DENIAL   3.2 ***

       Guilty until proven innocent ?!?! It's a concept that is inconceivable to Americans, yet it's the core of British Law in libel cases. When once respected British historian David Irving sues American scholar and educator Deborah Lipstadt for libel, based on her recent book that accused him of being a Holocaust denier, the burden falls to Lipstadt to prove not just that Irving's work was a purposeful lie, but that the Holocaust did in fact take place. In other words, if the words used in her book against Irving  are true, she would win the case.  But she has to prove that he was a racist, an anti-Semite and knowingly misrepresented the facts in his works as a Holocaust denier.

The movie begins with Ms. Lipstadt as a professor in 1994 at Emory University.  In 1996, the lawsuit by Irvin is filed in London. In preparation for the case , Lipstadt and Rampton visit Auschwitz in 1998. Though the courtroom drama and corresponding legal work takes up much of the film, it's this sequence filmed at Auschwitz that is the heart and soul of the film. Very little melodrama is added … the scenes and the setting speak for themselves and here the cinematography is  absolutely perfect in capturing the vast haunting terror of the place. The trial finally starts in 2000, and as always, it's fascinating to compare the British court of law and process with that of the United States. The formality is on full display, but nuance and showmanship still play a role.  

Rachel Weisz plays Lipstadt as an intelligent and determined woman who refuses to back down from a racist bully like Irwin. Andrew Scott is magnetic as the highly  intelligent Solicitor,  Anthony Julius,   who lays out a defense strategy with a very troublesome requirement for Lipstad: that neither she nor any Holocaust survivors are to testify in the trail. Julius has good moral and tactical reasons for this, and he's at his most emotional trying to explain and defend it to Lipstadt.  Tom Wilkinson is terrific as Richard Rampton, the barrister who puts on the powdered wig and brilliantly presents the case in court. And  then there is Timothy Spall who makes for a perfect villain. He gives us both Irving the charmer and Irving the charlatan -- the expertise, the intellect, the eloquence, but also the malice, the misdirection, the sexism.

As a guide to how historians actually work, and as a guide to the wacky/false world spun by Holocaust deniers, the film is on its firmest ground.  Also the film succeeds in going far beyond a single legal case to raise important questions about the Holocaust and even show an application to today's world. "Denial" offers a unique opportunity for reflection and discussion rarely to be found in a mainstream motion picture.

Rated PG-13 for thematic material (?) and brief strong language ( the “F” word is used once). |    

Clark     

THE ACCOUNTANT  3.2***

  Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a savant genius at math and very skilled at forensic accounting, or "uncooking the books", which he does for unsavory characters and criminal organizations all over the world. Wolff has Asperger Syndrome which is considered a milder form of autism and sufferers are often characterized by "relatively normal language and intelligence" although they still display impaired social interaction and restricted and repetitive behavior. It’s unusual to find a movie character with Asperger's in a movie but it certainly works well in "The Accountant" – and does so on multiple levels. Through the very tough (and some would say abusive) upbringing of his father, Wolff learned to function independently in the adult world – and to protect himself from those who would do him harm – either because he's "different" – or because of his dangerous clientele. Christian has also learned to fly under the radar as a legitimate CPA with an ordinary office with regular ordinary people although he makes his real money (and it’s a LOT) working for criminals on the side.

Even with all those dangerous clients, Christian encounters some of his biggest challenges in his current assignment near Chicago. He is hired by a up and coming tech firm called Living Robotics, whose CEO (John Lithgow) asks him to look into an issue of missing capital, discovered by a young accountant named Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick). Christian quickly figures out what happened to the money and who did it, but getting so close to the underlying truth of the diversion of funds puts him and Dana in mortal danger. A hired an assassin  and his team move in to try to silence the pair.  

This is a very enjoyable action-crime-drama… if you don't look too close. The background and story of the main character is unusual and rather original – as are many of the movie's plot points – and the story features some interesting twists. More studious Movie Fans may notice that parts of the story don't quite add up, but the story is still  good enough and the characters are so interesting that you may decide that the unanswered questions really don't matter that much.  This movie in the 2^nd half exhibits some sensory overload, but even so it will stimulate not only intellectuals but white-knuckled action junkies as well.  

This is  a creative, exciting and satisfying movie  and the way it humanizes the still little-understood condition of Asperger’s/autism adds unexpected heart to the story. The acting  is excellent. I think Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff is one of the best characters he's ever played. Affleck's performance is both engaging and mesmerizing. Everyone does their job here, but Affleck steals the show.

Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.

Clark

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN  2.9***

     The Girl on the Train tells the story of  Rachel (Emily Blunt), a troubled, alcoholic, divorcée who commutes every day on the train to Manhattan and each journey is the same and she passes the same row  of houses that she always focuses on obsessively.  Among those that Rachel sees daily is a beautiful, yet mysterious couple, Scott and Meagan,  who seem to live the perfect life, a marriage and life that Rachel pines for. This is made all the more difficult for Rachel given that her ex-husband Tom and his former mistress & now  wife Anna and their child live just a few houses away from that couple. But through all of this snooping, Rachel sees something she shouldn't and soon becomes drawn much more into the lives of these strangers than she ever could have expected.

One thing that can be said is that Emily Blunt owns this movie with a stellar performance. She pulls off a convincing a disheveled, struggling alcoholic who obsesses over her ex-husband’s new family which serves as her main motivation as we follow her story of trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of Meagan, the next door neighbor. You experience a range of emotions with her character from feeling sorry to slightly disgusted due to how she handles a variety of situations. 

In terms of trying to figure out 'what happened',  that is kept well under wraps until the third act of the film, but reaching that point is too slow paced  with not enough twists and suspense which ultimately drags the film down from its full potential. .Also the  time jumps designed to create more suspense were instead rather confusing  given that we already have to follow three separate story lines simultaneously.

'The Girl on the Train' turns out to be a fairly predictable mystery thriller that lacks suspense and originality. The premise itself is inventive, but the film failed to offer the excitement that  was expected.

Rated ”R” for violence, sexual content, language and nudity.

Clark

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN    3.0*** 

      The movie works well on many levels. It follows the basic story set forth in the original 1960s "The Magnificent Seven". Much like in the original where Yul Brenner was the star and main guy,  this remake has Denzel Washington.

The plot is pretty straight forward.  A corrupt wicked businessman  wants to buy out a small Texas town's land rights so he can mine the land for gold. As he begins to exert his will on the town, one of the town's residents stands up to him and when his friend joins in, there's violence and both the men (and several other townsfolk) end up dead. And to top off how mean the main villain is he even burns the church. The man's widow decides to go hire some top guns to put an end to the villain’s greedy, murderous plot. She meets Denzel in a town not far from Rose Creek (the contested town) and offers him the job for  ALL the money the townspeople have. At first, Denzel declines.  However, she eventually convinces him to take the job, and he goes about recruiting some extra help  and, (SURPRISE) he ends up with 7 including himself ( the “Mag 7” ). And what a great bunch the 7 are:  Denzel Washington is  as the charismatic leader, Chris Pratt as the group's joker and explosives-man, Ethan Hawke  as the tormented sniper and Vincent D'Onofrio  as the whimsical frontiersman, along with a Mexican, a Chinese and an American Indian actor. The movie makers took to heart the cry for diversity !!! They share a winning chemistry that makes them  watchable from start to finish. Also to be mentioned is Haley Bennett as the fierce widow/townsperson who stands her ground and is almost an eight to the seven.

The Mag. 7  sets out for Rose Creek and have to convince the townspeople that they must fight to save their town. Those that don’t leave are put through a primitive kind of basic training which is a hoot.

The story is as old as time, a small band of mercenaries with nothing to fight for find themselves drawn into defending the little town from the wrath of the main baddie, capably played by Peter Sarsgaard . When the big showdown comes, it is one heck of a showdown.  The movie builds and builds to this climatic 20 or so minute showdown. What makes the action so good is that there is little CGI. The action/stunts are done through practical effects and terrific stuntmen.

Overall, The Magnificent Seven is a straight up popcorn movie, so don't go  expecting anything else. It’s good and it’s fun but not great. It won’t be a classic as the original was. But it was nice to see a standard Western again, with well-worn characters and beautiful vistas.. This movie is a remake that actually delivers.

 Rated PG-13 for extended and intense sequences of Western violence and some language.

Clark

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN   3.2***

     “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children” Is quite a surprisingly complex story involving time travel and time loops so I'll try to keep this as simple as possible. 

The story is about Jake played by Asa Butterfield, who, following his beloved Grandfather's death (under strange circumstances) travels to Wales with his Father to solve the mystery of his demise. It's all connected to an orphanage where a group of children with peculiar gifts live in a time loop where the same day in June 1943 is repeated over and over (shades of  “Groundhog Day”) to keep them safe from the ravages of WW2. The children are looked after by Miss Peregrine, wonderfully played by Eva Green, who controls the time loop and there Jake must unravel the reasons behind his grandfather's demise with the help of the children and of course Miss Peregrine. 

The kids featured in this film are adorable once you get used to their peculiarities and some can be somewhat surprising.. And once they start teaming up and working together, it's easy to cheer for them.   Eva Green's is absolutely perfect in this role, She has that natural instinct when it comes to playing mysterious powerful character. The movie is kind of like Mary Poppins meets X-Men meets Tim Burton, and it's a winning combination.

Tim Burton (one of my favorite directors) once again delivers a breathtaking but complex movie with gorgeous visuals. The look and feel of the movie is typical Tim Burton. It has that dark slightly gothic style that Burton fans know and love. But even if you're not a fan of his work there's still loads to enjoy. However there are some flaws. The script is sometimes all over the place and due to the time travel element you really have to keep your eye on the ball or else you'll be scratching your head wondering what the hell is going on. There's are a couple of plot holes that are a problem and Samuel L Jackson, as the main villain, is fun but a little too much over the top.

Apart from that,  there's a lot to like. Once again Burton has crafted a mesmerizing adventure for all the family ( except children less than 12)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy action/violence and peril involving huge monsters. skeletons and scary puppets.

Clark

NOTE: Beautiful soundtrack even though it is only the 3^rd of the many Burton films not done by Hans Zimmer. There are 2 especially good vocals … one at the beginning and the best of the 2 at the end as the credits are rolling ( it’s  by Florence Welch and entitled  "Wish That You Were Here" which should be nominated for an Oscar for Best Song)