Passengers

Director Morten Tyldum previously dramatized the story of Alan Turing, the father of the computer in The Imitation Game. He goes far from Oscar-bait into Science Fiction for Passengers. Its plot twists have shocked some viewers but not me. I thought the voyage was OK.

Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) is one of 5000 colonists aboard the starship Avalon. The whole personnel is asleep in cryotubes for a 120-year voyage to the planet Homestead II. But a meteor shower jolts Jim awake 30 years in. Jim can't go back to cryobed because the ship's makers are idiots who can't foresee the possibility of failure. So Jim's all alone except for the android bartender Arthur (Michael Sheen) and other droids. Plus side is, he can do anything he wants.

But Jim's bored without other conscious humans. He decides that journalist Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) will be his companion and wakes her. He knows that he can't put her back to cryo either. He tells her that her cryotube screwed up too. And a friendship is born. Little do they know that the Avalon is on the verge of doom. They'll have to find a way to stop it.

Jim and Aurora's relationship is founded on lies and deceit. But the film does admit that Jim is in the wrong ... then sweeps that aside. Halfway through, our couple is joined by another premature awakened guy, Gus Mancuso (Laurence Fishburne). He tells Aurora that it's natural for a drowning man (i.e. Jim) to try to take someone with him. That's not love. Their relationship would've worked if Aurora was indeed jolted awake. It would've also jolted the plot awake too.

What about the characters we have? Jim starts off as a likable, funny guy. He is sympathetic when his isolation gets to him and tests that sympathy when he wakes Aurora. Aurora's fury once she realizes the deception is perfectly understandable. Michael Sheen's Arthur provides great comic relief. Gus Mancuso is a cool character taken too soon. Andy Garcia is too big a name for his wordless cameo as the Avalon's captain in the very last scene.

The visual effects team is among the ten shortlisted for Oscar consideration. They visualize a pretty cool ship designed by Guy Hendrix Dyas. The Avalon is a nice place for a cruise if you can afford it. A gravity loss which nearly drowns Aurora in a floating pool is a visual highlight. Jim and Aurora's space walks were pretty awesome too. Thomas Newman sets these visuals to another memorable score.

Passengers' love story just needed a few rewrites to be romantic. It does work as a satire of suicidally overconfident shipmakers. It would've been better if it was all about that. The film we have is a fine matinee with cool visuals. I don't know what else to recommend about it.

Fences

Denzel Washington made his directorial debut with Antwone Fisher and his followup with The Great Debaters. His latest directorial effort is the long-awaited big screen version of August Wilson's career-defining play Fences. Washington directs himself and most of his co-stars from the 2010 Broadway revival for a strong screen rendition.

Troy Maxson (Washington) was a star of the Negro Leagues in the days before Jackie Robinson. Now he's a garbageman in Pittsburgh. He spends his days with his pal, Bono (Stephen Mckinley Henderson), his wife Rose (Viola Davis) and his son, Cory (Jovan Adepo). His brother, Gabe (Mykelti Williamson), is a mentally-impaired wanderer and his other son, Lyons (Russell Hornsby), stops by asking for cash. Troy's greatest accomplishment before baseball was the time he fought off (literally, he says) Death. He now barely makes enough to support his family.

Troy finds solace with a mistress, Alberta, who we never get to see. We do see him construct a fence for his house, though. We also see his relationships with his family and friends tried and tested by his bitterness. How will anybody get into Troy's life now?

Wilson, who died in 2005, wrote the screenplay for the film version. One can recognize its theatrical origins with its heavy dialogue alone. A lot of major events are depicted off-screen and silent montages tell a few more. A huge chunk of the story is told around the Maxson house. The theatrical limitations may confine some viewers but not me. Here's why:

The cast. Washington, as Maxson, is a sympathetic jerk. He does mean things to Cory and Rose but he still attempts to be a family man. But it's still selfish when he voices favor for his mistress and their child in front of his wife. Davis, as Rose, is a sympathetic housewife who lets loose with her frustrations in the end. Adepo, as Cory, is a great foil for Washington and gets to have two powerful confrontations with him. Williamson, as Gabe, is likable, funny and tragic all at once.

Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen and Production Designer David Gropman paint a nice picture of 1950's Pittsburgh. Editor Hughes Winborne pieces the monologues and confrontations with strong tension. These aspects work their best in Troy's last scene; it would've been an excellent ending for him if the real finale wasn't seven years later. The finale works best with Marcelo Zarvos's great score; it ends the film on such a powerful image. 

This is a film that does right by its source. Fences is a strong transplant of a legendary play. Its themes of race and familial loyalty smash down any physical or metaphorical fence. It definitely deserves all the praise coming to it.

Rogue One

Or, Star Wars Episode 3.5: Anyway that is Green.

Disney isn't done making money from Star Wars on the big screen. Star Wars Episode VIII will arrive in this galaxy this time next year. So in the meantime, it goes back, "a long time ago, in that galaxy far, far away" for a prequel, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It's a prequel destined to be remembered for the right reasons.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) was a farm girl until the Galactic Empire came knocking. The evil Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) killed her mother, Lyra, and seized her father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen). She was found and raised by extremist Rebel Saw Gerrera (Forest Whittaker). Years later, Jyn is a career criminal in Imperial Custody. The Rebel Alliance bails her out in the hopes she can help them find her father, the chief scientist of the Death Star. An Imperial deserter, Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), exposed the base's existence.

Jyn finds herself paired up with Rebel officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his reprogrammed Imperial Droid, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). They later meet Rook, blind monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) and his soldier friend Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen). The Rebel Alliance plans to disrupt the Death Star by killing Galen. Our heroes discover that Galen hid an explosive surprise in the Death Star for the Rebels to exploit. They just need to tell them somehow; perhaps they can steal the plans for the station.

Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) keeps it going for a nicely paced 133 minutes. His four writers, including Tony Gilroy and Chris Weitz, populate the story with memorable new characters. Jyn is as capable a lead as Rey from The Force Awakens. K-2SO provides great, dry comic relief. Chirrut gets the best action scenes and some of the best lines. Krennic is a good, slimy villain. The most high-profile returning character is Darth Vader, voiced again by James Earl Jones, who gets two scenes to show off brutal villainy. The tragic ending is alleviated by the fact we know how it all goes down. It all leads just inches away from A New Hope.

The crew is most impressive once again. K-2SO and a few other creatures are visualized with great motion capture work. Guy Henry pulls off a pretty good digitally-assisted impersonation of the late Peter Cushing to play Grand Moff Tarkin. The set makers an exceptional job recreating sets from A New Hope for the film. The Death Star firing scenes recreate the original film's so flawlessly it looked like stock footage. The action looked and sounded great. Michael Giacchino provides a new great score mixed with John Williams' classic themes.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a strong side story to the Star Wars universe. It's a great space opera and war movie. It's a great way to pass the time before Episode VIII finally appears. It's a prequel that fits pretty good with its established lore. It's a lot of things. So what is it not? A disappointment. 

Manchester by the Sea

Playwright Kenneth Lonergan transitioned to writer/director with 2000's Oscar-nominated You Can Count On Me. His second feature, Margaret, was an epic post-production trainwreck. His third film, Manchester by the Sea, was smooth-sailing; the end result is a good family dramedy.

Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a janitor in Quincy, Massachusetts. He's good at his job but not good with people. He was married to Randi (Michelle Williams) but not anymore. His solitary life is disrupted when his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), has a fatal heart attack. Lee finds himself the legal guardian of his nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). This requires him to move back to his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea to tend to family matters. While Lee doesn't consider himself a good legal guardian, he soon softens and confronts a tragedy in his life.

And that's pretty much the whole movie. In 137 minutes.

It's largely character-driven rather than plot-driven. Lee's misery is the antagonist; his current relationships are poor and starting new ones is agonizing. He just wants to return to his old life. He even bookends the film in bar-fights. Flashbacks explain his misery, though they're so abrupt you might not know they're flashbacks.

But this film has a surprising sense of humor. Much of it comes from Patrick, a sarcastic teen more open than Lee. He's mostly unfazed by his father's death until a scene involving frozen chicken. Jill (Heather Burns), the mother of one of Patrick's girlfriends, is welcome comic relief. Lee's personal interactions in the opening was funny.

Affleck as Lee was a compelling character. He's still a hard worker despite his misery. He'll still sort out Joe's matters even if he wants some one else to. One can tell a lot about him by his miserable face. We still sympathize with him when his major tragedy is revealed.

Meanwhile, Randi mostly appears in flashbacks save for one memorable scene with Lee at the end. The supporting cast also features Matthew Broderick as Patrick's strict stepfather. There's also an amusing cameo by Lonergan himself as a pedestrian who questions Lee's parenting.

Manchester by the Sea's leisurely stroll across New England may bore some. But its characters make the runtime and sparse plot more enjoyable. The dramedy is the best part as it says there is laughter after grief. And I need some laughter after the stress in my life these past few weeks.

Moonlight

This December begins a ridiculously compressed window for the Critics Choice Awards. The nominations were announced yesterday for a ceremony scheduled for the 11th. At least we know what films to look out for the next few months. One of these films is the coming-of-age story Moonlight.

Director Barry Jenkins adapted the screenplay from Tarell Alvin McCraney's unproduced play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film's three-acts portray a Miami boy, Chiron, as he grows into a man. Unlike Boyhood, a different actor portrays Chiron at each stage of his life.

I. "Little" (Alex R. Hibbert), as he is known by his peers, is relentlessly bullied. His mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), is an abusive addict. Chiron's peers and mother label him gay. He meets Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer who becomes a surrogate father. Juan and his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae), provide a stable home environment. But he's also Paula's dealer. He still helps Chiron not let labels define him.

II. Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is a High Schooler bullied by Terrel (Patrick Decile). His mother's cocaine addiction has overwhelmed her and Juan is long dead. Chiron's best friend is Kevin (Jharrel Jerome). Their feelings become more than platonic; but Kevin is forced to betray Chiron.

III. Black (Trevante Rhodes) is Chiron's street name as a drug dealer. His relationship with his mother has improved. But his personal life hasn't gotten better. Kevin (Andre Holland) hopes to reconcile with Chiron. Maybe things will get better.

The cast is outstanding. The three Chirons create a convincingly cohesive character. Their often silent performances speak a lot for Chiron. The Kevins provide great moral support for Chiron. His betrayal is a tragic moment and their reconciliation is heartwarming. Ali's Juan is an excellent father figure and selfless role model. His presence is sorely missed in the later portions of the film. Monae's Teresa makes for an excellent surrogate mother. Harris's Paula goes from unsympathetic to sympathetic throughout the course of the story.

Cinematographer James Laxton's images are crisp and colorful. Everything from Juan teaching Chiron to swim to the final shot is powerful. Editors Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon assemble these images into an unforgettable whole. They can build up tension for so long and release it in one quick swoop (see Chiron's retaliation on Terrel). Nicholas Britell's score is spectacular; the songs are pretty good too.

Moonlight is a movie about being a man. It makes one think about some hypocrisies about "manhood?" How does beating up a "weakling" make you a man? Being you is a real man. That's the message. Its subtle approach gets the point across so well.

Allied

I almost didn't get to see Allied this past Tuesday. The projector failed to start on time. It was a half-hour before it got to work. It skipped past the trailers to the main attraction. The main attraction was much better than the maintenance that day.

The film gets going quickly as Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) parachutes into Morocco. Max is a Canadian Intelligence Officer stationed in England. His mission, that he's already accepted, is to assassinate the German Ambassador (Anton Blake). French Resistance fighter Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) is to go undercover as his wife. Sparks legitimately fly between them. So after they do the deed, they go back to London to be husband and wife for real.

One year later, Max and Marianne survive the blitz with their infant daughter, Anna. Max's commanding officer Frank Heslop (Jared Harris) and an S.O.E. Official (Simon McBurney) drop a bombshell. "Marianne" might be a German spy posing as a deceased resistance fighter. Max is ordered to help them rat her out and kill her himself if she is a spy. They'll hang them both if he gets in their way. So what now?

Director Robert Zemeckis works from a script by Steven Knight. The first act is about Max and Marianne getting together in love and war. It builds up gradually and nicely to the assassination scene. The second act throws the audience for a loop; not just about Marianne, but about the ambassador. We don't get much of a reason to question Marianne until the ending. There's a neighbor who is an actual Nazi spy; I think I missed the foreshadowing. The climax resolves the dilemma with a tough third option.

The stars are the best thing about it. Pitt and Cotillard's chemistry makes the slow pace of the Morocco part worth it. They go from acquaintances to allies to lovers in a nice span. And we feel every bit of it. Jared Harris as Heslop is a tough but caring C/O, especially in the climax. Among the supporting cast, Thierry Frémont and Matthew Goode stand out as soldiers pivotal to the mystery.

There's plenty of good work behind the scenes. Everyone looks good thanks to costume designer Joanna Johnston. Its depiction of the Blitz is realized by strong visual effects, cinematographer Don Burgess, the production design and sound design. The editors' best moment is when they turn cheers to terror as a shotdown Nazi plane screeches to our leads' neighborhood. A fierce sandstorm provides another technical workout. Alan Silvestri's score is recognizably him but worth a listen.

Allied is a pretty fine World War II epic. There's plenty of great acting and technicals for its 124 minutes. The writing isn't perfect but it's still good. It's one of those films that's worth seeing on the big screen. Hopefully, you won't have issues at your screening.

And I hope to have no issues on any more screenings.

Moana

This is going to be a tight Animated Feature Oscar race. Zootopia and Kubo and the Two Strings are certified locks. Two spots will certainly go to films I'll never see before Oscar night. The fifth spot is reserved for Moana, Disney's epic new musical. 

Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) is the princess daughter of the chief of the Polynesian island of Motonui. Her father, Chief Tui, expects her to succeed him when the time comes. He also expects her to not sail past the reef. But that's before the fish become no-shows and vegetation turn rotten. The lava demon Te Ka's wrath threatens the world and only the lost heart of the creation Goddess Te Fiti can restore it. Fortunately, the ocean itself gives the heart to Moana. She sets sail to fulfill the epic quest alongside Heihei the stupid chicken.

They're joined by Maui (Dwayne Johnson), the demigod who stole Te Fiti's heart centuries ago. Moana thinks he needs to return it. But he needs his signature giant fishhook before they can face Te Ka. He wants to leave Moana but the Ocean won't let him. They join forces to save the world. The truth about Te Ka is complicated.

This is the CGI debut of directors Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), who share story credit with five others. Jared Bush is the lone writer with the "screenplay by" credit. It's a familiar Disney story except there's no Prince Charming or Charmless for Moana. Chief Tui is fine with about everything she does in their village except wayfinding. His reason for his restrictiveness is understandable. I'll admit a few plot points that would've been obvious were complete surprises.

The rousing music deserves a section. Mark Mancina composed the score and collaborated with Opetaia Foa'i and Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda on the songs. The songs are great to listen to and are spectacular when paired with the visuals. They get the emotions across perfectly. The best songs are the wayfinding anthem, We Know the Way, and Moana's "I Am" song, How Far I'll Go. Either of them would sound great at the next Oscars.

The animated cast is great. Moana is a proactive, likable heroine. Maui is good comic relief and we feel it when he gets serious. Everything Heihei does is a perfect punchline. Moana's Gramma Tala (Rachel House) is a warm, funny mentor who's there when she's needed. The Kakamoa, a tribe of miniature pirates, are fun antagonists; their scene is an action highlight. Tamatoa (Jemmaine Clement) the gigantic crab provides another action and musical highlight, Shiny. Let's not forget Te Ka and Te Fiti.

Moana's familiar story doesn't make it boring. Far from it. It's a nice introduction to the culture of Polynesia. It's a compelling story which makes you feel for 113 minutes. Either it, Zootopia or Kubo and the Two Strings would make worthy Oscar winners. I hope that I'll see the other two nominees, whoever they are.

The new short Inner Workings opens the film. It's the funny and emotional conflict between the brain and heart of a lowly office drone. It all leads to a nice ending. It's a great start to another great Disney film.

Rules Don't Apply

Warren Beatty hasn't appeared on the big screen since the mega bomb Town & Country, nor directed a movie since the highly praised Bulworth. That's finally changed with Rules Don't Apply, which finally lets him portray aviator, billionaire, filmmaker and recluse Howard Hughes.

In 1958, aspiring actress Marla Mabrey (Lilly Collins) and chauffeur Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich) arrive in Los Angeles. They're both employees of Howard Hughes, who's never one for public appearances. They develop an attraction to each other. But they're devout Christians and know the eternal consequences for inappropriate relationships. They both get the sack if Mr. Hughes finds out about their relationship. It's a while before either of them meet him in the flesh.

The rest of the movie is about Frank and Marla dealing with Mr. Hughes' erratic behavior. He's nice to them sometimes and overbearing at other times. His investors have noticed his behavior and plan a financial coup. So Howard has to find a way out of it. Our young leads are caught up as Hughes makes his counter-coup. They wonder if the price of fame is too high.

Beatty and Bo Goldman's screenplay bookends in 1964 as a press conference waits for Hughes to debunk an alleged biography of him. I immediately recognized it as Clifford Irving's hoax biography, only a decade early and the "biographer's" name changed. Come to think of it, the opening says it plays fast and loose with history. So that should've been expected.

Beatty does a good job as old man Hughes. He gets Hughes' erratic behavior down so perfectly we can love him, hate him or empathize with him. He perfectly introduces himself by not appearing until much later. His first appearance does much for Beatty as it does for Hughes. The film builds up to what a bedridden Hughes looks like behind a curtain; it's not as bad as stories say. The last scene shows Hughes at his most tender.

There's a good collection of talent on both sides of the camera. Behind the camera, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, production designer Jeannine Oppewall and costume designer Albert Wolsky provide a good recreation of Post Golden Age Hollywood. The four editors' best moment is when they unveil Hughes' famous plane, the Spruce Goose, in a harbor, after a quiet scene with Frank and Hughes. A collection of famous supporting stars surround our lead players. A few highlights include Annette Benning as Marla's mother, Matthew Broderick as Hughes' other driver, Levar, and Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen as Hughes' concerned advisers, Robert Maheu and Noah Dietrich.

Rules Don't Apply can make a good double feature with Martin Scorsese's Hughes epic, The Aviator. While The Aviator is the true story of young Hughes, this movie is the fancified story of old man Hughes. It's also a good showcase for Warren Beatty after fifteen years away from the cineplex. Now what about that Dick Tracy followup that he's wanted to do? Be prepared for a steady 127 minutes.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Thanksgiving is this Thursday. There's plenty of movies to see on the big and small screens. One new movie on the former is Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, a story about honoring our nation's veterans. Its intentions are noble but its pacing and, perhaps, its visuals, may turn some off.

Pvt. Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) of Bravo Squad was an ordinary soldier in 2004 Iraq. That all changed when he was filmed fighting off insurgents to defend his friend, Sgt. Shroom (Vin Diesel). Shroom doesn't make it, while Billy becomes a decorated war hero. Bravo Squad is sent back to the States for a victory tour. Their final destination is Dallas, where they'll be the guest stars for the Cowboys' Halftime Show on their Thanksgiving Day Game. The Cowboys' owner, Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin), wants to buy their movie rights. Albert (Chris Tucker) is the producer hoping to broker the deal.

Billy finds his new war hero status unnerving. All the ultra-patriotic people he meets don't know what he's been through. But he has to be cool in front of the cameras; after the show, Bravo Squad ships back to Iraq. His older sister, Kathryn (Kristin Stewart), begs him to stay. His sense of duty might be even louder...

Director Ang Lee's followup to Life of Pi, for which he won his second Oscar, adapts Ben Fountain's 2012 novel. The film's main story is Billy and Bravo Squad in Dallas for the Big Game. Billy's fateful battle and subsequent visit home are gradually told in flashbacks. These flashbacks unfold so gradually that the film feels longer than 110 minutes. There are some flashbacks that just cut off... It gets better once they're done. A fistfight between Bravo Squad and Stadium Security turns into a running gag when the latter group jumps them two more times. The ending felt rushed and questionable to me.

The most highly publicized technical aspect is John Toll's cinematography. The film is shot in 4K 3D at 120 fps, five times faster than normal. My untrained eye didn't notice anything special it brought to the dramatic scenes. I thought the Squad's feast at the Stadium was exquisite, though. Billy's PTSD flashbacks are where the film's visuals stood out. When Bravo Squad is brought for a press conference, there are imagine spots for Billy where everything around him goes black-and-white. That looked cool. Only a few theaters actually have "the whole shebang" (as Lee called it). The rest will have to wait for DVD and Blu-Ray.

The cast isn't outdone by the cameras. Joe Alwyn makes a great film debut as Billy Lynn. He's a nice guy in extraordinary circumstances; you'll feel for him when he suffers. The cast of Bravo Squad is made of likable characters with distinct personalities. Even Garrett Hedlund's Sgt. Dime, the rough guy, proves likable in the end. Kristin Stewart's Kathryn is a strong, sympathetic character. Makenzie Leigh is also memorable as Faizon, the cheerleader who takes a shine to Billy.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk makes its audience think hard about war and sacrifice. It might inspire people to thank soldiers with more than words. It reminded me why soldiers need maximum mental health care. But was this the right movie to debut 120 fps movies? I don't know. Don't wait if you want to see it on the big screen. Its low box office last weekend could make it fall back faster than you think.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Or, Harry Potter and the Quest for More Money.

The boy wizard defeated Voldemort five years ago in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2. But Warner Bros. isn't done with JK Rowling's magical world. They've now turned to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a paltry size de-fictionalized Hogwarts textbook as the jumping point for a five-film series. Let's see how it is.

The Hogwarts textbook is credited to Newt Scamander, played here by Eddie Redmayne. Scamander is a "magizoologist" who keeps magical creatures in the nature preserve inside his suitcase. He goes to New York, 1926, to find some more magical creatures. But the critters have a nasty habit of escaping and causing trouble. He inadvertently gets the attention of the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA). Together with No-Maj (American Muggle) aspiring baker Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Magical Congress Agent Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), they have to track down the creatures before people find out about Wizards and Witches.

There's also a Fundamentalist group, the Second Salemers, who suspect there are Witches in New York. Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), son of the group's cruel leader, Mary Lou (Samantha Morton), has a secret. Mr. Graves (Colin Farell), the head of MACUSA security, wants to use that secret. The evil Wizard Gellert Grindelwald (a surprise cameo) lurks in the background. Maybe five movies were necessary.

JK Rowling herself wrote the screenplay which director David Yates visualized. The plot is crammed with exposition as tight as a Hogwarts study session. All sorts of magical creature names and taxonomy and the like; not to mention the human names. At least there's no mandatory exam once the movie's done.

The film has us suspect Credence's sister Modesty of having his dark secret. The actual reveal was strong. The reveal of Gellert Grindlewald would've been stronger if he didn't share the same hairstyle with the character he's disguised as.

One thing I didn't have a problem with that others did is "No-Maj" instead of "Muggle." It's probably just another natural divergence between American and British English. Like "Fish & Chips" vs "Fish & French Fries." Anyway...

The visual effects render the magical creatures in wondrous CGI form. My favorite creature is the Niffler, a kleptomaniac platypus who inadvertently instigates the whole plot. Gnarlack is a motion-capture rendered goblin made awesome by Ron Perlman being himself. The production and costume design for the Roaring Twenties New York was also cool. The cinematography by Phillipe Rousselot (A River Runs Through It) is great for both whimsy and horror.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them seems a tall order for five films. But at least this installment doesn't pad out scenes to their unnecessary limit. The plot is both stretched out and crammed in. But it knows its limits at 133 minutes. The next installment is due for 2018; let's hope it gets the plot ball rolling faster.

Trolls

Everyone's favorite dolls with the wild hair now have their own movie. Trolls isn't that much a deep, sophisticated film, but it is a fine diversion from all those films coming out right around now.

The Trolls are little critters who sing and dance and hug. The Bergens, meanwhile, are ogres who don't know how to sing and dance and hug. But a Bergen can get some happiness by eating a Troll. So they had the Trolls captured and served on a holiday called Trollstice. That was before King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor) led his Trolls to freedom. The Trolls lived the good life for the next twenty years.

Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) is the happiest Troll of all. Branch (Justin Timberlake) is the grumpiest Troll of all. Poppy throws the biggest, loudest party of all to celebrate their freedom. But Branch thinks that'll bring a Bergen over. Sure enough, the banished Bergen Royal Chef (Christine Baranski) shows up and takes a handful to Bergentown. She wants to gain favor with young King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) by giving him his first Troll.

Naturally, Poppy goes off to save her friends. She also coerces Branch to come along on pain of hugs. Their rescue mission meets plenty of complications in Bergentown. One of them is a scullery maid, Bridget (Zooey Deschanel), who likes King Gristle. Perhaps they can use her to convince him that happiness is not Fillet of Troll.

The film's soundtrack is a mishmash of pop standards and new songs by Timberlake. Timberlake's most prominent contribution is the showstopper Can't Stop The Feeling. It's a light, fun soundtrack that's sure to resonate with kids and adults. There's also a score by Christophe Beck, but unfortunately, it's overshadowed by all the pomp and circumstance.

The artistic style was pretty good. The character designs, whether Troll or Bergen, fall on the ugly cute spectrum. Their hometowns reflect their color palletes perfectly. The creatures that Branch and Poppy meet on the way to Bergentown are also fun designs. All the pretty colors are sure to keep kids entertained...

Now I get to talk about the story. The film has a few genuinely funny moments playing off Branch and Poppy's personalities. Their voyage to Bergentown made for a fun trek. It's halfway through that the plot stalls. One dramatic revelation that should lead to the climax leads to another. And another and another and another. This makes the 93 minutes far longer than it should be. The actual climactic moment was a legitimately powerful scene. The cast gave their characters a welcome dose of gusto.

Trolls is a decent matinee for the pre-holiday crowd. It aims to please and I was pleased a bit. If only the plot didn't run out of steam at Bergentown. Still, it was a relief to see an animated movie on the big screen after a few months of Oscar Bait and Blockbusters. That diversion made the experience better.

Arrival

Next year, director Denis Villeneuve will finally continue the story of Replicants and the Agents who hunt them on the big screen in Blade Runner 2049. In the meantime, Villeneuve has another thought provoking sci-fi film for us, Arrival, a strong expansion of Ted Chiang's short story, Story of Your Life.

Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) expected another average day when the Earth stood still. That's when twelve UFOS touched down all over the world. She's summoned to Montana by Col. Weber (Forest Whitaker) to communicate with the aliens there. These Heptapods, "Abbott" and "Costello," communicate the best with their written language, which can construct a non-linear sentence in one symbol. Louise and her team, including physicist Ian (Jeremy Renner), make progress with the Heptapods.

Meanwhile, a few other Governments jump the gun and prepare for a War of the Worlds. Louise's team is told to prepare for the worst. She just has to decipher the Heptapods' purpose before it's too late. And by doing so, she'll find what's waiting for her in a few years.

Villeneueve and screenwriter Eric Heisserer maintain a great suspenseful tone for 116 minutes. A bunch of people crowded around the TV news perfectly establishes the magnitude of first contact. The first appearance of the Heptapods is built up slowly and surely until the big moment. Even then, we find out what we first see is not their whole appearance! We feel the tension from the rising military/lingual conflict even when we only hear about most of it.

The technical crew make the most of the $47 million budget. The visual effects are eerie and magnificent and I imagine would most astound in IMAX (which I did not see this in). The interior of the Heptapod ship works by the same principle. Johann Johannsson's score is just as foreboding and memorable as his work last year for Sicario. The sound designers' best accomplishment is the eerie whale song with which the Heptapods vocalize. Editor Joe Walker and cinematographer Bradford Young contribute spectacularly to the melancholic tone.

Adams' performance is the best of the cast. She says a lot with out acting a lot. We feel every bit of her emotions as a result. Renner makes a likable foil, while Whittaker is a good reasonable authority figure. General Shang (Tzi Ma), the Chinese General essential to the conflict, doesn't appear in person until the end. But we feel his presence throughout the story.

Arrival is a lot smarter than most of the loudest Alien invasion thrillers. It's a testament to how language can avert conflict. It leaves the audience a lot to think about clairvoyance and predestination. It especially proves that you don't need to spend much to make much. This is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen. It's a great warm-up for Blade Runner 2049.

Hacksaw Ridge

It's been ten years since Mel Gibson last directed a movie, Apocalypto. He's now back behind the camera for Hacksaw Ridge, a brutal story about one of the US Army's most decorated pacifists. That's something.

Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield) was a rough and tumble kid until he whacked his brother Hal with a brick in a play-fight. He grows into an upstanding young man who firmly believes in the Sixth Commandment. That's when the US joins World War II. Hal enlists over his parents' objections, especially those of his bitter Veteran father Tom (Hugo Weaving). Desmond promptly enlists as a combat medic.

Desmond's religious beliefs forbid him to touch a rifle. This infuriates his commanding officers and fellow soldiers. They want to drive the "coward" out any way possible. But Desmond proves too resilient and he gets to serve in the Battle of Okinawa. There, Desmond pulls 75 men from the Maeda Escarpment (aka "Hacksaw Ridge"). Even some of the men who mocked and scorned him.

The film opens during a brutal firefight at Okinawa. It works its way from Desmond's childhood and his courtship of nurse Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer) to his basic training under Sgt. Howell (Vince Vaughn) and Captain Glover (Sam Worthington) and court-martial for his conscientious objectivism. It's about an hour in that we get to Okinawa and Desmond's eventual courage under fire. It was worth the wait.

The wartime violence is extreme: soldiers are set ablaze, mowed down by gunfire, blown apart and their mangled remains are shown up close. Meanwhile, on the home front, we see an accident victim's leg gushing blood. And let's not forget Desmond and Hal's near-fatal scuffle and Tom's drunken anger. A few more scenes of brutality become unintentionally silly with slow-motion. The makeup and special effects teams deserve praise for showing the consequences of violence.

Garfield's Desmond is a nice man in a harsh world. He breaks down once, while in solitary, but he never loses his resolve. His ordeal in Hacksaw is the ultimate testament of that. He even heals a Japanese soldier during the ordeal. He practices what he preaches and that endears him to the audience.

There are many standouts in the supporting cast. Vaughn's Sgt. Howell's insults are equally brutal and hilarious. Smitty Ryker (Luke Bracey), Desmond's rival turned best friend, is a perfect foil for our hero. Dorothy and Desmond make a nice couple, but she disappears once he goes to Okinawa. And finally, we first loathe Tom as a violent drunk, then pity him as a prisoner of the bottle and cheer when he intervenes in the court-martial. There's also "Hollywood" Zane (Luke Pegler), an overconfident naturalist who stresses when the bullets fly.

Hacksaw Ridge is a violent and optimistic movie. It's a compelling story of a man's struggle to uphold his beliefs. That he earned the respect of everyone who scorned him was the most rewarding part of the movie. It's a good movie for this Veteran's Day and all future Veteran's Day.

Doctor Strange

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the multiverse.

Steve Ditko's most famous creation, Spider-Man, is already a certified movie star. It's now time for his second most famous creation, Doctor Strange, to get his turn on the big screen. It's directed by Scott Derrickson, co-written by him, Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill. The end result exceeds all visual expectations for a Marvel film.

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brilliant, yet self-assured neurosurgeon. His good life brutally ends when he drives down a cliff and damages his hands. He goes through every procedure he finds unsuccessfully. One day, he meets Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a paraplegic who can walk again. Pangborn points him to Kamar-Taj, the Kathmandu compound of the long-lived Sorceress Supreme, The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

The Ancient One eventually takes Strange under her tutelage. She teaches him the Mystic Arts and shows him the multiverse of other dimensions. One such dimension is the Dark Dimension, home of the Supreme Evilness, Dormammu. Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a former pupil of The Ancient One, and his followers, decide to call forth Dormammu to bring on the apocalypse. Strange must join with his fellow disciples, Wong (Benedict Wong) and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to keep that from happening. But there's a secret from The Ancient One that could change things.

Cumberbatch looks and acts the part of Strange. He's the Tony Stark of the Medical World: delightfully arrogant and an effective worker. He's sympathetic when he's humbled by misfortune. His determination makes him likable; he stays put outside Kamar-Taj when he's first rejected. He maintains a good snarky sense of humor through and through. Cumberbatch is also the motion-capture rendered visage of Dormammu, his voice combined with an unknown actor.

The supporting cast is also filled well. Tilda Swinton is a great mentor as The Ancient One. She may not look centuries old, but her weary face suggests longevity. Wong and Ejiofor also stand out because their characters are supportive provided Strange shapes up. Rachel McAdams was fine as Strange's girlfriend, Christine Palmer, whose relatively few scenes were standouts. Mikkelsen's role is a stock villain role, but there was sadness in his big villain rant. The best performance, though, was actually Strange's sentient Cloak of Levitation, who trounces Kaecillius's goons and bosses Strange around when they first meet.

The technical wizards are a mighty band of Marvels. This should be the film that conjures up a Visual Effects Oscar for a Marvel film (probably won't). The array of dimensions and spells we see are outstanding. These moments, from the folding city dimension to the out-of-body experiences to the Dark Dimension, are especially great in IMAX 3D (just pick a good seat). The makeup team contribute their own magic with such designs as Kaecillius's decaying face and Strange's scars. Michael Giacchino's score adds to the epicness of it all.

Doctor Strange is a technical and story Marvel. It's a self-contained story which introduces its magical hero to the big screen perfectly. It also nudges the Marvel Cinematic Universe along towards Avengers: Infinity War. This is a movie that needs to be seen on the largest screen possible. I'm so ready to see this again on home media.

Its prerequisite mid-credit scene sets up next year's release of Thor: Ragnarok. Its end-credit scene sets up Mordo's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Inferno

Dan Brown's literary professor/detective Robert Langdon drew controversy when he debuted on-screen in The Da Vinci Code. He didn't get those when he returned in Angels & Demons. Now, seven years after his last history mystery, Langdon has returned to theaters in Inferno. Once again, he's played by Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard.

The movie opens with radical billionaire Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) jumping to his death in Florence. Langdon comes in next, when he finds himself in a hospital in the same city all roughed up. He doesn't know how he got there and he has visions of literal Hell on Earth. An assassin comes gunning for him, so he escapes with his attending physician, Dr. Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones). They hide in her apartment, where they find a faraday pointer in his possession. The pointer shows them Hell ... or rather, Boticelli's interpretation of Dante's version of it.

Zobrist left behind a super-virus, Inferno, to deal with overpopulation. The Boticelli painting is the first clue for our heroes' scavenger hunt. Various factions, from the WHO to the shady Consortium, are after the virus. Langdon and Sienna have to find it before Zobrist's followers let it loose.

Overall, the film runs at a nicely paced 121 minutes. It jumps into the action quickly and rarely lulls. The historical details didn't bog down the story; in fact, they were nicely told. The threeway for the Inferno muddles the plot a bit with all the names and factions to remember. Harry Sims (Irrfan Khan), head of the Consortium, turns out to be a good guy and dies too quickly. WHO head Elizabeth Sinskey (Sidse Babett Knudsen) turns out to have a past with Langdon that's barely explained. The closest I felt the story straining the most was when a WHO agent was revealed to be a bad guy.

The visual effects and the sound team get the best notices. The visual effects team conjur up some ghastly images for Langdon's nightmares, such as people with their heads on backwards, while the sound team makes Langdon's sensory overloads appropriately unbearable. Hans Zimmer, meanwhile, provides a memorable action-packed soundtrack. The film's locales all look nice thanks to the production design and cinematography.

Inferno is an adequate cinematic return for Robert Langdon. It's been ages since I saw the last two, but this film didn't hold that against me. Its history mystery tour is a self-contained action piece. They did enough right in this belated sequel to earn themselves another follow-up. Apparently, the third Langdon novel, The Lost Symbol, won't be it.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

December 21, 2012. The world didn't end and a new cinematic franchise began. I didn't see Jack Reacher when it came out. Its sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, doesn't lockout newcomers to the story of Lee Child's daring ex-MP Officer. Let's see what else it does.

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is an ex-MP officer who now roams America. He keeps in touch with his old unit in Washington DC, which is now headed by Maj. Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders). The film opens with Reacher taking down a corrupt Sheriff and heading to DC to meet Turner face-to-face. But when he arrives, Col. Morgan (Holt McCallanay) is in charge. Maj. Turner got busted for espionage.

Reacher smells a frame-up and decides to investigate. A gang of shady guys follow him. One of the guys, The Hunter (Patrick Heusinger), murders Maj. Turner's lawyer and frames Reacher. Reacher is now under arrest too. Reacher busts out Maj. Turner when the shady guys show up and they go on the run.

Maj. Turner discovered that a military contractor, Parasource, was up to no good. Their agents are out to get her for it. Meanwhile, Reacher is getting sued for child support by a woman he's never met. His alleged daughter, Samantha (Danika Yarosh), is now a target for the goons. Reacher and Maj. Turner take her with them. They hope to find their answers in New Orleans.

The screenplay was by director Edward Zwick, Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskowitz. There's plenty of action and suspense as the contractor goons chase Reacher and Co. There's even a few cool gags in the melee. Still, the ultimate mastermind was pretty forgettable. Some actions by Reacher and Co. nearly push the film to Idiot Plot levels.

I don't care that Tom Cruise is almost a foot smaller than literary Jack Reacher. What I do care is that film Jack Reacher is a capable cinematic anti-hero. He's a strong fighter and street smart investigator. He knows when he's being followed, how to escape and how to stay escaped. The best laugh comes when he turns his interrogation for the lawyer's murder into a Who's on First routine. His chemistry with Maj. Turner and Samantha is believable for a loner finding a group.

The editing was fine for an action film. The action scenes were good; not exceptional, but they were done well. A scene where Samantha goes on her own had me on edge anticipating a non-jump scare. The cinematography gives us some nice shots of New Orleans on Halloween, rather than Mardi Gras. The sound designers help the action a lot; they make a death by telephone adequately brutal.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back isn't the best action film around, but it's a capable distraction from all the Oscar movies piling up right now. It keeps your attention for 118 minutes. Anyone looking for a capable Tom Cruise action film will get it.

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins' novel, The Girl on the Train, seemed like a David Fincher film in waiting. But instead, it went with Tate Taylor. Despite the surprising choice, the film is still a suspenseful, captivating mystery thriller. It really is.

Rachel (Emily Blunt) has issues. She's an alcoholic prone to violent outbursts and blackouts. Her husband, Tom (Justin Theroux), left her for Anna (Rebbeca Ferguson), with whom he has a baby, Evie. Rachel looms over Tom and Anna. On her daily train trips to New York City, Rachel sits in her favorite spot to glimpse at another couple, Scott (Luke Evans) and Megan (Haley Bennett). They seem perfect. Megan happens to be Tom's nanny. One day, Rachel sees Megan with another man. Rachel decides to do something about it.

A blackout...

Rachel wakes up bloody and disheveled. Megan turns up missing. Perhaps there's a connection. That's what Rachel plans to find out. The police don't trust her; neither do Anna nor Tom. Scott is desperate for answers. The "other man," Dr. Abdic (Edgar Ramirez), helps Rachel's blackouts. Eventually, Rachel realizes she has the answers to Megan's whereabouts. They're not pretty.

Erin Cressida Wilson's screenplay, like the novel, goes back and forth between Rachel, Anna and Megan's perspectives. The film gradually shows how complicated their perspectives are. Rachel doesn't even know she's an unreliable narrator until the end. Megan tries to take the initiative in her life. And Anna liked being "the other woman" in Tom's life. The title cards helped mix these storylines together.

Emily Blunt, as Rachel, is why the mystery story is so intriguing. We're introduced to her as a broken shell and a violent drunk. In her flashbacks, she flips out over horderves and goes Gallagher on a mirror. In the present, she films herself on a drunken rant. She doesn't seem that sympathetic. But the film reveals her violent tirades never happened. We realize just how broken she is and root for her to find her self-esteem.

Charlotte Bruus Christensen's cinematography makes the New York suburbs as eerie as the city. Her best work is a scene set in the early-morning; the fog is so wonderfully eerie. The editors, Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland, help make the storylines easy to follow. They also excel at creating Rachel's hazy memory and, together with the sound team, they make Megan's ultimate fate adequately horrific. Composer Danny Elfman's work was welcome as always.

The Girl on the Train is exciting to some and ridiculous to others. For me, it does what a good mystery should do. It presents an intriguing mystery, keeps us guessing and makes us want to keep on guessing. Its 112 minutes are a memorable ride. That's a certainty. 

Queen of Katwe

This year looks like one of the most-packed Oscar seasons I can remember. It's inevitable that more than a few films will slip by audiences and Academy members. One film that shouldn't be ignored is Queen of Katwe. Its great cast of stars and newcomers make this a memorable biopic.

Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) lives with her mother, Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o), and her siblings in the Ugandan slum of Katwe. They make their daily bread by selling maize at market. One day, she and her brother, Brian (Martin Kabanza), meet a youth minister named Robert Katende (David Oyewelo). Katende introduces them to a game called Chess. Despite her poor background, Phiona finds herself proficient at the game. A real pro.

Katende invites the siblings to his program. Phiona's skills help the group qualify for big league tournaments. These tournaments even take them outside of Uganda. Many setbacks threaten Phiona's path to the top of the board. But her family and mentor are there to help.

Screenwriter William Wheeler based his screenplay on Tim Crother's ESPN Magazine article and book. Director Mira Nair tells Phiona Mutesi's story in a captivating 124 minutes. Whatever inspirational biopic cliches it has are not a detriment. In fact, I can think of one cliche it thankfully averts: exaggerating a character into full-on villainy. The main antagonists these characters have are their living conditions and hopelessness. The film makes you care about them all as they overcome their hardships. They all feel like people rather than characters.

Editor Barry Alexander Brown makes the chess games involving. It's enough to make one not want to throw in the towel so easily. He also excels in building Katwe's bustling nature, where accidents happen at random. Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt's imagery is also amazing; the slums are immersive and Moscow is ever-so frigid. Alex Heffes score is good, but the songs featured are more memorable. Especially catchy is the jingle #1 Spice, which appears in a music video in the credits.

Don't hesitate. Queen of Katwe is a worthwhile family drama. It's also a compelling examination into the world of chess. Its characters speak for the movie as a whole. It doesn't need to exaggerate in order to win Oscar praise. It just needs to be itself. Hopefully, it will be remembered come January 27th.

Checkmate.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

October also brings out the movie spooktaculars. One such spooktacular is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, the cinematic rendition of Ransom Riggs' debut novel. Director Tim Burton has the tone right for this film; the story isn't perfect.

Jake Portman (Asa Butterfield) is a typical jaded teen in Florida. Years earlier, his grandfather, Abe (Terence Stamp), told his impressionable self about the time he spent with Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) and her home for superpowered "Peculiar" children. He no longer has time for such stories these days. One night, Jake finds Abe eyeless and lifeless, but he lives long enough to talk about "the island." The island is Cairnholm, Wales, site of Miss Peregrine's home. Jake and his ornithologist father, Franklin, head there on the advise of kindly Dr. Golan (Alison Janney).

Jake finds Miss Peregrine's home, destroyed during The Blitz, then finds himself in 1943. There, Jake meets all the Peculiar characters from his grandfather's stories. They've lived for over 70 years repeating the same day, every day, to protect themselves from the world. The biggest threat is Mr. Barron (Samuel L. Jackson), a "Wight" who wants to feed Peculiar eyes to the monstrous Hollowgasts. Jake finds out he can see the Hollowgasts, which will help him save the children from Mr. Barron.

There's a mystery and time travel is involved? The film's premise is understandable. Jake's romance with floating Peculiar, Emma (Ella Purnell), is also involving. The Peculiar kids each have their time to shine. But they spend a lot of time running from danger or resetting time than fighting. At least until Jake rallies them. That was questionable. What lost me was the nature of the villains. Natural, since their nature is barely explained. They just turn into Hollowgasts after a failed experiment and become Wights by eating eyeballs ... why?

As for the sight of the Wights eating eyeballs. Congrats. It's the creepiest thing I've seen in a Tim Burton movie since the throat-slashing in Sweeney Todd.

Anyway...

The top performances in the cast are from Green and Jackson. Green, as Miss Peregrine, is a memorable Peculiar. Able to shoot down a Hollowgast onto a waiting chalk outline, Peregrine is also a warm, capable Headmistress. Her opposite number, Mr. Barron, is equal parts hammy and creepy. He's clearly having fun as a villain and his every word is delivered with gusto. He's dangerously effective when he drops the formalities.

The technical aspects are the best part. The production and costume designs perfectly present two different worlds with Jake's reality and Miss Peregrine's time loop. One is drab and the other is colorful and alluring. The differences are striking. The visual effects render such elements as the Hollowgasts and most of the Peculiar powers in CGI. One Peculiar, Enoch, is a sort-of necromancer, whose puppets are rendered in suitably creepy stop-motion. Mike Higham and Matthew Margeson's score also suits the mood.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is another visual marvel from Tim Burton. But be prepared to ask yourselves a few questions afterwards. The premise is an interesting one and the characters are memorable. So it has that going for it. There are two sequel novels to the first one; let's see how they can adjust to this first film's rewrite of the novel's last third.

Deepwater Horizon

It's October, which means the big Oscar hopefuls are about to pile up in cineplexes. One of those hopefuls is Deepwater Horizon, director Peter Berg's account of the disaster aboard the eponymous oil rig. Let's see how it is.

In 2010, Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) heads off for the Deepwater Horizon for a three-week job. The crew, overseen by Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell), is employed to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. But they're 43 days behind schedule. Executives Donald Vidrine (John Malkovich) and Robert Kaluza (Brad Leland) want the crew to go faster. The crew wants a few safety checks before they proceed. The executives let them do that.

The consequences of cut corners and lack of maintenance bubbles to the surface. The drill pipe malfunctions and explodes. The Deepwater Horizon goes up in flames. Mike and the rest of the crew have to stay cool to get off the rig.

The film's screenplay came from the New York Times article Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours. The film starts off by introducing the crew and their issues. It takes about an hour before the disaster occurs. The roughly first hour or so goes by pretty quick. Perhaps too quick. The techno jargon was plentiful. The supporting characters barely get enough character development. There's not much of a third act to give closure for the main characters either. Still...

The actors were capable in their roles. Wahlberg makes for a likable family man thrust into chaos. The same is said for Gina Rodriguez, as Andrea Fleytas, whose character defies orders to call for a mayday. Malkovich makes for a perfectly stuffy businessman. Russell is great as Harrell, who ignores his egregious injuries so he can do his job. They made the film worth watching.

The crew also did great. The Sound Designers are the ones, I think, with the best Oscar chances. The sound effects, from the explosions to their buildup, were powerful and tense. Cutting off the sound for some explosions was also effective. The editors' best work comes from when they build up to the first explosions. The makeup team provide the film with realistic wounds, many of which definitely push the boundaries of PG-13.

Deepwater Horizon tells a capable story about ordinary people surviving disaster. You'll still get to care about what happened even with all the screenplay's details. That makes the 107 minutes a functional experience.

If you see the film, you'll more than likely see an ad for Berg and Wahlberg's next feature, Patriots Day, opening around Christmas. Let's see how that does.

The Magnificent Seven

It's one thing to remake a classic movie; it's another to remake a classic remake of a classic original. The Magnificent Seven, the old west transplant of Seven Samurai, is the film updated here. I haven't seen either original in their entirety to know if the new one lives up to them. But these new Seven get the job done.

The evil Tycoon Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) has the town of Rose Creek under his thumb. He and his hired thugs open the movie by burning a church and killing some naturally-angry townsfolk. One of said townsfolk was Matthew Cullen (Matt Bomer), whose wife, Emma (Haley Bennet), decides to stand up to Bogue. She just needs some hired guns.

Warrant Officer Sam Chisom (Denzel Washington) is the first of the seven. Gambler Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), Confederate Vet Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Robicheaux's knife-throwing partner Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), desperado Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Ruffo), mountain man Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Comanche Brave Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) are the other six. The Magnificent Seven prove themselves capable of handling Bogue's men the first round. They have to rally the townsfolk to join them when Bogue returns for round two.

The screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk was realized by director Antoine Fuqua. It's a script that knows how to introduce characters. You'll get the gist of a character within seconds. It's especially so with Bogue, who introduces himself immediately as the type of scum you want to throttle through the screen. The Seven, meanwhile, are a likable wild bunch. While the plot is relatively thin, these on-screen personalities make the 133 minutes worth it.

There's also great work behind the scenes. The production and costume design make this a suitably gritty western. The makeup effects render the actors into a variety of wild west types and give them creepy wounds. The sprawling cinematography of Mauro Fiore is as impressive as early widescreen works. The editing is great except in the final battle, where it was hard to process the images. There's also a good sound design. 

The score marks the final work of James Horner before his untimely death last year. The end result, completed by Simon Franglen, is an unforgettable soundtrack. It's both gritty and heroic at the same time. Its rendition of Elmer Bernstein's theme from the original film is a great way to start the credits.

The Magnificent Seven delivers some great Wild West action. Any cliches it employs don't overwhelm it. It's just a well-made summer blockbuster for Fall. This is the kind of movie worth seeing on the big screen. It stands proudly alongside its famous predecessors just fine. 

Snowden

His story was already documented by Laura Poitras in Citizenfour, but director Oliver Stone still dramatized Edward Snowden's life in Snowden. The end result probably won't change your opinion about the subject. But I thought it was involving.

Poitras herself appears in the movie, portrayed by Melissa Leo. Here, she and Guardian reporter Glen Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) interview Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in Hong Kong. Snowden tells them how he came to work for the US Government's surveillance programs. His government work changes him from eager patriot to disillusioned contractor. So now, Snowden has decided to tell the truth.

Greenwald and fellow Guardian reporter Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson) are ready to send the story to print. But their editor is reluctant to do so. Meanwhile, there's the real possibility that the US Government already after Snowden will come for the reporters. They'll have to keep deep undercover to break the story.

Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald's screenplay melds together Luke Harding's book The Snowden Files and the roman-a-clef, Time of the Octopus, by Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena. The story jumps back-and-forth in time from Snowden's Hong Kong interviews to his early years in the Government. This makes the 138 minutes a bit slow especially since a few scenes look like the end but are not. The central argument may boil down to "surveillance is wrong," but the intricacies of surveillance may give you something to think about.

Levitt was a good choice for Snowden. He looks and sounds the part of a withdrawn computer nerd. He gets to open up as the movie goes on and he becomes a conflicted human. We get to understand his problems despite any existing viewpoints. The last scene is made more poignant when Levitt is replaced midway by the real Snowden. Amongst the supporting cast, Shailene Woodley was great as Snowden's girlfriend, Lindsey, and Nicolas Cage was welcome as his mentor, Hank Forrester. 

Snowden makes for a fine modern history lesson. Or it may already confirm what its audience already knows. It all depends on how much you know about the story. I thought it did its best to chronicle the humanity behind its subject. That reason makes it good for a recommendation.

Sully

I don't care what Superman says about air travel. I still don't like to fly. It's game over if I get in a crash. Game over. Maybe I won't be worried if someone like Captain Sully was on board. But enough about me, let's talk about Sully.

By the time Sully opens, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) has already pulled off the Miracle on the Hudson. But he's haunted by nightmares of what could have happened. The NTSB isn't convinced that Sully's maneuver was necessary. Their simulations say Sully could have landed in a nearby airport without difficulty. For this, they plan to hold a hearing. And it may ground Sully forever.

The affair puts Sully's career in retrospective. From trainee to fighter pilot ... though it never explains how he started flying commercial. The Miracle on the Hudson also unfolds through flashbacks following Sully and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), various passengers and the first responders. Those who were there agree that Sully's maneuver was necessary. Now they'll have to convince the NTSB.

Clint Eastwood realizes Todd Komarnicki's script (from Sully's memoir, Highest Duty) into cinematic form. The result is good but not perfect. The Miracle on the Hudson plays out three times, but it could have been edited into one. After all, some scenes repeat in those flashbacks. The film's conflict is Sully's looming showdown with the NTSB and his nightmares. It's like an hour-long movie stretched out into 96 minutes. A few more scenes with Sully pre-Hudson would have been nice.

The film stays in flight because of the cast. Hanks makes Sully an affable person and calm pilot. He lets us into both Sully's personal and professional lives. We admire and emphasize with him as he confronts the aftermath of the Hudson. Eckhart is also good as Skiles, who helps ease Sully's pain with warm humor. He even delivers a memorable quip for a closing line. Other memorable supporting roles come from Laura Linney, as Sully's wife, and Patch Paragh as air traffic controller Patrick Harten,

Guiding the film through friendly skies is the technical crew. The air disasters, both real and nightmare, were realized perfectly by the visual effects team, sound designers and editor Blu Murray. Cinematographer Tom Stern's best work is visualizing the frigidness of the Hudson on that day. The music by Christian Jacob and the Tierney Sutton Band is low key and memorable. The story and tone are subdued and the crew did wonders to realize it.

Sully is an admirable story of a real-life hero. A good cast makes the flight worth it. It just needed some more relevant details to zoom past the turbulence. A few dramatic liberties were taken, particularly with the NTSB, but I've seen worse. I think this is one of Eastwood's best films in a long while.

Florence Foster Jenkins

It may astound some people to know, but folks love certain entertainment personalities for their utter lack of talent. People like "Romeo" Coates, Ed Wood, Amanda McKittrick Ros and the most likely subject of Meryl Streep's 20th Oscar nomination, Florence Foster Jenkins. And it certainly earned that likeliness.

"Lady Florence," as she is called, is a wealthy patron of the New York music scene. She used to be a pianist until syphilis damaged her. She's now an occasional singer. As America fights in World War II, Florence decides to do her part and go full time singer. Her husband, St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant), and coach, Carlo Edwards (David Haig), sing her praises. But the public realizes how painfully funny she is.

Her pianist, Cosmé McMoon (Simon Helberg), is flabbergasted at her singing, but he comes around when she decides to perform at Carnegie Hall. Less supportive is Earl Wilson (Christian McKay), the stubborn critic of the New York Post. St. Clair decides to silence the naysayers for the good of Florence. 

Lady Florence, as played by Streep, is the reason to see this. She may wildly overestimate her talent, but it's out of goodhearted naivete and not egotism. She dedicates her Carnegie Hall show to American Servicemen to inspire them. She's likable and cordial to everyone she meets. That gets her on the audience's side right away.

Her singing is painful without exaggeration. And that's the point. Her first singing lessons hit every note like a dying bird scratching a chalkboard. And it's hilarious without overdoing it. A recording of the real Florence plays during the credits and it's just as painful as the film's version. A real powerful moment comes when Florence hallucinates herself competently singing on stage.

There's also some great technical work to envision 1944 New York. My favorite aspect, other than the sound, is Danny Cohen's cinematography, which gives the night bold primary colors. The production and costume design were also cool. The makeup designs, especially for Streep, complete the period look. There's also another catchy Alexandre Desplat score to listen to.

Florence Foster Jenkins is a good biopic for an astonishing real-life figure. It's another showcase for Meryl Streep and a highlight for everyone else. While the ending may seem to Hollywoodish, it actually has basis in reality. I was shocked to realize it. But even if it was Hollywoodish, this biopic is a fun history tour of New York.

Kubo and the Two Strings

Laika continues its spooktacular filmography with Kubo and the Two Strings. This marks the directorial debut of its CEO, lead animator and producer since Paranorman, Travis Knight. And it's another marvelous directorial debut.

In Ancient Japan, young Kubo (Art Parkinson) lives in a cave with his catatonic mother. By day, Kubo entertains the nearby village with his living origami animated by his shamisen. By night, his mother is well enough to tell him the stories of his father, the samurai Hanzo. Kubo's grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), took his left eye when he was born. So Kubo has to hide at night or risk becoming all blind.

Kubo stays out late one day and meets his twin aunts (Rooney Mara), who both want to take him to the Moon King. Kubo's mother drives them off with all of her magic; when he wakes up, Kubo meets a Monkey (Charlize Theron) in a frozen wasteland. Monkey was a wooden charm brought to life by Kubo's mother. Her job now is to help Kubo find the pieces to Hanzo's magic armor. A giant Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) joins them on their quest.

The screenstory, by Shannon Tindle, Marc Haime and Chris Butler, is a simple quest story. But it's the characters that make it work. Our hero is likable, his companions are fun and the Sisters are creepy. There were some genuine plot twists concerning Monkey and Beetle. The Moon King doesn't show up until late in the film and it's in a dream. He makes for a memorable villain in-spite of his minuscule screentime.

Kubo's introduction warns us, "If you must blink, do it now." Otherwise, we might miss all of the incredible animation. The puppet characters and sets have wondrous designs. They perfectly capture the anime aesthetic in stop-motion form. The best set piece involved a skeleton demon, whose puppet was 18-ft tall. You can see the animators working on said demon during the credits.

Kubo and the Two Strings offers much to listen to. There's an unforgettable score from Dario Marianelli, the best piece being Kubo's shamisen music. There's an assortment of strong sound effects for monsters and weapons. So even if you blink, you won't miss the ambiance.

Kubo and the Two Strings shows, once again, that stop-motion is alive and well. It's a meaningful story of life, death and beyond, as well as forgiveness and remembrance. Don't let the spookiness scare you. It's a great family film and an unforgettable take on the hero's journey.

Ben-Hur

The 1959 film of Ben-Hur wasn't the first, nor the last version of General Lew Wallace's novel, but it's the most famous. One of the biggest film spectacles ever, it won Charlton Heston his only Oscar and put him in the most famous chariot race in movie history. It broke budget, box office and Oscar records for a reason. That's a lot to live up to for director Timur Bekmambetov's take on the story.

Fortunately, this film stands on its own legs just fine.

Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) is a Jewish prince with an adopted Roman brother, Messala (Toby Kebbell). Messala feels overshadowed by his adoptive family, so he joins the army and rises in the ranks. Meanwhile, Judah weds Esther (Nazanin Boniadi) and encounters a certain carpenter from Nazareth (Rodrigo Santoro).

One day, the Ben-Hur house watch a military parade pass by, where a Zealot tries to kill Prefect Pontius Pilate (Pilou Asbæk). Messala forces a confession out of Judah and throws him to the Galleys. Judah spends five years in chains until he escapes during a nasty naval battle. Judah is found by the Shiek Ilderim (Morgan Freeman), a man who knows chariot racing. Judah also likes chariot racing, so he trains under Ilderim to one day race Messala.

And they do...

Screenwriters John Ridley and Keith Clarke do a lot to trim the story down. The 1959 film runs 212 minutes while this one runs 123. The results are acceptable, but not perfect. The pacing for the first 40 minutes or so is sluggish. It improves just in time for the climactic chariot race. The overall story and character relationships are at least coherent, even if a few details are lost in the circus. The point of the classic story is present in this version. 

One name not lost in the circus is Jesus Himself. Santoro plays Him as a humble man who can stop a crowd by being there. He demonstrates it so well when He gives Judah water. His presence maybe brief, but you won't forget it.

It took three editors, including Dodi Dorn, to construct the story. They prove that the PG-13 rating isn't a detriment to movie violence. The wartime violence is brutal as are the racing accidents. Some of the violence provides some unintentional humor; I'm thinking of the Galley foreman who commands the slaves to keep rowing when he's covered in flaming oil. The pacing could've been handled better, but I've seen worse. The chariot race made it all worth it.

Ben-Hur is a decent redo of a cinematic milestone. You'll get your money's worth if you're in it for the action and adventure. Look elsewhere if you want a well-developed Tale of the Christ. While some might find this film pointless, it's at least a good incentive to check out a previous version. It just goes to show you can't fight a movie idea.

Pete's Dragon

Pete's Dragon was one of those older Disney films I wasn't raised on. I heard of it but I never saw it in full. But I did see its cinematic update, Pete's Dragon, and it's a cinematic update which justifies itself.

Young Pete is the sole survivor of a car crash which killed his folks. He's saved from a pack of wolves by a giant friendly dragon he names Elliott. Years later, Pete (Oakes Fegley) is a feral child living with Elliot. Forest Ranger Grace Meacham (Bryce Dallas Howard), her fiance Jack (Wes Bentley), and his daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence), find Pete and bring him to civilization. Elliott sets out to find him. Jack's brother Gavin (Karl Urban) wants to find Elliot too. Grace's father (Robert Redford) is glad that the Dragon he saw years ago is real.

That's about it for plot. But that's not bad.

David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) and his co-writer, Toby Halbrooks, completely rewrite the old story for their film. No musical numbers, no comically abusive step-families or comical villains. It has Pete, a Dragon who turns invisible, a kind old man and his daughter and that's about it. The tone is closer to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial than Mary Poppins or Bedknobs and Broomsticks. That and Elliott's un-cartoony redesign might alienate fans of the original. But it didn't alienate me.

That's because there's a fine cast of characters. Pete and Elliott's endearing friendship drives the plot. They're both likable and believable characters even if one of them is CGI. The same goes for Pete's new human family. Even the villain, Gavin, is sympathetic. Their actions keep the audience attentive for 102 minutes.

Once again, Elliott is a great CGI creation which looks real at times. His greatest achievement is his sounds, You'd think it's entirely sound effects, but the main element is voice actor John Kassir. The end result sounds like a genuine animal. The cinematography by Bojan Bazelli brings out the visual best in Elliott and his environments, while Daniel Hart's score sets the majestic tone. There's also a nice collection of songs on the soundtrack.

The only real flaw in Pete's Dragon is a few unexplained things, like Elliott suddenly growing weaker near the end. What caused it? His bond with Pete? Heartbreak? But that's a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. Pete's Dragon is sure to become as memorable as the original. It's one of the best films in a mostly average summer.

Suicide Squad

DC's do-gooders had their turns, but it's now time for the evildoers to shine. The Suicide Squad is the Justice League by way of The Dirty Dozen. Sounds appealing? The end result is flawed but still entertaining.

Intelligence officer Amanda Waller's (Viola Davis) world is populated by costumed heroes and crooks, some of whom have superpowers. Waller decides to assemble a team of such distinguished characters to carry out Black Ops jobs. She goes with the crooks, namely accurate assassin Deadshot (Will Smith), deranged ex-psychiatrist Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), remorseful pyrokinetic ex-gang member El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), loose cannon thief Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and the aptly-named Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). They'll get some clemency for good behavior. Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and his bodyguard, Katana (Karen Fukuhara), will force their compliance.

One of Waller's subordinates, Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne), is the host of a demon called The Enchantress. Waller wants to use her for her "Task Force X," but The Enchantress has other ideas. She and her brother, Incubus, take over Midway City and set out to bring on the Apocalypse. The Suicide Squad's first assignment is to neutralize the demonic threat. If they're not careful, it could be their only assignment. Things get more convoluted when Harley Quinn's lover, The Joker (Jared Leto), decides to get involved.

Writer/Director David Ayer has made a genuine live-action comic. It's full of bright colors and extravagant characters ... and jammed pack with info dump. The Squad is introduced with profile segments detailing their histories and their quirks. The text info often appears faster than anyone can comprehend it, while the flashbacks slow the film down a bit. They eventually introduce Slipknot (Adam Beach), a climbing guy who bites it in his only scene. The army guys who assist the Suicide Squad seem extraneous.

I smell some missed opportunities with the plot. What's so Black Ops about their deal with The Enchantress? Why does it have to be only supervillains? The Enchantress and her stock-issue scheme are what Superheroes excel at stopping.  And isn't it ironic that The Enchantress went rogue right when Waller recruited her for the Squad? That means Waller is the source of the Squad and their problems. Weird, huh?

It's the cast that keeps the movie from sinking. The Squad, especially Boomerang and Harley, are a likable bunch of scoundrels. We know they're bad and they know it too, but their quirky personalities make them fun to watch. Them discovering their inner good guy was compelling even in the disjointed plot. I mean, Deadshot picks a bad time to second guess his career (when he's about to finish off Incubus). The Joker is underutilized but he's still his reliably sadistic self.

The crew are the real stars of the picture. The makeup work perfectly realizes the film's colorful characters, from the tattooed criminals to grungy clowns. You won't forget the looks of these characters. Also in play is Oliver Scholl's production design of the destroyed, desolate Midway City and Roman Vasyanov's nighttime cinematography. Those work great together. Steven Price did the score, but you'll notice the old standards, like Bohemian Rhapsody, much more.

Suicide Squad needed a better narrative to ascend to greatness. A narrative that's cohesive and logical but not condescendingly easy. Its cast of characters make the film worth it, though. Hopefully, they'll have a better movie next time. Hopefully.

Jason Bourne

We thought Matt Damon and his superspy cinematic alter-ego Jason Bourne were done. But since director Paul Greengrass decided to go for round three, Damon is ready to be Bourne again. This time, the character is the title, so here we go.

Our man Bourne is living off the grid since he quit the CIA. It wasn't the friendliest of resignations; he exposed some Black Ops secrets and made the CIA angry. Meanwhile, his lone CIA friend Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), is digging up dirt on a new Black Ops program, Operation Iron Hand. She also finds out about the incident that prompted Bourne to join the Black Ops program Treadstone. She gets Bourne to meet her in Greece so she can disclose it.

CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) wants to keep the truth under wraps. So he sends a guy known only as "The Asset" (Vincent Cassel) to go after Bourne. The Asset, who has a grudge against Bourne, takes out Parsons instead, so now Bourne's got a grudge. Meanwhile, Dewey is essentially strong-arming social media wiz Aaron Kallor (Riz Ahmed) into giving him intel. Kallor wants out, but Dewey won't let him. Bourne's umpteenth quest for the truth across Europe takes him to Las Vegas, where Dewey plans to end his contract with Kallor by force.

Greengrass and his newly promoted co-writer, editor Christoper Rouse, expand Bourne's story with more revelations than ever. The first three movies were about him finding the truth about his past; this one is about the truth behind the truth about his past. New converts will accept it at face value, while longtime fans will frown at the truth pileup. At least Jason Bourne doesn't leave new converts locked out for the first 30 minutes. It has enough detail to bring them up to speed on the story.

Not much has changed for Bourne since 2007. Our hero is still the same tough and stoic superspy. He still has to face a government conspiracy. And he gets into car chases. The head of said conspiracy, Dewey, is a serviceable cold bureaucrat. Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander), the new sympathetic CIA agent, made for a more interesting character than Bourne. Christian Dassault (Vinzenz Kiefer), the hacktivist who inadvertently gets the ball rolling, is barely a presence. The Asset is a capable villain with a sympathetic motivation who loses sympathy when we find out his full connection with Bourne. These characters leave a wide web for our audience to travel through.

Rouse's editing is a double-edged sword. It works when he builds some tense action scenes from cinematographer Barry Ackroyd's work. It doesn't when he cuts before the audience can process the action. This makes for an only serviceable action film. But the cinematography is special. The cities Bourne visit look their greatest at night. It's especially so when Bourne chases Asset across Vegas; you can see the whole city clearly.

So where does Bourne go from here? The Bourne Ultimatum should've closed the book that Jason Bourne added new pages too. What other Black Ops conspiracies are tied to Jason Bourne's life? Hopefully, whatever the answer is won't be so convoluted as this one, or worse, hideously retcon the first few films. Make the wait worthwhile.

Star Trek Beyond

Captain's Log, Stardate I don't know and I don't care anymore. We now have a new Star Trek movie, Star Trek Beyond, which now makes thirteen in this 50 year old franchise. It's a good present for the anniversary.

Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is halfway through his famous Five-Year Mission to explore the universe. The Enterprise sets port on the elaborate space station Yorktown. There, Kirk hopes to find some purpose in his life now that he's outlived his father, who died in Star Trek's opening scene. Meanwhile, Mr. Spock (Zachary Qunito) mourns himself from the future (Leonard Nimoy). That's when Kalara (Lydia Wilson) shows up.

Kalara's crew is stranded on planet Altamid, so the Enterprise sets out to help. They're greeted by the evil Krall (Idris Elba), who wrecks the Enterprise and takes a good chunk of the crew prisoner. The main crew is scattered across the planet they now want off. Mr. Scott (newly promoted co-writer Simon Pegg) meets Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who has a way off the planet, the wrecked USS Franklin. They'll have to get going to stop Krall from using a MacGuffin weapon to wreck Yorktown.

As JJ Abrams left this Sci-Fi galaxy for another, Justin Lin sits in the director's chair. This couldn't be more different from the The Fast and the Furious franchise, but the results are still good. Pegg and co-writer Doug Jung give the Enterprise crew some time in the limelight and a formidable villain to face. Krall turns out to have more depth than he appears; you'll easily understand his motivations and goals. There were some issues with the story (Why does Krall need the MacGuffin when he has nigh-invincible ships?), but they were minor. The rapport between the crew made it worthwhile.

The visual aesthetic makes it another fun trip across the universe. The visual highlight is Yorktown, which is what a space-station by Escher would look like. That's the best I can describe it. It looks like a nice place to live. Meanwhile, Jaylah's hologram generator had several great uses, including camouflage and an army of Kirks. The starships, from the Enterprise to Krall's swarm, were great designs. And space hasn't looked this colorful since the poster to Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

There's a wide variety of exotic Aliens created by Makeup man Joel Harlow. Krall's makeup takes him across three different appearances, each progressively less Alien. One of the best designs was a redshirt (in blue) with crab-legs on the back of her head. The shriveled corpses of Krall's victims were also convincing. This is the kind of work that makes me wish Oscar's makeup category would expand to five nominees.

Star Trek Beyond is another great adventure with the classic crew. It's got a nice balance of action, humor, pathos and logic in one space-adventure. I definitely want to see this crew again, but it'll be weird without Anton Yelchin (Chekov), who died in a freak accident last month. Hopefully, they'll make a smooth transition in the next installment. What'll that be like?

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is and forever one of the 80's greatest cinematic legacies. Its sequel, Ghostbusters II, was less so, but that didn't stop fans from wanting more. A video game reunited the Busters in 2009 and come 2014, such a reunion ain't possible anymore. Apparently, neither was recasting, which is why Columbia and Director Paul Feig started the franchise anew with a new team. This cinematic restart is also called Ghostbusters.

Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is a respected professor at Columbia University approaching tenure. But when a book she co-wrote, Ghosts from our Past, resurfaces, her academic future goes bleak. She gets asked to check out a haunted house thanks to the book, so Erin drags her co-author Dr. Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and Yates' tech savvy colleague Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) along. The trio get laughed out of their jobs, so they go into the paranormal investigation business. They get a fourth Buster, Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), and a handsome doofus named Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their receptionist.

A janitor named Rowan North (Neil Casey) decides to bring on the apocalypse. His endgame is to draw in malevolent spirits to wreck New York and bully its people. Only the Ghostbusters, publicly dismissed by frauds by the Mayor (Andy Garcia), have the tools and the talent to postpone doomsday.

Let's get some issues out of the way. If they're dismissed as frauds, how are they supposed to have a business? Will they end up as Men in Black, shutting away the supernatural from public eyes? Or are they Spider-Man, hated by the media but loved by the public? What're they supposed to do? They didn't even have a plan to contain captured ghosts. A minor character from the start was funny, but grew annoying as his scene went on. Maybe the sequel will improve things.

Its cast keeps it from being "a disaster of biblical proportions." Wiig and McCarthy are likable as unlikely scientists; their arc to overcome their insecurities was a engrossing one. Jones, as Patty Tolan, isn't as loud as the advertisements suggest, and is instead, a formidable Buster. McKinnon makes for a fine scene-stealer as the giddy and eccentric Holtzmann. Casey, as Rowan, makes for a perfectly creepy villain. Hemsworth stands out best as the stupendously too dumb to live Kevin. There were even fun cameos by certain stars of the original film.

The technical department also delivered the goods. The Ghostbusters' equipment, whether redesigned classics or new gear, was pretty awesome. Their proton streams looked cool now as they did in 1984. The ghosts, who were created with or enhanced by CGI, were legitimately creepy. They can make a scene creepy by not being there, something the opening scene establishes. Slimer, the franchise's signature ghost, was the best of the bunch. Rowan's final ghost form was cool, especially the smaller cel-shaded version he assumes before going large. Those looking for a supernatural spectacular will get it.

Ghostbusters stands on its feet alongside the classic original. It's not perfect, but it's still funny and exciting on its own merits. It's not a chore to sit through; I never checked my phone clock once. It makes Bustin feel good.

The Secret Life of Pets

I first saw the trailer for The Secret Life of Pets a year ago and saw it again throughout the year. Did I see the movie already? That's what it felt like. When the second trailer hit, I thought maybe I did. But let's see why that is...

Max the Dog loves his human, Katie. But Katie brings home Duke the big mutt. Max doesn't like Duke and Duke doesn't like that Max hates him. The next day, Duke drags Max into an alleyway, where mean cats steal their collars. Duke and Max get snatched by Animal Control and are saved by Snowball the Rabbit. Snowball is an abandoned pet who seeks to conquer the world with his Army of Misfit Pets.

Max and Duke quickly make enemies of Team Snowball and go on the run. They go to Brooklyn and bond during their incredible journey. Meanwhile, Max and Duke's pet neighbors, led by Gidget the White Pomeranian, set out to find them.

The premise, particularly Duke and Max's rivalry, makes it sound like Toy Story with Pets, and I thought it was once I saw the second trailer. But The Secret Life of Pets is not a direct copy of the older film. The characters and situations are developed differently in both films. Duke, as we find out, has a rough backstory hiding behind his lovable face. Buzz Lightyear didn't know he was a toy at first but Duke knew what would happen if he went back to the pound. So he is desperate to stay.

The film breezes along nicely during its 90 minutes. It's barely under the ten minute mark before Duke shows up. Max and Duke's adventures are quick and fun escapades for the kids. Snowball and his Pets aren't the threats they want to be, though they do impede Max twice during the climax. Still, there is a greater threat on the horizon: the possibility our heroes' owners will come home before them. What then?

The movie is set in an appealing rendition of New York City: bright, colorful and clean. I was surprised to find out the decent score was by Alexandre Desplat; I didn't recognize his musical style. The supporting animals come in many fun shapes and sizes. Their antics will certainly entertain the kids. As for me, Leonard the rocking poodle was awesome (too bad he doesn't speak). The film would've been better if we didn't first see many gags a year in advance.

The Secret Life of Pets is an appealing matinee for kids and fine for adults. There's no bite in their bark. Let's be grateful their bark wasn't any quieter. The fun starts off with Despicable Me's Minions in an amusing new short, Mower Minions. The film itself has a sneak-in ad for Illumination's next feature, Sing. That's on top of the more overt trailer you'll inevitably see.

The BFG

Roald Dahl had a way with words. Such words included Nibbleswicke, Gobblefunk, and the all important Scrumdidlyumptious. Dahl wrote books of these words, one of which was The BFG. It already received visual life in 1989 with an animated TV-movie. Now, it's received cinematic 3D life courtesy of Steven Spielberg.

Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is a London orphan under the barely-there Mrs. Clonker's thumb. One night, just after three, she stays up and sees a giant. The giant snatches her up and takes her to Giant Country. The Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance), aka The BFG, gives dreams to people. His neighbors, who have such appealing names as Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement), Bloodbottler, Bonecruncher, Gizzardgulper, Manhugger, Childchewer, Meatdripper, Maidmasher, and Butcher Boy, are much bigger than him. Therefore, they bully him.

The neighbor Giants smell Sophie, a "human bean," around the BFG. They eat "beans," so that's bad news for Sophie. Sophie implores the BFG to stand up to the bullies, but he won't. Perhaps some royal assistance is required...

The screenplay marks the final work of Melissa Mathison (ET: The Extra-Terrestrial), to whom the film is dedicated to. The sentimental mood is there, emphasized by an appropriate John Williams score. The plot is slow and questionable. The Giant took Sophie because she saw him. Even if someone believed her about Giants, she didn't know where they lived. Sophie was right. The story establishes the Neighbor giants as bullies, but their "bean eating" is regulated to offscreen villainy. That kind of lowers the threat level.

What makes the film work are its protagonists. Sophie knows what to do even if odds are against her. The BFG is a likable fellow full of amusing malapropisms, compassion and shyness. Their interactions bring out the best in them. It helps that a capable crew blended them together. The Giants were created with motion-capture; they look and feel as real as CGI humanoids can be. Production designers Rick Carter and Robert Stomberg created sets which convincingly blend real and CGI elements. You'd think the BFG's home was all CGI until you see otherwise. Anything less would've made Sophie and BFG's rapport fall apart at the seams.

The most amusing bits come when our heroes meet Queen Elizabeth II (Penelope Wilton) herself. The Queen's dry humor was most welcome and her breakfast with Sophie and the BFG was a great character set-piece. The Corgis were great just for being there.

The BFG is a good blend of Spielberg's sentimentality and Dahl's quirky humor. You won't be overwhelmed by either aspect during its 117 minutes. The characters will help you get through the slow pace. It's a real Whoopsey-splunkers time at the movies.

The Legend of Tarzan

I already looked at Edgar Rice Borough's second most-endearing creation, so now it's time for his most-endearing creation. Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, cinema star for almost 100 years. Here he is again with The Legend of Tarzan.

Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) was the Lord of the Apes, but now he's John Clayton, Earl of Greystoke. King Leopol of Belgium invites John to check out his "colony" in the Congo. George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), sharpshooter and doctor, convinces John to say yes. Jane (Margot Robbie), Lady Greystoke, comes along too.

The King's invitation is a trap. The evil Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) wants to bring Tarzan to Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) who wants Tarzan's head. In exchange, Rom will get all the diamonds he wants. But Rom also wants slaves, something Williams wants to thwart. Lord Greystoke himself can thwart the villains if he becomes Lord of the Jungle once again.

David Yates, of the last four Harry Potter movies and its forthcoming prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, occupies the director's chair here. There's plenty of swinging and jumping across the Jungle by the apes and Tarzan. The cinematography by Henry Braham includes some formidable shots of Rom's opening confrontation with Mbonga's tribe. The apes are pretty good CGI creatures. The climactic stampede was a cool sequence.

But standing in its way is its development. It tells Tarzan's familiar origin in flashbacks spread across its 110 minutes. The Apes aren't given much development, except for his adoptive mother Kala and brother Akut. They're just there. Chief Mbonga and his tribe could've used more scenes to develop their grudge against Tarzan. Their first scene is their meeting with Rom, the second is where Tarzan fights Mbonga and tells them Rom is bad. The film's pacing is slow and its plot is thin. And I swear I could see the seems in some green-screen shots. It was hard to stay invested in all the tree-swinging.

The Legend of Tarzan tries to update its character to the 21st century, but this results in a typical blockbuster with style over substance. Everything old is still old in this installment. But I hope Fantastic Beasts will do better; at least JK Rowling herself did its screenplay.