Blade Runner 2049

— Flat out, this is a good film, particularly given the veneration bestowed on its 1982 forerunner. As you might imagine, special effects aren’t held back, but they also aren’t senselessly used and the story unfolds at a pace that almost seems slow given the current predilection for breakneck action. Somehow, Villeneuve manages to offer plenty of nods to Ridley Scott’s original film and continue the story in such a way that new audiences will appreciate it. Of course the search for identity and the question of what makes us human still top the list of considerations and at times the film is a bit obvious as it considers these things. Again, it’s a peek at the not too distant future, making the darkness all the more frightening and alluring. It’s an engaging, dark, sci-fi story with great images, intriguing music/sounds, decent acting, and enough humanity to keep it from looking tethered to reality.

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[2017. 164 min. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Robin Wright, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blade-runner-2049-2017

Victoria and Abdul

— Judi Dench really knows how to play Queen Victoria and Stephen Frears really knows how to direct British historical dramas. If you like this sort of thing, you’ll like “Victoria and Abdul.” For that matter, if you like buddy films or you like love stories, you’ll probably like it as well. Lucky for me I like all three types of films. It’s fun and it’s always good to see someone who’s just going through the paces suddenly spark up because something new and different comes along, widening their perspective and opening their heart. There are not oodles of depth to the film and it certainly takes historical liberties, but it’s more than enjoyable.

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[2017. 111 min. Directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar, and Michael Gambon.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/victoria-and-abdul-2017

Columbus

— I believe in the power of architecture and have been to Columbus, Indiana more than once to see their buildings. I like films that pay attention to the images and take their time getting someplace and “Columbus” does all that and more. At its most simplistic level, it’s about two people dealing with parent issues who are attracted to each other with a town’s amazing architecture as a backdrop. I grew a little tired of what I’d call a mock-3D effect with the main characters in sharp focus and the background much softer but that’s about the only complaint I have. I liked thinking about attention spans and interests and perceptions. I liked thinking about art as a way to experience other’s feelings or isolate your own, as something that can broaden your life or give you a place to hide. I liked thinking about the hold our parents have on us and what it takes to realize you eventually have to take control of your life. I like thinking about asymmetry as it applies to architecture and to personalities. And I like that this is a little story about everyday people who are hurt, who love or fail to see love, who move forward with baby steps. It’s a good film.

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[2017. 100 min. Directed by Kogonada. Starring John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, and Parker Posey.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/columbus-2017

American Made

— “American Made” is the story of a likeable but bored TWA pilot recruited by the CIA to take reconnaissance photos in South America. From there it’s a slippery slope toward bringing cocaine into the U.S. for Pablo Escobar, and running AK-47s to the Contras for the U.S government. It’s loosely based around one player in one of the biggest CIA operations in U.S history and the charm of the star works to mask the obvious ethical issues involved. That tension is one of the elements that make this black comedy worthwhile. Tom Cruise can ooze charisma, even more so when his life is a little out of control and he’s doing questionable things to give his wife and kids a better life. He’s also operating with a script that has plenty of comic lines and opportunities to break the 4th wall and grin at the audience. The film mostly skims on the surface of things while moving at a breakneck speed, letting you laugh with and root for a bad guy and then be jolted back to reality when things don’t end well for him.

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[2017. 115 min. Directed by Gary Spinelli. Starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, and Sarah Wright.]
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/movies/american-made-review-tom-cruise.html

Menashe

— This film was something of a surprise to me. Menashe is a New York City Hasidic widower who’s trying to obtain custody of his son even though his culture requires children to only be raised in traditional, two-parent homes and the Rabbi has said his son should live in his brother-in-law’s home until a matchmaker’s helped Menashe find a new wife. It’s a quiet story that feels very real, appropriate for the first dramatic feature by a talented documentary filmmaker. It’s told in Yiddish and, although the story itself is interesting, for a Midwesterner like me, its the texture of the film that's almost more interesting--the traditions, the clothes, the homes, and all the other layers that are part of such very orthodox living. It’s a gentle story that’s worth seeing.

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[2017. 82 min. Directed by Joshua Z. Weinstein. Starring Menashe Lustig, Yoel Falkowitz, Ruben Niborski, Meyer Schwartz, and Yoel Weisshaus.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/menashe-2017

American Assassin

— There are plenty of overly independent, slightly rogue, intelligence-trained, tough guys operating in films with plenty of special effects backing them up. In this case it’s the CIA’s Mitch Rapp who is young and short fused, but certainly competent thanks to training from his crusty, legendary, ex-SEAL mentor. He’s pitted against a particularly nasty enemy and triumphs in the end. Did any of us think he wouldn’t? It’s a shame he doesn’t seem to have much personality behind most of it. Meanwhile, the audience is forced to think about how emotions can cloud reason and the difference between revenge and retribution, de rigueur for these kinds of films. it’s not a bad film and I’d say it’s perfectly adequate end-of-summer action, but if this is the first of a series, they desperately need to pump up the backstory and add more personality to Rapp’s character. Right now his crusty mentor, played by Michael Keaton, is the best part of the franchise.

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[2017. 112 min. Directed by Michael Cuesta. Starring Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Latham Taylor Kitsch, and Shiva Negar.]
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/reviews/travers-on-american-assassin-spy-thriller-is-irresistible-w503194

Mother!

— “Mother!” has to be one of the stranger things I’ve seen in a while. I’m still trying to decide if it rubbish or greatness. I’m leaning toward greatness but it’s so filled with darkness and allusion that it’s really hard to know if Aronofsky was just being divisive or presenting an ambitious vision. Either way, Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Ed Harris are mesmerizing, and it may be best to see it without preparation so you experience it and, later, try to figure out what it all means.

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[2017. 121 min. Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer.]
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/09/19/darren_aronofsky_needs_to_stop_explaining_what_mother_is_about.html

Patriots Day

— Mark Wahlberg has a knack for picking sentimental, patriotic, action films and doing a good job with them. This one, focusing on events of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing follows that pattern, focusing on a few stories as the events unfold with Wahlberg’s character tying it all together. This one was good, although maybe a little long and not quite as good as either “Deepwater Horion” or “Lone Survivor.” [DVD]

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[2016. 133 min. Directed by Peter Berg. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monagham, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons, and John Goodman.]
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/23/patriots-day-review-boston-marathon-bombings-mark-wahlberg