Clouds of Sils Maria

— I missed this film when it was in theaters but I’m sure glad I checked it out on DVD. It’s an incredibly complex and intimate film. Juliette Binoche is wonderful as Maria, a 40-year-old star no longer able to play the parts she wants, whose personal assistant, Val, played with amazing finesse by Kirsten Stewart, is her able organizer, confidant, and friend. Maria has been signed to play in a stage version of the film that made her famous when she was 18, but this time she’ll be the vulnerable older boss instead of the young, personal assistant seducing her boss, a role to be played by an up-and-coming star who is comfortable as fodder for the TMZ world. There isn’t a straight path in this film and there’s plenty of dialogue as the scenes unfold, touching on the complexities of art and reality, youth and experience, and beauty and wisdom. With several layers and subplots started but not continued, it’s no surprise the story itself doesn’t exactly end even if the film does. If you like neat packages or definitive ways of living, this may not be your film. For me, even the parts that seemed a little too rambling were still fascinating since all the dialogue seemed real and the vaguely blurry line between stage and life only reminded me of the blurry lines we all have as we step among the parts of our lives.

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[2015. 124 min. Directed by Olivier Assayas. Starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Cloe Grace Moretz.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/10/movies/review-in-clouds-of-sils-maria-a-celebration-turns-into-a-memorial.html?_r=0

Suffragette

— “Suffragette” was a little disappointing and not very rousing. Instead of letting me witness the British suffrage movement, this film presents everything in retrospect for today’s sympathetic eyes, leaving little sense of the opposing view. That very filter makes it nearly impossible to feel a part of the struggle or even as sympathetic to the cause as I would have expected. Carey Mulligan’s subtle expressiveness is really about all that saved it from just being a heavy-handed, one-sided flick for those who need to look at the past with a narrow focus. It does raise questions about when violence is justified and to what extent, martyrdom, patriarchy, and why, all these years later, issues like economic equity remain unresolved.

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[2015. 106 min. Directed by Sarah Gavron. Starring Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, and Ben Whishaw.]
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/suffragette-20151022

Creed

— After all these years, something of the original “Rocky” is at work again in “Creed”. This is a decently scripted, directed, and acted boxing film. Both Michael B. Jordan’s character and Sylvester Stallone’s are more complex than expected and their relationship and emotions add some extra layers to the film. It’s not a great film, but it is old-fashioned entertainment along with a bit of nostalgia that was worth the price of admission.

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[2015. 133 min. Directed by Ryan Coogler. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/creed-2015

The Heat

— Female buddy films are a mixed bag. “The Heat” does a pretty good job of merging plot and humor, thanks to its able costars, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the Lethal Weapons or Beverly Hills Cops. It’s fun but easily forgotten. [DVD]

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[2013. 117 min. Directed by Paul Feig. Starring Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Damian Bichir, and Marlon Wayans.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-heat-2013

Secret In Their Eyes

— Julia Roberts looks downright plain and haggard in “Secret In Their Eyes” but she’s still someone who has no trouble holding your attention. Nicole Kidman, looking far from plain, is also more than capable of holding your attention. This is an interesting thriller with a few good twists and plenty to keep it moving along with only a few slight bumps. Even so, it seems a little flat and I’m not sure if that’s because there are a few bumps in either the script or the pace, or if my memory of the somewhat better 2009 Argentinian film on which the current film was based got in the way. In any event, even if this new version doesn’t measure up to its predecessor, it still is a cut above mediocre.

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[2015. 111 min. Directed by Billy Ray. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, and Julia Roberts.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/19/secret-in-their-eyes-review-chiwetel-ejiofor-julia-roberts-nicole-kidman-english-language-remake

Spectre

— After more than fifty years, this franchise still knows how to tweak a good thing every year or two and “Spectre” has all the trademark components so it’s fast and fun, along with Daniel Craig who brings his brand of introspective realism, humor, and allure to his fourth bond film in nine years. I liked “Skyfall” a little more than “Spectre” but this one’s still fun as it pays homage to earlier films along the way. I miss Judi Dench, but Ralph Fiennes is an acceptable replacement. The nearly two and half hours went quickly. It’s good entertainment and, after more than twenty films, it’s a formula that works.

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[2015. 148 min. Directed by Sam Meendes. Starring Daniel Craig, Christophy Waltz, Lea Seydoux, and Ralph Fiennes.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/spectre-2015

Room

— "Room" will bring a tear to almost anyone’s eye, but they may not know for sure if it’s from joy or sadness. This is the story of a 5-year-old boy who’s been held captive in a windowless backyard shed with his mother since birth. His mother’s turned their room into a safe and satisfying environment for him but the time comes when they hatch a plan to escape, only to find the obstacles in the world outside may be even more difficult to maneuver. As the plot unfolds, lots of issues surface—a mother’s nurturing and instinctive protectiveness, a child’s love, what really constitutes freedom, the loss of childhood, restrictive vs. privileged lives, adaptation, comfort, and survival. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are excellent, as is Joan Allen. This is a warm and compassionate film and it reminds you of the beauty in even the smallest things. It’s definitely one of the better films so far this year.

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[2015. 118 min. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson. Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, and Joan Allen.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/room-2015

Spotlight

— It’s hard not to see “Spotlight” as similar to “All the President’s Men” except it’s the Boston Globe doing the investigative reporting and they’re looking into the scope of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, whether there was a cover-up, and if so, how high up the hierarchy the cover up went. It’s a film with a perfect ensemble cast, each doing their part to help uncover the pieces of the story. Running through is the question of how it could have gone on for so long without parents, priests, police, politicians, lawyers, reporters, teachers, or anyone else speaking out. It may have been some patriotic pride of place that kept Bostonians from exposing the underbelly of their city, or it may have been a human condition that makes us unable to accept a horrible truth. And of course, in a town with so many Catholics, the ingrained belief in the goodness of ever cleric may have played a part. And it may just be that we now are more willing to hide behind doing a job no matter who is hurt or what is allowed to continue. One attorney says “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one” and that may be key; plenty of people had some part in what happened. This is an excellent, perfectly paced film and well worth seeing. The script is excellent and the cast is incredible.

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[2015. 12807 min. Directed by Tom McCarthy. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Live Schriber, and John Slattery.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/spotlight-2015