Truth

— This is quite the cast and they make a gripping journalistic thriller out of the events that led to Dan Rather’s downfall at CBS. It raises lots of issues about journalistic integrity, bias, sensationalism, profit making vs. serving the public good, and corporate and political pressures on news journalists. The story is told from the perspective of Mary Mapes, the producer who also lost her job and on whose book the film is based. The film manages to relay how complicated and elusive truth is, since once anything other than pure fact is presented, some perspective necessarily exists. Although the incident was a significant journalistic blunder, it was a little hard to focus on the actual event in the film, just as the documents CBS used as support of their story made it hard to focus on the truth of the story itself. Although it’s never clear if this is a biopic or a look at the fusion of news and entertainment, it remains a good film. Cate Blanchett’s performance is particularly noteworthy and Robert Redford is surprisingly believable as Rather.

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[2015. 121 min. Directed by James Vanderbilt. Starring Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Elizabeth Moss, Bruce Greenwood, and Stacy Keach.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/movies/review-truth-treads-a-perilous-political-tightrope.html

The Water Diviner

— A somewhat tedious but lovingly photographed tale of a father looking for his sons' remains after the battle of Gallipoli. It’s easy to see why so few people saw this film (DVD). The dialogue's not very good, the story’s a little farfetched, and the camera spends a little too long looking longingly at things. Crowe’s direction is weak but Crowe’s acting is the film’s saving grace. I’d wait for it to be on late night, free TV.

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[2014. 111 min. Directed by Russell Crowe. Starring Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, and Jai Courtney.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/movies/review-in-the-water-diviner-russell-crowe-revisits-gallipoli.html

Steve Jobs

— This is a much better film than I expected. My guess is I just wasn’t paying attention to the people who are involved with it—Danny Boyle, Aaron Sorkin, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels. This is a dialogue-heavy film but it’s extremely well-written, well-acted, and well-directed dialogue! Depending on your perspective, it’s easy to think of Jobs as a brilliant, creative, demigod or a self-absorbed, egotistical prima donna. This film paints him to be some of both and the tug between businessman and artist is apparent throughout. My friend Judy Routhe, who recommended the film, said she’d read the book and, at the end of the film, turned to her husband and said “they didn’t finish the book!” The ending did seem to come early, but I suppose Sorkin's script focused less on Jobs’ life than on his motivation so the last dozen years of his life didn’t need to be included. I liked the film a lot and am grateful to have a few decent films in theaters again.

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[2015. 122 min. Written by Aaron Sorkin. Directed by Danny Boyle. Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/steve-jobs-2015

Bridge of Spies

— This is a spy thriller reminiscent of the best ones. The story unfolds and, even if you remember the U-2 overflights and the capture of Gary Powers, there’s still an uneasy feeling throughout the negotiations that only good, direction, acting, and writing can bring. Enter Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and writer Matt Charman and rewriters Joel & Ethan Coen. Added to the very interesting storyline is a view of mob fear and prejudice, of fickle public opinion, and of civil rights denied in the name of public good. Hanks role as James Donovan, an attorney defending a Soviet spy, reminds us of Atticus Finch, bringing another positive note to the film. This is just a very well done espionage film.

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[2015. 141 minutes. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, and Alan Alda]
http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Spielberg-s-Bridge-of-Spies-is-much-more-6566815.php

The Walk

— Sometimes films based on true stories are a little empty because, while the story may have been fine as a documentary, the story just doesn’t have enough meat to exist as fiction. “Man on Wire” was a very good documentary and I wasn’t sure there was any reason to have a re-creation, but “The Walk” is visually stunning. Even before the main event, every scene is beautiful and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's enthusiasm is contagious. I have problems with heights and there were times when I cringed but there were also times when I got caught up in high-wire act itself. Because the walk involved the Twin Towers, another dimension surrounds the walk that didn’t exist when it occurred. The World Trade Center itself is an adversary and a lover, and now a bittersweet memory. In the end, “The Walk” does seem like what you’d want a documentary to be if you could know how it ends before it begins, frame every shot perfectly, film every scene from every angle, and adjust the facts a little. It’s technically a very good film, but it’s not going to be among my five favorite films of the year.

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[2015. 123 min. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, and Ben Kingsley.]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/the-walk/review/

Sicario

— I liked “Sicario” even if it is another Mexican drug cartel film. It just happens to be a very nicely crafted one that doesn’t spend every minute with quick cuts and over-amped music. Yes, there’s action—it is a suspense thriller after all—and there are bloody scenes too, but there’s a lot more as well. It may be awfully bleak, but it's also perfectly taut and I’m a sucker for films that linger in the grays, looking at situations where everyone’s ethics are challenged and there doesn’t appear to be much moral high ground for the greater good. If you like these kinds of things, “Sicario” is worth checking out. This film and Denis Villeneuve’s three previous films (“Incendies”, “Prisoners”, and “Enemy”) have moved him up on my list of filmmakers even if he is something of a newcomer.

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[2015. 121 min. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro.]
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/09/21/dark-places-cinema-lane

The Martian

— This was a wonderful film, holding my attention from start to finish. It’s not very intellectual nor does it take itself too seriously, but it is a film that tugs at the emotions and takes you back to a time when we thought the nation was united in its goals, when taking things step-by-step could result in success, and when everyone was a little less selfish. It’s an odd twist on science fiction since it’s a little more of a feel good film than speculation about technological change on some future society. In some ways, I would have expected this to have a summer release since it was so engaging. Well worth seeing with Matt Damon doing a fine job in the title role.

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[2015. 141 min. Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, and Michael Pena.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/movies/review-in-the-martian-marooned-but-not-alone.html