Directed by Ridley Scott. Story by Jack Paglen and Michael Green. Screenplay by John Logan, and Dante Harper
Scary? Check. Badass heroine? Check. Campy, predictable, moments that just don’t make sense? Check. I can’t figure out if the Alien “sci-fi” franchise has morphed into every other horror movie franchise (but with spaceships). Truth is, I left wholly entertained in all of its IMAX glory, and that’s enough to keep me interested ‘til the last film in this trilogy of the series.
Thumbs Up 👍
2016. Directed by Barry Jenkins. Written by Barry Jenkins (adapted from story by Tarrell Alvin McCraney)
This poignant film is a masterpiece in the “less is more” film school of thought. The colors, imagery, usage of sound (music vs. silence), and basic slow motion techniques all combine to beautifully and delicately tell the story of the main character, Chiron, at three transformative stages in his life. Despite coping with an unkind upbringing, and following the path of the only role model and father figure he’s ever known (played by Mahershala Ali) he confronts his ultimate challenge yet: self-discovery.
Thumbs up 👍
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2016. Directed by Garth Davis. Written by Saroo Brierley and Luke Davies, adapted from Saroo's book "A Long Way Home."
Saroo (played by Dev Patel) is pretty frustrating in his hemming and hawing and in his alienation of others, but once he gets decisive about his journey the pace picks up and the movie becomes tolerable. Pure cinema gold for a solid 30 minutes in the latter part of the film; everything else is filler; keep tissues on hand. First half: Meh 😐 , Last half: Thumbs up 👍
Read More2016, Directed and written by Kenneth Lonergen.
The poster is misleading and doesn’t feature the characters at the heart of the film, who are the uncle (Casey Affleck) and nephew (Lucas Hedges). Despite the story’s tragedy, there is dry humor that sheds light on the tough fabric of the people in Manchester—the town itself being the third main character in the film.
Thumbs up 👍
2016. Directed by Theordore Melfi, Written by Alison Schroder, Theodore Melfi (adapted from the book by Margot Lee Shetterly).
A feel-good predictable yawn. The story is pleasant and uplifting, but the film isn’t anything spectacular, aside from exposing the details about the American space program that up until now, were largely omitted from history’s retelling. Meh 😐
Read More2016. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Written by Eric Heisserer & Ted Chiang (adapted from Chiang’s book “The Story of Your Life”).
A gorgeous sci-fi movie that explores more the depths of humanity, and less the extra-terrestrial beings with which linguist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) seeks to communicate. And for the first time, aliens aren’t just beings with human features, but of an entirely different kind. Villenueve’s smartly-sequenced storytelling is full of twists and turns to the very end. Thumbs up 👍
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Sometimes a film buckles under the weight of the story, and as a Cary Fukunaga fan, I really wanted to like Beasts of No Nation, but it was slow, about 45 minutes too long, and lacked the “gripping” scenes it was touted to have. Amid the Terrence Malick-like auteurism, It's worth watching for awareness, as it tells of a rising rebel faction in an unnamed war-torn African country, so there’s that. Otherwise, Idris Elba saves the film as a lecherous and militaristic leader, but overall it just fails to absorb. Meh 😐
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