AMERICAN ULTRA      3.2***

         Small-town stoner ( a hard core pot user) Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) spends most of his time getting high with his girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) and writing a graphic novel about a superhero monkey. What Mike doesn't know is that he was trained by the CIA to be a lethal killing machine. When the agency targets him for termination, his sympathetic former handler activates his latent skills, turning the mild-mannered slacker into a deadly weapon. ( shades of the “Bourne Identity” with same plot of the CIA trying to kill the sleeper agent) Now, the utterly surprised Mike must use his newfound abilities to save himself and his girlfriend from getting wasted.

Obviously, this isn't Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart's first rodeo together. You can see how effortless  the dynamic is between the two, such ease, so in sync, they can read and understand each other very well. And because of that, there's something real about their characters' relationship. So even at its silliest or most frenetic points, the movie lets its romantic heart shine through. The picture seems to say that when the world is at its craziest, having someone who loves you by your side is the surest way to survive.

Jesse Eisenberg nails the role of stoner/sleeper agent perfectly. He's a chilled out lovable guy who just wants to be with his girlfriend and a joint of marijuana. Stewart is strong as the loyal steadfast girlfriend.  I also have to give credit to Topher Grace who plays the villain, he's like a little brat demanding respect which he doesn't deserve and Grace plays it perfectly.  

American Ultra is a film with many pleasures, but the one that stands out is watching a stoned, utterly baffled Eisenberg stab, shoot, and dismember highly trained killers bent on his destruction. It is a weird little movie—a somewhat careless, all-over-the-place mishmash. But the film is entertaining because of the acting and the way it fearlessly marches to the beat of its own drummer. American Ultra is a real odd duck, and I like odd ducks.

Warning here: The movie is Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content.

Clark

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL  4.0***  

     Big summer action movies can be thrilling, but if you really want to feel your heart pounding out of your chest, try being a 15-year-old girl for 101 minutes.

Coming-of-age stories told from a girl's perspective can go off in many different directions. But what about a story where a teenage girl explores her sexuality with enthusiasm (just like a boy would), and disaster does not  ensue? Those stories are harder to come by..  "Diary of a Teenage Girl," from first-time writer/director Marielle Heller is one of those stories. It's a refreshing, and a rare take on a  girl coming into her own. Once Minnie (played by Bel Powley, in a major performance) discovers how great sex is, she wants more of it. Her choices are not always smart (she's only 15), her primary partner is wildly inappropriate for her (not to mention illegal). The result is a film that is funny and sad, scary and sweet, disturbing and revealing.

"Diary of a Teenage Girl" starts with Minnie walking through the park with a triumphant smile on her face. She says in voiceover, "I had sex today...Holy shit!" She smiles at strangers around, and the whole world seems beautiful. It's San Francisco in the mid-1970s. The times are loose, the mood is wild. Minnie's mother (Kristen Wiig, in yet another strong performance) is a single mom raising two daughters alone, as she parties, does drugs, and cavorts through a loose relationship with a 35 yr. old Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård, excellent job in a difficult role). Minnie, absorbing the  adult sexuality around her, is curious about sex, and teases Monroe  to take her virginity, which he promptly does. And they do it again, and again, and again as Minnie discovers she likes sex. Meanwhile she details her experiences on audio cassette, forming the narrative voice-over for the film.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl"  is a hugely interesting film featuring brave performances all around, particularly from Powley, a British actress who was 21 at the time of shooting. But she easily passes for fifteen. Her big eyes and pouty lips, combined with a not-quite-svelte figure, plus her confident, playful personality make her a captivating presence on the screen.. She is an amazing actress.

What makes this film so special is the fact that it presents the teenage girl at the centre of its story without judgment. It doesn’t gloss over Minnie’s true feelings about sex ( she likes it… a lot)   and it doesn’t demonise anyone involved, least of all Minnie. Instead, it’s a rare depiction of the truth of a young girl growing up.

If you're at all squeamish about nudity and graphic sexual language and situations, you might think twice about seeing this movie. On the other hand, you'd be missing one of the year's best films.

Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity, drug use, language and drinking-all involving teens.

Clark

I’ve just finished the 2^nd week of my NC State film course “Women in Film” which is being taught by Professor Ora Gellar . She is excellent. I had her for my film class this past spring. There are about 25 students and they are actively engaged in the course . And then there is me,  the Star Wars  “ Yoda” of the class .. just a little taller and less green. I’d prefer Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m more his age and have my beard.

Below is a list of the movies we’ll view and discuss in class this semester:

1. Rome Open City (Roberto Rossellini, Italy, 1944)

2. The Blue Angel (Joseph von Sternberg, Germany, 1929)

3. The Diary of a Teenage Girl ( Marielle Heller, USA, 2015)

4. Rebecca  (Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1940)

5. Lady from Shanghai (Orson Wells, USA, 1947)

6. Gilda  (Charles Vidor, USA, 1946)

7. Coming of Age  (Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1943)

8. The Texas Chainsaw Murders  (Tobe Hooper, USA, 1974)

9. Halloween  (John Carpenter, USA, 1978)

10.  Daisies  (Vera Chytilova, Czech, 1966)

11. To My Sister (Fat Girl)  (Catherine Breillat, France, 2001)

12. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  (Swedish version by Oplev or American Version by Fincher)

13. Spring Breakers  (Harmony Korine, USA, 2012

14. Girls (TV, USA) Eps 2, 5 & 8 from Season 1 and Ep 5 of Season 2 ( 2012-2013)

15. Zero Dark Thirty  (Kathryn Bigelow, USA, 2012)

As you can see it is quite a interesting lineup of diverse and even controversial movies which I look forward to seeing. I have only seen 5 of the 15 so a lot of new film to take in.

REVIEWS:   I have seen a couple of oldies but goodies on TV and briefly describe them below by borrowing from their summaries as set forth in IMDB:

SEVEN  (4.0)*** A 1995 film about two homicide detectives' desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic "John Doe" sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Brad Pitt) -- one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity for torture and violence is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured but jaded Sommerset (Freeman) researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while the bright but green and impulsive Detective Mills ( Pitt) scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer.  

Suffice to say I have never seen so evil and complicated a serial killer or his diabolical plan in a movie before or since. The cinematography of the film is quite dark but beautiful, and throughout the film it is either night or raining or both except for two very brief moments. It is such an emotional movie that you can't keep from being caught up in what is happening.. The twist at the end is a total surprise… gruesome but brilliant.  Bottom Line: If you haven't had the opportunity to see Seven yet then you must at least rent it. It is so damn good that I know you will like it. The only reason you wouldn't is because you may be too  fragile to take something this hardcore

. WARNING:: It is Rated R for grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings, and for strong language. In other words, not for the faint at heart.

TIME AFTER TIME (1979)  3.2***  It's 1893 London. Futurist H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) believes that the future holds a Utopian society. He also believes in time travel. He has just built a time machine which he is displaying to a group of skeptical friends, including surgeon Dr. John Leslie Stevenson (David Warner). Unbeknownst    to Wells or anyone else among his circle, Stevenson is Jack the Ripper. Just as the police are about to capture Stevenson, he uses the time machine to escape, with Wells being the only one who knows what happened to him. Not telling anyone  Wells follows Stevenson in order to capture and bring him back to face justice. Where Stevenson has gone is 1979 San Francisco. There, Wells is dismayed to find that the future is not Utopia as he had predicted. But Wells  also meets and is charmed by a young woman named Amy Robbins (Steenburgen). As Wells and Amy search for Stevenson, Stevenson conversely is after Wells to obtain the master key to the time machine.  Stevenson, resuming his Jack the Ripper murders will stop at nothing to achieve his desires, which places Amy in danger.

This is an interesting movie to watch because of the unique storyline: two famous characters in history traveling ahead in time and then opposing each other in the modern world. Time travel stories appeal to me, anyway, so it's not surprise I found it fascinating. Malcolm McDowell is particularly good as H.G. Wells and David Warner is chilling as Jack The Ripper. Mary Steenburgen is also appealing  probably because of her face and voice… and acting.

Rated PG

Clark

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON   3.2***

         Five young men - Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy E and DJ Yella - walking towards you, lined up in a row coming into the picture frame like modern-day gunslingers - full of swagger and the defiant air of young men who have grown up and experienced the brutality that comes with being black and living in one of the poorest and most dangerous communities in 1980's America - the city of Compton, CA., south of downtown Los Angeles.  These are the members of the pioneering "gangsta rap" and West Coast hip hop group N.W. A. (an abbreviation of Niggaz With Attitude) whose "rags-to-riches" story is told in “Straight Outta Compton”.. They have been friends since childhood and band together to express the rage they feel at society's inequities; to bring to attention to the destructive nature of racism practiced by the authorities in their neighborhoods; police who are supposed to be the "enforcers" of justice but instead interact with urban black men by treating them like enemies with no regard for their civil rights. N.W.A. fought back with raw screaming authenticity – RAP lyrics that told their stories, attacking with the heavy rat-a-tat-tat of drum beats and rhythms and with words shouted out with the passion of long pent up anger ……

The group's 1988 song "F**k tha Police" is prominently featured in the movie  While taking a break outside their recording studio, the group is humiliatingly searched and taken down by the local cops  Motivated by the incident, the group puts voice to the abuse experienced by them and by black Americans in general at the  hands of the police, and "F**k tha Police" was born. As seen in the movie, the song became an anthem in many riots and demonstrations.

The characters are brought to life by the compelling performances of its young cast. They exude good  chemistry and contagious camaraderie.        
“Straight Outta Compton” is a relentless and brutish piece of art. It is sharp and honest and shameless.. Fan or not, one can't help but acknowledge the vivid lives of the men behind the new  gangsta rap.

WARNING: This is a hard hitting, often crude story with a lot of bad language, wild parties and violent conduct. It is not for the regular somewhat conservative movie goer.

Rated R for language throughout, strong sexuality/nudity, violence, and drug use.

Clark                                                                                                                                                                                 

RICKI AND THE FLASH   3.0***

       She was Julia Child. She was Margaret Thatcher. She was Mamma Mia. And now Meryl Streep is Ricki Rendazzo,an aging, nearly bankrupt rock singer living uneasily with a big  choice she made along the way—career over family. Her band, The Flash, plays at the modest Salt Well bar in Tarzana, California, but they rock it. We already knew Streep could sing, and for this film she spent six months learning how to play guitar. Ricki's lead guitarist and boyfriend Greg is played by Rick Springfield. Back home in Indiana, her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) is dealing with their adult daughter Julie, abandoned by her two-timing husband, and she is now depressed, and suicidal. He calls Linda—Ricki is her stage name—to let her know, and she scrapes together enough money to fly back to see what she can do. Precious little, it appears—a classic case of too little, many years too late. Mother and daughter struggle to reconnect, and it isn't easy or even certain. Julie is played beautifully by Streep's real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer.  There are some excruciatingly wonderful scenes, including a fancy-restaurant "family dinner" with all three of Ricki's kids ( 2 sons and the daughter), where accusations are the main course  The pain and even humor of the situation are so sharp, you know no matter who gets the check, theyall have already paid.           

. Director Jonathan Demme keeps the film moving with no unnecessary drag and made the great choice of putting lifelong musicians in the band. They, including Streep, performed all the movie's songs live and with no overdubs.. Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody wrote the script which has been criticized for being too predictable. It may in retrospect be predictable, but I didn't especially feel that while I was watching, and it was never boring. Director Demme was quite focused on the film's musical segments that highlighted Streep and the band. I really enjoyed the musical numbers even though this was at the expense of missed opportunities with the characters and their splintered relationships.( The list of the more than 30 songs played in part or in whole can be found by clicking the website below )

“Ricki and the Flash” is entertaining mostly due to its cast ( especially Strepp) and the music but the film rarely gives off any real sparks. It could have been better with a better screenplay..

Clark

http://www.what-song.com/Movies/Soundtrack/1817/Ricki-and-the-Flash

 

                    

SOUTHPAW  3.2***     

           Let's start by saying what everyone may be thinking: "What else is new?" We have all seen this movie before. It follows the usual  Hollywood formula that has been used for years now.  We see a champion at the top of his game, he is later faced with tragedy and then he spends the rest of the film trying to repair his life and regain his title in one last do-or-die fight against an impressive opponent who has done him  wrong. It even includes a good old training montage overseen by an old one-time boxer now trainer.. Southpaw really does hit all the clichés of the genre so there is nothing cutting edge about the premise/story of Southpaw.

Where it defied expectations was in its performances and raw emotion. Everything that makes Southpaw good lies in the performance of the entire cast. Jake Gyllenhaal, in particular, simply could not have been more exceptional. His portrayal of loss, victory, sorrow, shame, anger, guilt, and love were unbearably believable, and made the movie an intensely dramatic work. This is a performance you simply should not pass up. Other notable performances: Forrest Whitaker as the trainer; Oona Laurence as his pre-teen daughter and Rachel Adams as his wife.

Being a boxing film some comment is due regarding  the boxing scenes.  Frankly they were superb and on the same level as “Raging Bull” and more realistic than “Rocky”. The filming of the fight scenes is very raw and it's clear that realism was important . There were some brilliant shots in one of the fights where the camera acted as a first person point of view from one of the boxers and the opponent fighter would punch at the camera while it ducked and swayed. It was executed with skill and was therefore effective at throwing the audience straight into the brutality of a boxing match.

I  enjoyed this movie. Yeah, yeah.. We all have seen at least upteen movies of a successful man losing everything that could ever possibly matter to him; however, the difference is that seldom have I experienced it more vividly than in Southpaw. BRAVO to Gyllenhaal again for making me feel things that most actors  continue to fail to do.

Clark

PS: The movie also features the final music score of the late James Horner ( Titanic; Braveheart; Avatar;  A Beautiful Mind); who worked for free, and the film is dedicated to him. The soundtrack also features multiple songs by Eminem, who was originally set to star in the movie (reprising his role from '8 MILE').  

Also note below the results of Jake spending 6 months to get in shape to portray a boxer !!!!!!!

Mr. Holmes   3.5***

 

 

            It  is rare to find something new done with an old character, especially one that has been around for nearly 150 years like Sherlock Holmes, but that's exactly what the movie Mr. Holmes does. The movie is a very tender drama with some mystery elements to it, but there is no great whodunit here. There is no theft,  no murder, the only little bit of mystery comes in the form of Sherlock trying to recall his past. We want to know how Sherlock became  a recluse for 30 years? What happened on his last case that made him retire and retreat into a small house on the Sussex seaside with his housekeeper, her son and his bees? These questions all play into the ideas that I thought about the most while watching the film -- memory and mortality, and how we can/will  lose both.

 

Taking place after Dr. Watson has turned Holmes into a cultural icon with his series of novels, we get to see the world's greatest detective at two different points in his life. As a 93 year old man who has grown tired of his public image and attempts to change it by writing a more realistic story about his last case, and the masterful Sherlock Holmes 35 years younger, who is working that last case, and why it's his last. I like the concept of the 93 year old Holmes, who suffers from memory loss, but whose mind is still sharper that most people a fraction of his age   But the part where the younger Sherlock works his last case was interesting too, as it gave the character some interesting depth without changing who Holmes is.

 

Inevitably though, this movie belongs to the one and only Ian McKellan. As an aging old man with pride of person making  a final stab at redemption, McKellan strikes the perfect  balance between being an  annoying old codger and a lovable, heartbroken legend in his time; ultimately delivering a masterful performance to  relish. Those looking for the thrills of Cumberbatch's TV Sherlock or the action-packed nature of Robert Downey Jr's big budget Sherlock should be warned: this is as far removed from those renditions.. But those seeking an intelligent, contemplative tale of late-life concerns with a remarkable performance by McKellan and strong emotional resonance, will be well pleased.

 

I recommend  “Mr. Holmes” just to see how Sir Ian McKellan so skillfully plays the role.

Clark

 

 

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE:  ROGUE NATION  3.5***     

       I don't care what Tom Cruise's religious beliefs are or how he acted like a BOZO on Oprah. I don't care if the tabloids love to hate him. The Cruiser is a one-of-a-kind megastar responsible for a consistently excellent output of work since the eighties. Back for his fifth Mission Impossible at the spritely age of 53, he's showing no signs of slowing down either. The ridiculous pre-credits aircraft stunt, where Cruise hangs on to the side of an Airbus A400 while it takes off, attests to that. There's also a thrilling car-and-motorbike sequence which sees Cruise commit to most of the high-speed driving/riding himself. It's this willingness to go above and beyond, as well as a preference of practical effects over CGI, which imbues Rogue Nation with nail biting tension and non-stop exhilaration.  

MI  Rogue Nation features everything you have come to love from the franchise, outlandish action sequences, real stunts, great humor, and over the top computer hacking abilities. This time around Simon Pegg, as the hacker, gets a lot more screen time which is always a plus because he is flat out hilarious. But the standout feature of the movie has to be Rebecca Ferguson, the femme fatale,  She plays her part perfectly and when the story needed her to be a badass, she was more than capable. Sean Harris does a good job being the elusive, maniacal,  unrelenting villain. Also in the film are Jeremy Renner,  Alec Baldwin and Ving Rhames who are quite good.

It  is the epitome of the classic action summer blockbuster.. Great acting, real stunts, and plenty of humor makes Rogue Nation one of the best action movies of the year  This might be the only franchise ( other than the Bond films) where it seems like the franchise isn't slowing down and each entry is a great stand-alone movie!

I saw this film on an IMAX screen in at the downtown Raleigh location and I'm glad I dd.  I think this  IMAX truly  large screen creates a more immersive experience and the ultra-all-around sound is spectacular.  Even so this film would be great in any theater screen format. BUT you should see it in a theater. A TV screen even the big ones can’t give you the same experience.

 

Clark