PASSENGERS   3.2 ***

          PASSENGERS is romantic film surrounded by breathtaking sci-fi. After so many survival films about one man only or one woman only, on an island or in space , it's nice to see a survival film with two people and nobody else for a change. And with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence as the leads, this is a  adventure you can't keep your eyes off of.

The story is set onboard a spaceship transporting more than 5000 people to a new life on another planet, It's supposed to be a 120-year journey but  with 90 years yet to go, a meteorite strikes the ship and, among other things, causes Chris Pratt's character, Jim's hibernation pod to open prematurely. He cannot reactivate the hibernation pod and is all alone  except for a bartender droid Arthur. He knows he will die before the other pods open which is to be 4 months before the landing. Having spent a year all by himself , Jim decides to intentionally wake up a woman for companionship. That woman is Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence). As they begin to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction, they fall in love, but when certain truths come to surface, they find their spaceship and their lives falling apart.

Chris Pratt is a fine actor, playing a character that is humorous, and emotionally driven at the same time. Jennifer Lawrence is a beautiful actress that gives her best with her role as well. Seeing the two together is perfect chemistry on screen. This is also a  movie with stunning visual effects from artists  with extraordinary imaginations and creativity.

This is a  sleek, romantic film, boy meets girl in a pod, boy wakes girl up, boy falls for girl and girl for boy. Add in  the million and one things that the super ultra, high-tech spaceship can do is also enough to make any sci-fi fan go, 'Whoa, that's super cool.'

It  is a compelling story about a relationship and whether it can survive cosmic ordeals as well as a BIG lie…..a romantic drama set in space confronted by catastrophic deadly event.

Rated PG-13 for sexuality, partial nudity and action/peril

Clark

PS: I really liked this movie. I’m a big sci-fi fan and then add in 2 of my favorite actors in the lead roles. It has been heavily criticized for having a somewhat unbelievable ending. But what the heck, it’s sci-fi and it’s fun to stretch reality. If you are going to nit-pick at unreality then why go to sci-fi movies at all. I agree a story can exceed the boundaries of a good sci-fi, but “PASSENGERS” doesn’t.

MOONLIGHT  3.0***

  

 The main theme at the heart of "Moonlight" is about a young black man's coming of age in a poor, drug-afflicted Miami neighborhood and his inability to  define himself in terms that his surroundings will allow. He doesn't fit into any of the categories available to him, so he sets out to force himself into one that seems like the best option. His name is Chiron, and the movie shows him  at three didtinct stages of his life, portrayed by three different but wonderful actors.( In this regard, Director Barry Jenkins did not let the  three actors who play Chiron to ever meet during production. Jenkins said the reason for this is, even though these actors were portraying the same character, he wanted each of them to build their own persona of Chiron during their respective segments of the movie with no influence from the other portrayals.  

The first of the three stages is entitled: “Little”. It follows young Chiron (with the nickname of Little) running from a group of school yard bullies when he meets a father figure in an abandoned apartment in Juan, who's a drug dealer. He isn't a stereotypical drug dealer that's often seen in movies, but one that's as fully realized as a supporting character in the first third of a movie, can be. He offers Chiron a place from his home and his drug and sexually addicted mother only to realize that he's a major factor (sells her the drugs) in Chiron's  crumbling.
home life.

The second stage, titled “Chiron”, follows him through high school and the bullies have only gotten bigger.  But he has his best friend Kevin, to help him through which leads to a sexual encounter between the two of them which is a sexual revelation for Chiron & his gayness from then on follows Chiron throughout his life. Yet, even that one happy moment is taken away when Chiron is beaten in a cruel bit of homophobia.

The final segment titled “Black” (a nickname Kevin gave him), shows the man that Chiron has grown up to be; the spitting image of his father figure, Juan. Yet, there's still something missing in his life, and as Chiron receives two phone calls, one from his guilt ridden  mother and the other from Kevin. He  sets out to visit both of them, old feelings of both love and resentment still there. I’ll let you find out how it goes with both.

This was a low budget film that has gotten rave reviews from the critics and it will be nominated for Best Picture in the Oscars. Technically and visually it is an excellent movie and the performances are fine  and my rating reflects those things. But for me I was underwhelmed and not emotionally moved by the story. Maybe that’s because it is a big downer with no humor and a lot of sadness. The downer type story seems to be a trend this year with “Manchester by the Sea” and “Nocturnal Animals”. But all  three will get Best Picture nominations.

Rated R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language…BUT a soft “R” |

Clark

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES   4.0***

      'Fried Green Tomatoes' is a deliciously delightful “feel good” film that tells dual stories of four women. The story of Evelyn and Ninny ( 1980s) deals with various themes such as age, loneliness, feeling useless and unappreciated and love; while Ruth and Idgie's story (1920 to 1930s) told by Ninny to Evelyn is about devotion, compassion, courage, racism and love. However, at heart, 'Fried Green Tomatoes' is about friendship.

Fannie Flagg adapts the screenplay from her very own novel and gives it a poetic feel.  Director Jon Avnet  expertly has the movie tell the story of four incredibly strong women with grace and sincerity.  

'Fried Green Tomatoes' showcases four marvelous performances. The late Jessica Tandy (as the vivacious and friendly Ninny,  the storyteller) who is always a delight to watch on screen, Kathy Bates (as the shy pushover who transforms into the strong independent Evelyn), Mary Louise-Parker (as the vulnerable yet courageous Ruth) and Mary Stuart Masterson (as Idgie the free-spirited kind-hearted tomboy) are all first rate. Thanks to them the connection and love between the characters shines brightly the screen. Cicely Tyson deserves special mention in a wonderful supporting role.

'Fried Green Tomatoes' is a movie that will pleasantly surprise and delight you. 'Fried Green Tomatoes' is primarily about, having a best friend, and being a best friend.

Clark

PS: Mary Stuart Masterson did all of the bee stunts herself because her stunt double refused and quit at the last minute.

Nocturnal Animals  3.2 ***

      “Nocturnal Animals” is an intense dark thriller. Right from the very start we are made to feel uncomfortable, and I mean really uncomfortable.  Picture, if you will, images of completely naked and obese women moving rhythmically to a heavy beat with various body parts moving simultaneously in different directions. They resemble what could be described as artistically grotesque burlesque, all while the opening credits are rolling in the background.

We are first introduced to Susan (Amy Adams), who is an artist who arranges art exhibits and galleries . She seems very confident and successful, but behind the public figure, her life is troubled.  She then receives a novel named 'Nocturnal Animals' from her ex-husband  whom she has not seen in 20 years, and this is where things get interesting. As she reads the novel, we experience the novel visually so we are getting a story within the story we are watching. Susan's ex-husband is Ed (Jake Gyllenhaal) who has never forgiven her for the divorce and other. Jake also portrays Tony, a character in the novel which is about a  Mom, Dad and their daughter in the family car going on vacation. They are on a deserted highway late at night and are run off the road by three vicious hoodlums. The ensuing encounter and horrible outcome is so harrowing it is almost unwatchable, and from there the story becomes a fascinating and absorbing quest for justice or revenge if  there is no justice to be had.  As Susan continues to read it triggers flashbacks about her previous marriage for which a small flame still burns, and she begins to sense that the story may be a vengeful reminder  of her own guilt and remorse for how she ended the marriage.

The stories become entangled with each other and it all becomes very intense, and that is how I would describe this film…. very intense.

As for  the performances, the movie features a very impressive ensemble cast all at the top of their game. Amy Adams yet again proves why she's one of the most versatile actresses with a strong performance that combines personal  assurance with the vulnerability of someone who knows they've made mistakes in their past.  Adams is joined by Jake Gyllenhaal, who takes on dual  roles yet again for this film. Gyllenhaal has really grown as an actor, particularly in the last five years, and it’s great to see him continue that in this film. The rest of the cast features a scene stealing Michael Shannon, who plays the detective in the book story along with an effective performance from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is truly vile as the villainous hoodlum

This is one wicked thrill ride…. a  journey of dark emotions some of which you can’t help but feel and carry out with you.

Rated R for violence, menace, graphic nudity, and language

Clark

MANCHESTER by the SEA  3.5***

     Some people find a way to pick themselves up from the rubble of a personal tragedy and rebuild a life for themselves. Others are permanently broken, and they die in spirit if not in body. 

"Manchester by the Sea," writer and director Kenneth Lonergan's  deeply heartfelt new film, contains characters who are representative of both of the above types of people. The tragedy befalls the characters portrayed by Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, and the film follows Affleck's character as he unexpectedly becomes guardian of his nephew after his older brother dies, while he is trying to exorcise his own personal demons. C. Affleck gives an amazing understated performance…. one quiet but sustained howl of anguish, that's easily one of the best of the year. Michelle Williams gets a much smaller role, but she makes a huge impression, particularly in one scene  between her and Affleck in the latter half of the movie which is truly outstanding !!

Unlike many big-budget studio movies, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA is not afraid to make the audience work and test the viewer's patience with its constant cutting between past and present, as well as its unravelling of character background and motivation. In fact, one of its best aspects is the lack of close-ups. Almost everything is filmed from afar, which reflects Lee's emotional distancing. And it's not until later where you finally find out why Lee has detached himself from the rest of the world. Then, from that point on, you're in his head; you watch the film unfold from a point-of-view almost entirely foreign to how you viewed it at first. 

Lonergan's screenplay doesn't make a false move. This film is largely about inarticulate people trying to process extremely complicated emotions, and they remain inarticulate -- they don't suddenly express their feelings in nicely phrased speeches in order to bring the film to tidy resolutions. The movie's final point, that broken people sometimes just stay broken no matter how badly others want them to have a happy ending, is certainly not uplifting, but there's something refreshing about how  honest it is.

Despite this being a big “downer” of a movie, it is without a doubt one of the most personal and heart wrenching films of 2016. It WILL be nominated for Oscars for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Original Screen Play, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress and Actor.

Rated “R” for language with a lot of ‘f’ words through-out.

Clark

PS: I made a mistake and took my wife to see this one. I should have previewed it better. She almost walked out . Said it was the most boring movie she has seen in a long time and would give it minus stars !!!!!!   I barely made up for it by taking her to one of her favorite restaurants plus I gave her the TV remote when we got home !!!

FANTASATIC BEASTS and WHERE TO FIND THEM   2.3***

       Let me say up front that this is not a bad movie. But I notice a lot of Potter-fans are looking at this movie through rose-colored glasses, and are unable to see its obvious flaws, and there are flaws.

.I'm not going to compare the film to its  Harry Potter predecessors, because that's ultimately unfair. This was a new thing.. After all, this film takes place 70 years before Harry Potter entered Hogwarts.. By the way J.K. Rowling  makes this her screen writing debut which in my opinion was a mistake. She should stick to books !! The script felt too basic and unimaginative and was unable to capture the charm and whimsy of her book.  .

Our new wizard team is comprised of  Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterson, Dan Fogler, and Alison Sudol. I'm not sure if it was because the youth and innocence is no longer there (like with the original team at Hogwarts), but I didn't care for the team. I didn't find anything compelling or charismatic about this particular group. Unfortunately, Redmayne gets lost in his obscure quirkiness, and Colin Farrell's character was underused.

But let’s look at some of the good things. This film tells the story of an English wizard who travels to New York with a suitcase full of magical creatures. The creatures get loose, and he has to recapture all of them  before they create citywide panic and destruction. The characters are fun, the visuals are impressive( although it is overloaded with CGI which is not up to par). And the Potter atmosphere of whimsy is all over this film. I also liked how the music of the movie starts with the soft Potter-theme, and then immediately abandons it for the rest of the film, and sticks with its own new theme music. There's plenty of references to Potter things for fans to enjoy, but you do not need to be a Potter fan to understand what is going on in the film. This movie can very much stand on its own.

But now for more bad. The movie seems to forget the primary plot for more than half of its running time. For most of the movie we follow the main character in his quest to retrieve from all over New York his “Fantastic Beasts”  which is fun, but has very little to do with the main plot. It seems as if the movie suddenly remembers that it has a villain (who is only briefly referred to  with quick flashes to newspaper headlines) and it forgets that it still has to build towards a finale. Out of nowhere the final act is suddenly dropped into the movie. That is a bit sloppy and causes confusion about what the heck is going on.,  Technically, the movie is poorly edited  which is why some scenes are hard to follow.  

 That said, I was still marginally entertained. But the film critic in me feels that this movie should have been a whole lot better.  

Clark

         Loving  3.0

        “Loving” is the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving who were ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary situation. The Lovings were married in Washington, DC in 1958, although they lived in rural Virginia. No one would have noticed or cared, except for the fact that Richard was white and Mildred was Black. At the time, a mixed marriage was a felony in the state of Virginia. The plot is based on what happened next in their lives.

Joel Edgerton portrays Richard. He's a bricklayer, and, apparently, a very good one. He always has work. Ruth Negga plays Mildred. Mildred is a homebody, who does her job very well, and turns out to be the wiser of the two.

As a compelling human interest story, the movie is exceptional. As a film narrative,  the picture is unusually low key and somewhat plodding  with very little drama to heighten the importance of a Supreme Court decision ruling that laws prohibiting mixed race marriages were unconstitutional . The decision was nothing short of landmark when issued in 1967, a full nine years after the ordeal began for Richard and Mildred Loving. Even so, Joel Edgarton and Ruth Negga deliver sensitive portrayals as the interracial mixed couple, jailed for the audacity of being married and living in Virginia.

That being said, I personally was underwhelmed by the movie. I was expecting more sizzle but as it turns out that is not what the Director wanted. He wanted this to be a simple but genuine story about 2 people in love who just wanted to be left alone to live their lives. The movie’s emphasis was on the love story with the dramatics left out.

Clark