EYE IN THE SKY  3.2***

    In this modern time, western governments try to avoid boots on the ground in favor of aerial drones for surveillance and missile attacks. This film successfully shows the human cost to the soldiers and civilians involved in the process of executing drone attacks knowing there almost always will be “collateral damage” ( civilian deaths)
 

The movie  unfolds over a few hours when Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) and Lt. Col. Frank Benson (the late Alan Rickman) must convince their political masters to change a 'capture' to a 'kill' mission when they unexpectedly get the opportunity to wipe out several top ranking terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya. After getting the necessary political and military approvals, a weak link opens up at the trigger pulling end of the chain of command when the drone pilot refuses to fire the missile after he  sees a young girl near the kill zone. It's a classic dilemma… do you save the girl and risk losing the opportunity to eliminate several really bad people who are being fitted with suicide vests that could kill hundreds of innocents?               

Mirren and Rickman are excellent in their roles. Both effectively portray the stresses and frustrations of working between the world of the professional soldier and that of the politician. This is not your standard war film and is more about the political dynamics of how war will be waged in the future.

It’s about balancing collateral damages versus the risk of inaction. The role of the military, the indecision and CYA attitude of the politicians, and the moral drama of the drone pilots, this film includes all that plus many other elements of the war on terrorism. And the way the plot unraveled makes it also a great thriller. Another dimension which is very well illustrated is the fantastic technology which we now have to combat terrorism.    

This film  is merely one episode in the war with the terrorists but is very revealing in its realism. The terrorist brutal tactics necessitating a brutal response. Very few clean kills because of the moral ambiguity of sacrificing a few lives to save many. No one walks away with their head held high.

Clark

       MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN  3.2*** for its Religious Genre

   

           Earnest almost to a fault, this feel good religiously based true story is well done. Jennifer Garner is very believable as a mother brought to question her faith completely when her daughter is afflicted with a bizarre abdominal condition. Her husband (Martin Henderson) is Veterinarian in rural Texas and the family is stretched to the limit financially and emotionally when the daughter is stricken. Eugenio Derbez is terrific as the pediatrician in Boston to whom mom turns (even flying to Boston and camping out in his office to get an appointment). Despite the Doctors best efforts there is no cure. The film does a fine job of balancing  faith in man with faith in God.    

The story is a heartwarming  though sometimes it was hard to watch this girl's traumatic story unfold on the movie screen. It was painful to see her  and her family have to come to  realize that ultimately there is nothing more that medicine or science could do . You could not help but be touched by it no matter what your belief system is. Then, just when no hope is left, there is an event that is startling and miraculous. I won’t give it away… you must see the movie to experience the resulting chilly-bumps !!!

It is a good leading role for Jennifer Garner. She did a great job as the real  Christy Beam, a mom trying to cope with the fact that her daughter may not be coming back from an illness for which there is no cure, and she wonders why God would allow this. While everyone is telling her to have faith she finds it hard because the situation is out of her control.

The film is a bit preachy but really tugs at the heartstrings and delivers an affecting message about faith and miracles. Some critics found the message heavy-handed, but I thought the faith elements of the movie were well presented  without being too preachy. I applaud the director for finding this balance.  

My wife, Sara, saw it with me and likewise enjoyed it.

Clark

KRAMER vs. KRAMER    4.0****

     This movie has nothing to do with the sitcom "Seinfeld" or its eccentric and hilarious character Cosmo Kramer. In reality, "Kramer vs. Kramer" is a fine family drama and,  without a doubt, one of the finest of its kind.  

At the beginning of the film, we are immediately aware that Ted Kramer (Hoffman) is not a perfect husband. His commitment to work means that he has largely neglected his stressed and lonely wife, Joanna (Streep), and, indeed, he isn't even listening to her when she finally announces her intentions to leave him. With Joanna having departed for California in order to "find herself," Ted is left alone to care for their young 6 year old son Billy (Justin Henry), during which time he must juggle both his work and son.. As Ted takes up this demanding task, we notice that, up to this point, he hasn't been much of a father, and starts off, blundering his attempts to make a simple breakfast and has to ask in which grade his son belongs. Eventually, however, though it damages his career, Ted and Billy build a truly touching father-son relationship, and, for the first time, Ted seems satisfied with his family life – until, that is, Joanna returns to demand that Billy be returned to her. A grueling but riveting court battle ensues for custody of Billy.

The word that comes to mind when describing 'Kramer vs. Kramer' is terrific. Benton's direction and screenplay are solid but what also seems to have worked quite well is that he gave his actors the freedom to improvise and was open to their suggestions. Not once, does the film lose focus.  It's very much a character driven drama with fabulous acting. Perhaps, it's the freedom the actors had which makes their performances looks  natural and their on screen interactions so real. I wonder how beneficial it was for the great Dustin Hoffman to play Ted Kramer at a time when he himself was going through a rough divorce. A brilliant Meryl Streep too was still in the grieving process of having lost her boyfriend.. Child actor Justin Henry was excellent and at 8 years old was the youngest Oscar nominee ever for Best Supporting Actor.

When I first saw this film in 1979 I was happily married but not a father yet.  Now, 37 years later, I watched  this beautiful character piece again but this time through the eyes of a proud and loving father, and it's messages and emotionally compelling performances touched my heart for I was truly blessed to have a loving father-son relationship with my son, Jim.

Clark