me before you   4.0**** (based upon overall technical matters it may not be 4***, but for sheer enjoyment and

                                                        inspiration  I’m giving it 4***…GO SEE IT)

       I had thought about seeing this movie from the time I first saw the previews but kept putting it off. I was expecting it to be the usual Rom-Com… a chick flick with tears.  I finally decided to take my wife, Sara to see it…… she’s big on chick flicks. Well, as it turns out,  that's not what this film is… a little bit maybe but a whole lot more.  What a wonderful, moving beautiful movie and love story.  My heart broke where it needed to break, and it laughed where it needed to laugh. And throughout most of the movie I was smiling and/or simply enjoying a well done movie

It all starts with our male lead, 31-year-old William (Will) Traynor, played by Sam Claflin, who is living the great, very active life of water skiing and sky-diving. But then disaster strikes in the blink of an eye: he is struck by a  motorcycle, and he becomes a permanent quadriplegic ( paralyzed from the neck down with loss of bladder and bowel control, potential for bed sores and blood clots, respiratory problems and muscle spasms among others) It is a very very limiting condition that binds you to a wheelchair and forces you to rely on others for aid in all the big and little things. Fortunately he and his family are rich,

Two years later  a new caretaker enters the picture. Will seems to be okay living in his own apartment with a medical assistant , but he needs someone else to help during the day  with minor tasks such as eating and getting medications. Her name is Louisa Clark, played by Emilia Clarke. Louisa is 26 and  delightfully quirky, chatty and absolutely zany in her dress style….she wears a different unusual outfit for each scene. If you enjoy “outside the box” colorful fashions, it’s worth seeing this movie just for that.

One of  the film's greatest strengths is the way the relationship between these two is developed. Both players are beyond exceptional in their roles. Emilia puts on the sweetest, most adorable facial expressions—watching her wide smile and nervous eyebrows will leave you with a smile. Sam isn't as strong as his co-lead, but he beautifully contrasts from her lively, exotic personality with his slow,  downer attitude which gradually opens up more as he becomes more comfortable with her.

I won't reveal how the movie ends, however I will tell you  there are certain themes in the movie that you should be aware of. Without exposing too much, the issue of euthanasia crops up and becomes an ongoing, ever looming possibility . While euthanasia is  a difficult polarizing topic, I think the film deals with it in a very fair and two-sided way. Both sides of the argument are fairly presented but it's a very complex matter that doesn't have a simple answer. The BIG TIME critics seized on this and came down rather negative on the movie. BOO HISS on those critics. This is a delightful, feel-good movie that I highly recommend ( Sara really enjoyed it too).  It’s no longer in the theaters so find it on Netflix, Red Box or other streaming channels or On Demand,,, but find it… I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Clark

STAR TREK: BEYOND  2. 2 ***            

                      

          “Star Trek: Beyond” is set three years after the events of the 2^nd sequel: “Into Darkness”, and this 3rd entry into the revamped Star Trek cinematic universe takes the USS Enterprise crew even deeper into space where their exploratory mission, not unexpectedly, takes a turn for the worse. The Enterprise is destroyed by a powerful, unstoppable wave of unknown aliens. With the crew stranded on an unknown planet and with no apparent means of rescue, they find themselves in conflict with a new ruthless enemy who has a well-earned hatred of the Federation and what it stands for.

Presented more like a stand-alone voyage as opposed to a direct sequel, the wholesale change made amongst the crew – the director, writers and cinematographer from the first two instalments  is sorely felt in both tone and execution. There's no sense that any of these characters have changed in the 3  years since we last trekked into the vast unknown with them and this film seems to care little about building on the major relationships already established. Also the movie takes you from one illogical scene to the next, without any explanation or any attempt to let the viewer settle into it. The whole movie is a continuous repetition of using  fancy sci-fi tech babble  to initiate the next action scene rather than explain WHATS GOING ON..
                

Disappointing is my opinion of this, the latest in a way-too-long line of "Star Trek" films. ALL of these movies in this genre have the same theme: maniacal overlord wants to either rule the world --- or destroy it. It's rather tiresome and, quite frankly, "Star Trek Beyond" doesn't measure up to the other 2 space fantasy offerings.

      

I have no complaints regarding the cast. New to the cast is Jayla(Sofia Boutella) who adds zest and sizzle to the story sporting an eye catching white with black streaks facial look.  The cast gives 100 percent to their roles --- it's the writing that stinks. The screenplay credits go to six men ( that’s always a bad sign.. you can’t write a good script by committee). Perhaps had a woman been involved, the dialogue would have been less inane. There are a few amusing moments, but a film such as this requires more than a few.  Obviously, the special effects are grandiose --- I saw it in IMAX/3D --- but even those, after a while, become mundane. A good action adventure sci-fi can rely upon such qualities for only so long --- a better, more inventive plot is a must and is lacking here.

NOTE: This movie was released in 2010 and was not widely distributed which is a shame because it’s a fine Independent film. It was recommended to me by my friend Eleanor. I had never heard of it. My wife, Sara, watched it with me and enjoyed as much as I did. You’ll have to look for it on Netflix, Redbox or some other streaming channel… it’s worth the effort.

       the way   3.2 ***

        (Martin Sheen) goes to France to bring back the body of his 40ish son Daniel (Emilio Estevez) who was killed in a storm as he was going on the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage . However, Tom decides to walk The Way himself and to spread his son's ashes at various places. The Way is the journey to Santiago, Spain where St. James is buried. The main route starts in France and is about 800 Kilometers (500 miles).

Along the way, Tom reluctantly at first meets three travelers and together they form an unlikely alliance. There is Youst who is taking the trip to lose weight for his brother's upcoming wedding, but he eats and drinks the whole way; Sarah, an angry woman, who is trying to give up smoking, but smokes all the time; and Jack who is a writer with writer's block and he is looking for inspiration.  Those are reasons they give whether true or not .. Tom is making the pilgrimage to honor Daniel . Writer, director and creator of the film Emilio Estevez plays the small role of Sheen's son, in flashbacks or ghostlike appearances seen only by Sheen. It is significant though because I think the intensity of the emotions Sheen displays is increased by the fact that Estevez is actually his son.

The movie is not your typical Hollywood blockbuster. It isn't fast paced, it isn't full of action or suspenseful moments. Instead it is a simple, heartfelt, subtle and quite beautiful movie. Your emotions will run high and although the movie has a dark undertone of sadness and grief, the beauty, and the spirit of the journey will lift you up and make you feel good.. The stunning scenery is only a small part of this film but what a beautiful countryside this rag tag group of pilgrims experience. It’s a story about four people from different walks of life on the same walk to experience something...anything...and you will walk with them step by step.

There are few movies when I can say that I enjoyed every character, every scene, and every line. "The Way" is one of those movies. The script is so well written and delivered; the characters naturally developed and completely believable; the photography moving, beautiful.

Rated PG 13.

Clark

MONEY MON$TER$  3.0***

           Jodie Foster ( yes the Academy Award winning actress in “Silence of the Lambs”) directs this suspenseful hostage drama set in a live-to-air television studio in New York City.  George Clooney plays Lee Gates, a flippant host of a tacky infotainment show for Wall Street watchers. Soon after the morning show goes on air a disgruntled young shareholder, Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell), bursts into the studio and threatens to shot  Clooney who had recently highly recommended the stock of an investment company whose stock  has since plummeted by more than $800 million. The furious Kyle lost $60,000, all his savings and that of his Moms..

Under threats from the gunman the producer, Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts), orders the film crew to continue filming, and to contain the situation, she fits out Kyle with a collar mic "so people can hear you properly", effectively giving him a voice as the show beams into bars and cafés across the country.. The film cleverly juggles the fear of a loose cannon with the growing sympathy for Kyle, the battler who has a legitimate grievance and simply wants to know what happened to the $800 million beyond the glib answer that it was a “computer glitch” or a faulty algorithm.

To buy time, the producer investigates the claims made by Kyle and the film develops into an on air "real time" investigation into the background of the company's $800 million loss. It is probably  first time this show has ever produced journalism of any worth in its glitzy life and it now has an audience of millions watching. The movie concerns itself with the reveal of those investigations.

Along the way of the film we learn a little about algorithms for high frequency trading, share price basics, the kind of outrageous speculations bankers make with investors' money; and a whole lot about the baloney that the media puts out, especially TV.

The performances make the movie. Clooney and Roberts are outstanding in their roles and Jack O’Connell is spectacular as Patty Fenn  He showcases a wide mix of emotions in his on the spot portrayal of a conflicted character.

Rated R for language throughout, some sexuality and brief violence. 

Clark

PS: This movie came out earlier this year and would be hard to find in the theaters,,,so check TV, Netflix, Red box or streaming.

THE PURGE ELECTION YEAR    2.2*****

          This is one of those love it or hate it movies It’s supposed to be a horror movie.. In case you missed the other 2 Purge movies or are unfamiliar with this action/horror franchise….it takes place in the not-too-distant future of 2025, where the NFFA-New Founding Fathers of America-have instituted a yearly 'purge'. On this one day, any crime is legal for 12 hours-sunset to sunrise-with most people preferring murder and often gruesome murder. The only exception is government officials who are exempt..   All 3 movies are written & directed by the same man, James DeMonaco. The first in 2013 and the second in 2014. Basically, the government uses the purge to keep crime and the population under control-pretty much taking out the poor, lower class since the richer people can afford fortresses to hide in or bigger guns to hunt or defend. . In this film the story has  a secret service agent  assigned to protect a Elizabeth, a Senator , who is running to become President on a platform that will eliminate the purge. Her opponent is her opposite; he is a proud NFFA member and wants to continue the tradition of purging. .  NFFA does not want Elizabeth to win so they plot to take her out  during the purge. And to do that, they  amend the purge law to  allow government officials to be subject to being purged.. Open season on everybody! .The Secret Service agent must spend the purge night trying to keep the Senator alive so that she can win the election and get rid of the purge. A sympathetic shop owner  helps them through this deadly obstacle course of death trying to evade the Neo-Nazi mercenaries hired by NFFA plus all the regular purge participants which for the first time includes foreign tourist who have a blood lust..

Given the premise of the Purge movies, the first 2 did a much better job of showing the senseless killing and the horror of innocent people being slaughtered. This “Election Year” sequel however strays from that main premise by, instead,  making the story into a political war… the Pro purge Vs the Anti-purge groups. The actual purge that is taking place has to take a back seat, be secondary , to the political war. The violence is still there but the horror factor is considerably diminished which makes the movie more of a violent action film rather than a horror film. This was a big disappointment for me,. If I’m paying to see a good old gory horror movie, I don’t want to be fooled by a “bait and switch” which happened here.

It is rated "R" for bloody violence and strong language and has a running time of 1 hour & 45 minutes.

Clark

THE AGE OF ADALINE   3.2****

          The story is about Adaline Bowman ( Blake Lively) who was born in 1908, married, had a daughter and lost her husband, then has a car accident when she is 29 which, due to highly unusual circumstances, causes her to stop ageing. She becomes a mysterious young woman who hides her true identity.  To protect herself and her daughter (played by Ellen Burstyn) Adaline lives a secret unassuming life - until she meets Ellis (Michiel Huisman) a young, charismatic, wealthy man who immediately takes a liking to Adaline. The two hit it off slowly as he is impressed with her wealth of detailed knowledge on just about everything and her unique wit.. At first, Adaline has her reservations about him, how can she lie about her identity and still be in an honest relationship with Ellis? But with some encouragement from her daughter, Adaline decides to let go. She and Ellis fall in love, but when Adaline joins him for a weekend at his parents' house, her past catches up with her in ways she could never have imagined and might alter the course of her eternal life, forever.

                                                                                                     

It's rare these days where we get a genuine romantic film with an interesting science-fiction aspect. You usually either get one or the other and seldom do the two ever mix. That's not the case with 'Age of Adaline' though. The screenwriters have brilliantly weaved both genres into a  narrative with strong characters and an easy enough plot without having to explain the sci-fi aspects throughout the film. In fact, the first several minutes of the movie has a narrator explain why this young woman in the early 1900s stops aging at 29.It's a fairly interesting and scientific explanation too, one that doesn't seem o farfetched. So instead of the film taking an entire two hours to tell us why she doesn't age, it's over and done with in the first few minutes of the film, and we get to focus on her life through the years to present day in 2014.          

The cast and their performances are excellent, especially those by Blake Lively and Harrison Ford. Lively portrays the character of Adaline with a keen understanding of the character. And she carries herself with an air of elegance  as if the role was  made for her, never hitting a false note from start to finish. While watching I couldn't help but think of Grace Kelly and the way she acted with that air about her that made you feel she was special. Harrison Ford, who portrays Ellis' father, is amazing. Ford shows a different side of his acting skills in "The Age of Adaline". His character creates a second layer to Adaline's love story with Ellis and twists the plot in excruciating and fascinating ways. With this film, Ford is very refreshing for a change, and the actor's performance is very touching and heartfelt.

“The Age of Adaline" beautifully and elegantly portrays what it might feel like to never age, to see those you love grow old and to be the only one to be left behind. It is a heartwarming  love story, that will cause you to ponder immortality.

Clark
 

PS: My wife, Sara, also enjoyed this movie which we both agreed was in the “feel good” category !!

PSS: This is a 2015 movie that you’ll have to find on Netflix or one of the other streaming channels or on demand… but it’s worth the effort.