Inferno

— I like Dan Brown’s symbol- and art-laden novels and I like Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, the Harvard scholar and main character who is always dodging bullets while racing to figure out the clues that can resolve some crisis before the bad guys beat him to it. All this from an academic? Sure enough. If you liked the previous two installments, you’ll probably like this one as well. Ron Howard does his usual, thoughtful and precise job and the film manages to stay mostly true to the novel except for a few fewer twists and a shift at the end. We’ve grown accustomed to lots of action and we get it, but we’re also served up nonstop and somewhat academic clues that make the film either interesting or boring depending on your sensibilities. I enjoyed it and the decision to adjust the final “chapter” reminded me how different films are from novels. Did I mention that the images themselves are really beautiful?

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[2016. 121 min. Directed by Ron Howard. Starring Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Irrfan Khan, and Omar Sy.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inferno-2016

Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare)

— This is a fascinating and horrifying look at the existing European migrant/refugee crisis. It’s a series of Lampedusa images and interactions showing the ordinary life of the locals as well as that of refugees, ostensibly presented without judgement. There’s not a lot of dialogue and the cinematography is extraordinary, creating a beautiful and powerful but depressing film. Since some of the footage, particularly of the local islanders, is re-enactments, there’s the possibility of adjusting the truth not just through editing but by “writing” as well. This didn’t smudge the line between documentary and fiction as much as many, but it’s still worth mentioning. At the conclusion, it’s hard to push aside the images of refugees packed in boats and headed for Lampedusa with so many not surviving the journey and still having an uncertain future if they make it there. It also brings to mind another human rights film about the European immigration crisis that I liked, “Those Who Jump”, which went off in a much different direction but is also worth seeing.

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[2016. 114 min. Directed by Gianfranco Rosi. With Samuele Pucillo, Maria Costa, Pietro Bartolo, and Samuele Caruana.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/12/fire-at-sea-review-migrant-crisis-documentary

Genius

— I thought this was a fascinating film (DVD), but I do seem to like author or artist biopics. This one was particularly good because I sometimes have trouble fully identifying with artist characters but I had no trouble identifying with Colin Firth’s Scribner’s editor (Max Perkins) character. Of course, the demons and extremes of the artist and their issues in dealing with fame were front and center, particularly in Jude Law’s Tom Wolfe, but also in the Hemingway and Fitzgerald characters. Jude Law, by the way, with all his bluster, bigger-than-life, crazed, and articulate fervor, was up to the task of playing opposite Firth‘s carefully reserved, strong, intelligent, and warm Max. For that matter, to have Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney playing the under-appreciated women went a long way toward showing how relationships used to feed genius and makes you wonder how that’s changed as women have become accepted as valuable artists in their own right. Poor Zelda, whose life was so exuberant and worthy of its own biography, is only a bit part in this film—just one more reminder of the price of good editing. It certainly gets you thinking about genius and the degree to which an editor affects a work. I’d recommend this if you have any interest such things, or maybe even if you just like Firth and Law.

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[2016. 104 min. Directed by Michael Grandage. Starring Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney, Guy Pearce, and Dominic West.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/movies/review-genius-puts-max-perkins-and-thomas-wolfe-in-a-literary-bromance.html

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

— About what you’d expect with Cruise’s charisma and Zwick’s directing experience pushing out the second Jack Reacher action thriller. Unfortunately, the script’s a little straightforward and it pales in comparison to Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” films or even the first "Reacher" film, but it still has enough action, humor and plot twists to make it work. Reacher is a man of few words with lots of martial arts skills who heads up what’s almost a post-Apocalyptic family once he’s running with a feisty teenager and a woman not without her own fighting skills and a carefully scripted ability to exemplify non gender-specific behaviors. It’s better than mediocre and I’ll be curious to see if all three characters reappear in a third film a few years from now.

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[2016. 118 min. Directed by Edward Zwick. Starring Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, and Aldis Hodge.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/jack-reacher-never-go-back-2016

Operation Avalanche

— Good idea, not so great execution. A couple of college film geeks who are recruited by the CIA in 1967 find out Apollo 11 can’t land on the moon. Rather than lose the space race to the Russians, they put forward a plan to shoot footage of a fake landing that can be transmitted back to earth from an orbiting Apollo 11 for the evening news to report. Thus is born the ”one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” hoax of the century. The film has a distinctly amateur feel to its camerawork and editing, although I'm not sure if the effect was intentional. It’s sort of like watching an SNL skit that's too long and never really hits the mark, partly because it insists on paying homage to “Blair Witch”. The devolution of the two main characters’ friendship is much more interesting than the fake moon landing itself. After the audience is privy to the crux of the story, there’s just not much else to the film--it's probably one I should have skipped.

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[2016. 94 min. Directed by Matt Johnson. Starring Matt Johnson, Owen Williams, and Josh Boles.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/operation-avalanche-2016

The Accountant

— Ben Affleck’s a math savant whose military father honed his marital arts and marksman skills. As an adult accountant with Asperger Syndrome, he’s sought after by mafia leaders and gangsters who need help with their books. There’s plenty of backstory to support the primary action so it's not quite as preposterous as it sounds. Affleck is good as a nerdy, socially awkward, accountant who’s equally adept at taking out a bevy of hired killers or preparing your taxes, but it’s a little odd since his boyish charm and charisma are traditionally two of his strong points and neither are much on display in this film. There are twists and turns and the door’s clearly open for sequels if audiences like Affleck’s character. I’m not sure it’s Jason Bourne gold, but he might have a near winner here. I enjoyed it even if it was a little preposterous.

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[2016. 128 min. Directed by Gavin O’Connor. Starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick J.K. Simmons, and Jeffrey Tambor.]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/accountant-review-937510

Denial

— This is pretty low key and has a script more typical of a play than a film but it’s a good script in the hands of very talented actors. Rachel Weisz is Emory University professor and WWII historian Deborah Lipstadt whose book about Holocaust deniers catches public attention when one of the deniers, David Irving, sues her for libel. The ensuing legal battle for historical truth requires a good deal of self-denial itself. For those who are interested in the issue (I am) and in a very British courtroom drama, you’ll like it. With all the denials associated with the 2016 presidential race and spread through every media channel, it’s also topical. There may not be much action, but this is a precisely crafted film and a good one too.

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[2016. 110 min. Directed by Mick Jackson. Starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, and Timothy Spall.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/12/denial-review-rachel-weisz-holocaust-david-irving-toronto-film-festival

The Birth of a Nation

— This is a troublesome film no matter how you deal with it. It is the story is one of the bloodiest slave uprisings in American history, when Nat Turner and his followers picked up axes and other farm tools and went from house to house killing slave owners and their families. As director, writer, producer, and star, Nate Parker’s hand is all over this film but I can’t be sure his vision was realized. Turner is presented as a nice lad who learns to read and write and shows respect for his owner. As he grows older, he becomes more heroic and more religious, preaching to slaves at other plantations and receiving God’s visions. Witnessing injustice at every turn and seeing his wife and other women violated, he organizes his followers in a vengeful or righteous revolt. The problem is that, in an effort to counteract past filmic views of race, a very simplistic view is presented and, although the basic facts of Turner’s story are there, it’s hard to trust much of the film. This may be Parker’s personal view, or maybe a way to focus viewer attention on a link in the struggle for equality that continues today. The film certainly is not a great film, but it’s singular, simplistic, brutal vision has some shock value and I'm glad I saw it. I should mention that I understand the other troublesome part of this film—Parker was accused of sexual assault while a student at Penn State by a woman who later committed suicide, so audiences may be faced with an ethical dilemma as to whether seeing the film moves them closer to equality or shows disrespect for victims of sexual abuse.

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[2016. 120 min. Written and directed by Nate Parker. Starring Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller, and Raymond Cobb.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/movies/the-birth-of-a-nation-review-nate-parker.html

The Girl On the Train

— I admit it. I didn’t make it through Paula Hawkins’ novel even though everyone raved about it. I just didn’t really care about Rachel, her failed marriage, her sad life, her drinking, or her stalking. The film’s no better except I stuck with it to the end. Overall, the action is just too flat with only slight short spurts of intrigue to keep you watching, so it never stood a chance of being a decent mystery/thriller. I think either the director or the editor lost sight of how tension normally builds in these kinds of stories. The best thing is that Emily Blunt does a decent job and, without her, the film would have been a real bomb. Even so, watching “Gone Girl” again would have been a much better use of my time.

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[2016. 112 min. Directed by Tate Taylor. Starring Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, and Justin Theroux.]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-girl-on-the-train-even-emily-blunt-cant-enliven-fatally-dreary-whodunit/2016/10/06/e192644c-8af4-11e6-b24f-a7f89eb68887_story.html

Deepwater Horizon

— Mark Wahlberg has a certain kind of character he likes to bring to the screen—patriotic, courageous underdogs overcoming either greedy or political bad guys—and he's very good at it. Wahlberg’s charisma paired with Peter Berg’s skills makes this a perfect escape with just enough tension and plenty of action to certify it a would-be blockbuster. I liked it but I do wonder how time and time again I fall for these individual stories of courage and kindness in the midst of crisis and disaster. I may even feel a little guilty for “enjoying” stories that may be uplifting but occur in the context of a tragic historical event. Next on the Wahlberg/Berg calendar is a film focusing on events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing!

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[2016. 107 min. Directed by Peter Berg. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien, Kate Hudson, Douglas M. Griffin, and James DuMont.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/movies/deepwater-horizon-review-mark-wahlberg.html

Equity

— “Equity” is lucky to have Anna Gunn as the lead but I still found the message in this sluggish, alpha-female film a little confusing. Gunn an ambitious Wall Street investment banker surrounded by wolves and hitting the glass ceiling. Her frustration builds throughout the film as she works on an uneven playing field and must choose between truth and her job. She rightfully looses faith in her boss, her boyfriend, and even the sisterhood. Scheming and unethical men are nothing new in film, but do women now have to take on the worst attributes of male power players? Issues of greed and power have been covered pretty well in “Wall Street” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” and, although this puts an interesting feminist slant on it and I’m glad I saw it, it left me unsatisfied with a script that doesn’t progress satisfactorily and some slightly off editing.

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[2016. 100 min. Directed by Meera Menon. Starring Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, and Sarah Megan Thomas.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/04/equity-review-financial-thriller-anna-gunn-james-purefoy