Beyond the Lights (2014) – 8 out of 10 Stars

8 out of 10 stars

116 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Importance: Low

Family Friendliness: some scenes of sexuality and some foul language. Lots of adult themes. I would be careful with this film and would rate it a PG-16, so beware.

See It? Yes.

I was really surprised by how much I liked Beyond the Lights. At first, I wasn't planning on seeing this film, but the buzz has been growing about this movie since it was released so I decided to check it out. I was totally impressed by the acting and material that I saw.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle) plays Noni Jean, a superstar, music performer who is currently controlled by the industry, but searching for her own voice and image. Police Officer, “Kaz” enters the picture as a solid foundation for her to build her new life upon. Both Noni and Kaz are kindred spirits, even though they're at very different places in their lives, and both controlled by obsessive parents and careers.

Mbatha-Raw is unrecognizable as Noni in the first half of this film and brilliant as a popular hip-hop idol. I really believed her as an accomplished singer and star at all times. Her emotional struggles, behind the scenes, were even more believable. If Belle was Mbatha-Raw's coming out party, this part will solidify her as a potent film star. Her presence on the screen is undeniable. Nate Parker (“Kaz”) is the perfect compliment to Noni's character. As a cop he is trained to be sensitive to what is going on below the surface of a situation. He immediately sees through Noni's shell and falls for the real person that he sees. The supporting actors also do a great job, especially Minnie Driver and Danny Glover as the parents of Noni and Kaz. Control is the theme in this film and it is prominent in every scene. Both Noni and Kaz strive to control their lives and futures, but those around them want pieces of the pie as well. Taking that leap to become who you really are can be difficult when you are trained from childhood to be obedient.

Gina Price-Blythewood has written and directed a real gem. She has really captured the current state of music in the world and we, as the viewer, feel we are seeing real artists behind the scenes. She will be one filmmaker to really watch for in the future. Please see this film. It deserves the attention and buzz it is getting.

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – Review 7 out of 10 Stars

7 out of 10 stars

123 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Family Friendliness: OK for the whole family. Smallest children won't be interested and might be bored.

Importance: Low

See It? Yes, if you are a Hunger Games fan and have seen the first two films in the series.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is a mediocre, but watchable film. I wasn't bored, but I wasn't thrilled or pleasantly surprised like I was when I saw the first two installments in the series. Mockingjay is the first half of the “rebellion against the capitol” story. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is the Mockingjay and the symbol of the rebellion.

The only actor of mention here is Jennifer Lawrence who is very good as Katniss and always interesting to watch on screen. Obviously, she is in a league of her own in this film, but I am sure she's getting a huge payday so I don't blame her for doing these films.

My main problem with Mockingjay is the same problem I had with The Hobbit: greed (also see Harry Potter). Money has to be the only reason there is to split a story that would work excellently in one film into two (Mockingjay) or even three (The Hobbit) films. In The Hobbit, the director is forced to work in characters and plots that weren't in the book to fill up the extra time (The Hobbit is only a 200 page book!). In Mockingjay, we see long, boring, actionless sections of the film which wouldn't be necessary had it been shot in one movie. I hope this isn't a new trend because it is ruining otherwise good films.

See it if you love Hunger Games or want to complete the series. Otherwise, you probably won't be too happy with the experience.

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Foxcatcher (2014) Review 8.5 out of 10 Stars

8.5 out of 10 stars

134 minutes

MPAA Rating: Rated R

Family Friendliness: Rating based on adult themes, language, and some mild nudity. This film should be OK for teens to see.

Importance: High. Carrell will get a Best Actor Nomination at the Oscars and the film could be nominated for Best Picture. I wouldn't be surprised if Mark Ruffalo and/or Channing Tatum received nominations as well. Important memorial to a sad chapter in U.S. Olympic history.

See it? Definitely see this one.

Foxcatcher is a true story that depicts complicated and unhealthy relationships behind the facade of training for the 1988 Seoul Olympics wrestling team. Steve Carrell plays John du Pont, heir to the du Pont chemical fortune and wrestling afficianado. He invites Olympic gold medalist, Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) to train with him in preparation for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Eventually, Marks's older brother and wrestling icon, Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) joins them as the coach. What ensues is a perfect storm leading up to disaster.

You will not recognize Carrell as du Pont. Both physically and emotionally this is not a character you have seen before from him. Do not expect laughs from Carrell, but be ready to experience a constant barage of awkward and sad moments in his genius depiction. Du Pont lives under the shadow of his mother, played so coldly by Vanessa Redgrave, and strives to make a name for himself in wrestling. Unfortunately, he knows nothing about wrestling. Although a star in his own right, Mark Schultz lives under the shadow of his more popular and social brother, Dave Schultz. Mark and du pont form their own strange and awkward wrestling relationship and bring Dave on board as coach only to see themselves both becoming jealous of him.

All three performances in this movie are excellent and Oscar worthy. Like Carrell, Tatum and Ruffalo transform themselves into almost unrecognizable characters physically and emotionally. The interplay between the three is spellbinding. The direction and writing in this film are top notch, focusing on the dark, underbelly of people and their relationships.

I highly recommend this film. It is very dark and hard to watch, but a must for true story lovers like myself. This film could propel Carrell and Tatum into competing for roles they weren't considered for before. I was thrilled to learn the background of a story that was well reported in the news. Check this film out. I think you will enjoy the experience.

 

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Jurassic World

Happy Thanksgiving! For something lighter today, check out the cool trailer from the upcoming Jurassic World.

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The Homesman (2014) – Review 8 out of 10 Stars

8 out of 10 stars

122 minutes

MPAA Rating: R

Family Friendliness: this film is not for youngsters. I would not take a teen to see it either. It is very raw with serious adult themes. Some scenes of sexuality and nudity.

Importance: Medium. Possible Oscar nomination for Hilary Swank.

See it? Yes.

The Homesman is the first western film that I have seen that is about the strength of women not men. We see an independent woman as the main protagonist and the theme of women helping other women throughout the film. Although a brutal look at the life of pioneers, it was a breath of fresh air to see life at that time from the eyes of the female characters.

The Homesman's story is twofold. Firstly, we see a pioneer woman, played by Hilary Swank, and her associate, played by Tommy Lee Jones, having the task of transporting three women, driven to insanity by various parts of pioneer life, across the country to a church for assistance. Swank plays Mary Bee Cuddy, an unmarried pioneer running her own farm and ranch. Cuddy feels pressure to find a husband to help run her farm and to fit in better in her community. At a town meeting, Cuddy volunteers, when the men fail to do so, to transport three of the town wives from the Nebraska Territory to Iowa where a church will tend to their needs and contact their families. The three women are each suffering from mental illness attributed to pioneer life. Yes, it is a rough life they have, but these women have experienced additional hardships including abuse, isolation, and the death of children.

The second part of this story is about women in general. We are shown a strong, independent woman (Swank) struggling to fit into a man's world even though she is more of a “man” than anyone in the town. She has more success in farming and ranching than the others, but is still looked at as weak because she is female. When she volunteers to care for and transport these same mens' wives, we witness that it is possible for a woman to not only be as strong or stronger than a man, but continue to maintain the nurturing nature and commaraderie of being a woman. Cuddy treats these woman like humans whereas their husbands had been treating them like chattel.

In one scene in the film, Cuddy saves the life of George Griggs, played by Tommy Lee Jones who is being hanged for stealing a property claim. In exchange for this reprieve, Griggs agrees to assist in the transport of the women to Iowa with Cuddy.

Swank portrays Cuddy as a strong, but sad character. She is in command of those around her, but still doubts herself as a “proper” woman in her society because she has no husband or children. As the film progresses, we admire Cuddy more and more for the remarkable woman she is while personally she falls deeper and deeper into depression for not fitting into the norm. This film is a very limited release, so Swank may not receive the Oscar nomination that she deserves, but I will remember her performance for a long time.

Tommy Lee Jones does triple duty as an actor, director, and partial writer of this film. He deserves credit for crafting a dark and haunting portrayal of life on the prairie. Jones is always excellent and his work in this film is no exception.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the portrayals of the three wives by Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter. These were extremely difficult characters to play and ones that will linger with you. They accurately depict the sadness and hopelessness of mental illness at the time of the pioneers.

This is a very disturbing film and not for everyone. It is a realistic look at life on the prairie and the difficulties of being a woman at this time. The story does not have a neat, happy ending, but I expect that is how most real stories turned out during that time. Please see this film and open yourself up to the experience. It is a tough ride, but well worth the trip when you arrive at the end.

 

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The Theory of Everything – Review 8.5 out of 10 Stars

8.5 out of 10 stars

123 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Family Friendliness: this film is appropriate for any teens.

Importance: High. a film that memorializes the life of a very important scientist and physicist. Also, a possible Oscar nomination for actor, Eddie Redmayne.

See It? Yes!

I love biographies. My problem is that most theatrical biographies are poorly done. I am not sure why this is the case, but historically I have found that most of the films are pretty bad. I was pleasantly surprised by The Theory of Everything. I found the film an excellent biography of the life of physicist, Stephen Hawking and the relationship he had with his remarkable wife, Jane.

Eddie Redmayne, who plays Hawking, did a perfect job. His portrayal of Hawking’s battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease and his subsequent achievements after reaching a level of full paralysis were real eye openers. It would have been understandable for Hawking to give up on his life when diagnosed with this debilitating disease, but he overcame the diagnosis and achieved even greater feats while ill. Redmayne will probably get an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Hawking. Felicity Jones, who plays Hawking’s wife Jane, also deserves a nomination, although probably a longer shot to get one than Redmayne though. Jones is able to beautifully portray Jane’s strength, determination and caring which were instrumental in Hawking’s success.

I recommend running to see this one. Hawking has many followers and fans, but most do not know how he achieved his success and what obstacles were overcome to get there. This film will answer all of those questions.

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An Interview with TARS

My favorite part of Interstellar was the ingenious robots. I really enjoyed their originality. I am sick of seeing the same old android crew members. I read an interview wil Bill Irwin, who is the voice of TARS, in Popular Mechanics. I hope you like the article as much as I did.

P.S. For all of you who have kids who liked Elmo when they were young, Bill Irwin was Mr. Noodles.

 

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Rosewater (2014) – Film Review 7.5 out of 10 Stars

7.5 out of 10 stars

103 minutes

MPAA Rating: R

Family Friendliness: Rated R for some violence and foul language. No nudity. Should be OK for your teen to see if they are interested.

Importance: High. Very important true story.

See it? See it if you are interested in films about the middle east and/or true stories. Not a film worth seeing if you don't have an interest.

I was a bit disappointed with Rosewater. I was expecting a lot more from first-time filmmaker Jon Stewart with such an interesting and true story to work with. The story is about the capture and detaining of Maziar Bahari (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) by the Iranian government. Bahari has been covering elections in Iran as a reporter, but is suspected as being a spy for the west and is detained for 118 days.

The acting in the movie was top notch, but I thought Stewart did not take the material seriously enough. Bernal is a great actor and he has been wonderful in every film I have seen him in, including this one. But, in Rosewater, believe it or not, I felt a constant level of comedy throughout the film, even in the most serious interrogation scenes. I am pretty sure Stewart did not do this on purpose. I thought the film could have depicted the horror of being detained and tortured for 4 months in a more realistic way. I never felt at any point that Bahari's life was at risk or that he would not be released. It was pretty much a boring waiting game throughout the interrogation scenes. I even dozed off at one point!

We are at a time in movie history where there are some fantastic films out there based on real events that happened in the middle east. We know how bad it is to be detained as a foreigner and go through daily interrogation and torture through seeing these films. This film was not up to that challenge. It was a good first film for Stewart and he obviously knows how to make a movie and has a lot of talent. I look forward to his future endeavors, but I can't really say run and see this one.

 

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Whiplash (2014) – Film Review 8.5 out of 10 Stars

8.5 out of 10 stars

107 minutes

MPAA Rating: R

Family Friendliness: Rated R for very strong language. No sex or nudity. If you don't mind your teen hearing a lot of foul language, this would be a good film for them to see.

Importance: High. Another great film during the Oscar film run.

See it? Definitely.

Whiplash is another really good film during a great Oscar season. Miles Teller plays Andrew, an unbelievable young Jazz drummer, who is a student at the best music conservatory in the country. He is eventually accepted into the school's top band, where he runs into teacher, Terrence Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons, who has his own way of motivating his students.

Whiplash is a highly intense and stress filled film. Be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of cruelty on the part of Fletcher and the ridiculously “driven-to-success” Andrew. It was amazing to watch what musicians will put themselves through to achieve their goals. The average person simply has no idea. I know I didn't.

The stars of this film were Teller, Simmons, and the jazz music. This trinity made the film a treat for the eyes and ears. I have not done any research into Teller's musical ability, but he must be quite a good drummer in his own right. His acting was top-notch and after three big parts (Whiplash, Divergent, and The Spectacular Now), he is here for the long haul. Simmons, in an Oscar caliber performance, was unbelievable. His character was played perfectly and, like a ticking bomb, you never quite knew when an explosion was coming. The jazz music in this film was a star in its own right. I was completely immersed in the band's pieces like Caravan and Whiplash. I think you will be too.

Check out this movie as soon as you can. It is a little hard to handle the stress of the film in some sections, but it is well worth the effort in the end.

 

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Interstellar (2014) – Film Review 9 out of 10 Stars

9 out of 10 stars

169 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Family Friendliness: great movie for the family. I would recommend it for any child over 12, even though some parts may be hard to understand. They will love the “space” scenes though!

Importance: High. Very original story that will hold up over time. I feel this film will go down as a sci-fi classic. This film will definitely garner some Oscar nominations especially for Best Picture.

See it? Yes, right now!

Interstellar begins with a family trying to survive on an earth that is dying from natural causes. The food supply is running out and farming has become the most important career path for young people. Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, stumbles across a group of NASA scientists working on plans to repopulate earth on a planet in another galaxy. Cooper is quickly recruited to fly the spacecraft (he was formerly an astronaut) along with a crew including Brand, played by Anne Hathaway, and two really inventive robots.

From this description the film sounds like a straight forward sci-fi exploration film, but it is much, much more. There are numerous surprises and twists and turns that are too much fun to describe here. The science that is depicted in this film is not for the faint-of-heart and I was completely mesmerized by the the theories of time and relativity in space that can cause more problems than you could imagine.

The acting in this film was excellent. I did not see a weak performance in the cast and McConaughey will get another Best Actor nomination this year. This list of actors is impressive and too long to list here. Let me just say that you will love the performances and there might even be a surprise or two for you as well.

I may be defined as a film geek, but I REALLY love science fiction films like this. This film reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey and parts of Interstellar were just as complicated and “geeky.” That is a positive for me, but may not be for everyone. As I stated earlier, there were two robots on the spacecraft that I simply couldn't take my eyes off. You have never seen robots like these In a movie and that is quite an achievement at this point in film history.

Kudos to the Nolan brothers for an outstanding and impressive script. I am not sure after seeing this film how they even went about writing such a masterpiece. I have only seen its equal in sci-fi books by some of the greats. Equally impressive was Christopher Nolan's direction. Impressive though, is not strong enough a word. Every scene was perfectly believable and I could see a future exactly as the one depicted in the film.

Lastly, I would hate myself if I did not mention the musical score of this film. Hans Zimmer is known as today's greatest living film composer (yes, he has surpassed John Williams) and he will be nominated for the Best Film Score Oscar and will probably win. I have not heard such a beautiful and enchanting score this year. The music was a separate character in this film and he should be recognized for this achievement.

Interstellar is a long film. It is almost three hours. I honestly did not feel the time drag at all in this movie. I usually complain about long films, but this is the type of epic that requires a lot of time to develop and I was happy to sit there for its unfolding. Please see this film. Some critics have said that the characters were not emotional and deep enough, but I did not see that. I loved every part of the movie from beginning to end. One of my best of the year!

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