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)

     SULLY  3.6***

                If there's one thing you can count on Clint Eastwood doing well, it's directing an emotionally heartfelt story.  “Sully” is about “The miracle on the Hudson” starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, and Laura Linney. There are plenty of obstacles with any film about a true story, but with a film based on an event that lasted a mere 208 seconds, it's extra difficult. But Eastwood manages to pull a great story out of those unbelievable events that comes in just under 2 hours. Of course, the flight itself isn't the only hurdle that captain Sully went through, as he had deal with reporters, investigators, and especially the National Transportation Safety Board which seemed determined to diminish his heroic efforts by suggesting he could have landed at a nearby airport.

Who could possibly be better to play Captain Sully than the great Tom Hanks. And boy does Hanks ever deliver. He always effortlessly pulls off the dramatic speeches and powerful dialogue , but his more subtle acting is even more impressive. It's the moments when Sully is reacting to the big moments with only his facial expressions and body language that shows how great an actor he is..    

Eastwood ( and remember he’s 86 yrs. old) and his editors also deserve tons of credit for their work here. Much like Hanks' subtle acting, I love when Eastwood holds back the bombastic music (that can often overwhelm a good story) and lets the audience choose how to feel by watching excellent cinematography, acting and directing. This may be Eastwood's best directorial work since Million Dollar Baby. By the way, the understated Eastwood also composed much of the musical score for the movie.  

Most of all, this film is a great display of the power of the human spirit. Everything about this film is grounded with humanity. No one and nothing seems fake. So often Hollywood is flooded with over-the-top filmmaking that can easily dilute the power of the film's message. “Sully” knows exactly what it's going for, and it does it to near perfection.

It's rare for a film to inform, entertain, and inspire  all at the same time as this one does. By the way stay for roll of the  credits for the appearance of the real-life Sully and many of the real life survivors and crew all reunited alongside the actual plane (now in a museum in Charlotte NC) .

Clark

NERVE  3.0***

       “Nerve”,  starring the very pretty Emma Roberts and handsome Dave Franco, is a new thriller about a high school senior named Venus (Emma) who joins an online community, called Nerve, of adrenaline-junkies where anonymous watchers can dare players to do, well, whatever they want to see someone do. It's a game of truth or dare, minus the truth. You have a choice to be either a watcher or a player. Over the brief period of 24 hours, a phone app puts teen players  in danger through dares that are played for cash payments. In the meantime, a fan base of watchers sends in money to watch certain players take on requested dares specific to information picked up from their social media profiles.  

 From start to finish, this film is a non-stop white-knuckle thrill ride that is exciting, intense, romantic, and most importantly, a lot of fun. You will have a smile on your face and also be on the edge of your seat.        

 One thing that was great about this movie was that the dares were realistic, and didn't feel ridiculous. All of the things that Emma is dared to do are things that you know actually could happen in real life. The dares range from her getting a tattoo, to having to go 60 miles per hour on a motorcycle while the driver and co-player, Ian (Dave Franco), is blindfolded. While the dares get more and more intense and dangerous as the film goes on, nothing felt overly unbelievable or too exaggerated..

"Nerve" is a fantastically fun and incredibly intense movie that has great chemistry between Roberts and Franco, great visuals to go with an awesome soundtrack, and cool action sequences in the form of the dares that the characters have to complete. This is a great movie for anyone who just wants to spend 90 minutes on a roller coaster ride of a film.

Rated PG-13 for material involving dangerous and risky behavior, some sexual content and nudity, language, drugs and drinking -all involving teens 

Clark

ELVIS & NIXON  3.8*** (The movie was produced by Amazon and did not go in the theaters. It’s available on Amazon and will probably be available on other channels.)

       Believe it when they say 'truth is stranger than fiction". This is the bizarre account of Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) flying a commercial airline to the nation's capital for a secret meeting with President Nixon.. Elvis, with best and patriotic intentions, goes to The White House, with a hand-written letter asking for a Federal Agent-At-Large badge. It is December 21, 1970, just four years before Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey) would be forced to resign from office. The Commander-in-Chief reluctantly decides to meet Elvis after urging from White House staff and, more importantly, his daughter asking for an autographed picture of Elvis.

This movie, similar to the meeting itself, is entertaining and an interesting oddity. It is a tongue in cheek look at the actual meeting that has comic and heartwarming qualities. We have the ego-maniacal "stuffed shirt" President Richard M. Nixon and the megastar Elvis Presley. Both men, of great importance for different reasons, are boasting and bragging on the other to get what they wanted. Elvis wanted his badge and  Nixon wanted an autographed picture.  Spacey is hilarious, playing the role a bit downbeat, but has all the Nixon mannerisms down pat. He steals the show from Shannon, who doesn’t really  look or act so much like Elvis, but tries to say something with his dead eyes. This is a hysterical,  historical comedy about the actual meeting.

This will not become a movie classic nor will it be a movie that history classes will view for accuracy. What this is though is tremendously entertaining and watchable. This is a movie you can just sit back and watch and not have to think about .  

Clark

PS: The actual photo (see below) taken at the meeting has become the most requested photo from the National Archives.
Something also on the odd side, is that the soundtrack has NO Elvis music. Tunes are by Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

HELL OR HIGH WATER  4.0***

    This movie is a delightful, suspenseful modern day Western. The story is set in West Texas (although not a scene was filmed in Texas… instead New Mexico ) where most everyone carries a gun like they did in the wild west. We have 2 down and out brothers who start robbing small branch banks.. in fact 3 in the first day. Hitting them hard and quick wearing ski-like masks and then dashing away in/on their trusty stead… well it’s a fast car or truck, so they can retreat to their ranch.. run down and dusty. Of course the law is alerted and a pair of Texas Rangers set off to corral the bad guys . The next day the robber brothers hit a 4^th bank, larger than the others and unfortunately for them crowded with customers, most of whom are packing a gun. There is a shoot-out in the bank  and the robbers flee in their truck which is partially shot-up by the locals who quickly form up a posse which chases the robbers on their trusty steeds.. mostly trucks or SUVs. There is a classic  shot-out back in a canyon between one of the robbers and the Posse and Texas Rangers. Then there is a concluding classic showdown between the remaining robber and the crusty old Texas Ranger …neither draws his gun. It’s a duel of words .. and at the end,  it’s the Ranger who rides off in the sunset in his big ole sedan.

“Hell or High Water” takes the Western genre into modern day gracefully and gives us easily one of the top 5 films of the year to date.

I always try and find the time to go see the next western because Hollywood rarely spends the time or money towards making them, so when they do they are usually pretty decent. Hell or High Water is more than decent, it's magnificent. The screenplay comes from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan. All of the characters are well realized and established from the get-go and the story plays out crisp and delightful.

Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Gil Birmingham all give well-crafted performances and largely against type as well. Bridges and Birmingham play a funny buddy cop duo (here Texas Rangers) who have been through more than one rodeo together with a love-hate relationship. Their banter back and forth makes for some of the best comedy moments of the film, but it's not just there for kicks and giggles, every line adds weight to the characters so that you care when the final showdown begins.

That duo is nicely complemented by the duo of Pine and Foster, who play brothers who rob banks in order to save their family's ranch. Just as Bridges plays the quick witted, Foster plays the unhinged and unpredictable brother, Tanner, against Pine's more subtle and reserved turn as Toby. The screenplay itself never asks the actors to do anything too crazy or stunning, which is what makes the performances all the more special. The ability for these four men to do so much with their eyes and unspoken actions makes it some of the best work they have all done.

I also loved how patient and subtle the film itself was. It doesn't push bloody gun battles or massive twists in your face, it relies on great acting and a good directing job by David Mackenzie. I was immensely impressed by this film and I can't recommend it enough. As good as it is and it is excellent, few people have heard of it because it had almost NO ad campaign or previews. Just more or less thrown out there for the lucky ones to find and see.  I think we’ll hear more about this film come award season.

So giddy-up cowboys and cowgirls and get on down to the movie house and have yourself some fun.

Rated “R” for some strong violence, language throughout and brief sexuality. (I’d say this is a ‘soft’ R)

Clark