Ex Machina

— This was a surprisingly good AI film, reminding me of a time when science fiction spent more time questioning man’s nature and place in the universe and less on special effects and CGI. It uses computer graphics well, but their role in the film isn’t so obvious as to be in your face and the storyline develops without any great need for surround sound. There’s a point when the story seems to develop a little slowly, but once the pieces are in place, it’s riveting and a little chilling. It’s a very nicely done cautionary tale and probably the best of its ilk since “Her”. You'll be happy if you see this one!

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[2015. 108 min. Written and directed by Alex Garland. Starring Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac.]
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/03/ex-machina-review

While We’re Young

— This should be my kind of film. These days, the tug and pull of the things that make youthfulness enticing and the difficulty of understanding the value of where you are on the birth/death continuum, makes anything with “Golden Years” as part of the soundtrack seem interesting. After “Greenberg” and “Frances Ha”, both good films, I’d hoped for something more from writer/director Noah Baumbach. While there are some genuinely funny things about this film, particularly for anyone who watched from afar as most of their generation bore and raised children with righteousness and superiority, no one from Generation X or the Millennials is depicted as particularly decent. Luckily, it’s a film about privileged white people so there’s no problem with them being selfish and narcissistic or, worse, young. Aside from the moments of humor, the discussions about documentary filmmaking, ethics, manipulation and authenticity, as well as the shifting nature of integrity and a misunderstanding of compromise, are interesting and, assuming they are the important takeaways from the film, redeem the film. I’d recommend it, even if it the characters themselves are a little irritating.

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[2014. 97 min. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, and Charles Grodin.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/while-were-young-2015

A Most Violent Year

— This is a solid film (DVD), even when compared to Chandor’s earlier and acclaimed “Margin Call” and “All Is Lost”. About midway through I realized I was watching a film that builds and evolves, revealing a complicated plot and letting characters develop over time. This is something unusual—and pleasant—in an era where films tend to be fast, loud, bright, and jumpy without many soft edges.

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[2014. 125 min. Directed by J.C. Chandor. Starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, and David Oyelowo.]
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/stars-violent-year-article-1.2059261

Women In Gold

— A nicely crafted, softly told, and poorly written film that’s lucky to have Helen Mirren carrying the somewhat familiar story. Even so, the story is worth telling and Mirren is certainly worth watching. This film is nothing special but it was acceptable entertainment at the matinee price.

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[2015. 109 min. Directed by Simon Curtis. Starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/movies/review-woman-in-gold-stars-helen-mirren-in-tug-of-war-over-artwork.html?_r=0

The Hunt (Jagten)

— A look at man’s animal side, at a tendency toward herd behavior, and at unjustifiable self-righteousness. An innocent man is ostracized when a young girl is coaxed into describing an incident that never occurred. Soon he is living a full-fledged nightmare as the town turns on him, refusing to believe the girl when she takes back the accusation. Before long, the adults have other children imagining events that never happened and making accusations. It becomes a frightening witch hunt as we watch first his best friend, the girl’s father, then his other friends, and soon shopkeepers and anyone else who hears the lies and joins the pack, turn on him. One scene, where the man’s son stands up for him only to be physically attacked by the angry mob, is particularly disturbing. The pack is out of control and the sad thing is that the scenario is so believable and I can imagine some righteous citizens seeing the price this one man pays as acceptable. Maybe that’s why the ending of “The Hunt” (DVD) attempts to offset what’s happened, to the detriment of what otherwise is an excellent film.

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[2012. 115 min. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, and Annika Wedderkopp.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hunt-2013

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1

— Turning trilogies into tetralogies should be avoided. I balked at supporting it when “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1” appeared in theaters but I finally watched it on DVD. Just as I thought, it would have been wonderful if only it had been whole. With these actors, it’s great to watch them make the most of things for two hours, but it would have been even better to watch them complete the story even if it took three hours. My advice? Wait until the “fourth movie in the trilogy” is released and watch the DVD of Part 1 just before you go to see Part 2. Then hope they don’t decide they can make a buck by continuing the franchise beyond the original novels.

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[2014. 123 min. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Julianne Moore.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/23/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-one-review

The Drop

— A tight script (written by the author of “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone”) and low-key acting (Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Repace) make this gritty crime drama worthwhile. Most of the characters are familiar, as it the working class bar and neighborhood, but there’s something mesmerizing about the gentling unfolding, subtle story of violence lurking just under the surface. With slim pickings in theaters for the past three months, a good DVD was refreshing.

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[2014. 106 min. Directed by Michael R. Roskam. Starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Repace, and James Gandolfini.]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11077752/The-Drop-review-James-Gandolfini-and-Tom-Hardy-are-superb.html