Willy’ (Dominic West) employs the services of ghostwriters, directing them on matters of plot and style, to maintain his voluminous output of new novels.  He adds his wife to their number, and Colette creates the literary character of Claudine, who captivates the French public in a first novel and its sequels. (Though it not referenced in the film Colette also wrote “Gigi,” which became a film and stage musical.)  But her own success and disappointments with her husband spark a growing independence and sexual emancipation.  Fine performances, from Knightley, West, and the supporting cast, together with a story of artistic growth and personal self-assertion, all of it in the salons and theaters and manses of Paris, combine to make this one of the best films of the year.  For ages 18+:  Brief nudity and brief sexual content.

“Fahrenheit 11/9” (USA, 2018) (B+):  Writer/director Michael Moore makes strong documentaries – they are entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.  They don’t pretend to be objective or neutral.  Moore has a point of view, and he’s not afraid to express it.  He doesn’t mince words:  About the election of Donald Trump, he says, “How the eff did this happen?”  He’s a fervent advocate, not an impassive observer, and no one is better at provoking a reaction:  depending upon your point of view, you’ll either share his righteous indignation at the political, social, and economic injustices he skewers, or feel boiling outrage toward him for his unabashed left-wing bias.  One thing’s certain:  Moore has an axe to grind, and he sharpens it to a cutting edge.  It’s easy for those of us who share his concerns and values to overlook the fact that Moore has a quasi-‘ideological’ agenda.  But make no mistake, he’s an advocacy filmmaker; being objective or (even) even-handed isn’t part of his playbook.   And, he’s fond of the limelight (perhaps overly so), making himself and his publicity-driven antics part of the story.

Moore’s latest film is a scathing critique of America, taking its name both from the Ray Bradbury novel about a dystopia in which books are burned and the date (November 9th) that brought the unfortunate spectacle of Donald Trump to the American presidency in 2016.  The national calamity that is Trump is the raison d’être of this documentary, and there’s no missing just how appalled Moore is by Trump, whom he calls a “malignant narcissist:” we get diabolical chanting in Latin that sounds like it comes from “The Omen” when Trump unexpectedly prevails on election night.  So, it’s surprising that Moore makes some long digressions – the first involving the deplorable harm to the people of his hometown (Flint, Michigan) cruelly inflicted upon them by their state governor.  Another is the issue of gun violence in America.  Both are worthy subjects; both deserve films of their own; but here they feel like major detours from the primary topic.  The film is, consequently, somewhat unfocused, with too many discrete targets.  But, my goodness, Moore is adept at skewering them – and at eliciting an emotional reaction in his viewer in the process.

The aforementioned ‘stunts’ are here: Moore goes to the Michigan capitol with the goal of making a ‘citizen’s arrest’ of its criminally irresponsible governor; when that fails, he takes a truck of poisoned water from Flint and hoses down the front lawn of the governor’s mansion.  We meet the new breed of idealistic politicians who want change – many of them (like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) both younger and female.  The rot inside the Democratic Party that has left it as cynically beholden to rich and powerful interests as its Republican counterpart is documented.  Fallen idols are revealed, as in Barack Obama’s abject failure to rescue the imperiled people of Flint.  And the danger signs of democracy in jeopardy – the decline in civility and respect; growing inequality in income distribution; the undermining and discrediting of the press and the judiciary (and, under Trump, even the intelligence services); and attacks on the press and freedom of information – are discussed.  As Moore points out, Trump didn’t fall from the sky:  for example, his much better respected predecessor, Barack Obama, shamefully prosecuted more whistle-blowers than all previous presidents combined (adding grotesque insult to injury by misusing the Espionage Act for that purpose), made assassination by remote-controlled drone a routine part of American operations abroad, and deported a record number of immigrants and refugees.

There are figures to admire here – like the student activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School campaigning, in the wake of the mass killing at their school, to get military assault rifles out of civilian hands.  And there are wise cautionary words like these from a historian:  “Democracy in America is an aspiration; it’s somewhere we need to get…. We’re not there yet.”   The same commentator rightly urges, “Let’s not trade real freedom for fake safety.”  In one brief section, Moore stays uncharacteristically quiet as he shows video clips and still images which unmistakably imply a lascivious, predatory, and grossly inappropriate interest by Trump in his own daughter.  Is that sequence fair game or a cheap shot?    Moore ends that brief montage by asking if it makes us uncomfortable?  It certainly does.  When Moore juxtaposes scenes of Trump and Hitler, is he making a potentially valid comparison, deliberately exaggerating to make a point, or going off the hyperbolic deep end?  To some extent, the answer to that question will be in the eye of the beholder.  But his film is an impassioned crie de coeur, delivered with both conviction and (sometimes politically incorrect) humor.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Becoming Burlesque” (Canada, 2018) (C+):  A “good girl” from a Muslim family (she’s a twenty-something graduate student) crosses paths with a Toronto burlesque performer and grows intrigued by the art (if art it is – it seemed rather graceless, as well as oddly non-erotic, to us).  Before you know it, she’s on stage herself.  While Fatima (the very appealing Shiva Negar) comes from a fairly liberal family, and she herself seems to be only nominally observant, it’s a big leap for us to accept that she is so beguiled by burlesque that she becomes an active participant.  Still, the prevailing tone here is light and amiable – kin to another ethic humor movie – “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”  The dancer cast seems a bit unpolished; but Fatima’s parents and especially her brother are nicely cast.   Overall, it’s a cute story, buoyed by the appeal of its lead.  For ages 18+:  Some nudity.

“A Simple Favor” (Canada/USA, 2018) (B+):  “My best friend Emily is missing.  She asked me a simple favor, to pick up her son from school, which was five days ago.  And she hasn’t come back yet…  I’m realizing that I don’t know her as well as I thought I did.”   That triumph of understatement comes from Stephanie (Anna Kendrick).  She’s the very picture of all that’s ‘sweet and innocent’ – earnest, endlessly perky, and inclined to giggle when uncomfortable.  She does her own online video-blog, coaching other stay-at-home-moms on everything from cooking to friendship bracelets.  Her unexpected new ‘best friend,’ Emily (Blake Lively), is her diametrical opposite – a fashionable sophisticate who is as profane and worldly as she is chic and seductive.  Their young sons are classmates, and when these polar-opposites first meet, another parent snidely observes, “Emily’s going to eat poor Stephanie alive.”  Emily has a high-powered job in the city, she lives in a sleek home, she listens to French songs, she’s married to a handsome writer (Henry Goulding), and she likes her martinis strong.  As Stephanie accurately notes, “I guess I’m probably not the kind of person you’re normally friendly with.”

Emily thinks Stephanie needs some backbone – and assertiveness:  “Baby, if you apologize again, I’m going to have to slap the sorry out of you.”  But Stephanie says, “I’m not as nice as you think… Everybody has a dark side; some of us are better at hiding it than others.”  One thing soon becomes clear – nothing and no one here is quite what they seem to be in this quirky blend of Hitchockian mystery, social satire, and amusingly dark humor.  The stark contrast between the two leading ladies; the sudden possibility of much darker agendas; and the constant changes in how we perceive these characters makes for an original and highly entertaining ride.  Best of all, it feels like it has a European sensibility (even though only one of the three principals hails from there):  It must be a by-product of its sly dialogue, worldly irreverence, eye for fashion, and all of those French songs.  For ages 18+:  Lots of coarse language (including sexual language); brief sexual content; and brief violence.

*******

“Juliet, Naked” (U.K./USA, 2018) (B-):  “I may look like a nice, well-adjusted English lady in a sensible cardigan; but these days it’s a thin veneer and it’s starting to crack.”   Annie (Rose Byrne) is stuck in a small English coastal town, running a local history museum.  The gloss is off her live-in relationship with Duncan (Chris O’Dowd), who teaches “American Cinema and the Alienated Male” at a local college.  His real passion is an obscure American alternative rock singer, an artist who abruptly stopped recording years ago.  His obsessive fascination with a long-lost musician has worn out its welcome with Annie:  “It’s become clear that all along he’s been in love with another man.  Not like ‘that,’ but in an equally consuming and quite frankly really bothersome way.”  But there are deeper problems with the relationship:  Duncan is completely self-involved:  He dismisses Annie’s longing for children as easily as he neglects her input on all domestic matters, large and small.  Imagine their surprise, then, when the object of Duncan’s hero worship (Tucker, played by Ethan Hawke) replies to a critical social media posting by Annie and the two strike up an online friendship.  Based on a novel by Nick Hornby (the film’s title refers to an unfinished demo version of a record album), the film maintains a wry tone; there’s more than a bit of Bridget Jones in the female protagonist.  Lily Brazier is amusing as her sister (she’s constantly on the arm of a different same-gender paramour); and Phil Davis steals the show as a bumptious mayor who gets all the facts wildly wrong when introducing an unwitting guest at a public event.  The result is refreshingly low key.    For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Eighth Grade” (USA, 2018) (B+/A-):  Here is an astonishingly naturalistic account of a few days in the life of a 13-year-old girl, played by an actress (Elsie Fisher) of that self-same age.   Kayla is in her last week of middle school.   She’s just been voted “Most Quiet” by her classmates – it’s not the sort of recognition she wants.   She records homemade motivational videos for the internet, with themes (like “Being yourself can be hard” and “Make yourself confident”) that not-so-coincidentally mirror her own current vicissitudes.   And there are lots of self-encouragement exhortations (like “Go get ‘em!”) printed on post-it notes on her bedroom walls.  Like many in the no-man’s land between childhood and adolescence, Kayla is awkward, acutely conscious of peer acceptance (or the lack thereof), and preoccupied with social media.  And because her story is set in the here and now, she’s inseparable from her phone, those glowing self-affirmation devices that seem to have mesmerized an entire generation.

Kayla has a well-intentioned single dad (Josh Hamilton), who clumsily tries to connect by talking to her in teen vernacular.  She has eyes for a cool boy (Luke Prael) at school, with dramatic bursts from what the director calls Anna Meredith’s “big and wacky” score every time he appears.  (Elsewhere we are treated to Enya’s irresistible song “Orinoco Flow.”)   Kayla gets begrudgingly invited to a pool party by a popular girl (Catherine Oliviere), and she gathers her courage to attend, even though she knows her host actively dislikes her.  She makes an impression there on a sweetly nerdish guy (Jake Ryan).  And a day spent officially ‘shadowing’ a high school student (the friendly, welcoming Olivia, delightfully played by Emily Robinson) opens the prospect of acceptance and belonging, though it’s not without its risks.

The result is an up-close-and-personal dive into the psyche of its often uncomfortable young protagonist.  The film unfolds from Kayla’s subjective point of view, and she is often shot in close-up.  It feels uncannily authentic, and you don’t get any more naturalistic than this – with a cinéma vérité style that has a documentary-like realism.  The film powerfully conveys the squirmingly uncomfortable sense of being awkward, shy, and unconfident, while reassuring viewers who have felt that way that they aren’t alone.  And it has moments of insight, too:  “I like giving advice and talking about doing stuff, but I can’t really do that stuff.”   Mayhap teens have always been obsessed with their image; but the age of social media reinforces that quandary in powerful ways.

“Eighth Grade” is the feature film directorial debut by its writer/director Bo Burnham.  Its nominations (so far – but stay tuned for the Oscar nominations) include Best Actress at the Golden Globes; Best Film, Actress, Supporting Actor, & Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards; and a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.  It won Best Directorial Debut and Top Ten Films at the U.S. National Board of Review; and it won Movie of the Year at the American Film Institute.  For ages 18+:  Some coarse language and some sexual talk.

“Shock and Awe” (USA, 2017) (B-/B):  Here’s the true story of four journalists who dared to challenge the phony rationale for war with Iraq foisted on the American public by the Bush Administration in the months following 9/11.  Along with George W. Bush, the sorry likes of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Tenet, Rice, and Powell advanced spurious claims that the tyrant Saddam Hussein was in league with the al-Qaeda terrorists.  When that fantasy didn’t fly, they manufactured a story that Iraq was a hair’s breath away from developing weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to the United States and its allies. Although there was no evidence to support that claim (and plenty of reasons to refute it), dissenting voices among the mainstream media were exceedingly rare.  But some were found at Knight Ridder, a consortium of 31 newspapers.  (Ironically, though, the consortium’s member-papers were free to run its stories or not, and some of them balked.)  Those journalists dared to question the official line, citing insiders who contradicted it:  “If every other news organization wants to be stenographers for the Bush Administration, let them.  We don’t write for people who send other people’s kids to war; we write for people whose kids get sent to war.  So, when the government says something, you have only one question:  Is it true?”

Based on actual events, “Shock and Awe” is a story about journalists going about their daily work – chasing down leads and cajoling inside sources for nuggets of information.  It’s well-cast, with Woody Harrelson, Rob Reiner (who also directed the film), James Marsden, and Tommy Lee Jones as the chief protagonists.  It’s interesting and well-intentioned but perhaps only so-so on dramatic impact.  The ideas (and performances) are there, but it doesn’t have a lot of emotional wallop.  It’s more food for the mind, we suppose.  And, what could be more timely (alas!) than governments creating excuses to go to war, and a free press that’s too inclined to accept the official version?  Much of the press (and the public they serve) fell into line with the war-drums for the start of the ruinous wars in Vietnam and Iraq.  What’s next?  Perhaps an avoidable armed conflict with Iran?   “Shock & Awe” is often didactic, and it may over-rely on actual television footage of the Administration’s war-boosters; it’s a technique that gives a choppy, episodic, and somewhat reactive feel to things – since its characters are too often commenting on what’s being said on television.  Cavils aside, however, the result is well-worth seeing.  And, lest we forget, it is never more important for a patriot to question the official line than in times of crisis or war.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“Leave no Trace” (USA/Canada, 2018) (A-):  Here’s one of the best films of the year.  It opens with the sights and gentle sounds of nature – it’s all verdant foliage and ferns.  Then we hear two voices humming “You are my Sunshine” in unison.   A man and a teenaged girl are leading a quiet, contented life in the woods, in resourceful, survivalist style – cultivating herbs, feathering pieces of wood to burn, collecting water, and preparing simple meals.  They are father and daughter, and their lives are marked by harmony, contentment, and self-sufficiency.  But they also practice drills – fleeing into the underbrush to evade detection – for they are living where they’re not supposed to be – inside a state or national park in Oregon.  We glean that Will (Ben Foster) is a military veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder; but the film eschews any violent outbursts or histrionics.  His malady is that he cannot abide structure, rules, material possessions, or proximity to other people, excepting his daughter.  He needs to be independent.  For her part, ‘Tom’ (New Zealand’s preternaturally lovely Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) is content with their unconventional way of living.  She finds a seahorse locket and reads in a book that those sea creatures “pair for life.”  She has just such a seemingly unbreakable bond with her father – not as mates, of course, but as a loving father and daughter.  (There is nothing untoward about their relationship, by the way.)

When they authorities apprehend them, however, Tom gets a taste of a different sort of lifestyle, one which offers exposure to things like a fixed abode, an outside friend, riding a bicycle, the prospect of going to school, and the domestic conveniences she’s never had.  For the first time, she becomes aware of the things they’ve sacrificed for the sake of their individualistic lifestyle:  “What if the kids at school think I’m strange ‘cause of the way we were living?”  Her father answers her with a question of his own, “How important are their judgments?”  To which Tom replies, “Guess I’ll find out.”  Only 13, Tom seems calm and wise and mature beyond her years.  She loves her father utterly, but she begins to yearn for roots and for a physical home.  In an unexpected touch, the authorities try to accommodate Will’s needs by finding them a home in a rural setting, far from the madding crowd, on a tree farm.  Tom likes it there:  “I think it might be easier on us if we try to adapt.”  But Will is straining with restlessness:  “We’re wearing their clothes.  We’re in their house.  We’re eating their food.  We’re doing their work.  We have adapted.”    There’s a beautifully quiet authenticity to their relationship:  they’re so close, so devoted to each other, and yet Will’s compulsion to flee a settled existence in favor of total separation from society and complete independence comes to diverge with Tom’s awakening need for something more fixed and more connected to others.  “We have to go…” he says.  But Tom disagrees:  “You.  You need.   Not me.  The same thing that’s wrong with you isn’t wrong with me.”

“Leave no Trace” was directed by Debra Granik.  She co-wrote the film with Anne Rosellini (the pair also collaborated on 2010’s award-winning “Winter’s Bone”) based on the novel “My Abandonment” by Peter Rock.  The film won Breakthrough Performance by its young female co-star at the U.S. National Board of Review, which also named it as one of the year’s Top Ten Independent Films.  Its leads both deserve Oscar nominations.  Among its many other awards and nominations, “Leave no Trace” earned eight nominations (including Best Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, and Adapted Screenplay) from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.  It’s a poignant character drama, a lovely story of a father and daughter structured as a journey (both literal and metaphorical) that brings its two protagonists into contact only with kind people, many of whom are also non-conformists.  (Even the state authorities are commendably tolerant of those who are different.)  Very leisurely paced, it’s all about character and relationships.  It’s surprising just how compelling this gentle, bittersweet story is:  There’s no violence, no coarse language, and no frenzied outbursts; instead, there are two award-caliber performances in a wonderful gem of a film.  Don’t miss it!

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (USA, 2018) (D):  Fire the writers!  The story in this fifth installment of the man-eating dinosaurs franchise has a volcano, a predictable betrayal or two, one-dimensional bad guys, a ridiculous lair in an oversized, pseudo-Gothic mansion, and people behaving ever-so-stupidly.  Frankly, we’ve never seen the appeal of this series; but it’s gone consistently downhill from its underwhelming first installment in 1993.  This one’s inane, derivative, endlessly repetitive, and mostly uninvolving.  For ages 14+:  Violence and frightening scenes.

“Incredibles 2” (USA, 2018) (B-):  Pixar’s sequel to its 2004 animated hit “The Incredibles” lacks the freshness and originality of the original.  Its mostly comedic tale of a family of superheroes juggling domesticity and crime-fighting is okay – moderately entertaining, but no more.  By far the best thing about seeing this film is seeing the Pixar short film, “Bao,” which precedes it.

“Bao” (USA, 2018) (B+/A-):  A dumpling comes to life for a Chinese-Canadian woman in this short film from Pixar:  It’s sweet, original, and poignant.

“First Reformed” (USA, 2018) (B+/A-):   A Protestant minister at a small heritage church in upstate New York struggles with his faith, a drinking problem, broken relationships, and a sudden crisis of conscience about how to reconcile social action and an unjust world.  The tone is bleak here; but the characters are ever so finely drawn – and performed (by Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer, Victoria Hill, and others).  Written and directed by Paul Schrader (who says he had something Ingmar Bergmanesque in mind), this is a story about real ideas and painfully dark nights of the soul. “We can choose the righteous life,” someone says.  But, what does that mean in practice?   And, can a darkness afflicting one psyche infect another?   The story is populated by damaged souls, characters who nonetheless earn our interest and sympathy.  The course of action upon which its antihero embarks feels reckless and irrational, but sometimes, in extreme psychological and/or spiritual distress, we are driven to reckless and irrational behavior.  Still, the destructive nature of what the minister is planning shocks; after all, he is a man of God, who ought to be irrevocably committed to doing no harm.  “First Reformed” was nominated for the Golden Lion (Best Film) at Venice.  Dark, introspective, gradually paced, and rather strange, it certainly is not for all tastes; but it will be on Artsforum Magazine’s list of the year’s best films.  For ages 18+ only:  Brief gore; disturbing subject-matter.

Note:  When we saw “First Reformed” there was something terribly amiss with the playback.  A technical glitch (ostensibly with the source medium – a “digital cinema package,” or DCP) caused the film’s playback to repeatedly freeze-up, something that happened perhaps a dozen times in the early part of the film, to the consternation of the small audience.  Theater staff said that correcting the problem required a full reboot, which they planned to do ahead of the next screening.)

“On Chesil Beach” (U.K., 2018) (B+):  A young man and woman love each other, but their relationship is threatened by an unsuspected incompatibility of a sexual nature. It’s a quiet and closely observed character study set in 1962 England and based on the novel by Ian McEwan.  Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle are both sympathetic.  Despite different socio-economic origins, their characters seem to be right for each other – until something unforeseen gets in the way.  That ‘something’ is squirmingly uncomfortable for the audience, given its intimate nature.  This is one of the best films of 2018.  For ages 18+:  Sexual situations and sexual talk.

“Hotel Artemis” (U.K./USA, 2018) (B/B+):  Jodie Foster presides over an exclusive, members-only ‘hotel,’ which serves as a hospital for injured criminals.  It’s a novel premise, but what really buoys the film is its cast – in addition to Foster, there’s Sterling K. Brown (from television’s “This is Us”), Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella (who redeems herself after the very poor “The Mummy”), Charlie Day, and Jeff Goldblum – and its writing.  The ‘hotel’ is in the midst of an urban jungle in which the natives are violently clashing with the police.  And there’s violence indoors, too.  What we liked were the characters, most of whom are likeable, even honorable, despite their career choices, and the darkly dry humor.  For ages 18+ only:  Violence (which is of a brutal sort in one scene), and some gore.

“Hereditary” (USA, 2018) (B-):  A disappointing horror film, starring the talented Toni Collette, in which increasingly bad things keep happening to a family.  Its trailer looked positively creepy; but the film itself is far more unpleasant than scary.  It is too reminiscent of the likewise unpleasant “Rosemary’s Baby,” with a bit of the much better “The Babadook” thrown in.  Spoiler alert:  The whole ‘secret coven of demon-worshippers’ thing felt like a clichéd let-down.  Frankly, if we were a freshly incarnated demon, the first thing we’d do is obliterate these self-important, and frequently (and inexplicably) naked, devotees:  Who needs self-delusional, under-dressed supplicants like that?  For ages 18+ only:  Coarse language; some gore; violence; and nudity.

“A Quiet Place” (USA, 2018) (A):  Wow!  We loved this film!

Here’s a smart, original blend kind of horror story, one that is far more suspenseful than it is horrific.  Two parents and their children live a simple life at a farm.  They walk barefoot on paths marked in soft white ash, and they never speak.  As we quickly discover, they must be quiet, lest something deadly find and kill them.  It’s a simple premise in a way, but, my, how elegantly and thoughtfully executed!  Each of these family members is a distinct and well-realized character in their own right.  These are characters we care about:  Having them in mortal jeopardy ratchets up the suspense – all the more so because they are smart and well-prepared.  Unlike a certain dinosaur franchise, these people aren’t in danger because they keep doing stupid things:  Quite the contrary!  The entire small cast (Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmmonds, Noah Jupe, and Cade Woodward) is first-rate – and so is the writing by Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski.  (Krasinski also directed.)  The sound design is subtle and effective: long stretches of this film are very quiet indeed.  (To our surprise, theater audiences responded in kind, staying respectfully quiet.)  At the midway point of 2018, “A Quiet Place” is the best film of the year thus far.  For ages 14+:  Not suitable for younger children; violence; nerve-wracking suspense.

“The Death of Stalin” (France/U.K./Belgium, 2017) (B/B+):  Here’s an audacious satire, steeped in tragicomedy, about the top leadership of the Soviet Union in 1953.  For 20 years, the country has been in the grip of the Great Terror.  Those on the regime’s ubiquitous enemies’ lists are subject to summary arrest, exile, or execution.  It’s a brutal regime that’s responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands.  The sudden, unexpected death of the dictator, Joseph Stalin, creates a power vacuum, which his subordinates (Khrushchev, Beria, Molotov, Malenkov, Zhukov, and the rest) scramble to fill.  Infighting, scheming, and backstabbing ensue.  Somehow, this film, written and directed by Armando Iannucci, finds a darkly (sometimes very darkly) funny way of presenting these characters.  It helps to have such a strong cast – among them, Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, and Adrian McLoughlin.  But, it’s a deft balancing act to find moments of humor among men who were, collectively, mass murderers.  The sight of men in uniform (the feared NKVD security forces) rounding up civilians in the dead of night is too realistic to be funny.  That goes double for repeated spoken allusions to the sexual molestation of female prisoners (which is referred to but not actually shown).  Such criminality is repellant; its perpetrators are despicable.  Without ignoring such brutish actions, the film somehow manages to simultaneously find some likeable attributes in the members of this coterie of ruthless gangsters and some satirical humor in their machinations and foibles.   As the filmmakers say, “They are clearly nasty pieces of work.  But, there’s something engaging about even the worst of them.”

Our favorite scene, by far, comes early in the film.  A small orchestra has just finished a live performance of a Mozart piano concerto at a state-run radio station.  The musicians and audience have just started to disperse when the station manager (nicely played by Paddy Considine) gets a curt call from Stalin himself.  The ogre is dispatching a man to pick-up a recording of that evening’s concert.  Trouble is:  no recording was made.  The manager frantically tries to stop everyone from leaving:  His urgent priority is to stage an instant replay of the concert – this time, recording it – before the courier can arrive.  But the piano soloist (Olga Kurylenko) flatly (and bravely) refuses:  “Excuse me, I won’t do it…. You can’t make me.”  The incredulous station manager, fearing for his life if Stalin’s minion arrives and there’s no recording to give him, exclaims, “You, Joan of Arc, you want to get killed?”  The pianist relents; however, she slips a note to Stalin in with the recording to declare her contempt for him:  “You have betrayed our nation and destroyed its people.  I pray for your end…”  Ironically, and humorously, those courageous words of defiance unexpectedly put an end to the tyrant:  reading them gives him a stroke!

“The Death of Stalin” won Best Supporting Actor, Casting, Make-up & Hair Design, and Production Design at the British Independent Film Awards, where it was also nominated in nine other categories (including Best Film, Director, and Screenplay).  It was nominated as Best European Film at the European Film Awards; the U.S. National Board of Review named it one of the Top Ten Films of the Year; and it was nominated for Outstanding British Film of the Year and Adapted Screenplay at BAFTA.  For ages 18+:  A great deal of very coarse language and some sexual talk.

“Thoroughbreds” (USA, 2018) (B+/A-):  Original as can be, this film got us thinking about the meaning of the word ‘fascinate,’ for the two young women it concerns fascinate each other – and us.  According to Merriam-Webster, to fascinate is ‘to transfix and hold spellbound by an irresistible power.’  People used to believe that a serpent could fascinate its prey; and an older meaning of the word is ‘to bewitch.’  Here’s the story of two seriously disaffected teenage girls – a rich girl in a mansion with a step-father she loathes, and her former childhood chum, who is coolly detached from the world and prone to saying whatever’s on her mind, without a filter or the slightest concern for sparing others’ feelings.  Amanda (Olivia Cooke from 2015’s “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”) is a strong personality – calm, unperturbed, and a little bit creepy.  She also seems to be a sociopath, with a dark side:  “I really don’t feel anything…. Like, I don’t have any feelings, ever.  Joy, guilt, I really don’t have any of those….  I’ve gotten so good at watching and imitating other people’s emotions that I sort of tricked myself into believing that I have them myself, but I don’t…. [That] doesn’t necessarily make me a bad person.  It just means I have to work a little harder than everyone else to be good.”

For her part, Lily (Anna Taylor-Joy from 2015’s masterpiece “The Witch”) is uncomfortable around Amanda at first: “You’re incredibly off-putting and you freak me out… in a fascinating way.”  But there may be more to Lily than initially meets the eye.  Here are two award-caliber performances, with glorious subtlety and nuance.  And there’s a third, in the person of the late Anton Yelchin (Lt. Chekov in the rebooted “Star Trek” films), who delivers a career-best performance as a wannabe gangster who gets in over his head with the two younger (and far more ruthless) women.

Writer/director Cory Finley has created one of the year’s best films, a thought-provoking, offbeat blend of dry (and dark) humor, social satire, and a murder scheme worthy of Hitchcock.  The tone is hard to describe:  There’s something subtly arch about it.  We should be repelled by these characters; but, instead, we are fascinated by them (there’s that word again).  There’s a virginal aspect to their contemplated dark deeds that makes us complicit, or at least halfway sympathetic.  Birds in gilded cages, they are getting restless.  What motivates them?  Is it greed, ennui, or madness?  Or is it a primal ‘wildness?’  Is one infected by the sociopathic mindset of the other?  Or is there something cold-blooded and dangerous already latent in both of them?  After all, the seemingly more ‘normal’ Lily nearly drowns herself to win an underwater breath-holding contest.  More broadly still, does a kind of madness lurk ever present behind the flimsy veil of everyday life (witness Lily’s step-father’s aggressive display of impatience with Lily’s ineffectual mother, provoked merely by her well-meaning query as to his well-being)?  On the satire front, we get two bad princesses in lieu of one in the Disney mold; and a spa weekend has mother and daughter in an antiseptic room, with white robes and miniscule, orderly portions of food – a glaring contrast with the disorderly turmoil within one of its participants.

With its pulsating percussive score, film-noir tropes (a femme fatale or two and shadowy lighting), three stellar performances (as well as strong supporting work in three parental roles), and way off-beat tone, here is a story and characters to fascinate.  As the filmmakers say, it offers a David Lynchian darkness lurking below a seemingly placid surface.  It started life as a play (and retains a certain theatricality), but it made a powerful transition to the big screen as one of the best films of 2018!   For ages 18+:  A lot of coarse language; implied (rather than shown) violence; and adult subject-matter.  Emphatically not for minors!

“The Post” (USA/U.K., 2017) (B+):   The time is 1971, the place Washington, D.C.  The capital’s chief newspaper, The Washington Post, is a family-owned business; its publisher (Meryl Streep) is the widow and daughter of its two past owners.  She’s a wealthy socialite, who hobnobs with the movers and the shakers, perfectly at ease in glittering social settings, but hesitant in her role as CEO of a newspaper.  Day-to-day operations and editorial decisions are in the hands of her editor-in-chief (Tom Hanks), a seasoned type-A journalist who comes to realize that, like his boss, he may have inadvertently become too cozy with some of ‘the Powers That Be.’   Relationships – between publisher and editor, between reporters and the politicians they cover, and between journalists and the business types who write the checks – figure prominently in this drama based on real events.

The events in question concern the explosive Pentagon Papers, top secret government analyses of the 30 year history of American involvement in Vietnam.  Those documents shockingly revealed that five presidents had been lying to the American people about the extent of U.S. involvement there and, worst of all, about the prospects (or dire lack thereof) of the U.S. winning that conflict.  In public, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Canada’s Bruce Greenwood) says, “In every respect, we’re making progress,” while in private, he knows that the exact opposite is true, that the war is hopeless, and the ongoing casualties in vain.  President Nixon wants to put critics in the press “to the torch,” and his officials get a court injunction to forestall publication.  Can a newspaper of modest means (and perilous financial stability) venture where the preeminent New York Times has demurred to go?  Ben Bradlee (Hanks) is adamant:  “We can’t have an administration dictating to us our coverage…, We have to be the check on their power.  If we don’t hold them accountable, I mean, my God, who will?”  But the paper’s owner (Streep) has an eminently practical retort:  “We can’t hold them accountable if we don’t have a newspaper.”

There’s a kind of upstairs, downstairs vibe to the story, contrasting the in the trenches newsman with the socialite owner.  There’s also a strong female empowerment theme, with a woman in a position of importance struggling to be taken seriously in the predominantly male preserves of business and journalism.  The result is an involving drama about ever so timely issues anchored in a strong character study.  Directed by Steven Spielberg, “The Post” was an Oscar nominee for Best Film & Actress; it had six Golden Globe nominations; it won Best Film, Actor, and Actress at the U.S. National Board of Review; and the American Film Institute named it the Movie of the Year.  For ages 18+: Very brief coarse language.

“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (U.K./USA, 2017) (A-):  “I thought these billboards might concentrate their minds some.”  Mildred Hayes’s teenaged daughter was brutally murdered seven months ago.  The police have made no progress in solving the crime; so, Mildred rents three billboards outside of town to pointedly decry that fact:  “Raped While Dying / And Still No Arrests / How Come, Chief Willoughby?”   Her message is not well-received by the police or the townsfolk, but Mildred faces down all opposition with steely resolve.  Attired in work overalls, she’s laconic, as tough as nails, and ready to fight fire with fire in a series of confrontations with others.  She seems to be a relentless, imperturbable force of nature.  But look more closely and you’ll discern tenderness and sorrow beneath her mask of iron resolve.  The result, from writer/director Martin McDonagh, is anchored in characters we care about, combining mercilessly dark humor; smart, witty dialogue; moments of understated poignancy; and an appealingly redemptive theme.  We meet a succession of damaged characters, nearly all of whom have real decency beneath their rough-edges and flaws.   For all its dark humor, this is a film of real humanity.

Frances McDormand does award-caliber work here as the embittered, combative Mildred.  But she is surrounded by an equally impressive ensemble.  Woody Harrelson plays the ailing police chief, a good and caring man who is unable to produce the results Mildred so desperately wants.  Sam Rockwell is his deputy:  he’s intolerant of others and quick to anger; but he’s a man in whom the chief sees unsuspected reserves of decency.  And the supporting players are all spot-on, with John Hawkes (as Mildred’s abusive ex), Abbie Cornish (as the chief’s beloved wife); Peter Dinklage (as the physically diminutive man who likes Mildred); Caleb Landry Jones (as the young man who rents the billboards to Mildred, relishing his role in annoying the police and incurring their particular wrath for doing so); Lucas Hedges (as Mildred’s son, who is at once protective of his mother and dismayed by her actions);  Amanda Warren (as Mildred’s co-worker and her cheerleader:  “You go girl,  You go eff those cops up.”); Samara Weaving (as Mildred’s ex’s much younger new girlfriend); Zeljko Ivanek (as the police desk-sergeant);  Darrell Britt-Gibson (as the billboard installer); and Kathryn Newton (in flashbacks, as Mildred’s daughter).

“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” is foul-mouthed and irreverent, but it is also a triumph of very fine writing, acting, and character development.  The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards (including Best Film); it won for Best Actress (McDormand) and Supporting Actor (Rockwell).  Among its great many other nominations and awards, it won Best Film, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Screenplay at the Golden Globes; it won five awards at BAFTA (including Best Film, Actress, and Actor); it won Actress, Actor, and Cast at the Screen Actors Guild; it won Movie of the Year at the American Film Institute; and it won Best Screenplay at Venice, where it was also nominated as Best Film.  It is easily one of the best films of the year.  For ages 18+ only:  A lot of very coarse language; violence; and brief sexual references.

“Loving Vincent” (Poland/U.K./USA, 2017) (B+/A-):  Billed as “the world’s first fully painted film,” here’s a thing of beauty to behold.  Actors play the characters in this biographical speculation on the last days in the life of the famous Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).  The actors were then painted over in a technique called “rotoscoping,” which transformed flesh-and-blood actors into animation.  But such animation!   A team of 125 artists hand-painted each of the film’s 65,000 individual frames. What’s more:  they painted them in the same style as van Gogh himself.  The result looks like his paintings have come to life.  It’s beautiful and original, with the quality of a gentle, mesmerizing dream.  The story takes place a year after van Gogh’s death by gunshot wound.  Did he shoot himself, or was he murdered?  No one knows for certain; but that mystery is at the heart of this artful biopic about a great artist’s last days, as seen through the eyes of others.

Among its many awards and nominations, “Loving Vincent” won Best Animated Film at the European Film Awards and was nominated in that category at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTA.   It got five nominations at the Polish Film Awards, winning for Production Design and Editing.  Don’t miss this film – it is one of the best films of 2017.  Mild sexual content and brief mild coarse language.

“Victoria & Abdul” (U.K./USA, 2017) (B+/A-):  Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) is a minor functionary in the British imperial civil service in India who is summarily instructed to travel to Great Britain to present an official gift to Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 1887.  His role is simple – to carry a silver tray and keep his eyes averted.  But eye contact is made, and it leads to a most unconventional friendship between this monarch and her simple (if exotic) subject.  Based on a true story, the result is highly engaging – and one of the best films of the year.  If Dench seems like she’s made for the role, it may be because she has played Victoria before, in 1997’s likewise winning “Mrs. Brown,” which concerned the widowed queen’s attachment to the Scottish Highlander (played by Billy Connolly) who cared for her horses.  “Victoria & Abdul” is nominated for Oscars in Costume Design as well as Makeup & Hairstyling.  Dench was nominated as Best Actress for this role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and at the Golden Globes.

“Tulip Fever” (U.K./USA, 2017) (B+):  “I made a plan to save us both… Cornelis gets a baby, Maria keeps her job, and we will be together.”  So says one of two romantic heroines in a romp set in Amsterdam.  It is 1634: the Dutch are a major trading nation, and those not preoccupied with spices and porcelain from the Orient are “captivated by a flower – the tulip.”  Here’s one of the best films of 2017, a film that combines high energy, humorous machinations, romance, mistaken identities, and serious moments.  Imagine a Dutch cousin to “Shakespeare in Love,” with a deftly comedic story that’s worthy of the Bard himself.  There are star-crossed young lovers (two pairs of them), a struggling artist, a pompous merchant intent on getting an heir, a lecherous doctor, and the spell cast by a very rare striped bloom.  “They came from far away… and were so rare and beautiful that people lost their senses in wanting to own them.”  What goes for tulips goes for beautiful women, too:  “All this stemmed from a love of beauty.”

Director Julian Shadwick has assembled a first-rate cast, with the mesmerizing Alicia Vikander (2015’s Oscar winner as Best Actress in “The Danish Girl” and thespian enchantress in 2014’s “Ex Machina”) torn between her passion for Dane DeHaan and her duty to Christophe Waltz; Holliday Grainger as the comely maid who loves Jack O’Connell’s fishmonger; Tom Hollander (delivering another very funny performance after his work in “Breathe”) as a fertility doctor who takes a hands-on approach to his work; Judi Dench as a no-nonsense abbess; and Matthew Morrison, Zach Galifianakis, and Cara Delevingne.  “Tulip Fever” was written by Deborah Moggach and Tom Stoppard, based on the novel by Moggach.  For ages 18+:  Nudity and sexual content.

“Maudie” (Canada/Ireland, 2017) (A):  The best movie of 2017 (so far) comes from Canada!  It’s the gentle, poignant story of the diminutive folk artist Maud Lewis.  Dismissed (and verbally bullied) by her kin and partially hobbled by a physical handicap, she has an indomitable spirit – and an insatiable need to paint the world she sees around her on every surface available.  The setting is a small Nova Scotia town in the 1930s (though, for reasons unknown, the film was actually shot in Newfoundland).  Others count Maud’s prospects as negligible; but she has a quiet determination that just won’t quit.  It brings her into the orbit of a rough fishmonger as his live-in maid and cook, in his miniature house.  Despite a difficult start, a relationship develops.  And Maud keeps on painting.  The course she charts is marked by simplicity and quiet humility.  Never ostentatious, boastful, or loud, she wins us over as irresistibly as those whose paths she crosses in life.   Here’s a film with not one but two award-caliber performances:  Sally Hawkins utterly shines in the lead (reportedly, she does so again in the upcoming “The Shape of Water”); and Ethan Hawke is her initially unlikable male foil.  “Maudie” was directed by the Irish director Aisling Walsh and written by Sherry White.  It better get a bunch of Academy Award nominations – or else!  For ages 14+.

“Get Out” (USA/Japan, 2017) (B+):  Chris and Rose make an attractive twenty-something couple.  He’s black and she’s white, and they’re off to an affluent corner of the countryside to meet her family for the weekend.  “Do they know I’m black?’ asks Chris.  “No.  Should they?” Rose calmly replies – as if skin tone is the least important thing in the world.  But attitudes toward race permeate this story in all sorts of interesting and unexpected ways.  This feature film directorial debut from Jordan Peele (who also wrote the screenplay) is a testament to unease, with its gradually mounting sense that something is very wrong here.  On first glance, everything seems picture perfect, from the manicured lawns to the warm welcome offered by Rose’s parents.  (Her short-fuse brother is another matter.)  But is the family too friendly?  What about the fixed smiles and blank expressions of the three black people whom Chris meets?  Is Chris’s vague sense of discomfort simply the result of being the odd man out, in terms of skin color?  He’s got a nagging, hard-to-pin-down sense of unease – and so do we!  A late-night conversation over tea is a model of subtlety, as an intangible sense of something unsettling seamlessly morphs into a feeling of helplessness, paralysis, and panic.  And even a game of bingo takes on an understatedly sinister tone.

According to the filmmakers, “Get Out” is meant to be ‘a classic horror film.’  It certainly utilizes some tropes from that genre.  But, for most of its run, it’s a gently unsettling kind of horror, a psychological horror born of gradual realization (ours and the protagonist’s).  It’s not really ‘frightening,’ or even meant to be.  But, it certainly makes us squirm with suspense, psychological discomfort, and unease.  At its heart, perhaps it can best be described as the dread that comes from our suspicion that something dark and pitiless can lurk even in the most innocuous settings.  It’s impossible to say almost anything at all about the plot without giving too much away.  Only in the film’s final twenty minutes does it revert to more conventional stuff, like violence and (brief) gore; though, truth be told, those scenes are surprisingly cathartic after our simmering tension.

The cast is excellent – some creating sympathy, others a vague apprehension of something possibly conspiratorial:  Daniel Kaluuya is smart and sensitive as Chris; Allison Williams (in her first film role) is sympathetic and supportive as Rose; Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford are just-right as her parents; Lil Rel Howery provides welcome comic relief as Chris’ buddy; Caleb Landry Jones is the exception to Rose’s polished family image as her too-aggressive brother; and Betty Gabriel, Marcus Henderson, and Lakeith Stanfield all have very strong scenes as the black people Chris meets at Rose’s family home.  Erika Anderson also makes an impression in her brief scene as a police detective, reminding us of the estimable Alfre Woodard.

Among its great many nominations and awards, “Get Out” is an Oscar nominee for Best Film, Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay.  It won Movie of the Year from the American Film Institute; it won Best First-Time Director from the Directors Guild; it won Best Actor from the National Society of Film Critics (USA); and it won Best Original Screenplay from Writers Guild of America.  It earned Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor and Cast, BAFTA nominations for Best Actor and Screenplay, and Golden Globe nominations as Best Film and Actor.  Is the critical acclaim an overreaction, born of a cinematic guilt-complex, political correctness, and ensuing ‘affirmative action’ on the laudatory front?  There could be an element of that:  who knows?  But it doesn’t take away from the film’s originality and impact.  The racial subtext at work in the story is clever and sometimes satirical; it adds another dimension to an already admirably original screenplay and a roster of strong performances.  For ages 18+ only:  A lot of very coarse language; brief crude sexual talk; and, in the last twenty minutes, violence and brief gore.

“Passengers” (USA, 2016) (B+):  The setting for this character-driven story may look like science fiction; but this is the sci-fi movie for people who don’t care a whit about sci-fi.  It’s a story about a relationship, a love story that just happens to be set in space.  The setting is an immense starship bearing over 5,000 human settlers on a 120-year long interstellar journey (on auto-pilot) to a new homestead world.  Every man and woman aboard, passengers and crew alike, is in suspended animation, due to be awakened automatically when they reach their distant destination.  But the module containing one passenger (Chris Pratt) malfunctions, and he awakens 90 years prematurely.  There’s no way to go back into suspended animation; and he’s utterly alone, save for the company of the android barkeep (Martin Sheen, who is a sheer delight here).  Loneliness and despair beckon; but there is a morally parlous alternative.  He can awaken another passenger (in the comely form of Jennifer Lawrence) to keep him company.  Saving himself from a life of solitude means condemning her to aging and death before the ship ever arrives at its far-off destination.  Their relationship turns to love.  But can it survive the fact that it begins in a lie?  We get very involved in the story of this man and woman, thanks to fine performances and solid writing.  There’s romance here, and humor, and crises of conscience.  The result is an unexpected gem, one of the year’s most engaging movies.  Directed by Norwegian Morten Tyldum, “Passengers” was nominated for two Academy Awards – for Production Design and Original Score.

“Hidden Figures” (USA, 2016) (B+/A-):  What makes us root for the underdog?  Why, it’s the strength of character and sheer determination that gets them to their destination.  Based on a true story, “Hidden Figures” was a surprise hit – with critics and audiences alike – as it tells how three underdogs prevailed against twin obstacles:  They are women and they are black, and in the Sixties, either of those facts was apt to be a handicap – a big one.  Katherine Johnson (the inimitable Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) are talented mathematicians, all of them employed by NASA as ‘computers’ (that is, support staff entrusted with mathematical computations). Their rank and recognition are limited by the twin facts of gender and skin tone.  They certainly aren’t insensible to that fact:  “Every time we get a chance to get ahead, they move the finish line. Every time.”  But they don’t let it stop them, not for a minute.

They make utterly winning heroines:  They are smart, funny, self-confident, admirably tenacious, and, yes, beautiful, too.  They win over doubters – including colleagues, a frosty HR manager (Kirsten Dunst), a husband in one case, and a new wooer (Mahershala Ali) in another.  They earn the trust and respect of everyone from astronaut John Glenn to the program head played by Kevin Costner.  And they do it all with irrepressible verve and good humor.  The result is an upbeat story about overcoming obstacles:  When Mary is asked, “If you were a white male, would you wish to be an engineer?” she replies without hesitation. “I wouldn’t have to.  I’d already be one.”   The secret of the story’s success lies primarily in the dauntless perseverance of its three heroines.  And the film has another thing going for it.  The Sixties indisputably had its share of troubles and strife, racial and otherwise; but, in the rearview mirror of history, it feels like a sunnier, more optimistic time than the one we inhabit now, a time when JFK’s stirring words set lofty goals for mankind.

The space race may have been born of superpower rivalry, but it came to embody a nobler struggle – man’s determination to overcome daunting odds, to do what seemed impossible.  Setting the goal (of putting an American in orbit, followed a few years later by putting a man on the Moon) entailed a leap of faith:  After that came the Herculean struggle to overcome overwhelming scientific and engineering challenges to make the dream a reality.  And that’s what “Hidden Figures” is all about – making dreams a reality – be it the career aspirations of these three gifted women, or the symbolic weight their success had for others (women and African-Americans alike), or the space program’s immediate challenge of building hardware that would withstand the rigors of reentry into the atmosphere and cracking the mathematical code for the trajectory that would take the intrepid astronauts there and safely back again.  Among its many nominations and awards, “Hidden Figures” was nominated for three Academy Awards, as Best Film, Supporting Actress (Spencer), and Adapted Screenplay.

“Loving” (U.K./USA, 2016) (B):  Imagine a time and place where you could be imprisoned for loving someone of the wrong skin color.  The time (1958) and the place (Virginia) aren’t far away in this true story of the unassuming couple who fell in love, got married (out-of-state), and ran afoul of anti-miscegenation laws which forbade whites from marrying non-whites.  This simple, down-to-earth couple musters the resolve and courage to challenge an unjust system.  The result is a quiet, gently-paced story about their relationship.  Expect no car chases, angry mobs, or explosions here.  As the filmmakers say, “The menace that you feel is slow-burning;” and the landmark court case that emerged from their struggle mostly occurs off-stage.  This isn’t a courtroom drama (though it inspired one, of historic proportions); it’s a gentle love story.  Ruth Negga (who is a mesmerizing powerhouse as Tulip O’Hare in television’s odd-as-can-be series “Preacher”) and Australian Joel Edgerton (2018’s “Red Sparrow”) play the couple in question, whose surname gives the movie both its title and its theme.  New Zealand-born Marton Csokas (who plays a charismatic half-mad warlord with a Southern drawl in television’s post-apocalyptic drama “Into the Badlands”) is effective as a most unsympathetic sheriff.  Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, “Loving” was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars; Actress & Actor at the Golden Globes; the Palme d’Or (Best Film) at Cannes; Director & Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards; and Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America.

“Hacksaw Ridge” (Australia/USA, 2016) (B/B+):  “I don’t know how I’m going to live with myself if I don’t stay true to what I believe.”  For the person of faith, staying true to what we believe is (or ought to be) a constant guidepost in our life, the compass whose needle we strive to keep pointed at True North.  That guiding principal finds truly inspiring expression in the film “Hacksaw Ridge.”  It is based on the astonishing true story of Desmond Doss, a young man from Virginia who took his faith so seriously that he refused to pick up a gun, even in self defense.  Yet, at the same time, he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army in World War Two.  For Doss, there was no contradiction:  “It isn’t right that other men should fight and die, that I would just be sitting at home safe.  I need to serve.  I got the energy and the passion to serve as a medic, right in the middle with the other guys.  No less danger, just… while everybody else is taking life, I’m going to be saving it.  With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together.”

It’s an elegant way to square the circle – to reconcile his religious conviction that Christians must not kill, with his equally deep-felt patriotic need to do his bit in what was one of the last wars widely viewed to be just.  Staying true to what he believed attracted the scorn and violence of his peers and put his liberty at risk in a court-martial.  (No country, not even the Western democracies, has been kind to conscientious objectors:  Imprisonment has often been the fate of those whose convictions bar them from military duty in time of war.)  But Doss reconciled his duty to God with his loyalty to his country:  Far from shirking danger, he sought it out on the front lines in incredible acts of bravery to save his fellow servicemen.  Indeed, he returned again and again to the thick of battle at Okinawa, unarmed, saving scores of lives – and earning the Medal of Honor for service above and beyond the call of duty.  And, all the while, in the horrific inferno of battle (portrayed in the film with brutally violent realism), Doss prayed not for his own safety, but for that of others:  “Help me get one more” was his noble plea.

Andrew Garfield is note-perfect in the role, as a man of humility, patient in the abuse he suffers so unjustly at the hands of others.  He is ably supported by Teresa Palmer (his fiancé), Rachel Griffiths (his mother), Vince Vaughn (a no-nonsense sergeant), and, especially, Hugo Weaving, as his father, a man of quiet dignity.  Directed by Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge” was nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Film, Actor, and Director), winning for Best Film Editing and Sound Mixing.  As an Australian/U.S. co-production, it also got thirteen nominations at Australia’s academy awards, winning nine of them, including Best Film, Actor, Supporting Actor, Director, Original Screenplay, and Cinematography.

“In Order of Disappearance” [“Kraftidioten”] (Norway/Sweden, 2014) (B+/A-):  It opens with blue-lit snow at dusk and a distant rumbling – a juxtaposition that at once hints at its protagonist’s occupation (he’s a snow-plow operator) and the impending intrusion of disorder into this peaceful setting.  Then we see a close-up of Nils (Stellan Skarsgård) shaving:  He’s wearing a dark suit (the next time we see him it in, it’s for a funeral) and he asks his wife, “Do I have to give a speech?”  He’s getting ready for a community ceremony to give him a “Citizen of the Year” award.  Nils is humble by nature:  “It feels odd to get an award for something you enjoy doing… I’m just a guy who keeps a strip of civilization open through the wilderness for people.”  But this stalwart, laconic, fundamentally decent man will soon embark on a resolute mission to avenge his son.  His son has been murdered by a crime syndicate, who made it look like the young man died of a self-induced drug overdose.  Nils knows it’s a lie, and he is implacable in his determination to track down those responsible and make them pay – with their lives:  He’s still keeping a strip of civilization open through the wilderness, but he’s using the tools of a vigilante now, instead of his plow.  The result is a one-of-a-kind Scandinavian blend of drama, sly (and oft-dark) humor, and strong characterization.  A wintry “Death Wish” with overtones of the Coen Brothers’ “Fargo,” but not at all derivative.  On the contrary, this gem treads its own inimitable path through the snow.

Written by Kim Fupz Aakeson and directed by Hans Peter Moland, “In Order of Disappeareance” is getting its North American theatrical release in late August 2016, and there’s no doubt about it – it’s one of the best films of the year.  Take the quirky characters:  Every member of the crime gang has a nickname (for instance, Nils’ brother was known as “Wingman” in his gangland days); and a neighbor keeps trying to recruit Nils for a political party.  “I’m best at minding my own business,” replies Nils.  But when others intrude into his life, by killing his only son and ruining his marriage, Nils makes their eradication his business.  He sets about the task calmly and methodically:  Each fallen gangster is disposed of by night in a raging waterfall.  The head of the drug syndicate is known as the Count.  He’s wealthy and tough, but he tends to fold like a sheet every time he’s confronted with his iron-willed ex-wife.  We see little of the local cops – inept bunglers who are completely out of their depth.  Consider, too, the artful cinematography:  Nils large plow creates a graceful arc of snow from its blowers as he clears the countryside roads, bringing to mind an avalanche or a waterfall, with all the relentlessness of a pseudo-Nature.  The humor here is by turns wry, dry, and dark.  When the Count’s wife chastises him for letting his son (they have alternating weeks of custody) eat ‘Froot Loops,’ he nearly blows a gasket, protesting that, “I’m a vegan, for eff’s sake!  He hasn’t eaten additives in this house!” while their young son breakfasts on the offending product in the kitchen, unseen by them.  And every time anyone dies, a small cross (a Jew gets a Star of David; we’re not sure what the substitute symbol is for one of the last to die) appears on a black screen with the deceased’s name, to the accompaniment of a burst of melancholy choral music.  When a professional hit-man from abroad betrays his employer to his intended target (the Count), the Count, who has benefited from that betrayal, nevertheless denounces the turncoat’s failure to honor a contract “with a paying Norwegian citizen.”  And, comedy of errors confusion leads all and sundry to ruin:  The Norwegian gangsters think Serbian rivals are killing them off, a misapprehension that precipitates a deadly gang war.

The sly writing plays on ethnic stereotypes:  A case in point is the ethnic confusion over the significance of the number 1389.  It happens to simply be an elevation measurement, but the Serbs take it as a deliberate reference to their historic defeat and national humiliation in the Battle of Kosovo (that took place in the year 1389).  Later, one Serb asks another:  “Ever been in a Norwegian prison?  You’re in for a treat.  Good food.  Served hot.”  It’s small talk of “Pulp Fiction” quality.  The cast is first-rate.  Stellan Skarsgård can do no wrong in our eyes, and he’s convincing here as a rumpled everyman, country kin, perhaps, to the world-weary Swedish detective Kurt Wallander, save that Nils is not a policeman.  Other notables include Hildegun Riise as his wife Morag, Pål Sverre Hagen as ‘the Count,’ Brigitte Hjort Sөrenson (from Danish television’s political drama “Borgen”) as the Count’s scathingly critical ex-wife, Peter Andersson as Nils’ brother, and Bruno Ganz (who memorably played Hitler in “Downfall”) as the Serbian crime boss.   “In Order of Disappearance” offers first-rate performances all around, with a deft hand at characterization, and a blend of drama and dry humor that keeps you guessing.  (Make no mistake, though, the presence of humor does not make this a comedy.)  The film has received lots of nominations at film festivals.  We said it before, and we’ll say it again:  It’s one of the best films of the year.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language and violence.

“When the Ocean Met the Sky” (Canada/USA, 2014) (C+/B-):  Three young men gather after the death of their parents.  The youngest has some heartfelt recollections at a memorial dinner; the eldest has little to say (“I had a bit of a testing relationship with them”); and the middle sibling arrives late.  Their free-spirited parents (aging hippies, it seems), whom we never meet, have been killed in a motorcycle accident.  In their will, they stipulate that their sons must go on the same wilderness hike that brought the parents together many years ago.  To qualify for their inheritance, the young men must complete that journey together.  It’s really a journey of bonding, of course, a journey that traverses the beautiful temperate rainforest, waterways, and coast of British Columbia.  There are old resentments and jealousies to get aired and resolved, and misunderstandings to clear-up.  Most of all, it’s a forced march to fraternal reconciliation by siblings who time, distance, and personality differences have caused to drift apart.  The oldest, Daniel (Phillip Thomas, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film) has always been the responsible one; he feels under-appreciated, even as his younger brothers perceive him as stuffy and conventional.  He may be the least spontaneous of the brothers; but he’s the most affecting of the three characters, for all his lack of seeming flamboyance.  The middle brother Tyler (Spencer Foley, who also co-wrote the film) is an aspiring musician who has never made good, personally or professionally:  His seeming disdain for his older brother’s self-appointed role of always being the mature, responsible one may mask envy at the other’s stability and success.  The youngest of the three, Jordan (Aren Buchholz) often finds himself in the middle of the others’ spats.  Along for comic relief is their drugged-out wilderness tour guide Carter Cooper Jr. (nicely played by Terry Field).  He is appealing (“Life is just the coolest thing,” he opines) and funny, if a bit broadly so for this story.  Catherine Jack makes an impression in a small role as the oldest brother’s wife Jane.

The film opens and closes with a note-perfect song (alas, we can’t make out the name of the singer), with apt lyrics:  “Oh brother, oh brother, where have you been?  / You chose your path and I chose mine / I’ve been searching for you…”  There’s excellent attention to detail in the opening credits’ production design, as the camera pans across the sort of bric-a-brac that feels authentically part of ordinary lives.  We see, for instance, a glass jar full of coins and childhood photos of the siblings (two of which are standard-issue posed school portrait shots).  There’s the likewise authentic squeamishness of the three semi-voluntary travelers at coming across intimate details in their parents’ journal (reading their parents’ account of that earlier trip is part of the prescribed agenda for the journey).  Some of what’s written there gradually becomes the trip’s real objective, with the passwords “out of control, freedom, alive.”  Recapturing those things, as well as reforming the tattered bonds between them, is what their now-gone parents want for them.  There are some nice visual moments – a flashback to paper lanterns set adrift on water by night and a close-up of spring-green ferns (which seem to represent reawakening).  There are some nice lessons to learn:  The boys’ father writes of his wife, “No one in my life has ever been so accepting of me at my worst.”  And B.C. delivers, as always, lots of natural beauty.  Some of recurring flare-ups of conflict (especially between the oldest and middle brothers) feel a tad contrived (as in an overblown disagreement over a rest-break).  Coming upon a long-ago crashed airplane is an awfully big coincidence; ditto for an abandoned school in the middle of nowhere.  There are no roads in evidence around the school, yet it is covered in graffiti, which suggests a lot of through traffic.  For that matter, the journey is supposed to be following an established path (it’s even marked on a map), but we see few, if any, signs of any actual path – ever.

Directed by Lukas Huffman, “When the Ocean Met the Sky” is a road-story combined with a divided family coming together story, all set in the forests of B.C.   The scenario, performances, and screenplay are all competent.  It doesn’t quite achieve its full potential, or ever deeply move us, but it does suggest even better things to come from its participants in future work.  The result is a nice small film that’s worth a look:  It’s likely to be confined to festival settings, which is a shame; it should be seen by a broader, general audience, not least in its native Canada.  Note:  It got a digital release in late July 2016.  For ages 18+:  Coarse language (including sexual talk).

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“Snowden” (B/B+): Director Oliver Stone charts the course of Edward Snowden from ex-military man to intelligence insider to one of the most important whistleblowers of our time.  His revelation that the US government is spying on every man, woman, and child on earth blew the lid off the unconstitutional practice of universal surveillance that sprang to wretched life in the aftermath of 9/11.  Snowden rightly saw such surveillance (of all our telephone, email, and text message conversations!) as a flagrant infringement of our core rights and a clear and present danger to our freedom.  The film, like the real life Snowden, is low-key.  It’s all about the stirring of conscience, and the moral decision to take action (by revealing governmental wrongdoing to the public) – and it’s set in the context of the man’s relationship with the woman he loves.  There are no guns or explosions, no chase scenes.  It’s a story about ordinary people prepared to do the extraordinary in defense of what we all profess to hold most dear – our liberty, our democracy, the rule of law, open, transparent, and accountable government, and the God-given rights of Man.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Rhys Ifans (who makes a strong impression here as a security-state true believer), Tom Wilkinson, Melissa Leo, Nicholas Cage, and Zachery Quinto lead the strong cast.  [Note:  As most readers will know, Snowden, like too many other whistleblowers under the supposedly “liberal” Obama Administration, faces charges under the Espionage Act for his actions; as a result, he remains in exile, in the unfortunate, and unintended, perch of Russia.]  For ages 18+: Some coarse language.

“Blair Witch” (D+/C-):  When you venture into the forest of perpetual night, you really ought to take an army of wizards, priests, and exorcists along.   Failing that; refrain from taking every opportunity to wander off on your own in the dark.  And, please, don’t seek refuge in a derelict building that’s the sinister poster child for haunted houses.  The sextet of travelers here are likeable enough, but they’re lost in an incoherent, inchoate, and mostly incomprehensible script.  This one-way trip is devoted to cheap scares:  Things go (loudly) bump in the night (though who, how, or why is never addressed), and there are lots of figures leaping out the dark to startle us, as the chaotic camera flees frantically though the pitch dark.  For ages 18+: Coarse language, and violence.

“When the Bough Breaks” (D+/C-):  A well-off couple hire a young woman to act as the surrogate mother for their embryo.  She seems shy and sweet, but appearances can be deceiving, as they learn to their imperilment.  Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall are attractive and appealing as the endangered couple, but the story they inhabit is predictable and only marginally involving.

“Sully” (B):  When 9/11 still fresh in the memories of New Yorkers, that city was faced with another aeronautical fright on January 15, 2009, when engine failure forced a passenger jet to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River.  Flight 155’s pilot (Chesley Sullenberger a.k.a. ‘Sully’) and crew were credited with saving the lives of everyone on board.  Director Clint Eastwood dramatizes those events here, with Tom Hanks doing another ace everyman job as the pilot, supported by Aaron Eckhart as his co-pilot.  What works very well is the recreation of the emergency landing, and Sully’s post-traumatic reaction to it.  Less compelling are all the interpersonal relations, like his telephone chats with his wife (Laura Linney) in another city, and the heavy-handed official investigation into the incident.  Those elements feel forced, overblown, or contrived, despite the fact that the movie is based on Sullenberger’s book about the incident.  We’re left feeling that everything apart from the crash itself (which is reenacted at least twice, from different points of view) is really just filler.

“Morgan” (C+/B-): A secret installation run by a powerful corporation has messed with the human genome (on purpose and for vaguely nefarious ends) to create a genetically modified human named Morgan.  The scientists (among them Toby Jones) studying her have grown attached (perhaps a Stockholm Syndrome in reverse) to their charge (played by Anna Taylor-Joy who was so good in this year’s “The Witch”), though she has shown signs of sudden violent outbursts.  In short, she is dangerous – though, refreshingly for this genre, she possesses no outlandish abilities or appendages.  An agent arrives in this close-knit, isolated setting to investigate.  Will she opt to “terminate” the project – and Morgan?  Kate Mara is very convincing as the ice cold, all-business agent:  We definitely buy that she is ruthless enough to kill the experimental human, if she deems the experiment a failure.  Violence and killings inevitably ensue, but this better than expected film is actually at its best in its mostly more subdued opening half.  For ages 18+.

“Equity”(C): Investment bankers, high-tech stock going public, ambition trumping loyalty, legal rules skirted – all this is the milieu for a character drama that falls short of its potential.  Its screenplay and performances are a bit rough around the edges, with a story that doesn’t grip and characters that feel a tad shallow.  The interesting thing here is the dominance of female faces behind (notably the director, writer, and both producers) and in front of the camera.  There’s hardly a male in sight, aside from James Purefoy (and James Naughton, who makes an impression in a small role), in this distaff take on “Wall Street,” with Anna Gunn, Sarah Megan Thomas, Margaret Colin (who is always an asset), and “The Good Wife’s” Carrie Preston in key spots among the cast.  For ages 18+.

“The Light Between Oceans” (B):  A man (Michael Fassbender) returns to Australia from the killing fields of the First World War, seeking solitude on a remote island as the keeper of its lighthouse.  But chance crosses his path with that of an impulsive young woman (Alicia Vikander).  Love ensues, and she gladly joins him on his lonely isle.  The ruggedly mountainous landscape, the crashing surf, and the sheer exhilaration of this setting create a gloriously old-fashioned romance.  And, as Tom and Isabel, the leads make us envy their idylls there.  But time passes. Miscarriages rob them of hoped-for children, and she falls into deep depression.  When a rowboat is spotted offshore, with a dead man and a live infant, Isabel persuades a very reluctant Tom that they should keep the child, pretend that it is theirs, and not report its actual origin.  That fateful choice opens the story’s door to the second half, when, after the passage of perhaps a couple of years, they encounter the child’s grieving mother (Rachel Weisz) on a visit to the mainland, and the ramifications of what they’ve done become impossible to ignore.  The ensuing conflict and bitterness is far less engaging than the simple, romantic first half of a man and a woman in love and living in splendid solitude surrounded by the sea.  Romance becomes tragedy, and we liked the romance better. Written and directed by Derek Cianfrance from the novel by M.L Stedman.  For ages 16+.

“Hell or High Water” (B/B+):  Two brothers in west Texas rob a succession of small banks, each of which is a branch of the very bank that seeks to dispossess them of their late mother’s home.  One brother (Chris Pine) has led a law-abiding life; his older sibling (Ben Foster) is rougher and tougher, an ex-convict who enjoys raising hell, even if other people get hurt.  There are two Texas Rangers on their trail:  one (Jeff Bridges) is on the verge of retirement, the other (Gil Birmingham) is resigned to his partner’s constant politically-incorrect ribbing.  The great strengths of the film are its strong characterization, its visceral sense of place, and its ability to create sympathy for both the lawbreakers and the lawman.  Our loyalties are divided between the two opposing pairs.  It’s excellent casting all-round, with very good work from the supporting players, like a calmly polite old bank manager, an aging harridan of a waitress, and Pine’s ex-wife.  Best of all the supporting players, Katy Mixon makes an impression as forthright cafe waitress who is drawn to Pine’s character.    For ages 18+:  Coarse language and brief violence.

“Mechanic: Resurrection” (C-/C):  Jason Statham is back as a retired assassin who is forced back to work.  (At least his targets are all villains.)  Statham brings a certain charisma to his action roles, but this outing feels lackluster, after a very promising start atop a mountain in Rio de Janeiro.  Jessica Alba doesn’t have a lot to do.  Michelle Yeoh makes a stronger impression in a small role, and Tommy Lee Jones makes an appearance in highly flamboyant mode.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language.

“The Infiltrator” (B):  Based on a true story about a US Customs officer (Bryan Cranston) who goes deep undercover  in 1985 to gather evidence against high-ranking members of the notorious Medellin drug cartel.   His job means living two separate lives – family man and high-flying gangster – and Cranston sells both parts of the dual persona.  He’s surrounded by a strong cast – with John Leguizamo as his colorful partner, a man whose drug of choice is danger.  A couple of things don’t add up.  For one, Cranston’s character gets a bloody warning in the mail at his actual home.  How can that be?  If the bad guys know his address, they’d know his real name and occupation as a law enforcement agent – yet, they don’t know those things:  He’s deep undercover, after all.  For another, the protagonist is inexplicably followed by a third party.  Why?  And why is the undercover agent with him when things hit the proverbial fan?  And why does an informant switch sides abruptly?  If he’s that unreliable, it seems mighty rash to have him present at all.   A mishap with a briefcase feels contrived; and we miss Leguizamo’s character when he abruptly drops out of the story for a stretch.

“Don’t Breathe” (B-/B):  Three young adults (Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Daniel Zovatto) rob homes for money and kicks amidst the crumbling neighborhoods of Detroit (swathes of which come across as a ghost-town here).  Despite their criminal behavior, two of the three are mostly sympathetic characters.  But they get way more than they bargained for when they break into the isolated house (in an eerily deserted part of town) of a blind war vet (Stephen Lang).  He’s a lethal, unstoppable force, despite his lack of sight, with uncanny survival skills, a vicious dog, and a horrible secret; and he’s deadly intent on not letting the intruders get away.  (What he has in mind for one of them is a shudderingly repellant fate that’s worse than death.)  There’s no denying that the result is highly suspenseful.  It keeps us on the edge of our seats, despite its fairly simple premise. But, it is also grotesquely unpleasant, far too unpleasant to see.  Warning:  For ages 18+:  Brutal violence, sexual violence, coarse language, and very disturbing content.

“War Dogs” (B-):  Truth really is stranger than fiction in this fact-inspired story about two twenty-somethings (Miles Teller and Jonah Hill) who wrangle their way through the Pentagon’s bid-and-tender process to supply the US military with guns and ammunition deemed too low-scale for the big armament players.  The pair become flamboyant gun-runners, addicted to money, sports cars, danger, and breaking the rules.  It’s an armaments variation on “The Wolf of Wall Street” genre, and that’s the trouble:  It seems over-familiar.  It treads much the same terrain as 2005’s “Lord of War” without adding anything particularly new, let alone memorable.  But its main problem is that its two reckless confidence-men aren’t very likeable:  Jonah Hill, in particular, does another of his loud, brash, vulgar, and highly obnoxious characterizations that have begun to grate.  It’s time for him to try a different sort of character on for size.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language (and lots of it); and drug use.

“Ben-Hur”(B-/B):  This redo of the novel by Lew Wallace can’t begin to touch the epic 1959 version (the one with Charlton Heston) for scope, emotional impact, memorable score, and performances; but, looked at simply on its own merits (rather than in comparison to its illustrious predecessor), it’s a serviceable enough drama.  It focuses even more closely on the relationship between foster brothers Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and Messala (Toby Kebbell), giving more attention to the latter’s motivations.  And it has a pretty convincing chariot race.  It also has a different resolution than its cinematic big brother, an ending some might find mawkish, but which worked fine for us.

“Kubo and the Two Strings” (B/B+):  A young boy on a quest is the heart of this stop-action animation film (from the people behind “Coraline” and “The Boxtrolls”), with a look inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock prints, set in medieval Japan.  The boy has a troubled mother to care for, in their secluded sanctuary in a cavern that looks out to the rolling sea.  When dangers put him on move, his companions are a sentient monkey and a hybrid samurai/beetle. There’s humor here, moments of sadness and loss, courage, adventure, and playfulness.  Some of the visuals, especially early in the film (witness a storm at sea) are truly lovely, and the animation often (deliberately) looks like some kind of highly complex origami in motion.  As the journey progresses some of the innocence and simplicity of the early scenes gives over to bigger action sequences and larger than life monsters (oversized disembodied eyeballs, a giant skeleton, and, finally, a floating dragon) and to a big (but underwhelming) fight near the end.  All of that ‘big’ stuff feels like a misstep:  It’s too conventional – visually, and especially in terms of storytelling.  It’s serviceable, but it doesn’t hold the magic of the smaller, quieter moments.  Said caveat notwithstanding, the result is a fine film that unfolds with layers of storytelling.  Not suited for young children.

“Florence Foster Jenkins” (B):  The trailer for this true tale of a wealthy socialite who is determined to sing in public, despite a dearth of talent, struck a really sour note for us, coming across as cartoonishly over-the-top.  To our pleasant surprise, however, that’s not the note the movie struck.  On the contrary, it turns out to be a sweet and more or less believable character-driven story about an engagingly innocent eccentric and those who love her.  Meryl Steep plays the would-be operatic vocalist, Hugh Grant plays her protective husband, and Simon Helberg steals his scenes as the constantly bemused young piano accompanist (and very oddly named) Cosmé McMoon

“Pete’s Dragon” (B-/B):  A young boy, who is lost in a forest after an automobile accident kills his parents, is raised by a dragon in a much better than expected remake of Disney’s 1977 movie.  Oakes Fegley is a sympathetic wild child, though the green furriness of his (non-talking) dragon companion (which sometimes seems more canine than dragonish in both appearance and behavior) takes some getting used to.  The rest of the cast (including Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Redford) help the young lead and his CGI friend deliver a couple of solidly emotional moments.

“Anthropoid” (B/B+):  Taking its name from the allied operation to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, the film follows the two Czechoslovakian partisans (Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan) who are sent from London to lead the operation in Prague.  Once there, they are aided by local resistance members on the dangerous mission that was to prompt savage reprisals by the Nazis.  Two young women (Canada’s Charlotte Le Bon and the Czech actress Anna Geislerová) who assist (and love) them deserve special mention for their nuanced performances.  One suspects that dramatic license has been taken with the historical story, here and there, but the result is an effective combination of wartime drama, suspense, and solid characterization.  For ages 18+:  Brutal violence.

“Indignation” (A-):  In 1951, a working class boy from New Jersey enrolls in a conservative college in Ohio where his relationship with a more experienced girl deflects his life into an unexpected trajectory – in one of the best films of 2016.    Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman, who plays the title role in the Percy Jackson movies) is a (non-observant) Jew.  That sets him somewhat apart in this Protestant bastion.  But what really makes him different is his character:  Sober, serious, responsible, rational, and yet stubbornly disinclined to accept perceived injustice or slights, he comes into verbal conflict with the college’s paternalistic Dean Cauldwell (very nicely portrayed by Tracy Letts).  Their meetings are fraught with tension as civility masks growing impatience and, for Marcus, a certain tendency toward righteous indignation whenever he believes that his rights, his dignity, or simple fairness are being infringed.  But his pivotal relationship is with the coolly blonde Olivia Hutton.  Poised and self-possessed, she’s far more experienced with the world (and with sex) than Marcus; but beneath that calm, cool, graceful demeanor, we sense great vulnerability and pain.  (There are subtle intimations that something very dark in her family life is responsible for her veiled distress.)  As portrayed by Canada’s Sarah Gadon (2015’s “A Royal Night Out” and 2016’s “The 9th Life of Louis Drax”) Olivia is both femme fatale and lady in distress; in short, she’s a woman whom we, like Marcus fall for – and fall for hard!   She’s a mesmerizing character – a woman with whom to fall in love.  (Marcus doesn’t know what to make of her sexual precociousness.)  But, truth be told, there are award-caliber performances all-round, with very fine work by Tony Award nominee Linda Emond as Marcus’ mother, and nice work by Danny Burstein in a smaller role as his father.  “Indignation” is written and directed by James Schamus (who is best known as a writer and producer) from the novel by Philip Roth.  The result is a quietly involving character drama that connects with us from its first moment till its last.  What a pleasure to become so absorbed in its low-key, admirably mature story about growing-up and contending with intimacy, pride, and the uncertain needs, vulnerabilities, and expectations of other people.  We say again:  It’s one of the best films of the year.  Highly recommended!  For ages 18+:  Sexual content, some coarse language, and very brief violence.

“Suicide Squad” (D):  It is possible to make a very good, very funny movie about comic book characters.  But this isn’t one of them.  Three recent examples show the way:  (1) “Guardians of the Galaxy,” (2) “Ant-Man,” and (3) “Deadpool.”  Indeed, the third of those films is one of 2016’s best movies, despite its foul mouth.  “Suicide Squad” is fatally hobbled before it begins, by a dumb premise.  It posits a group of villains who are recruited by the government to face off against an even bigger threat.  Trouble is:  They aren’t loveable scoundrels, rogues, or rebels without a cause.  No, they’re killers – neither qualitatively nor quantitatively better than the villains they’re set against.   It’s hard to root for supposed reluctant “heroes” of that ilk.  They are also cardboard caricatures, with only Will Smith’s hit-man (he comes closest to being a three-dimensional human being) and Joel Kinnaman’s hard-boiled military man making much of an impression; but even they get lost in the noise of gunfights, explosions, and would-be CGI spectacle.   The ‘even-worse’ villains are over-the-top and uninteresting, and Jared Leto’s Joker is kind of repellent.  For ages 16+:  Not suitable for children.

“Café Society” (B-):  The latest film from Woody Allen divides its time between Hollywood and New York, and has Jesse Eisenberg as the director’s latest surrogate.  There’s nothing new here, and the filmmaker’s mock-serious, plaintive tone makes it hard to care about these characters.

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“Star Trek Beyond” (B-):  The third movie in the ‘reboot’ of the original, now 50-year old, science fiction/adventure series has some good character moments, with Karl Urban again proving to be a standout among the reboot-crew as Doctor McCoy.  We love seeing the USS Enterprise in space:  That sleek starship has always embodied Star Trek’s optimism about humanity’s potential and the idealistic notion of wielding ‘might for right’ (in stark contrast to the prevailing practice in human history that ‘might is right’).  Story-wise, it’s nice to get away from Earth and further out in space.  But, the villain’s sneers notwithstanding, they’re hardly at ‘the frontier,’ since the story is set close to hand to a huge Federation Starbase.  That base is imagined here as a humongous transparent sphere that contains a metropolis, complete with skyscrapers, a river, and a terrestrial cityscape, all free-floating in space.  It’s the size of a small moon, and it’s sheer overkill.  It’s simply too big.  Surveying its vast girth is a distraction:  It’s too big to be affordable or practical or (therefore) realistic; it’s only as immense as it is for visual impact in a movie.  And there’s more excess to come.  Our heroes are threatened by small swarm ships – lots of them.   We see them at rest on a hidden planet, and, at most, there are docking places for a couple of dozen.  But when they attack in space, there are suddenly hundreds of thousands of them – courtesy of computer-generated graphics’ ability to replicate objects ad infinitum.  Where did they come from?  Sure, they might have been docked out of sight beneath the planet’s surface.  But there’s no sign of the army of pilots who fly them.  And who does fly them, anyway?  The drone pilots are humanoid in shape and size, though their heads are always conveniently hidden beneath helmets.  Are they organic beings?  Mechanical?  Sentient?  Who knows; who cares.  They eventually perish in their multitudes and no one pays them a second thought.

A new alien character (Algerian actress Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah) is quirky and engaging – especially in her idiosyncratic turn of phrase:  She steals all of her scenes.  Idris Elba plays the chief villain.  But why must he look like a snarling villain, with a villainous name (Krall) to match?  It’s way beyond unsubtle:  Worse still, given his origin story, why does he look reptilian?  Just because somebody thought it would look cool in a movie, we guess.   Worst of all, the screenplay offers only a terribly flimsy, trivial, and unconvincing motivation for his destructive course.  Elsewhere, won’t they please quit blowing up the Enterprise?  It’s already been done to death in the franchise’s earlier iterations.  And it sticks in the craw:  The ship exemplifies hope, and it gets trashed.  Where’s the hope in that?   And, sad to say, the same screechingly horrible punk-rock song (courtesy of the aptly named ‘Beastie Boys’) that ruined the trailer is also used in the film at a critical juncture, as an ever so far-fetched deus ex musica.   It’s an all-out assault on our eardrums (and upon our musical sensibilities), not to mention a pretty silly supposed cure-all at a climactic moment in the plot.

Although it’s done in a low-key way, reversing franchise history by suddenly reorienting Lt. Sulu to have a same sex partner is heavy-handed didacticism, a nod to contemporary political correctness run amok.  About the reboots generally, the hand-held phasers are loud and appear to be projectile weapons of some sort, rather than the more sophisticated energy beam weapons depicted in all past iterations.  Likewise, the reboots’ depiction of warp speed is inferior to what has gone before.  Maybe it’s meant to look retro; but it is underwhelming compared to the aural whoosh and visual conversion of stars into elongated rays of light.  And, my, do we miss the inspiring and emotion-filled music of the greatest composers of the franchise’s pre-reboot movie outings – Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner.   The reboot music (other than a nod to the original television series’ theme) doesn’t come close to those greats.

“Star Trek Beyond” is passably entertaining.  But, for Trek, it is way too preoccupied with action, including a pointless daredevil motorcycle ride, despite Kirk’s assertion that it is, “Better to die saving lives than to live taking them.  That’s what I was born into.”  In the process, it neglects the very things that make Star Trek special – ideas, exploration, mystery, discovery, and humanity making first contact with alien species.  It’s pretty good despite its flaws, but this is meant to be Star Trek, so it needs to be smarter, much smarter.

“Ice Age: Collision Course” (C-/C):  We’ve lost track of how many installments there have been in the Ice Age film series.  They started off well, but they are in decline.  Even Scrat, the solitary and hapless prehistoric squirrel (unlike the other sentient animals characters here, he never talks) who is perennially obsessed with an acorn that’s nearly as big as he is, is wearing out his welcome.  Normally his disaster-prone pursuit of acorns constitutes the best scenes in these movies (and in their trailers).  But, here, he’s stuck on an alien spaceship, inadvertently sending whole planets out of their orbits.  It’s a bigger and louder escapade than before, but it’s no longer funny.  And the obliviously boisterous antics of the loudly inane and self-preoccupied Sid the Sloth now positively grate.  Things briefly perk up, quite markedly, when the story pays a visit to the underground world of dinosaurs and the fearless adventurer (Buck the weasel, voiced by Simon Pegg) who delights in outsmarting them (while singing opera).  But, then, it’s back to the surface, with a not very urgent feeling threat, and tritely domestic preoccupations with a daughter’s impending marriage, an annoying prospective son-in-law, and an overlooked anniversary.  A detour to an odd commune of New Age yoga devotees adds nothing of interest to the mix.  There’s just not much here:  It’s neither very funny nor very interesting.

“Genius” (U.K./USA, 2016) (B):   Two types of art – that practiced by the writer and that by the editor – can collaborate creatively or collide.  Based on a true story, this fascinating character drama chronicles the complex relationship between a leading book editor (Colin Firth as Max Perkins) and one of his most brilliant, but temperamentally difficult, authors (Jude Law as Thomas Wolfe).  During his career at the New York publishing house of Charles Scribner’s Sons, Perkins also worked with acclaimed authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.  Friend, father-figure, and comrade-in-arms in the hard labor of readying a book for publication, a talented editor could also be an adversary:  In the case of Wolfe’s voluminous manuscripts, that meant paring them down by hundreds of pages to what (in the editor’s estimation) was essential.   It’s all about character here, and relationships, and this fine film is anchored in a fine cast – those named above, together with Laura Linney, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Dominic West, and others.  The result is original and absorbing and quite unlike traditional summer fare at the movies.

“Nerve” (D):  Characters in their late teens get seduced (and then threatened) into playing an online game of incrementally more dangerous dares.   The cast here (Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, and Miles Heizer) is fine; the premise is not.  Any movie that revolves around people’s pathetic addiction to their ‘hand-held self-affirmation devices’ (or ‘HH-SADs’), if we may pause to coin a phrase, better known as so-called ‘smart-phones,’ isn’t worth the celluloid it’s printed on (or, nowadays, the digital space it occupies).  This film consists of boring electronic toys in the hands of fools, nothing more, with plenty of fruit-themed product placement.  Skip it, and, for heaven’s sake, put your confounded idiot box away!

Editor’s Note:  See Artsforum’s comment on the bane that is these “Hand-Held Self-Affirmation Devices” on our front page at:  https://artsforum.ca

“Lights Out” (B-/B):  It’s a very simple premise – a family is haunted by a malevolent specter that cannot abide the light – but it is effectively creepy.  And it’s aided by a good cast, among them: Teresa Palmer and Gabriel Bateman as siblings, Maria Bello as their troubled mother, Alexander DiPersia as Palmer’s boyfriend, and Billy Burke as a cautionary tale about working too late.  On the contrived side, it’s mighty convenient that a specter that can’t stand lights also has the magical ability to make them go out.

“Jason Bourne” (C/C+):  After a nine year hiatus, Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne, the once amnesiac human weapon forged by ruthless masters at the CIA into a killing machine.  Previous installments followed his history as a rogue agent, intent on finding the truth.  He may have his memory back, but there’s still more truth to uncover, as a fresh cohort of compatriot bad guys step up to eliminate the nearly unstoppable Bourne before he can expose (or otherwise interfere with) their dirty work.  Julia Stiles makes a far too brief reappearance from earlier films; it’s a shame she didn’t get more time on screen.  Instead, the normally captivating Alicia Vikander (who was so good in “Ex Machina” and “The Danish Girl”) plays a dour (but ambitious) CIA middle-management type, and it’s a role without much fire.  Tommy Lee Jones and Vincent Cassel fill out the deadly rogues’ gallery.  Damon makes an appealing (and handily proficient) protagonist as Jason Bourne.  But the story needs an infusion of new plot material:  It’s just more of what’s gone on before.  A side-plot involving collusion between security agencies and the IT tech sector never amounts to anything; it’s just a cursory nod to the scandalous real-world fact of our fundamental right to privacy disintegrating before our very eyes.  A couple of motor vehicle chases go on too long – especially the one in Las Vegas.  And they neither wow nor truly engage us:  They are empty ‘spectacle,’ the forlorn curse of most would-be blockbusters for lo these many years.  And the filmmakers’ over-fondness for frequent fast cuts shot by handheld cameras draws too much attention to itself and only distances us from these characters.  The result is mildly entertaining, but instantly forgettable – like most contemporary movies, sadly.

“Swiss Army Man” (B-/B):  This one gets marks for audacious originality.  A morose young man (Paul Dano) marooned on an island somewhere is moments from putting himself out of his own misery when he sees a body in the surf.  The newcomer (Daniel Radcliffe) is dead, or at least, as some wag once said, ‘mostly dead.’  We liked the wild wackiness of the unique friendship that ensues.  Who knew that a dead man could prove so resourceful?  His ample supply of flatulence, for instance, turns him into an impromptu jet-ski that propels his living counterpart back to the mainland and possible salvation.  Characters suddenly start singing the song we hear playing on the movie’s soundtrack.  The film is simultaneously crudely scatological and kind of sweet and innocent.  It’s a conundrum how it manages to be both at the same time.  But it loses us with long stretches of cross-dressing, a very unpleasant attack by a wild bear, and everything that occurs once this oddest of couples reaches civilization.  The early promise is squandered on a self-indulgent surfeit of ultimately off-putting weirdness.  For ages 18+ only: Coarse language, sexual content, violence, adult subject matter, and very vulgar content.

“Ghostbusters”:  What’s the point of remaking this film, with the variant of replacing the four male characters with four females?  We walked out after 15 or 20 minutes:  Dumb (as in real stupid), dull, and unfunny being this one-man jury’s unanimous verdict.

“The Secret Life of Pets” (C/C+):  The title says it all in this animated kids’ movie.  Two canines vie for top dog status, a not so friendly competition that spills over into the streets of New York.  They run afoul of an under-the-street gang of lost or abandoned pets (everything from a bunny with serious attitude to a crocodile), and their old friends from the apartment building where they live need to mount a rescue.  A bit juvenile and more than a bit boisterous (the semi-psychotic bunny begins to grate), grown-ups will find it merely tolerable, rather than enchanting.  From the studio that brought us the much more appealing “Despicable Me” films and the memorably engaging minion characters (even if their solo film was a dud), this one lacks that film’s power to engage and amuse, or the sheer inventiveness and panache of this summer’s animated surprise “Zootopia.”

“The Purge: Election Year” (France/USA. 2016) (C+/B-):  Let’s face it:  The concept here is a truly ugly one.  Once a year (in the very near future) all crimes (up to and including premeditated murder) are permitted in the good old USA for one 12-hour stretch.  Roving gangs with violence to burn (and some just plain folks) take to the nighttime streets to indulge in some guilt-free murder and mayhem.  Most of the participants dress up in nightmarish variants of Halloween garb, as an axe-wielding, blood-stained Uncle Sam for example.  It’s creepy, all right, but also pretty far-fetched.  Does the ‘anything goes night’ suddenly turn ordinary people into blood-crazed psychopaths?  Seemingly so.  But the why’s and how’s of it are never addressed.  Do people really want to become murderous beasts just because they can?  Is savagery and/or sadism so ubiquitous under our thin veneer of civilized behavior?  There’s probably a satirical point in here somewhere (and there’s definitely a political one), about violence in our society, and man’s propensity to drop the mask and become bestial at the drop of a hat.   But, it’s too heavy-handed and deliberately orchestrated to feel real.

If we haven’t lost count, this is the third film in the franchise.  This time out, some nasty girls in the hood are keen to vent their spleen on a shop-owner who caught them stealing during the daylight hours.  They’re back now with a disco-lit car, attired as punk-ballerinas, positively pirouetting in the street as prelude to their violent attack:  But the film shows us their pre-rampage ‘dance’ in slow motion, with close-ups of hideous masks, weapons, and crazed, hateful eyes:  It’s just too manipulatively over the top to take seriously.  They goes double for the conspiratorial one-percenters who are behind Purge Night (it’s their way to cull the underclass and control everybody else).  Their chosen candidate for president doubles as some sort of ‘priest’ in an unholy church devoted to unleashing all that’s ugly in the human psyche.  He and his serial killer minion are the polar opposite of subtle.  But what does work well here are the ‘good guys’ – a female Senator intent on ending the barbarity, her able head of security, and the black folks who befriend and help them.  All of those characters are well-acted (by Elizabeth Mitchell, Frank Grillo, Mykelti Williamson, Joseph Julian Soria, Betty Gabriel, et al.), and we get invested in their fates.  And, truth be told, these films do work as action/suspense thrillers, with decent people on the run from very indecent ones.  Still, with instances of racially-tinged violence boiling away in the US these days, something about this film feels troublingly familiar – as though it were a look at the extreme end of a continuum we’re already on.  For ages 18+ only:  Extremely coarse language; severe violence; frightening scenes; and very disturbing content.

“The Neon Demon” (France/Denmark/USA, 2016) (F):  Danish writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn (he directed 2011’s very good, if very violent, “Drive”) has spawned an inchoate, incoherent thing about an underage aspiring model (Elle Fanning) trying to break into an apparently heartless profession in Los Angeles.  The result is a misbegotten thing, highly unpleasant to watch (the sensible choice would be to flee the theater and never look back), populated by one dumb bunny, a trio of predatory harpies (Jena Malone et al.), and miscellaneous other creeps.  With its grotesque repertoire of rape, necrophilia, and cannibalism, this would-be deep dive into metaphor is kin to some of the worst garish excesses of David Lynch, Paul (“Showgirls”)Verhoeven, Brian De Palma, and Lars von Trier (the vile “Antichrist” springs to mind).  It is not just an addled, pretentious, and self-indulgent mess, it is also reprehensible.  It may be about narcissists, but, my goodness, it is itself made of nothing but narcissism – narcissism and very bad taste.  Avoid this ugly thing at all costs!  Warning:  For ages 18+ only:  Explicit nudity, strong sexual content, sexual violence, gruesome images, very coarse language, and extremely disturbing content.

“The Legend of Tarzan” (USA, 2016) (C+):  Edgar Rice Burroughs’ perennial character, a man raised in the jungle who becomes Lord of the Apes, is back in a lush looking, but only moderately involving, new story.  When it opens (in the late 19th century), Tarzan is back in civilization (Great Britain, specifically), restored to his inherited status as Lord Greystoke.  Circumstances and schemers contrive to take him back to Africa, where he’s to be a sacrificial pawn in the efforts of the criminally brutal colonial regime of the Belgian Congo to wrest power and wealth from the jungle.  Opening the story with a civilized Tarzan is a different approach; but the downside is that the man’s origin story has to be told in a series of flashbacks.  Different actors play younger versions of our hero, so we never get as invested in him in those sequences, or in his life-changing meeting with Jane, as we might have if the story had followed a linear temporal path.  And the sinister plot in the film’s present day seems at once overblown and simplistic.  The over-all result is moderately entertaining, but we wish it had been more gripping, more involving, and more memorable.  The best scene is given away by the trailer (a common misstep nowadays):  It has Tarzan and gorilla allies facing down a throng of hostile natives.  Alexander Skarsgård (the vampire Eric Northman from “True Blood”) has an aptly low-key imperiousness of bearing, as he combines external quietness with an understated inner restlessness (as though he hears the call of the wild even in his reclaimed home in England), and he looks good in the (oft-shirtless) role.  Christoph Waltz is always effective as a silky, well-mannered, but deadly villain-in-chief.  Australian Margot Robbie feels a tad miscast:  True, her character is not meant to be mistaken for a ‘damsel in distress.’  On the contrary, Jane is a real partner for her mate.  But Robbie has a sexy (and too modern) vibe that’s distracting in this character:  She doesn’t come across as genteel as we’d expect Jane to be.  Samuel L. Jackson is always fun to watch:  Here he plays an American adventurer with a conscience.  Story-wise, his presence as a back-up hero conveniently inserts a black man into a strong supporting role, thus avoiding the incongruity (to modern eyes) of a white über-hero saving the day in a place mostly populated by blacks.  But, the interesting thing is that Jackson’s character, George Washington Williams, is apparently based on a real historical person.  For ages 14+.

“The BFG” (U.K./Canada/USA, 2016) (B-/B):  An engaging adaptation of the children’s book by Roald Dahl from director Steven Spielberg has a spunky 10-year old girl named Sophia (Ruby Barnhill) plucked from her English orphanage by the eponymous ‘Big Friendly Giant.’  He whisks her away, by giant-sized leaps and bounds, to a northerly ‘Giants’ Country’ that doesn’t appear on any maps. It turns out he’s kind, gentle, and caring; but as the runt of his home’s oversized litter, he’s the only giant who doesn’t want to eat humans!   ‘BFG,’ as Sophie dubs him (he has no name), lives in a cavern filled with quixotic souvenirs from his visits to human realms, as well as his paraphernalia for capturing and distilling dreams – a benevolent pursuit that is his lifelong avocation..  A nocturnal visit to the magical birthplace of dreams is enchanting – but not nearly so much as the BFG himself:  Voiced by Mark Rylance (who transformed an accused Soviet spy into an endearing figure in “Bridge of Spies,” a feat that won him an Oscar last year), the BFG is a sweetly humane figure – and a marvel of performance-capture animation.  Audience hearts will melt helplessly at one glance of his kind, sweet, and remarkably lifelike face.  That’s the real magic here – that and the friendship that develops between him and young Sophie.  The other giants are an uneasy combination of bungling and lethal menace.  Might it have been better to leave them at one or the other?  Sometimes the comedy gets a bit broad (with flatulence-inducing brew, for instance), when hewing to the central tone of tenderness might have been preferred.  But we liked Sophie from the moment we saw her perambulations at the orphanage in the wee hours, trailed by the resident cat.  She and her friendly giant will linger fondly in our memories.

“Our Kind of Traitor” (U.K./France, 2016) (B-/B):  An English couple (Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris), whose relationship is under severe strain, is in Morocco, trying to reconnect, when they cross paths with a brash, loud Russian.  He takes them under his wing, brooking no demurral, and it’s not long before the Brit realizes that his insistent new host is very rough company indeed.  Indeed, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård) is the chief keeper of the financial books for the Russian mafia:  He foresees that a change in mafia leadership means that he and his family are in line for elimination, despite his years of capable and loyal service.  Desperate to save his family (for all his rough edges and coarseness, Dima is a man of honor and a man deeply devoted to his wife and children), he befriends the English couple in the hope that they can get a message to British intelligence:  He’ll give MI-6 the goods on the Russian mob’s highly placed British collaborators in exchange for his family’s safety.  Trouble is that the British spies (one branch is headed by Damian Lewis) are too divided by their own internecine rivalries to make for reliable partners.  It falls to the two British civilians (he’s a professor of poetry, she’s a barrister) to fill the gap – by directly imposing themselves (the story moves to the Swiss Alps) into these very dangerous proceedings.  It takes a good deal of suspension of disbelief to accept that two civilians would (or could) suddenly become key players in such clandestine operations and gunplay, but this cast helps us to put that skepticism to the side.  Among the solid supporting players are Mark Gatiss (Moorcroft Holmes from BBC’s “Sherlock” series), Jeremy Northam, and Saskia Reeves, though none of that trio are given as much to do here as their talents merit.  But the key player here is undoubtedly Stellan Skarsgård:  That actor brings considerable nuance and charisma to every role he plays.  He is always a pleasure to watch.  The screenplay is by spy novelist John le Carré, here adapting someone else’s novel.   For ages 18+:  Coarse language, nudity, sexual content, and violence.

“The Shallows” (USA, 2016) (B-/B):  A young American woman (Blake Lively’s Nancy) finds the isolated (and anonymous) beach of her dreams way off the beaten track somewhere (even she doesn’t know where) in Mexico.  Her late mother had surfed there before Nancy was born; now Nancy wants to follow suit.  An otherwise solid suspense film gets started with some howlingly improbable circumstances:  Nancy’s friend is stuck back at a hotel with Montezuma’s revenge, but Nancy has hitched a ride with a complete stranger.  Does taking a ride with an unknown male into the boondocks in a foreign country sound like a sensible idea?   But he takes her where she wants to go, without incident, dropping her at what at first seems to be a deserted beach and playfully declining to reveal the name of the place.  That means she can’t tell anywhere where she is, assuming there’d be a cell-phone signal at all in such a remote place.  In reality, there wouldn’t be, and she’d be crazy to expect otherwise.  But, in another flight from credibility, when the man who gave her a lift sensibly asks how she’ll get back to town, Nancy blithely replies “Uber.”  Uber?  Come on!  How many amateur taxi rides are on call in the middle of nowhere in a Third World country?  As it turns out, Nancy isn’t the only surfer at the beach in question:  Two young Mexican men are riding the surf.  So, here’s our protagonist, in a very isolated place, with two strange males.  Fortunately for her, they don’t pose a danger – but they so easily might have, and it rankles that this young woman is so absurdly oblivious to sensible precautions for her own security.  And, even if Nancy faced no potential human dangers, it feels utterly reckless to be alone in such an isolated location, without any means of transportation.  (Improbably, her cell-phone works like a charm – all the way back home to Texas – from the middle of nowhere.  ‘Can you hear me now?’ indeed.)  All that introductory stuff shakes our credulity to the core.  But things improve handily when the story gets to its real business:  The other surfers leave, and Nancy stays behind for one last wave.  And that’s when things get ‘gnarly’ – she is attacked by a relentless great white shark (which is odd insofar as it already has a large repast close to hand) and she is stranded atop a rocky shoal a mere 200 yards from shore, badly wounded and in danger of losing her small sanctuary at high tide.  But Nancy is smart, resourceful, and determined.  And, luckily, she’s a medical student, so she improvises some temporary sutures (a scene that’s not for the squeamish). She also devises a desperate plan.  Her plight is suspenseful and engaging:  We don’t know if she’ll make it or not – and the movie keeps us guessing.  For ages 18+:  Very brief coarse language, some gory content, and frightening scenes.

“Independence Day: Resurgence” (USA, 2016) (D+/C-):  20 years after the events of 1996’s “Independence Day,” a menace from outer space has returned, in the form of malevolent aliens intent on destroying humanity and harvesting the Earth.  Although most of the original cast (except lead Will Smith) has been reunited for this round, the focus is mainly in the next (younger) generation.  And they add nothing interesting to the mix.  Characters take second place in these would-be blockbusters to action and explosions.  It’s the same old, same old.  Big explosions and innumerable objects hurtling through space became exceedingly tiresome a long while ago.  Bigger is not better:  Witness the new, improved, ‘next-gen’ alien ship:  Thousands of miles across, it’s as wide as the Atlantic Ocean (atop which it lands) – an instance of visual overkill that strikes us as ridiculous, rather than believably threatening.  There’s no investment (at all) in these characters, therefore nothing here we cared one whit about:  Boring.  A couple of overtly Chinese actors seem to be here for the exclusive purpose of marketing the film in China – a transparently clumsy bit of marketing (and may we say pandering?) if ever there was one.

“Maggie’s Plan” (USA, 2016) (C+):  Maggie (Greta Gerwig of 2012’s“Frances Ha”) falls for an older married man (Ethan Hawke’s John) and ends up married to him.  But when their relationship starts to wan, she decides to try to reunite him with his embittered ex, the aloofly cerebral Georgette (Julianne Moore with a distractingly odd accent). Bill Hader and Maya Rudolf make the strongest impressions here as Maggie’s married friends.  Wallace Shawn (the man is funny even without saying anything) pops up briefly, and Australian Travis Fimmel plays a very odd pickle-maker.  It’s an offbeat comedy of a Woody Allenesque kind, and the emphasis here is on quirkiness.  Normally, we like quirky.  But, with the exception of the aforementioned Hader & Rudolf, we didn’t really warm to (or like) any of these characters.  Directed and co-written by Rebecca Miller (who also did the honors for 2009’s “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee”).

“Free State of Jones” (USA, 2016) (B/B+):  Based on a true story, Matthew McConaughey plays Newton Knight, a poor southerner who serves as a medic in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.  He has no illusions about the purported ‘glory and honor’ of war – it’s a brutal business that mangles those it doesn’t kill.  The film doesn’t flinch from gory depictions of injuries and battlefield surgeries.  Newton Knight is a man of conscience, and it is his conscience that leads him to leave the war and go home to Jones County, Mississippi.  But what he encounters there is brutish injustice:  In the name of supplying the troops, the local garrison is pillaging food, livestock, and other goods from the hard-working (but poor) farmers in the county.  Aptly named, Knight resists such depredations, gradually gathering a following of deserters, runaway slaves, and the wives of absent farmers.  Their resistance becomes guerilla warfare, as they secede from the Confederacy.  Knight harbors no animus towards blacks, embracing instead an egalitarian creed that is surprising in a white man of this time and place.  And there’s a large dose of socio-economic rebel in the man:  He’s convinced that the war really only serves the interests of ‘the powers that be’ – the wealthy slave-owning one-percenters, while everybody else (white and black alike) has to bear the onerous burdens of the prevailing inequity, injustice, and war.  Matthew McConaughey brings his usual laconic affability to the role of a man who becomes a rebel in the land of the Rebels and a leader whose authority crosses racial and gender lines.

Thematically, “Free State of Jones” is kin to such movies as “Shenandoah,” “The Outlaw Josie Wales,” and even “The Grapes of Wrath,” as it follows the story of those who fight against seemingly impossible odds.  There’s even a bit of “Robin Hood” in the doings of the rag-tag band who strike out from the impassable swamps to harry organized army units. There are moments of violence, including deadly ambushes, and, later, some disturbing lynching crimes, when the losing side in the war takes their racist views into their communities.  But, much of the story is quietly reflective.  It is gently paced – more character study and social commentary than action oriented.  The inclusion of flash-forward scenes, set some 80-odd years after the struggles of Newt Knight, dealing with a mixed marriage trial of one of his descendants, seems an unnecessary distraction.   The lovely Gugu Mbatha-Raw (2013’s “Belle”) makes an impression as Rachel (Knight’s second wife, a black woman), as does Mahershala Ali, as Knight’s friend and fellow man of deep conviction, Moses.  Keri Russell plays Knight’s first wife, Serena, but she doesn’t get a lot to do.  For ages 18+:  Violence and gory scenes.

“Warcraft” (China/Canada/USA, 2016) (C-/C):   The fact that a movie is based on a videogame never inspires much confidence.  The story here is sword and sorcery fantasy that pitches a world of knights, castles, and wizards against hordes of invading orcs from another dimension.  It’s watchable ‘Low Fantasy’ for genre buffs, and the cast is actually pretty good, investing some interest in these characters.  But the story itself hasn’t got anything new or interesting to say.  There are heavy-handed plot twists involving an inexplicable betrayal by someone responsible for safe-guarding the human world.  The make-up design for the CGI-generated (performance-capture) orcs is distracting over-kill.  It looks like they had a steroid bath and then got inflated with a truck-tire pump.  And their massive tusks are just ridiculous.  Are they sentient creatures or warthogs?  Even a hybrid character’s (played by Paula Patton) much smaller tusks severely impede her facial mobility, leaving her with a repertoire of only a couple grimacing expressions.  Leading man Travis Fimmel (who also appears in “Maggie’s Plan”) has prominently ‘wild-looking’ eyes, which is a facial distraction of another kind.  Some of the characters and relationships showed promise, as people (or orcs) in whose fate we take an interest.  But, that promise is diminished by a weak story, a to-be-continued ending, and the predictable CGI over-kill that is the bane of so many mass appeal movies these days.

“Finding Dory” (USA, 2016) (B-/B):  The sequel to 2003’s “Finding Nemo” has a memory-impaired blue tang fish (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) on a journey to find her long lost parents.  The trip takes her (remarkably quickly) straight across the Pacific, from the Australian reef to a California marine facility.  Old friends (clownfish father and son Marlin and Nemo) are in tow, and new friends are met along the way – chief among them: Hank (Ed O’Neill), an octopus (Dory points out that his disability makes him a ‘septipus’) whose ingenuity is not hampered in the least by a missing arm, and a childhood chum in the form of a whale shark named Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) who has a faulty inner sonar system.  It’s cute and fun, with some mild laughs and visual appeal in its under-the-sea setting.  But, frankly, Dory’s ongoing problems with her short-term memory begin to grate after awhile:  There’s something a tad squawking and strident sounding about her permanently hyped-up state and her frenetic speech.  Still, the theme of friendship and perseverance (‘just keep swimming’) are appealing ones.  A strong highlight is the rousing migration song of a school of sting-rays.

Best of all is the accompanying six-minute short film “Piper,” the story of a young sandpiper on a beach, which gets an “A” for inventiveness, beauty, and perfect charm.  It’s a delight from start to finish.

“The Conjuring 2” (USA, 2016) (C+):  This sequel to 2013’s very well done “The Conjuring” doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor, but it’s nevertheless an effectively creepy story of demonic possession and a family in peril.  Set in 1977, it has Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga), a husband and wife team of deadly serious ghostbusters, cross the ocean to London to investigate a young girl (Madison Wolfe as Janet) who appears to be possessed.  The hapless child, along with her siblings (played by Lauen Esposito and Benjamin Haigh) and her mother (Frances O’Connor, who was so good as the lead in “Mansfield Park”) are terrified.  Supporting players include Simon McBurney as a sympathetic ally.  Supposedly based on a true story (the Warrens really took on paranormal cases), it’s a reasonably entertaining addition to the horror subgenre of possession and exorcism.  Putting a family in danger heightens the suspense; and the close bond between the couple who resolutely strive to help them also connects us more strongly to these characters.   The film is directed by Australian James Wan, who also helmed the original.

“Love & Friendship” (Ireland/Netherlands/France/USA/U.K., 2016) (B-/B):  Based on Jane Austen’s novella “Lady Susan,” this comedic tale is atypical of Austen’s better known works, insofar as it casts its ‘villain’ as its leading lady.  For that reason, it is harder to like than classic Austen tales like “Pride and Prejudice,” Sense and Sensibility,”  “Mansfield Park,” and “Persuasion.”  For its chief player, Lady Susan (Kate Beckingsale) is a shamelessly self-interested schemer, quite prepared to subordinate even her own daughter’s happiness to her own.   Her schemes may be intended to amuse, but she’s not one to warm to.  We can better appreciate her as the story gathers momentum, and we are introduced to the other characters, almost all of whom are nobler in motivation than Lady Susan.   Set in the 1790s, much of the story unfolds at the county home of Churchill, where the widowed Lady Susan has sought sanctuary from gossip occasioned by her ‘flirting’ (not to mention her apparent dalliance with a married man).  Now she develops designs on Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), much to the dismay of his married sister Catherine (Emma Greenwall) and his parents (James Fleet and Jemma Redgrave).  Meanwhile, Lady Susan has plans to marry her obedient daughter (Morfydd Clark’s Frederica) off to an obnoxious fool with money (Tom Bennett’s Sir James Martin).  We learn her plans because she confides them all to her American friend (Chloe Sevigny, who feels miscast as the passive Alicia), whose older husband (an amusing Stephen Fry) keeps threatening to send her back across the Atlantic if she will not quit the company and confidences of Lady Susan.  Elsewhere in the cast are Justin Edwards (as the master of Churchill) and Jenn Murray as a woman acutely distressed by her husband’s infidelity with Lady Susan.  Directed by Whit Stillman (1994’s “Barcelona” and 1990’s “Metropolitan”) “Love & Friendship” has all the elegantly stylized conversations and formality of discourse that we’d expect from Jane Austen, but the story feels different in tone.  It doesn’t instantly draw us in or capture our affections the way other Austen stories do.  Somehow, it feels less like the genuine article we’re accustomed to.  Frankly, it feels more caustic, more acidly satirical, more like a variation on the story of Becky Sharp from Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair” than it does like vintage Austen.  But, it grew on us as it unfolded.

“Me Before You” (U.K., 2016) (C+/B-):  A plucky young woman with an upbeat attitude and a sense of style all her own gets a job as a caregiver for a paralyzed young man.  He’s rich (he lives in his parents’ castle), handsome, and determined to seek an assisted death when the cooling-off period he promised his parents has passed.  He misses the life he had; he misses the person he used to be.  Will his zany, endlessly optimistic new companion change his course?  A love match, Cinderella style, seems to be in the offing.  But things don’t necessarily take the expected course here, a fact which has created some controversy about the story and the choices it depicts.  There’s a very engaging cast.  Emilia Clarke (from “Game of Thrones”) as ‘Lou’ Clark, Sam Claflin as Will Traynor, Brendan Coyle (from “Downton Abbey” – the man positively radiates integrity), and Samantha Spiro as Lou’s parents, with the irresistible Jenna Coleman (from “Doctor Who”) as her sister Treena, Charles Dance (also from “Game of Thrones”) and Janet McTeer as Will’s parents.  Clarke is very engaging here (the story swims or sinks on her shoulders – and it swims), and even lovelier with her natural brown hair color than with her bleached blonde tresses as a warrior-princess; she also happens to have an astonishingly expressive (and appealingly sincere) face!  The screenplay is by Jojo Moyes from her novel.  The result is an old-fashioned romance that goes in unexpected (and not entirely welcome) directions.

“X-Men: Apocalypse” (D):  A monumental bore that’s as noisy as it is bloated.  Lamentably typical of its ilk, it swims in oversized cataclysms, as a whole city dissolves, large objects hurl through the air, lightning and fire bolts ignite everything in sight, and its hapless viewers are “treated” to a wanton surfeit of explosions and noise.  It is typical of so-called super-hero moves, full sound and fury and signifying nothing at all.  The super-sized action hasn’t a whit of believability; nor are we ever invested in its outcome.  It’s just more of Hollywood’s pitiful addiction to hollow CGI effects.  So boring!  And the film fares no better with the quiet moments involving its over-large ensemble cast.  Nothing they say or do engages us.  The film has only two entertaining sequences:  The first involves a super-speedster rescuing people from an exploding building, a race that’s done with style and wit.  The second is a cameo sequence with a mute Hugh Jackman as Wolverine:  His section is simple action, but he exudes more charisma in the role than all of the film’s mutants combined.  The film’s new ‘big-bad’ (an uber-mutant) is ridiculous looking – neither frightening nor charismatic, he’s just absurd.  There are unconvincing changes in allegiances.  And, we never have ‘got’ the appeal of this franchise’s outlandish bunch of characters and their oddball ‘powers.’ Is it just this reviewer, or is anyone else sick of movies that rely on overblown displays of brawn and city-crushing aerial fistfights (see also “Batman vs. Superman”) from the “Transformers” school of inane filmmaking?  All they offer is loud, empty, so-called spectacle – a hollow, worthless thing.

“The Man Who Knew Infinity” (U.K., 2015) (B):  A young man in southern India has a new bride, no money, and little education.  But, he is a remarkable prodigy at advanced math, a talent that takes him to Cambridge in 1914 to work with leading scholars on theorems that will dramatically change man’s understanding of mathematics.  Dev Patel has struck us as somewhat callow and somewhat glib elsewhere; but he delivers a nicely understated performance here as Srinivasa Ramanujan, a sincere young man who is a veritable wunderkind in his discipline, a visionary for whom mathematical formulae are a form of high art, the very words of God.  His primary counterpart at Trinity College, Cambridge is the gruff, no-nonsense (and not very nurturing) Jeremy Irons as G.H. Hardy who strives to get his brilliant young protégé’s head out of the clouds long enough to focus on the mundane, but necessary, work of developing formal ‘proofs’ for the unprecedented conclusions the prodigy pulls out of the very air.  Toby Jones is very appealing as a fellow academic, Stephen Fry, Jeremy Northam, and Devika Bhise (as the prodigy’s lonely wife) all do good work among the strong supporting cast.  Ramanujan has to contend with culture shock, protracted separation from a wife he loves, emotional isolation, the genius’ frustration (and impatience) with the limited vision of those around him, health troubles, and even a smattering of anti-Indian racism.  It’s a simple story, simply told:  The academic discipline at its heart may be an esoteric one to most people, but the film wisely concentrates on character development, for an effective result.

“Alice Through the Looking Glass: (C-/C):  Mia Wasikowska reprises her role from 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” as the independent-minded young adult version of Lewis Carroll’s juvenile heroine.  Her return to the fantastical alternate world finds her in a race through time to save a friend (Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter) and to right assorted wrongs.  The most amusing character here, by far, is a newcomer – the self-important personification of Time played by Sacha Baron Cohen.  The result is marginally watchable, though never truly involving and certainly not memorable.

“A Bigger Splash” (Italy/France, 2015) (B-):   We are too gobsmacked to know what to make of this oddest of fish.  It combines good performances, utterly unlikable characters, and a rather tedious, self-indulgent story.  A rock singer (a somewhat androgynous Tilda Swinton) and her beau (Matthias Schoenaerts) are vacationing in Sicily (under the glare of a relentless sun) while she recovers from throat surgery that has left her practically mute.  Unwelcome guests arrive in the form of her former producer/lover, a boisterous force of nature played by Ralph Fiennes.  His presence is a constant irritant to his hosts:  He’s a creepy satyr:  He’s hedonist, yes, but must he be so loud and overbearing?   He has in tow a sexy young thing (Dakota Johnson) who is ostensibly his long-lost daughter, and who may (or may not) be intended as a secret weapon of seduction.  The pieces are set for attractions, repulsions, and uncertain allegiances that are somewhat reminiscent of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”  There’s acting talent on display here, but it’s all in aid of a story (and characters) that are at once abrasive and obscure.  One critical bit of dialogue between Swinton and Fiennes (in which she definitively states her feelings toward him) is all but inaudible thanks to her raspy post-operative voice, and that’s a flaw.  We kind of need to know what she said.  That we don’t feels like a cheat.  Who does what and why remains mostly unclear, unclear to the point of being off-putting.   Directed by Italy’s Luca Guadagnino (2009’s “I Am Love”), the film gets points for acting; but we nevertheless cannot recommend it to a general audience.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language, sexual content, nudity, drug use, and brief violence.

“Sing Street” (Ireland/U.K./USA, 2016) (A-):  A lovely surprise from Ireland, care of writer/director by John Carney (2007’s “Once”), “Sing Street” is easily one of the best films of 2016 thus far – as entertaining on a second viewing as it was the first time round.  It’s a charming, funny, endearing, musically infectious coming of age story set in 1980’s Ireland.  Its protagonist Connor’s (Fedia Walsh-Peelo) middle class family is having a hard time of it financially and his parents (nicely played by Aidan Gillen of “Game of Thrones” and Maria Doyle Kennedy) are on the verge of splitting up.  But it’s a close family, and it feels like a very believably real one.  Connor has two siblings:  Though we don’t see a great deal of Kelly Thornton as his sister, we get a solid and appealing sense of her.  But Connor is closest to his older brother.  Brendan (Jack Reynor) is a smart, talented young man who has allowed opportunities to pass him by:  A college drop-out, he’s stuck in a rut at home, with only a sense of irony, his love of music, and his big brother’s bond with Connor to console him    He’s an engaging fellow, who could become a lost soul if he’s not careful.  And his brotherly relationship with Connor is one of the best things about this movie.  But it’s not the only great thing!  There’s also the girl Connor encounters near his new school in the poor part of town:  She may be a year older than Connor, but the lovely Raphina (a fetching Lucy Boynton, who left us as smitten as she did Connor) dreams of becoming a model and escaping the parochial confines of her homeland.

To impress her, Connor suggests that she appear in a music video for his band.  Trouble is he doesn’t have a band.  But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Connor (soon redubbed ‘Cosmo’ by the girl of his dreams) creates a band with several other boys in his new school (Mark McKenna plays his chief musical collaborator Eamon).  And, big brother Brendan coaches them on musical style.  Surprise, surprise:  They are actually darn good.  The film’s music is sparkling and irresistible.  Its upbeat story of underdogs making good is a junior high variant on the great film “The Commitments.”  There’s poignancy here, wry understated humor, energy, just the right amount of rebelliousness, and lovely musicality.  It’s even got some laudable life lessons, like, “You’re never going to go, if you don’t go now.”  Best of all, we like these characters, we like them very much indeed.  And what a fine supporting cast!  For instance, Lydia McGuinness makes an impression as a sympathetic teacher, as does Marcella Plunkett as Eamon’s mum.  Even the small roles feel just right.  “Sing Street” is a winner – a sure bet for Artsforum Magazine’s short-list of the year’s best films.  Don’t miss it!  “Sing Street” was nominated for seven awards at the Irish Film and Television Awards, winning one of them, as Best Supporting Actor (Jack Reynor).  For ages 18+:  Brief coarse language.

“The Nice Guys” (F):  This one’s bad, walk-out bad.  Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling play an odd couple in 1977 Los Angeles:  One’s a thug for hire, the other’s an inept private investigator.  They’re on the trail of a missing person in this woeful attempt to resurrect the buddy genre.  We did not believe one second of it.  And it’s in extremely bad taste to have a 13 year old girl (Angourie Rice) present while pornography is being screened and people are being killed.  It’s nice to see Kim Basinger, but she has almost nothing to do in her brief time on screen. Gosling seems to be channeling all three stooges, while Crowe plays straight-man.  Not even the latter’s charisma can save the inane and annoying result.  It’s an ordeal to sit through.  An unhappy marriage of comedy and action, it is neither funny nor exciting – it is just dumb.  Skip it!  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language, violence, and nudity.

“Miracles from Heaven” (A):  Here’s that rarest of things – a faith-based movie in which religious didacticism does not swamp the storytelling.  Normally the message overpowers the medium, rather like an elephant in a canoe – but not here.  This is an eminently moving story about a mother’s love for her daughter.  Its cast, led by Jennifer Garner, is note-perfect – right down to the supporting players.  It gets points for its strong emotive power.  Good movies (including this film’s director Patricia Riggen’s 2015 film “The 33”), even very good movies, too often fail to connect with us on a truly emotional basis.  That’s emphatically not the case here.  It has been a long while since this reviewer was so powerfully moved, emotionally, by any movie.

“10 Cloverfield Lane” (B+):  Two men and one woman are locked in a bomb shelter.  And she’s not there of her own accord.  The man in charge is volatility masked by a thin veneer of joviality.  He claims that the world outside has been rendered uninhabitable by an unknown catastrophe.  The ensuing pas de trois by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, and John Gallagher Jr. is a taut, suspenseful psychological drama about intentions and motivations.  It turns into a different movie altogether in its closing few minutes.  But before that, it is riveting drama.  And it is a feature film directorial debut by Dan Trachtenberg.

“Where to Invade Next” (B):  Not the best Michael Moore documentary ever made, but still good enough to bring to mind (for this reviewer) Robert Kennedy’s noble words:  “There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why?  I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?  We have fallen far short of our own ideals; but there are practical, living examples of how to do things (like feeding school kids, rewarding ordinary people for their labor, and treating prisoners humanely) so much better.

“The Little Prince” (B-/B):  A story within a story, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s poignantly whimsical fable of a little boy who visits Earth and learns about love is book-ended by a new story about a little girl who is pressured to conform, to excel to her single mother’s wildly excessive (if well-meaning) standards, and, in effect, to become an adult when she’s still a child.  The result celebrates individuality and dreamers, using two completely different styles of animation for each of its stories.  The sculpted paper stop-motion animation used for the story of the visitor from a small asteroid is as charming as it is beautiful.

“Allegiant” (C):  The third film in the “Divergent” series is about a dystopian world, with humanity divided into five separate ‘factions’ that represent their dominant personality characteristic.  The series has been buoyed by a good cast (led by Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Ashley Judd) and an interesting post-apocalyptic setting (a walled-off, half crumbling city of Chicago).  This new installment still has solid characters going for it; but it is weaker in plotting – kind of a diluted version of what was done better in the earlier chapters.  Worthwhile, if unmemorable, for those who like the genre, or have read the young adult novels, or who have seen the first two films.

“The Witch” (A):  It’s still very early in the year; but this film has already earned a secure place as one of the best movies of 2016.

But be warned, it is not for all tastes.  It’s the grim story of a family of Puritan settlers exiled from their 17th century North American colony for failing to conform.  A man, his wife, and their four children set out to create a new home for themselves in the wilderness.  Then, bad things, seemingly inexplicable things, start to happen to them.  Is some malevolent supernatural force preying upon them?  That’s what their rigid and dogmatic religious views cause them to wonder.  The story focuses on the eldest daughter, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, as she contends with fear, suspicion, and mounting dread.  The result is a foreboding fable – beautifully acted, relentlessly dark in tone, and highly original.   The cast is first-rate, with Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, Harvey Scrimshaw as her

brother Caleb, Ralph Ineson as the father (William), Kate Dickey as the mother (Katherine), and Ellie Grainger & Lucas Dawson as the twins, boisterous children who have the ever more abrasive habit of reciting unpleasant rhymes about the family’s black goat and its supposed whisperings.  The film, from writer/director Robert Eggers, has northern Ontario filling-in for New England.  “The Witch” is a truly creepy film, and a memorable one, despite a significant misstep:  It shows (or seems to show) us, though not its hapless family under siege, a physical cause for their troubles – a cause that cannot logically be there.  Or, do our eyes deceive us?  Is what we seem to see just an externalization of their fears – a representation of superstition as the dark side of dogmatic religiosity?  Better to have left the actual agent of their misfortune to our imagination:  Is it mass hysteria?  Is it superstition born of extreme misfortune and unbearable tragedy?  Or is it something supernaturally wicked that this way comes?  A word of warning:  Some of the film’s content is disturbing.  But this film is mesmerizing, if you can withstand the darkness.  Warning!  For ages 18+ only:  Disturbing content and violence.

Editor’s Note:  An expanded version of this review appears in Artsforum Magazine’s Featured Film Reviews section at:  https://artsforum.ca/film/featured-film-reviews

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“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (C+): See Artsforum’s review — “Nothing New Under the Suns: ‘Star Wars’ Redux in ‘The Force Awakens’”  by John Arkelian at: https://artsforum.ca/film/featured-film-reviews

“Spotlight” (USA/Canada, 2015) (B/B+):  In 1761, the poet Charles Churchill penned these words: “Keep up appearances; there lies the test; / The world will give thee credit for the rest. / Outward be fair, however foul within; / Sin if thou wilt, but then in secret sin.”  The present day has no shortage of such ‘secret sin’ – and among the worst is the shocking betrayal of trust (and criminality) that sees ministers of God prey upon innocent children.  Based on a true story, “Spotlight” takes its name from an investigative journalism unit within “The Boston Globe” newspaper, which, in early 2002, revealed pervasive sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in the archdiocese of Boston.  The investigative reporters who start looking into allegations of such abuse can scarcely believe their ears:  the truth is too appalling to credit, until it becomes impossible to dismiss.  It’s bad enough that any priest sexually abused any child, but the predators who have done so have done so repeatedly – these are serial sexual predators.  And there are many of them.  An estimate given in the film that six percent of Catholic priests have “acted out sexually against children” proves to be dead-on:  The journalists uncover 87 predatory priests in Boston alone.  And that predation consists of the sexual molestation and rape of children – the most vulnerable (and trusting) among us.

Can things get any worse?  Alas, yes they can:  senior church officials (up to and including the archdiocese’s cardinal, the film suggests) were actively involved in covering-up the heinous crimes committed against their flock of believers.  Pedophile priests are simply shifted from one parish to another, and while they’re waiting for their new parish they’re designated as being on “sick leave” or “unassigned” – code words used to disguise their status as criminally deviant offenders.  But admission of wrongdoing, let alone criminal prosecution, is conspicuous by its absence.  Instead, the church successfully silences complainants, quietly settling their claims for a pittance or simply discrediting them (victims often came from poor or broken families, precisely because it was easier to impugn the credibility of such victims).  Other elements of society, among them some lawyers and police officers, also play a part in this systemic corruption and cover-up – usually in the cause of protecting ‘the good name’ of the church.  Secret sins indeed!  Misguided loyalty to an institution, self-interest, and simple complacency all play their role in perpetuating an appalling, longstanding, and covert epidemic of child abuse by persons in positions of trust.

As one character says, “If it takes a village to raise them, it takes a village to abuse them.  That’s the truth of it.”  And this is very much a story about truth – and the quest for justice for those so badly betrayed.  Indeed, the title “Spotlight” does double duty here, for it also signifies the light of truth that finally uncovers secret sins of shocking proportions.  A well-acted ensemble drama (featuring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schrieber, John Slattery, Billy Crudup, and Jamey Sheridan), “Spotlight” is the second strong movie about investigative journalism (along with “Truth”) of the year.

“Legend” (B):  Real-life twin brothers Reginald and Ronald Kray made their names in the London underworld in the 1960’s.  Both siblings are played here by Tom Hardy – one as a psychopathic brute, given to mumbling, the other as a sometimes charming thug.  The double-performance is good enough to overcome the mere gimmick factor, giving enough depth (not to mention larger than life color) to the twin characterizations to keep us interested in what are, frankly, pretty unpleasant blokes.  And Australian actress Emily Browning is always interesting to watch, first making an impression in her teens in 2004’s “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.”  Often appearing in sultry roles (with an transgressively adolescent sexuality, as, for example, ‘Babydoll’ in 2011’s “Sucker Punch”), she plays a young woman who clearly can see what’s going on around her, but who nevertheless falls in love with Reggie, hoping, against reason, that the remnants of his better side will win the day over his gangster inclinations.  The solid supporting cast benefits from the likes of David Thewlis and Chazz Palminteri.  For ages 18+ only: Abundant very coarse language and violence.

“In the Heart of the Sea” (C+/B-):  Competently made, but what’s a story of high seas adventure, complete with a great white whale of a nemesis and a shipwrecked 19th century crew, without emotional wallop?  This tale has none.  And much of what lead Chris Hemsworth says in a heavily-accented mumble is well-nigh unintelligible without subtitles.  We sympathized more with the whales – intelligent marine mammals being stalked and ruthlessly slaughtered as a mere resource by mankind – than with their unlucky human antagonists.  Brendan Gleeson lends things some gravitas as a man reluctantly revisiting an ordeal that marked him for life.

“Creed” (B):  Some 39 years after “Rocky,” the unlikely hero of that first film in a durable series, Rocky Balboa, is back, this time as mentor to the illegitimate son of his one time boxing rival and friend.  The new guy (played by Michael B. Jordan) is okay, but the series’ real champ is still Sylvester Stallone, who brings both wisdom and wistfulness to the role of a one-time working class hero who has outlived those closest to him.  He’s an elder statesman this time out, but he remains an appealing character.  Tessa Thompson and Phyllis Rashad both make an impression of the new contender’s girlfriend and step-mother.

“A Royal Night Out” (U.K., 2015) (B-):  On V-E Day, princesses Elizabeth and Margaret joined the ‘common people’ celebrating (incognito) in the streets, a fact that is spun into an all-night escapade in this film.  It combines a good cast and a good idea, but it is undermined by tonal problems.  Too often it plays as mere farce – a case in point being the pair of very proper British officers who are assigned chaperone duty only to turn out to be Keystone Kops in disguise.  Things really go overboard when they neglect their duty to sexually cavort with some floosies.  And things get a tad ugly when another officer plies the giddy Margaret with drink, surreptitiously drugs her, and then starts to get rough with her.  That off-putting detour into would-be sexual assault is as distracting as the semi-slapstick farce.  Things work much better when the script hews to a “Roman Holiday” tone.  Both princesses are appealingly played, but Canada’s Sarah Gadon is especially fetching as the responsible but wistful sister ‘Lisbet.’  Roger Allam (a convincingly despicable fascist propagandist in “V for Vendetta”) makes an impression in the supporting role of a helpful, amusingly paternal, gangster.  For ages 16+:  One scene of moderate sexuality.

“Trumbo” (B+/A-):  The bête noir of the middle twentieth century was communism, a dogma that was too transparently malign to pose any real allure for a free people (like those of us lucky enough to call North America home).  But that didn’t stop ideologues and, especially, would-be demagogues, from whipping up a ‘Red Scare’ – a veritable frenzy of hostility and irrational suspicion promulgated to root out real (and mostly imagined) ‘subversives’ within.  (Sound familiar?  We have a handy stand-in for the communist menace today, in the form of Muslims.)  The U.S. House of Representatives struck up a “House Un-American Activities Committee,” which, in the late 1940s, devised its own noxious litmus test for patriotism.  Those with personal or political associations deemed questionable were expected to come clean and name names:  “Are you now, or have you ever been…” goes the inquisitor’s refrain.  That impertinent (not to mention unconstitutional) question and the concomitant demand for collaboration with the witch-hunt bullies was (and remains) an affront to, nay, an outright assault upon, the inalienable rights of free men and women.   One who had the courage to say so was Dalton Trumbo, a leading Hollywood screenwriter, who was jailed for refusing to “cooperate” with the Committee and subsequently blacklisted, with several others, by a mostly collaborationist Hollywood.  But Trumbo managed to find work under pseudonyms (winning two Oscars in the process), until the blacklist finally collapsed in 1960.  Here, Bryan Cranston, delivers a memorable performance of a wry, witty, worldly, yet principled, man who gradually triumphs over a the purveyors of fear and mistrust, those who attacked the tenets of freedom in the spurious name of protecting the country founded on the self-same tenets.  His wry good humor, charm, and the irrepressible twinkle in his eye make for a character who is as engaging as he is admirable.  Supporting players like Michael Stuhbarg (as Edward G. Robinson), Diane Lane (as Trumbo’s loyal wife), as well as Louis C.K., Alan Tudyk, David James Elliott (as conservative blacklist advocate John Wayne), and Helen Mirren, among others, do good work here.  But this is Cranston’s show, and he runs with it:  It is easily one of the best performances of the year.  For ages 18+: Coarse language.

“The Good Dinosaur” (B/B+):  This new animated tale has gotten less attention than this year’s other release from Pixar/Disney, “Inside Out,” but it’s the better of the pair.  It imagines that the asteroid whose impact is thought to have extinguished dinosaurs instead missed the Earth.  Dinosaurs have survived and had time to become sentient and capable of speech, while the newly arrived humans are still wild things.  A young dinosaur is separated from his family farm and befriends a feral human child on an eventful road trip.  There are lessons here about friendship, family, loyalty, and ‘making one’s mark.’   The result is touching at times.  The film has an unusual look:  The characters are all very obviously animated (no attempt is made to pass them off as anything else); but they wander through a photo-realistic world that seems to be just that – motion images of our real world, onto which the animated characters have been superimposed.  It’s an odd combination of two disparate ‘looks.’

“Victor Frankenstein”(C+):  Mary Shelley’s classic story about human hubris and the horror it spawns is re-imagined here in a form that bears only slight resemblance to its source.  It plays as a story of two unlikely friends – the obsessed young scientist Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) and the deformed young circus clown (Daniel Radcliffe) who he rechristens Igor.  There are some very good elements here, among them the surprising poignancy of Radcliffe in sad clown makeup as a kind of “Elephant Man” precursor.  That poignancy is promptly spoiled by an action sequence with murderous circus folk on the rampage to prevent Radcliffe from being freed from involuntary servitude.  Radcliffe’s liberation and transformation to a normal life is quite affecting.  His liberator, Victor, is decisive, driven, and irrepressible – an equally engaging character, except when he gets drunk, or otherwise excitable, and starts chewing the scenery.  Elsewhere, Andrew Scott (who was so good as a half-mad Moriarty in the modern day “Sherlock” series from BBC) makes a strong impression as a principled, devout, and humorless Scotland Yard detective, but they spoil him by gratuitously disfiguring him (he loses some fingers, and an eye-patch inexplicably comes and goes).  Charles Dance (the Lannister pater familias in “Game of Thrones”) is very good in his short role as Victor’s stern, imperious father.  And “Downton Abbey’s” late Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Finley) is good as Igor’s love interest.  But there are flaws, too, like an evil young lord with improbable designs of conquest with the inhuman help of Frankenstein’s intended creation.  The result has the sporadic makings of a tragic drama arising from a good-natured ‘buddy story,’ but it is hobbled by the cardinal sin of excess – in action, effects, and pyrotechnics.  A case in point: the rotting monkey which is the two friends’ first experiment in reanimation.  Had it been quieter and subtler, leaving more of the mad science to the imagination and sticking with what it does quite well (solid characterization), it could have been a much better film.

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“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” (B):  In 1976 San Francisco, a precocious 15 year-old has an affair with her mother’s boyfriend in a story that’s meant to be a daring look at budding pubescent sexuality – from the viewpoint of a girl on the verge of becoming a woman.  It is unusual for its sexual frankness (in words and actions); doubly so because it champions female sexuality; triply so because its female lead is underage.  Minnie (winningly played by the unconventionally-looking British actress Bel Powley) is not only sexually active at an early age – she is sexually active with an older, indisputably adult man (played by “True Blood’s” Alexander Skarsgård).  Their unabashedly sexual relationship is transgressive for a host of reasons:  First, it’s illegal (given her age); second, it’s unseemly (given her age); third, it’s improper (given the disparity between her age and his); and four, it’s an immoral betrayal of her own mother (Kristen Wiig).  But, speaking of her mother, does drinking and taking drugs with wild abandon constitute somebody’s idea of responsible parenting, let-alone grown-up behavior?  Things are given an artistic gloss, insofar as Minnie is presented as a quirky and independent-minded aspiring artist.  Her (sometimes overtly sexual) cartoons whimsically come to life throughout the movie.  And, for the most part, Minnie seems improbably apt at keeping her head despite her relative tender years in the midst of these wildly inappropriate goings-on.  There’s a female liberation theme going on here (none too subtly), with the film’s frank and open exploration of female sexuality.  (It could just as readily have tackled the same subject with more restrained use of sexual talk and sexual actions. But self-restraint is a lost art nowadays.)  But it goes way beyond the pale, and anybody’s notion of normalcy, with its plunges into drug use and Minnie’s near-miss with involuntary prostitution.  Still, those excesses aside, it has some very good performances, led by Powley (in near award-caliber work) and Skarsgård.  Based on the novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” was written and directed by Marielle Heller.  For ages 18+:  Very coarse language; nudity; drug use; and strong sexual content.

“No Escape” (B-): What you see is what you get here:  An American family has just arrived at an unnamed southeast Asian country (it was filmed in Thailand), where he’s to start work as an engineer, when the whole place erupts in lethal violence.  Something like a bloody revolution gets underway moments after the unlucky family arrives at their hotel.  And the victorious rebels (there’s very little sign of the forces of law and order:  where’s the country’s army, not to mention outside intervention, while all the violent massacres are going on?) are ruthless about killing anyone they deem to be opposed to them.  That most definitely includes foreigners – all foreigners.  The family has to dodge bullets, bombs, helicopter gun-ships, men with machetes, and rapists in a desperate struggle to hide, flee, and survive.  It’s like we said: what you see is what you get.  It’s simple, unsophisticated, but successfully suspenseful.  There’s no time for character-development, but we sympathize with this family under severe stress.  They’re in imminent danger of violent death from one scene to the next.  Owen Wilson and Lake Bell play Jack & Annie Dwyer.  Their young daughters, Lucy and Beeze, are ably played by Sterling Jerins (from 2013’s very good “The Conjuring”) and Claire Geare, respectively.  Luckily for that quartet, there’s an experienced, able, and quite handy with firearms old Asian-hand on hand in the reliably charismatic presence of Pierce Brosnan.  He brings a combination of derring-do, geo-political commentary, and dark humor to bear.  Sahajak Boonthanakit plays his Nashville-loving sidekick ‘Kenny Rogers.’  The family in jeopardy theme (with its members being called upon to undertake things well outside their comfort zone) is efficiently executed, keeping us in suspense about their fate as they encounter one threat after another.  For ages 18+:  Violence, coarse language, and sexual violence.

Editor’s note:  Spoiler alert!  Our review of “Backcountry” (below) discloses some important plot points.  Proceed at your own risk.

“Backcountry” (Canada, 2014) [first half (B-/B); second half (F)]:  An almost engaged couple head to an unnamed provincial park for a weekend.  She’s a novice at such things – and unenthusiastic about being so isolated in the wilderness; he’s eager to show her his favorite places from his youthful visits to the same wilderness.  She’s hesitant; he’s over-confident.  It’s late in the season (fall), so they’re unlikely to encounter other backpackers.  But it’s that very sense of isolation that makes her so uneasy.  Jeff Roop (who has had recurring guest spots on the Canadian television series “Heartland”) and Missy Peregrym (from the Canadian television series “Rookie Blue”) are very well cast.  They are an appealing, very believable young couple, with nicely delineated characters.  Indeed, what’s best about the film is its first half, with its interplay of affection and twinges of unease as the couple wanders deeper and deeper in to the (literal and proverbial) woods.  Their unsettling encounter with a lone stranger (Eric Balfour’s Brad), however, is a tad heavy-handed.  On the one hand, it plausibly drives home the message that people alone in the woods are inherently vulnerable, should they happen to encounter someone dangerous.  But, why is this particular stranger so coarse and so vaguely intimidating?  He abruptly turns his back to his hosts and urinates in their presence without any heed to the dictates of acceptable behavior, like an animal marking its territory.  It’s a way for the filmmakers to signal that he is an intrusion into (and possible threat against) their civilized ways – but it’s a crude storytelling device.  And why on earth does he suddenly drop the thin (and too transparent) veil of amicability and take an openly aggressive, intimidating tone with his uncomfortable hosts?  No rationale is offered for his unsettling behavior:  It may not be wholly implausible, but it is rather contrived and therefore gratuitous.

But our main objection to the encounter is that it openly posits the stranger as an abiding threat, when, in fact, he’s just a red-herring.  Perhaps the idea is simply to ratchet up the sense of unease for the main event:  The couple becomes lost, in the middle of an expansive nowhere, only to be trailed, then aggressively hunted, by a large bear.  The predator is unrelenting in dogging them.  By the time it makes a ferocious, unprovoked, all-out assault on them, things get ugly.  In fact, things get so ugly, that it is impossible to recommend this otherwise good film.  A section with brutal, horrific violence is so gruesome, so stomach-churningly nauseating, so deeply disturbing, that it’s something no sensible person wants to see – not even vicariously, in a movie.  (In us, it prompted a barely-constrained impulse to flee the theater.)  All the careful pacing, the incremental building of unease, is squandered and undone by a revolting, repulsive plunge into brutal, horrific violence.  And improbabilities start to multiply:  How could a badly injured, utterly terrified, victim traverse rough country, let alone miraculously end up (without path, compass, or map) exactly where they stowed their canoe?  The ‘coincidence’ factor is (monumentally) too hard to accept.  And it’s compounded by another reunion at water’s edge that’s as unlikely as it is unwelcome (insofar as it implicitly transmogrifies a gratuitously creepy character into the savior of the day).

“Backcountry” was written and directed by Adam MacDonald, who most often works as an actor (“Rookie Blue” and “Being Erica”).  What’s good about the movie leads us to look forward to his future efforts.  Nicholas Campbell appears in a small role; and the movie was shot in North Bay, Restoule Provincial Park in Ontario, and in Squamish, B.C.  For ages 18+ only:  Brutal horrific violence; revoltingly gruesome content; and coarse language!

“American Ultra” (C):  A dope-smoking, long-haired slacker (Jesse Eisenberg ‘s Mike) and his girlfriend (the naturally dopey Kristen Stewart, of the annoying “Twilight” franchise, as Phoebe) live low-key lives in a small town (where he works in a variety store) till all hell breaks loose.  A cohort of assassins and soldiers arrive – all intent on eliminating Mike at the best of a ruthless CIA officer played by Topher Grace.  Turns out Mike is a sleeper-agent, trained in the lethal arts by the CIA, but put out to pasture by them as a failed experiment in psychological conditioning, with his memory erased.  Now, with his ticket about to be cancelled, permanently, the perpetually stoned-out young man is reactivated by a rival CIA operative (Connie Britton) intent on saving his life by switching back on the skills that will instinctively enable him to defend himself.  (The whole joke here is a hapless druggie slacker who has no idea how or why he suddenly has the skill-set of a highly trained killer.)  Battles with guns, explosives, and a spoon ensue.  It’s mindless entertainment, we suppose; though we don’t see the entertainment value in all the drug references – which, frankly, are quite off-putting.  For ages 18+:  Strong violence; drug use; and very coarse language.

“Ricki and the Flash” (C+/B-):  The trailer grated: Something about Meryl Streep as an aging rocker in braided fright wig and a heavy-handed story about trying to reconnect with the family she left to their own devices long ago.  But the movie worked better than its trailer.  The singing is adequate; but the movie swims or sinks on its characterizations.  So, which is it?  Well, let’s just say that it treads water and stays afloat.  It’s not particularly believable, but then, it seems to aim for amiability, tinged with a hint of the bittersweet.  Kevin Kline makes an impression as Streep’s affable ex, and her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer, plays her over-wrought offspring in the story.  It’s all meant to be kind of sassy, kind of endearing, kind of wry.  It’s okay entertainment but makes no enduring impression.

“The Man from UNCLE” (C):  The trailers for this semi-comedic remake (from director Guy Ritchie) of the 1960’s television series were smugly insufferable – very nearly to the point of keeping us away from this movie altogether.  Happily, it’s better than expected, with its only half serious spin on the spy genre.  Still, we never bought the faux accents, affectations, and phony mannerisms of its two male leads.  Besides, both Henry Cavill (as Napoleon Solo) and Armie Hammer (as his Russian nemesis turned ally Ilya Kuryakin) are both too big (that is, physically big) for the roles:  Their sheer hulking body sizes made them look like bodybuilders more than spies.  It detracted from their believability.  Female leads Alicia Vikander (who was so outstanding in “Ex Machina”) and the Australian-raised Elizabeth Debicki (as a villainess worthy of Bond himself) fare better, as does the too briefly seen Hugh Grant (as wry spymaster Mr. Waverly).

“Beyond the Mask” (C-/C):  Here’s an unusual blend of historical drama, swashbuckling adventure, romance, and Christian-themed redemptive story.  Set in 1775-76, it concerns a mercenary Andrew Cheney (as William Reynolds) who has been employed by Britain’s East India Company.  Recently back from India, he has been a successful agent for them, engaging in whatever dirty deeds (like assassination and theft) they command.  He wants out now; but, he is betrayed by his employer (John Rhys-Davies).  He barely evades a violent death, and his name has been publicly blackened.  So, he takes on the identity of a vicar who died saving him, meeting the gentle, swan-like beauty Charlotte (Kara Kilmer) in the process.  Events conspire to take these characters to the Americas.  Reynolds’ scheming former employer seeks to derail (by mass murder, if need be) the gathering momentum for independence in the Thirteen Colonies, while Reynolds works in a printing shop by day and rides the streets of Philadelphia as a Zorro-like masker avenger by night, in an effort to thwart the nasty schemes of his former employer.  (That’s all well and good, but it would have been nice if the filmmakers recognized that not all Loyalists were villains! There was an honest difference of opinion on the issue of independence from the mother-county.)  There is an interesting (and timely, for modern audiences) subtext here – about too close a connection between governmental and corporate interests, and also about the wrong way to respond to terror:  “He that would give up liberty for security deserves neither and loses both.”  (It would behoove us to remember that in the post 9/11 world:  Yet, far too many of us, in the West, seem to have forgotten it – at our peril.)  The cast is capable:  Besides those named already, Annie Kitral makes an impression as Charlotte’s mother and Alan Madlane steals his scenes as a mischievous Ben Franklin.  And the redemptive theme (“I am not a good man; but I desire to be.”) is appealing.  Its musical score emulates the main theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean” every time it goes into swashbuckling mode.  And its didactic Christian message is surprisingly restrained.  That message could have been subtler still:  Why not develop a role model character (like the bishop in “Les Misérables,” for instance) to befriend and inspire Reynolds in his transition from mercenary to good man, rather than overtly cite tenets of Christian faith?  True, the religious message is far more restrained here than in other faith-based movies, but it still feels shoe-horned into the action.  The result is a good try that falls a tad short of its potential.  Its many distinct ingredients don’t quite cohere into a fully satisfying finished work.  And, the story itself sometimes feels truncated, as though editing left too many transition scenes on the cutting room floor.  However, as it is, it is (mildly) worth a look.

“Dark Places” (C+):  Charlize Theron is very effective as Libby Day, the hardened, embittered, and joyless survivor of a domestic multiple murder that took place when she was a child.  Her older brother (played as a teen by “Mud’s” Tye Sheridan and later in life by Corey Stoll) was convicted of killing her mother (nicely portrayed by Christina Hendricks).  Libby has always believed he committed the murders.  Now, she reluctantly looks into the case, in order to make some money by helping an unlikely crew of people (led by Nicholas Hoult, who also appeared with Theron in this year’s “Mad Max: Fury Road”) who make a perverse hobby of looking into notorious crime cases.  Her inquiries prompt cascading questions about the lethal events in question.  The scenes in the present alternate with flashbacks from the past, which, bit by bit reveal what really happened.  Trouble is: The events leading up to (and culminating in) the murders just don’t engage us.  And the flashbacks themselves, presented in B&W video, draw entirely too much attention to themselves.  There are some odd characters (like Libby’s brother) and some unpleasant Satanist wannabes (like Chloë Grace Moretz’s Diondra).  Nor is the whole murder-investigators hobby club credible in the slightest.  The one thing that works here is Theron’s portrayal of a damaged soul.  It makes the movie worth seeing.

“The Gift” (B-): An effectively suspenseful drama that has an upwardly mobile couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall as Simon and Robyn) move into a nifty new house, only to find themselves the increasingly reluctant recipients of visits and unsolicited friendship by Gordo, an awkward and vaguely odd man (played by Joel Edgerton, who also wrote and directed this film).  It seems that Gordo knew Simon in high school – and we gradually learn that their acquaintance was not a happy one.  Is he out for revenge?  Is Simon hiding something?  We start to suspect that the unhappy combination of past secrets and ongoing cover-up is not going to end well.  Before long, Simon and Robyn are under psychological siege, giving new meaning, both figuratively and literally, to the old caution about ‘people who live in glass houses.’  The screenplay is marred by improbabilities.  For starters:  Don’t reward incipient stalker-like behavior by inviting your persistent visitor in for coffee.  Second, don’t pop stolen pills.  Third, don’t leave your wife alone and vulnerable on a regular basis when a creep is hanging about.  The film makes a good point about our never wholly knowing what those closest to us may be capable of.  But it squanders the good performances, the gradually ratcheting-up suspense, and the sense of mystery, by – spoiler alert – leaving us with not one but two villains.  Among its male leads, there is ultimately no one to root for.  That fact obliterates our sympathies and leaches the unduly distasteful ending of both its import and its impact.

“Fantastic Four” (D+/C-):  The latest superhero flick spawned from comic books is mildly interesting in first half, but pointlessly conventional in the last half.  It’s mighty hard to take these particular “powers” seriously.  They’re just too ridiculous to exist off the newsprint pages of a comic book – one character can stretch his limbs like Gumby on steroids, another is permanently transformed to a walking, talking pile of rocks, a third can ignite in flames (and fly) at will, and the lone distaff member of the quartet can turn invisible and project force fields.  Their varied transformations come courtesy of a reckless (and sublimely pointless) excursion to another dimension – a journey undertaken for no conceivable reason whatsoever.  It leaves them stricken with conditions that are more to be pitied than envied; and they are obliged to battle a fifth member of their team, who is belatedly reunited with them and inexplicably intent on global extinction.  Maybe if the whole thing had been played with a wink and a nudge?  Nah, not even then.

“Irrational Man” (B-):  Inappropriate relationships (one adulterous, the other transgressively between a professor and his student) and a murder provide the grist for this straight-faced comedy of manners from Woody Allen.  It’s set in a university town, but we never for an instant believe that Joachim Phoenix and Emma Stone are teacher and student.  This reviewer must confess that he is not sure why he liked this film:   It was neither funny nor believable…   In fact, its arch tone defies credibility.  But, it is inexplicably likeable for characters.  They, and especially the lovely, personable Emma Stone, exude charm.  (Parker Posey also makes an impression as non-too-faithful married woman.)  And that, somehow, was enough.

“Southpaw” (C/C+):  Jake Gyllenhaal plays Billy Hope, a boxing champ who came up from the wrong side of the tracks.  The tragic loss of his beloved wife and partner (Canada’s Rachel McAdams) throws Billy into a steep spiral.  He loses his income, his mansion, custody of his daughter (Oona Laurence), and his will to live.  He loses it all, until he hits rock bottom and rekindles the will to fight – not just in the boxing ring, but in life’s contests.  Along the way, he is aided by the world-weary veteran played by Forest Whitaker, as the new trainer he enlists to his cause:  Whitaker is the best thing in the movie.  As good as actress as she is, McAdams, whose tenure in the film is very brief, seems too sweet for the role.  For ages 18:  Coarse language – lots of it!

“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” (C+):  Breaking into supposedly impregnable places, engaging in wild pursuits by car and motorcycle, navigating the duplicitous byways of governmental intelligence agencies, diverse stunts galore, and outwitting your adversary – all these are the stuff of the “Mission Impossible” film franchise.  But, the best thing by far in this installment is Swedish-born, British-raised Rebecca Ferguson as the improbably named ‘Ilsa Faust,’ an agent of ambiguous agendas who’s more than a match for every man in the movie combined.  Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg & Company are serviceable as the continuing protagonists.  But, aside from Ferguson, who gets all of our attention here, Sean Harris is a stand-out as the smart, highly capable villain-in-chief. And, we still like the title theme music lifted from the old television series – a drama that relied on brains far more than the movies’ fondness for brawn.  The screenplay has one howler of a ridiculous line:  “Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny!”

“Ant-Man” (B-):  Here’s an amusing comic book character, with an unusual superpower:  He can switch back and forth from human size to the size of an ant!  He acquires the impressive relative strength of those tiny critters and leads an army of them into battle against a mad-scientist intent on using the same shrink-ray as a weapon of war.  What’s good here is the sense of humor and buoyant mood.  There’s enough invested in characterization to make this action adventure worthwhile, thanks to a good script and good performances by the cast, led by Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Canada’s Evangeline Lilly (who was the standout in the last two installments of “The Hobbit”), and Michael Peña.  The result is entertaining and good summer fun.

“Paper Towns” (C/C+):  A boy is secretly smitten with the girl across the street for years, though their paths diverge early on, until they are briefly reunited at the end of high school.  She’s a self-styled enigmatic free-spirit, an adventuress who marches to the tune of her own drum:  “Maggie loved mystery; maybe so much that she became one herself.”  Her offbeat ways are cute and precocious when she’s a child, less so when she’s vaguely bratty teen.  More femme fatale than girl next door, she disappears (of her own accord) after enlisting her adoring admirer for an evening of pranks.  That sets him and an extended circle of acquaintances on a road-trip to find her.  Based on the popular novel by John Green, the movie is a mixed result.  It opens with an engaging prologue showing Maggie and Quentin as kids – very appealingly played by Hannah Alligood and Josiah Cerio.  If only we saw more of young Maggie.  Her older self is played by British model Cara Delevinge, and she’s just too blank-faced (in that model way) to be the face that launched even one ship.  And is she a free-spirit, as advertised, or just plain troubled (“Everything is ugly close up,” she opines)?  She seems more pouting poseur than urban philosopher:  “We bring the rain and not the scattered showers.”  On the other hand, she’s soon out of sight – and the road trip by Quentin (Nat Wolff) and his ragtag collection of fellow travelers (Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, and Jaz Sinclair) is mostly kind of cute.  The result is an intermittently successful coming of age story.

“Mr. Holmes” (B):  The estimable Ian McKellen (who was note-perfect as Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings”) plays an aging Sherlock Holmes in a movie that has more to do with aging, mortality, and cascading losses than it does with the usual tropes of a Sherlockian mystery story.  Here, the detective is in his nineties, long since retired, and long parted from his friend John Watson.  His memories are fading, but he is haunted by his imperfect recollections of his last case – a case that he’s sure was a failure.  The detecting is fine; but the heart of this story is the old man’s relationship with a young boy, his housekeeper’s earnest son (Milo Parker as Roger).  His mother (Laura Linney) lacks the boy’s earnest admiration for (and emulation of) Holmes; instead, her primary emotion is sourness.  “Mr. Holmes” shines as a relationship-driven character-study.

“Terminator Genisys” (C):  A somewhat revisionary return to the Terminator franchise uses paradoxes created by time travel to inventively play with what has gone before in previous movies.  Its best feature, the one that makes it worth seeing, is its affectionate partnership between an aging benevolent Terminator (a gently humorous turn by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who steals the show and single-handedly recreates fond memories of the first two movies) and the human woman he has raised to be a self-confident, capable warrior.  Emilia Clarke is appealing in the role of Sarah Connor, taking over from the fine work done by her fellow “Game of Thrones” alumna Lena Headley, who did a first rate job in the role in the late, lamented 2008-09 television series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”  (Clarke is unrecognizable here, without the unnaturally bleached white-blonde hair she sports as Daenerys Targaryen.)  The relationship between Schwarzenegger and Clarke’s characters is almost that of surrogate father and daughter – and it lends interest to an otherwise so-so story.  The good guys still insist on blasting merrily away with guns at androids that are clearly impervious to bullets – futile behavior that is inexplicably common to all movies in the franchise – but at least they figure out some more effective ways of dispatching a relentless foe made of molten metal.  Happily, Schwarzenegger is a vital, integral player in this outing, not just a cameo bit.

“Self/less” (C+):  A dying real estate mogul (Ben Kingsley) is introduced to a secret outfit that offers to transfer his consciousness to a new body – in exchange for a king’s ransom.  It means leaving his old identity and life behind.  What he doesn’t know, but comes to suspect later, is that his host body was not grown in a laboratory as his benefactors claimed:  Rather, it belonged to a young man (Ryan Reynolds) who was desperate enough to get expensive medical care for his grievously ill daughter that he agreed to give up his own life in exchange.  The original occupant’s consciousness has been chemically suppressed; a regular course of drugs will eventually obliterate it completely.  But the old rich man, in his shiny new body, gets enough glimpses into its original owner’s life to feel responsible for him.  He also picks up the (muscle-memory?) skill-set of the suppressed consciousness.  The young man was a soldier – and his combat skills come in handy as the conscience-stricken recipient of the donor-body strives: to undercover the truth from the ruthless mastermind of ‘Phoenix Biogenics’ (Matthew Goode), to overpower the thugs (led by Derek Luke) who are meant to keep him from asking too many questions, and to protect the donor’s grieving wife (Natalie Martinez) and daughter.  The whole thing ends up in pedestrian chases, gun-battles, and hand-to-hand fights.  What’s good about the movie is actually is the quieter, character-driven stuff, its premise of cutting edge medical breakthroughs available only to the super-rich, and the moral questions that drive one beneficiary of a new lease on life to risk it all for the sake of others.  Canada’s Victor Garber has an important supporting role.  “Self/less” was directed by Tarsem Singh, who is noted for his visually flamboyant flair; this outing lacks such outlandish visuals – but it does offer some fairly intriguing ideas.  For ages 18+: Coarse language.

“Dope” (B-):  A trio of good teens in a rough-around-the-edges California suburb known as ‘The Bottoms’ unwittingly come into possession of a drug dealer’s illegal stash and have to rely on their wits and improvised entrepreneurial skills to offload it without getting killed or arrested.  The three friends (led by Shameik Moore as Malcolm) describe themselves as “geeks,” but they’re hip enough to have their own band.  They aren’t saints, but they are good kids.  Indeed, Malcolm aims to try for admission to Harvard.  There are gangs to outwit or evade, sirens to lust after, and a crook in high places who puts the lie to the self-acclaimed respectability of ‘the Establishment.’  The prevailing tone here is sly, somewhat dark, humor, though there are serious moments, too.  It’s a coming of age story told mostly in an offbeat comedic note.  The drug references are not appealing; nor are the crude and vulgar verbal exchanges.  But this coming of age story, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (of 2002’s “Brown Sugar”) gets points for originality and verve. Tony Revolori and Kiersey Clemons (as Malcolm’s chums Jib & Diggy), Zoe Kravits (as the ‘head screwed on straight’ good girl, Nakia), and Chanel Iman (as the seductively bad girl, Lily) appear in key roles.  For ages 18+ only: Frequent very coarse language; sexual content; nudity; and drug use.

“Minions” (C/C+):  The funny little yellow guys from 2010’s “Despicable Me” and its sequel get top-billing in a film of their own.  These pint-sized, capsule-shaped characters are as funny as ever.  Their (benignly) mischievous antics and hapless propensity for getting into trouble amuses us as much as it does them.  They chatter away in a rapid patter decipherable only to themselves (though we always manage to get the gist of it).  In that and other respects, they conjure our inner-child. But, as cute as they are, there isn’t enough of a story (it revolves around a ho-hum villainess and a heist of some of the British crown jewels) here to sustain a movie.  The brief appearance of a younger version of the other films’ super-villain, ‘Gru,’ late in the film (this film is, in effect, a prequel to “Despicable Me”) is a highlight – as is a longer prologue, showing the unfortunate fates of the minions’ diverse adopted leaders (everything from a Tyrannosaurus rex to an Egyptian pharaoh) down through history.  Once again, though, sidekicks (like “Madagascar’s” quartet of over-confident penguins) work better as sidekicks than as leading characters.