The Danish Girl

I've followed news on the production of The Danish Girl ever since it was first announced in 2009. Then, Tomas Alfredson was to direct intended producer Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron in the true life story of Lili Elbe. It wound up with Tom Hooper directing Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander in the most controversial film of their careers. So I'll have to word my review carefully.

It's 1926, and Gerda Wegener (Vikander) is an artist with a problem. Her friend, Ulla (Amber Heard), was supposed to model for her latest painting, but she ran late one day. So she asks her slender-framed husband, fellow artist Einar (Redmayne), to literally step into Ulla's shoes. This inspires Einar to try on more women's clothing. One day, Gerda lets Einar dress up as a woman named Lili. She thinks that letting Einar pose as his own cousine would be fun. But...

Einar gradually realizes that he, or rather she, was meant to be a woman. Gerda doesn't know what to make of it. The psychologists they see aren't sympathetic. But soon, Gerda realizes that letting her husband transition to Lili is the best thing for them. And there's a doctor who might help them.

(As this is based on a real person, some spoilers might be unavoidable.)

Lucinda Coxon's screenplay reworks David Ebershoff's fictionalized biography of Lili Elbe into feature form. It's a screenplay that favors text rather than subtext. We see that it's hard for Lili to transition, but not why. To give an example, Lili's first bit of romance with a man, Henrik (Ben Whishaw), causes her to become physically ill. I wish it explained why that was. It might have foreshadowed her death except that it didn't.

The casting of Redmayne, a cisgender man as a transgender woman, was criticized from day one. His performance is fine, but not perfect. As Einar, his enthusiasm is high and his near-permanent smile is wide. As Lili, his over-emotional performance becomes obvious. But we still empathize with Lili just the same. Lili's last scene, where she dies from surgery complications, but at peace with herself, is a powerful moment.

Vikander's performance is also tops. The movie is also about Gerda's struggles to accept her husband's transition. Her frustrations with the situation are born out of confusion, not hatred. She still loves Einar even when Lili takes over. And that's why she earns the audience's sympathy throughout the picture.

Hooper's crew helps out a lot. The production and costume designs, by Eve Stewart and Paco Delgado respectively, paint a pretty picture of 1920's Europe. The makeup team helps Redmayne cross the gender barrier with ease. The score by Alexandre Desplat is perfectly serene. Danny Cohen's cinematography is sometimes lambasted for putting actors off-centre, and he does it here too. But his best moments are the landscape shots. They're colored in a way that looks like a painter painted this movie.

The Danish Girl is an admirable movie. Its creative decisions might put off some people. But its story of a couple staying together in tough times is endearing. If this movie raises awareness of transgender issues, and makes people think seriously about them for a long time, then it did something right.

The Hateful Eight

Here without protest is Quentin Tarantino, delivering another quotable display of ultra-violence. This is The Hateful Eight, a film which internet pirates nearly killed when they leaked the screenplay. But it's now time for these characters to do some killing.

Years after the Civil War, bounty hunters Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and John Ruth (Kurt Russell) deliver justice their ways. Warren prefers to shoot down outlaws where they stand, while Ruth prefers to let the hangman deal with his quarry. One day, they get on the same stagecoach together. Warren has three dead outlaws in his custody, while Ruth has Daisy Dommergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a live and very-bitter murderess. Their destination is the town of Red Rock, whose new sheriff, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), also joins them.

A nasty blizzard forces them to seek shelter at a lodge called Minnie's Haberdashery. There, they meet Red Rock's hangman, Oswaldo (Tim Roth), a cowboy named Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), a Mexican named Bob (Demián Bichir), and an old general named Samford Sanders (Bruce Dern). Ruth doesn't want anyone to come between him and the $10,000 on Daisy's head. But it turns out somebody wants to do just that. Maybe more than one...

Tarantino, that old movie enthusiast, made his latest film into a roadshow presentation. Yes, the format made famous by such epic movies as Ben-Hur and The Sound of Music, is alive and well. The ultra wide, Ultra Panavision 70 cinematography by Robert Richardson results in truly epic shots of snow-covered Colorado. There's even an overture and intermission to push the film to a whopping 187 minutes. The overture and intermission are absent in the general release edition, which I saw, which runs a still massive 167 minutes.

There's a reason why the roadshow format died out: more and more of these films became long, expensive dullards. The Hateful Eight is long, but it's neither expensive ($44 million) nor dull. The cast brings life to their misanthropic, brutal characters. We even feel sorry for these pieces of work at certain points, such as when Ruth abuses Daisy (and he does that a lot). Their dialogue, even if it's a ten minute monologue, builds up the tension in every word. Their brutal deaths are shocking, sometimes quick, sometimes blackly humorous (how much blood can a man vomit when he drinks arsenic? a lot).

The aforementioned overture and intermission, along with the rest of the film's score, was by the revered Ennio Morricone. His dark, eerie themes are sure to remind one of his work on multiple spaghetti westerns and The Thing. It even uses unused tracks from the latter! The end result is a dark, moody score that fits the film's grand scale. It's another winner for the 87-year-old composer.

The Hateful Eight is not for people who are turned off by ultra violence, unapologetic displays of racism and sexism, and extreme movie lengths. If you can get past that, you'll find a suspenseful locked room mystery thriller. The screenplay and characters are sure to keep your eyes on the screen. Before you know it, the extreme length will go by quick.

The Big Short

I never expected an Oscar-material picture from director Adam McKay. Silly and enjoyable, maybe, but nothing that would get the Academy's attention. But here he is with The Big Short, a story of banks behaving badly. And it's ready for some Academy attention.

McKay and Charles Randolph reworked Michael Lewis's non-fiction book of the same name into their screenplay. A lot of names were changed to protect the innocent and not-so innocent. But the anger you'll feel when you see what happened is real.

In 2005, Michael Burry (Christian Bale) realizes the housing market is broken. Burry decides to bet against the housing market to get rich once the market goes bust. Meanwhile, a few investors discover Burry's plan. These include Mark Baum (Steve Carrell), Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock), and the film's narrator, Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling). They all want to try their luck. It takes a matter of time before they realize that once they win, the world economy itself will go bust. 

It's far-more restrained than The Wolf of Wall Street, another film about corrupt money men, by a country mile. But that doesn't mean it's a typical Hollywood story. The characters, especially Vennett, constantly break the fourth wall to explain themselves. Vennett introduces random celebrity cameos (like Margot Robbie) as themselves to explain big banking terms. There are even diagrams. The humor may throw off people most of the time. But I found a few laughs (highlight: one character's monolgue, in English, after we were told he doesn't speak it). 

But this was one angry satire. All the exposition helps us realize how inept big banks were in managing themselves. They brag about their accomplishments with no remorse. One banker will gladly buy rapidly-declining stock from a soon-to-implode Bear Stearns. Almost none of these quacks went to prison. These idiots would be entertaining if not for the consequences. There is righteous rage waiting for them.

And editor Hank Corwin is there to build up that righteous rage. We may know what happened, but to see it unfold on-screen is like seeing it in real life. A great example is near the end with a seminar concurrent with the collapsing Bear Stearns. Text messages say it all: down, down, down. The archive footage the film uses paints a picture of the time period it came from. 

The Big Short is all about the evils and stupidity of greed. At the end, our protagonists don't feel like celebrating their successes (except for Vennett). Don't let Adam McKay's filmography turn you off. This film's message is worth listening to.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Revenge of the Sith promised that the Star Wars saga was complete. But that was before George Lucas handed the keys to his Galaxy to the Walt Disney Company. So now the story of the "galaxy far, far away" is back in The Force Awakens. And it is the film fans are looking for.

The Galactic Empire is long dead, but the new First Order is here to continue its dreams of Total Subjugation. The only thing in its way is the rebuilt Galactic Republic and its Resistance force. The First Order has the Starkiller Base, a super-duper successor to the Death Star and aren't afraid to use it. Meanwhile, its resident evil Jedi Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) has an incomplete map to the location of the recluse Luke Skywalker. He wants nothing more than to complete it.

Resistance Pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) had the last piece, but he gave it to his droid, BB-8, before Kylo Ren got him. Finn (John Boyega), a First Order Stormtrooper with a conscience, helps Poe escape. Finn gets separated from Poe on the desert planet Jakku. There, he meets BB-8 and a scavenger, Rey (Daisy Ridley), and escapes with them on the Millennium Falcon. When they meet Han Solo and Chewbacca, our heroes' jobs become much easier. Sort of.

Director J.J. Abrams went from one galaxy to this one and the results are spectacular. The new characters he introduces are destined to be franchise favorites. Their chemistry is entertaining and their personalities are excellent. The returning characters are sure to please the fans with their mere presence, even if some of them have mere presence.

The Force is strong with the crew. The visual effects don't overwhelm the screen like the prequel films often did. The creatures and places they create are part of the universe as much as the human actors. The action scenes are coherent and exciting. For every CGI advancement on-screen, there's proof that practical effects can do wonders (like an alien hippo!). The sound design combines old and new sounds seamlessly. And the always reliable John Williams is here to set these scenes to some rousing music.

The basic plot seems like a rehash of the first film. But it has enough twists to keep it from being a total rerun. The story works if you have the most basic familiarity with the older films. If not, the standard title crawl will bring you a bit up to speed. If there's one complaint I have, it's that the nature of Starkiller Base wasn't clear even after the exposition.

Overall, The Force Awakens moves along at a nicely paced 136 minutes. I was never bored once during the film. It's an exciting, well-written continuation to one of the greatest Space Operas ever made. It's sure to please both fans and newcomers alike. This was certainly worth the wait.

Room

No, not The Room. Room.

The first title is an infamous Independent F-Movie that inspired a book, The Disaster Artist, the film of which is in production now. The second is an Independent A-Movie by director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Emma Donoghue, who translated her own novel into cinematic terms.

All 5-year old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) knows is Room. That's where he and his Ma (Brie Larson) Joy live. That's where Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) brings them "Sunday Treats" like clothes and toys. That's where Jack sees TV, and sees things that seem imaginary to him. That's all he knows.

Old Nick is the pervert who snatched away Joy seven years ago. Jack came along two years later (you do the math). Room is Old Nick's garden shed. He tortures Joy every night, either in-person or not. Joy has a plan to get help and she needs Jack to pull it off. When Jack finally escapes, he's overwhelmed by the real world. But he gets used to it more than Joy.

The first half of the movie is within the freakishly claustrophobic confines of "Room." It's pretty normal when Joy and Jack are by themselves. But it's emotionally overwhelming when Old Nick shows up. He's such a scumbag that Room itself feels smaller when he's there.

It's not long before Jack and Joy find freedom. Jack's escape from Old Nick's pickup and the cops locating Joy from Jack's scant details was exhilarating (Stephen Rennicks' score helped a lot). Joy's father (William H. Macy) inability to acknowledge Jack as his grandson, for better or worse, was tense. Jack adjusting to the world was just nice. It gets sad when Joy can't do the same. All these mood swings and it's officially rated R for language?

Jack's narration makes the mood swings bearable. His naive viewpoint provides some needed comic relief. It's a miracle that Jack is actually well-adjusted, albeit stubborn, considering his upbringing. Joy earns the audience's empathy with her selflessness and intelligence. They feel like mother and son rather than actors playing mother and son. It's just that real.

Room is not an easy film to sit through. You can probably tell that from the premise alone. But its tone works because the dark scenes are followed by uplifting ones. The ending shows Jack and Joy leaving their past behind and hopping aboard the future. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

In The Heart Of The Sea

JETHRO'S LOG

 DECEMBER 16th, 2015

The following is the account of the character, Jethro T. Cat. Not me, the author. 

So I'm walking out of the cineplex when an old-man comes up to me. "Call me Ishmael..." he says.

"I'll call you Ishmael if you call me a cab." I respond. "Because I need to get home from watching In The Heart Of The Sea yesterday."

"There was a ship, quoth he."quoth ... he.

Now you're quoting Coolridge.

Next thing I know, he takes my arm. "Unhand me, you grey beard loon!" I shout as I yank my arm away from him. I realize now I'm quoting Coolridge too. I proceed with the review.

FIRST PARAGRAPH

Director Ron Howard's sea-faring adventure In The Heart Of The Sea was supposed to come out back in March. But Warner Bros. decided to make it their December event movie. Why? I don't know. Let's see what I know about this movie.

PLOT

In the framing device, downtrodden Thomas Hickerson (Brendan Gleeson) reluctantly talks to author Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw). Melville has a whale of a tale to tell, one he calls Moby Dick. But he'd like to hear Hickerson's tale for more inspiration.

In 1820, the whaling ship Essex sets out for its latest voyage. The captain is George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), a stuck-up rich man. His first mate is Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), a humble farmer. Tom Hickerson (Tom Holland) is the cabin boy. They set out to fill 200 barrels of precious whale oil. When they reach the South Pacific, they find lots of moving targets. But they're really sitting ducks when they go for a certain White Whale. The Whale sinks their ship and leaves them stranded at sea.

What follows for the Essex crew is the worst three months of their lives. They starve, go insane and bicker. Meanwhile, the White Whale stalks them across the seas. Mr. Pollard and Mr. Chase have to co-operate if they want themselves and their crew to survive.

GOOD and BAD

The screenplay came from Nathaniel Philbrick's non-fiction book of the same name. It spends its first hour or so showing the "fine" details of whaling. It moves along quicker when Moby Dick shows up. The dramatic scenes give us plenty of characters who are mostly given little detail. That makes it hard to feel sad when they start dying. The tense relationship between Owen and George made the long parts watchable. But young Hickerson barely did much in the plot...

The chief attraction of the film is Moby Dick himself. His size is enormous but his temperament makes him terrifying. He stalks the crew even after he sinks the Essex and is so persistent that, for all we know, he might do the same to whatever ships pick them up. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle captures his size perfectly, though the film's murky blue-yellow look might turn some off.

AND SO...

In The Heart Of The Sea is another well-meaning account of a fascinating subject. But its storytelling makes this voyage a slow boat ride to wherever. You might say its pace comes from its fidelity to fact, but it takes liberties with the facts too! But if you must see it, see it for the "real" Moby Dick. He may barely be in the movie, but Moby makes for an impressive movie monster.

EPILOGUE

And now if you excuse me, "Ishmael" is back.

Brooklyn

Last year, he translated Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild into cinematic form. Now, author Nick Hornby has done the same to Colm Tóibín's historical novel Brooklyn. As realized by director John Crowley, this is an engaging romantic story.

Around 1951, Eilis Lacey (Saorise Ronan) lives and works in her Irish town. Her sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) arranges for her to move to Brooklyn for a better job. She lives in a boarding house run by feisty Mrs. Kehoe (Julie Walters). But soon, Eilis starts missing her home and family. She then meets Tony (Emory Cohen), a good guy from an Italian-American family. They fall in love but are threatened with separation when home calls for Eilis.

That's the basic premise of the movie. And it works because of the characters. Especially so with Eilis. She's a hard-worker, but not exactly prepared for life away from home. The movie is all about her adjusting to life not just overseas, but in general.  The audience will like her every step of the way.

The supporting cast adds to the goodness. Mrs. Kehoe is hysterical and her other boarding house tennants are likable. Tony's brother Frankie was great comic relief. Crowley did right when he cast these roles. Everyone of them is a memorable character.

Crowley's crew helps visualize 1950's New York. Odile Dicks-Mireaux's costumes are eyecatching pastel designs. The photography by Yves Bélanger is just as pleasant as the sets and costumes. Speaking of sets, its depiction of Coney Island makes for an appealing promotion. The score by Michael Brooks sets the romantic mood well.

Brooklyn easily reminded me of An Education, which Hornby also wrote. Both are simple romantic stories told well by endearing characters. Seeing both protagonists wiser at the end was the payoff. When Brooklyn is done, you'll have gone through an endearing 112 minutes.

Spotlight

The 1994 movie Street Fighter is often dismissed as a dumb video game movie. In one scene, its character Dhalsim, paraphrasing Edmund Burke, said "when good men do nothing, that is evil enough." That phrase sums up half of why the Boston Archdiocese scandal was so devastating. That scandal is personified in Spotlight.

In 2001, the Boston Globe welcomes its new editor, Marty Baron. Its Spotlight investigative team is hard at work on its latest scoop. But Baron throws a new scoop on their desk. One of their other reporters covered the story of a Priest's unsavory activity across six parishes. Baron wants them to expand on the issue.

The members of the Spotlight team take up the scoop. They go through church records to find all the Priests on "sick leave." They interview the still-traumatized abuse victims and other involved persons. There were a lot of people who knew what was up but couldn't, or wouldn't, come forward. And it's Spotlight's job to illuminate their activities.

Director Tom McCarthy and his co-writer Josh Singer give the four Spotlight members their own part of the plot. Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) and Mike Rezendies (Mark Ruffalo) interview survivors while they struggle with their faith. Meanwhile, Rezendies struggles to get a hold of key documents. Matt O'Carroll finds himself a block away from the story. Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) is the man holding them together. They all get decent screen-time and proper character development. Among the minor characters, Stanley Tucci as lawyer Mitch Garabedian stood out the most.

The screenplay will certainly outrage and darkly amuse you as the Church's transgressions come to light. You'll also pity those who couldn't come forward. It also humanizes certain people who wouldn't come forward. It also raises the issue that the crooked Priests were themselves abused. You'll definitely feel disappointment when the cycle of Karma Houdinis continues even after Team Spotlight exposes the scandal.

The technical crew also puts in equal effort. Production Designer Stephen H. Carter perfectly recreates the Boston Globe offices on screen. You wouldn't figure out that they were on a sound stage unless you were told. The music by Howard Shore is melancholic and memorable. The cinematography and editing, by Masanobu Takanayagi and Tom McCardle respectively, keep the serious mood going throughout its 129 minutes.

The end credits detail how many Church abuse scandals were exposed since Boston's. Let's just say there were a ton of them. Spotlight's focus is to remind people why they shouldn't stay silent when bad things happen. It was a very enlightening movie and worthy of the Oscar buzz it's receiving.

Creed

Sylvester Stallone's cinematic alter-ego, The Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa, has enjoyed a long cinematic life. Some might say it's been too long. But in his seventh round, Creed, he sits back and lets new talent call the shots. And it's a winner.

Adonis "Donnie" Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is a desk worker by day and an underground boxer by night. Donnie is also the illegitimate son of boxing champ Apollo Creed, who died in the ring before he was born. He quits his day-job and heads to Philadelphia to go pro-boxing. His first and last choice for trainer is Rocky himself.

Old and weary, his friends and family either dead or estranged, Rocky doesn't want to get back in the ring. But Donnie's determination wins him over and soon, Rocky gets in his corner. Meanwhile, abrasive boxing champ Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew) is about to go to prison for assault. His managers want Ricky to have one last fight and they think the son of Creed will do. Donnie accepts the challenge. His father's shadow and Rocky's health threaten to derail Donnie.

Director Ryan Coogler goes 2-0 after his first film, Fruitvale Station. The story plays like an updated Rocky, even down to the conclusion. But the cast plays it out with sincerity. From Jordan's determined hero to Bellew's abrasive champ, the characters are well-rounded people. You'll understand and sympathize with them even if you wouldn't in other movies.

The boxing matches are intense and powerful. Although it's PG-13, the film gets downright brutal at fight time. They're masterfully edited by Claudia Castello & Michael P. Shawver, and shot great by cinematographer Maryse Alberti. The makeup effects adds to their impact. Ludwig Göransson's score makes great use of the franchise's signature theme, "Gonna Fly Now." The technical crew in Creed's corner was a great one.

The franchise that started with Rocky is in great hands now. Creed is a great boxing movie and a natural sequel for the Italian Stallion. If they keep the quality up in its own sequels, perhaps the filmmakers won't make moviegoers cringe at the thought of Creed 5 .... million!

The Good Dinosaur

As I previously stated, The Good Dinosaur was supposed to be Pixar's family event of Summer 2014. But it went back to the drawing board to revise its story, plot and even its cast. The end result is admirable even if the tone is questionable.

65 million years ago, a meteor zipped by Earth. The Dinosaurs went on with their lives. In the present day, Arlo the Apatosaur and his family run a good farm. Arlo wants to earn the right to put his paw-print on the family corn silo. He'll earn the right when he catches the "critter" eating their corn. He chickens out when he sees the critter, a feral human boy, and lets him escape. So Arlo is forced to join his Poppa Henry on a quest to find the thief, but a storm hits and Henry is washed away by the river.

Arlo's farm goes downhill without Henry around. When he next sees the thief, he chases him down to the river and they're both washed away. Far away from home, Arlo's only companion is the thief, who he doesn't like at first. But overtime, Arlo and "Spot" become best buds on a quest for survival.

Director Peter Sohn was brought in to replace Bob Petersen when the film stalled. He also voices the film's best bit-character: a weird Styracosaurus named Forrest Woodbush. The animals that rest on his horns are all amusing characters on their own. The film's best laugh is when Woodbush introduces one animal, but forgets her purpose for being there.

The animation department delivers on their Pixar quality. The cartoony characters can say as much with their eyes as they do with their mouths. That makes the Arlo and Spot interaction scenes easy to get behind. The digital scenery is some of the most photorealistic work Pixar's ever done. Woodbush's entrance, in which he appears camouflaged in a forest, is amazingly rendered. It's another artist's delight on-screen.

Unfortunately, the expressive animation gets too expressive when characters get hurt. It gets downright uncomfortable watching Arlo bruised, limping or getting conked on the head with rocks. On the writing side, the film goes from light-hearted to touching as Arlo and Spot bond. There's that scene where they trip out on berries ... weird. The film's physical antagonists, a trio of Pterosaurs, are so subdued and weird that they're frightening when they reveal their true colors. Inside Out knew what it wanted to be at least.

The Good Dinosaur is finally here after much uncertainty. It's not the best Pixar film, but it's an admirable effort that knows how to express itself. Just be prepared for a weird emotional roller-coaster.

The much anticipated short Sanjay's Super Team opens the feature. In it, a young Indian boy's love of American cartoons and his Hindi heritage culminate in a colorful daydream. It was an achievement of art design and made the feature worth it.

Suffragette

Suffragette means well, but its storytelling doesn't help it rise above the fall movie crowd. It's a fine movie, though, so how about we read on and see what it's all about. Shall we?

In the early 1910s, Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) is a laundress literally kept down by the Man. Her boss is a chauvinist pig, her husband is a dullard, and her son is a polite young boy. Meanwhile, the Women's Suffrage movement is taking shape, and some of its members take up property damage for their cause. When the Man decides to consider a voting rights bill for women, Maud reluctantly ends up testifying. The Man says No to Suffrage and Maud gets arrested by the brutish police.

Maud ends up joining the Women's Suffrage Movement for real. Her closest friends are Dr. Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham-Carter) and Emily Davison (Natalie Press). The revered head of the Suffrage Movement, Emmeline Pankhurst, advocates militant action for Women's Rights. But a few members, including Maud, have some doubts. There's also a Police Inspector, Steed (Brendan Gleeson), who's out to stop them.

The screenplay by Abi Morgan was realized by director Sarah Gavron. It focuses on the story of several fictional characters, with Davison and Pankhurst being the most major exceptions. There are a few typical character types, but they're all played admirably well. It's satisfying to see Maud go from a mousy reluctant heroine to a more assertive heroine who smashes her employer's hand with a still hot iron!

The story has hints of cliche as well. One character has a weak heart and may die if she goes to one last protest. Does this affect her? No; her sympathetic husband locks her in the bathroom. Why bring up the plot point at all?

The technical efforts are fine, but not perfect. Barney Pilling's cinematography captures old dusty London well, but when scenes get intense, it shakes a lot. To make matters worse, the editing snaps by fast. We can't really keep track of what's going on when it does that. Alexandre Desplat's score is fine, but it sounds too typical of his style (The Grand Budapest Hotel being atypical). The Production and Costume design evoke the period admirably, so they get some points.

I find it amusing that Pankhurst, the revered head of the Suffrage Movement, is played by Meryl Streep. Her part is a one-scene cameo where she addresses her supporters. The real Pankhurst died in 1928, the year the British Suffragette movement finally succeeded. That would be a good end point for another movie.

This movie, meanwhile, ends too early. Suffragette ends in 1913, and its epilogue tells us how the Suffragette movement progressed from there. It would be nice if we saw a bit more of it. The story needs to be told, and hopefully, it will be told a bit better next time.

UPDATED 1/14/2025: I felt I was too negative with this review; don't ask me why it took this long to fix it.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2

Katniss! Peeta! The Other Guy!

(Psst ... his name's Gale!)

Oh yeah...

Their adventures come to an end in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2. It's a satisfactory ending to the story of the one reality show no one wants to be on.

The Underground District 13 saved Peeta Mellark from torture. But he's brainwashed-and-crazy with "Kill Katniss Everdeen and anyone who gets in my way" on his mind. District 13's President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore)  has "Kill President Snow and free Panem" on her mind. Katniss Everdeen is willing to help the resistance any way she can. But she really doesn't have "Kill Peeta and end his suffering" on her mind. Meanwhile, President Snow has "Kill Katniss anyway I can" on his mind. And on his mind is to booby-trap the Capitol itself.

What do I have on my mind about this entry?

The screenplay is the confused Tortoise to the first film's assured Hare. It drags out some scenes, like Katniss and co. hiding out in the Capitol. But it doesn't give time for other plot points. The scene I long ago thought would end Part 1 involves the death of a specific character. But the foreshadowing, as in, why they're there, is lacking. The last scenes felt like multiple endings tacked on to each other. So why do I recommend it?

Firstly, I recommend it because of its characters. These are characters you've either loved or hated during the franchise's run. You'll feel appropriately when they get their ending. The climax got sentimental when it focused on the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's character Heavensbee; this is now his last film. The final, final ending gives you relief that a nightmare has ended, as opposed to your nightmare.

The visual design makes use of a lot of on-location filming. I was especially pleased when I recognized one location as being in Atlanta, my former residence. The Boobytraps that populate the streets are seamlessly integrated into the environment. The creepiest set some freaky fishmen-zombie things on our heroes in the sewers. The Capitol citizens are once again a walking fashion show; the aptly-named Tigris is the prime example. Maybe Oscar can give a look this time. Maybe?

Unlike The Hobbit, Mockingjay had enough plot to pass around a few movies. At least it wasn't stretched out even further than two to make more money. You'll get you're money's worth if you've followed the franchise from day one. For everyone else, it's a good action film that closes out one of the best Young Adult Franchises in History.

FADE TO BLACK

THE END

Spectre

It took me a long time, but now I am here.

Here to review James Bond's 24th cinematic adventure, Spectre. It's the fourth where he's embodied by Daniel Craig and the second where director Sam Mendes is calling the shots.

This time, Bond is out of a job. Bond went on an unauthorized trip to Mexico City to stop some terrorists, caused some chaos, and got grounded by M (Ralph Fiennes). Meanwhile, the 00 operation is about to get grounded by C (Andrew Scott), who wants to install his new worldwide surveillance system, the Nine Eyes. OK?

So James crashes the funeral of one of the terrorists and discovers the evil organization Spectre. Its leader, Franz Oberhauser Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), knows James all too well. All the villains from the last three movies were on his payroll. And one of them, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), has a daughter named Madeline (Léa Seydoux) who knows what Spectre's up to. James has to protect her to keep Oberhauser Blofeld from winning.

Yes, another film hid a signature franchise villain's name under a fake one. It was novel when Star Trek: Into Darkness did it, but it's too obvious here. Bright side is, Christoph Waltz is ideally cast as Blofeld. Soft-spoken, intelligent, sadistic; his Blofeld makes for one memorable villain.

As for the other villains? Dave Bautista's Mr. Hinx debuts by beating another henchman to death. After that, he's the silent henchman up until Bond gets rid of him. It's also revealed that Blofeld has a collaborator within the British Government, the revelation of which came out of nowhere at first. But it made sense later.

The screenplay was written by four writers, including John Logan. It gives Bond quite more humor compared to the last few films, especially Skyfall. The gadgets in Bond's new car, for instance, don't work as he expects it to in a car chase. It also drags its heels during the set pieces. And it also shows Bond at his least tactful: romancing the widow of the aforementioned terrorist (Monica Belluci) and leaving her, despite knowing that Spectre assassins want her (and he personally foiled two of them). It's 148 minutes long, but it felt longer at times.

Composer Thomas Newman returns from Skyfall; his work here is much more memorable than in Bridge of Spies. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, an Oscar no-show last year from Interstellar, should show up here after they see his long-opening shot. Editor Lee Smith, at least, makes the action scenes exciting.

Spectre is a serviceable Bond, I'll give you that. And whether or not this is Daniel Craig's last time at bat, the story feels like a good way to end his cycle.

The Peanuts Movie

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the rest of the Peanut Gallery haven't had a cinematic run for the football since 1980. Maybe they shouldn't have named that movie Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and don't come back!). That title didn't sound inviting.

Well now, Chuck and Dog are back in the aptly named The Peanuts Movie. It's their first 3D cinematic adventure and a simplistic one at that. But it was a good one.

Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp) is still the neighborhood blockhead and Snoopy (Bill Melendez, through archive sounds) is still his Beagle. One day, the Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Angelucci Capaldi) moves into town. Charlie is smitten and tries to work up the nerve to talk to her. But all his past failures, not to mention his current ones, threaten to derail him. But he can't let that get to him. Meanwhile, Snoopy plays with a typewriter and imagines himself a Flying Ace out to save Fifi
(Kristen Chenoweth) the poodle from the evil Red Baron. And that's all there is too it.

It's a simple story that doesn't need research before going in. Its CGI characters emulate the limited animation of their 2D counterparts. Their facial expressions are as memorable as always (especially with that classic "Augh!"). Snoopy is still the best animated beagle. But the highlight is the always imitable trombone "wah wah" to simulate adult speech (provided by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews). The classic bits are there, but what else? What makes it worth seeing them again? These questions can help or hurt your viewing experience.

What pushes the film to "help" for me is its good-nature. The gags are amusing and the characters are likable. Its message of perseverance is a positive one. And yes, Snoopy is still great comic relief. It's a good-natured adventure through Suburbia. Overall, the movie knows what it wants to be and does it well.

The Peanuts Movie is a good introduction to these characters. If one can overlook its simplicity and enjoy all the classic bits, they'll find a movie that'll go hand-in-hand with Charles M. Schulz's comic strips and all the specials and films that came from them. It stays to its roots, but its morals resonate today.

You'll also find a trailer for the upcoming fifth Ice Age film, Ice Age: Collision Course, disguised as a short, Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe. Good news is, the short was funny. Better news is, the full film's in July, so that means the novelty won't wear off by the time I see it.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, owner of Pixar when it became Pixar and overall technological innovator, had a captivating life story. That explains why everyone, it seems, wants to tell it. We already had Jobs in 2013, which had Joshua Michael Stern direct Ashton Kutcher. This time, Danny Boyle directs Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs.

Aaron Sorkin reworks Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs into a clearly three-act screenplay. Each act centers around Jobs introducing one of his new products (the Macintosh, the NeXT computer and the iMac) to the public. Backstage, we see his strive for perfectionism alienate those around him.

Steve's associates Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), and Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) both try to help him and put up with him. His former girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) and their daughter, Lisa, want him to acknowledge them. Steve could at least say a friendly "hello," like his innovative Macintosh, to them. So why can't he?

Fassbender perfectly renders Jobs as a flawed, innovative man. He talks about giving computers to underprivileged kids, yet won't notice the underprivileged kid (Lisa) right behind him. His innovations don't leave room for others to innovate, which lead to a few failures. Him learning to connect to the World Wide Web of people is his character arc. While others have criticized Fassbender for barely resembling Jobs, the iMac act and 1970's flashbacks show him as a good match.

Editor Elliot Graham makes Sorkin's screenstory come alive. There was never a dull moment in its 122 minutes. Each act had a clear point to tell and its supporting characters provided the recurring plot-points (and a running gag). Even if it jumped around, the story was coherent. The archive footage had a good selection of clips, especially a clip from The Simpsons.

What else to say about the movie? The supporting cast is great, as is Daniel Pemberton's electronic score. Overall, Steve Jobs is a captivating biopic. It maybe a lot of talk, but that talk will go by fast.

The Second Mother

And now for a Jethro first.

This is my first review of a foreign language film. The Second Mother, or Que Horas Ela Volta? (What time will she return?) in its native Portuguese, is Brazil's contestant for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. Will it make the final five? Will it make the semi-final nine? It should.

Val (Regina Casé) is the live-in housekeeper for a São Paulo family. Her employers are rich fashionista Barbara (Karine Teles) and rich layabout Carlos (Lourenço Mutarelli). Val is practically the second mother to son Fabinho (Michel Joelsas). She knows what to do and what not to do after years of working for "Dona" Barbara and co.

One night, Val is called by her daughter, Jessica (Camila Márdila). She needs a place to stay so she can study for her college entrance exam. So she moves in with her mother and employers. Jessica proves herself more a free spirit than her mother. Barbara doesn't like that, but Carlos does. Val reins in Jessica to save face with Barbara. That just irritates Jessica. Mother and daughter will have to fix their relationship somehow.

Writer/Director Anna Muylaert made an involving film about class and worker-family relationships. A rich person lets a poor person work and live with them, but not let them live with them. Don't act like you're family. That's what "Dona" Barbara's rules for Val amount to. We realize, as Jessica knows, that it's unfair for Val to be treated this way. On the other hand, Val's relationship with Fabinho is much more positive. She was there when his parents weren't and he's not messed up. It's sure to remind us of our own good housekeepers.

There's a good view of São Paulo thanks to cinematographer Barbara Alvarez. However, the camera kept running for a few seconds before some scene changes; kept thinking something was gonna happen (sometimes it did). That aside, the night views of the city were good. The interior of "Dona" Barbara and co.'s home looked pretty good too.

Don't let the fact that you have to read subtitles dissuade you. The Second Mother is a universal story of work and family. Its main characters' situations are so universal that anyone can read the subtitles. I'm looking forward to it advancing; Brazil hasn't had an entry in the race since 1998's Central Station!

Crimson Peak

And here it is.

Guillermo del Toro follows robots and monsters with ghosts in Crimson Peak. It's equally spooky, violent and romantic - a rare combination these days. It's got a ghost of a chance at the Best Picture Oscar (ha!), but its technical achievements deserve some acknowledgement.

In the turn of the 20th century, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) lives with her businessman father, Carter (Jim Beaver). Edith wants to write ghost stories for a living. She has the experience, for gruesome ghosts haunt her nights. One of them is her mother (Doug Jones), who warns her "Beware of Crimson Peak" (whatever that means).

Edith meets the dashing English aristocrat Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and his sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain). Sir Thomas proposes marriage to Edith over Carter and Lucille's objections. But after Carter's face meets a bathroom sink, it's down the altar for Sir Thomas and Edith.

The Sharpes' home is Allerdale Hall, a decaying mansion that literally bleeds red clay. Allerdale has its own ghosts, who all try to scare Edith away. Once winter rolls along, the clay dyes the snow red, giving the mansion the name Crimson Peak (oh). That's when Edith and her father's physician, Dr. McMichael (Charlie Hunnam), discover that the Sharpes aren't so nice.

The visual achievements are the film's greatest strengths, by far. Costume designer Kate Hawley and production designer Thomas E. Sanders combine to create an extravagant period piece. The titular house is a wreck, and its "blood" is creepy, but it's a fascinating wreck. You won't forget the costumes once you've seen them. The motion capture ghosts work because they're that otherworldly. And Dan Laustsen's cinematography turns winter utterly pitch white. It's unlike most period films that come out this time of year, that's for sure.

Let's not forget the sound achievements. Sound designer Randy Thom is who to thank for such sounds as the creepiness in the ghosts' voices and the utterly sickening bone crunches. I'm not kidding on that last part. Meanwhile, composer Fernando Velázquez gives the film some spooky compositions and a romantic main theme. Of course, when it's time to get spooky, the sound sometimes goes away...

BOO!

That dummy...

BONK!

(MUFFLE)

...won't be bothering me any longer.

The actors aren't dwarfed by their sets or wardrobes. They all do great with their character types. Chastain, in particular, goes from simply antagonistic to downright frightening by the end. I only wish her motivations were a lot clearer.

As for the motivations? The film turns out to be a reworking of Bluebeard and Notorious, so it was kind of easy to see where it was going. At least Edith is more proactive than the leads of those stories. As for revelations, Carter Cushing's killer would have been a surprise if del Toro shot them completely from the head down. Their hairstyle gave it away!

Crimson Peak isn't for those who tense up easily. But you might like it if you enjoy artful, romantic and tragic stories. The film has all that and it has ghosts and blood too. Its unique artistic world and its off-kilter villains make it another memorable film in Guillermo del Toro's filmography.

Goosebumps

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books started in 1992 and are still spooking kids today. A big-screen treatment was inevitable. Of course, they'd have to solve the problem of which story out of many to work with. The final result is their way of doing them all. It's not perfect, but it's not terrible either.

Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) and his mother Gale (Amy Ryan) move to Madison, Delaware. Zach is the new kid in town and Gale is the new vice-principal in Zach's school. Next door is local curmudgeon Mr. Shivers (Jack Black) and his daughter Hannah (Odeya Rush). Mr. Shivers warns Zach to stay away from Hannah or else. Zach wants to find out why.

Zach and his new friend Champ break into Mr. Shivers' house. They discover that Mr. Shivers is Stine himself, and that he has all his Goosebumps manuscripts under lock and key. Inside the manuscripts are all of Stine's spooky creations and Zach's meddling releases them all. Now Zach, Champ, Hannah and Stine have to save Madison from a host of fiendish ghouls, especially Slappy (also Black), the dummy...

BZZZT.

Excuse me while I take over the review. First of all, I'm not a dummy, I'm a puppet...

That just makes it sound worse.

What're ya, shock-proof?!

Yeah. Now let's get to the review-type stuff.

Just as Stine wrote his horror stories for kids, director Rob Letterman and his screenwriters made their horror movie for kids. The monsters chase our heroes and they can't be killed. Fortunately, the monsters never get to kill our heroes (the closest they get is use a freeze-ray). It's as spooky as it gets for a PG-rating. The film's goofy humor lightens the mood and it's not annoying.

What about me?

Not dignifying that with a response.

Anyway, the film requires some familiarity with the Goosebumps series. This will help you win a game of "spot the monster" and "name that cover;" the latter refers to the end credits' animated rendering of the books' original cover art. Other than that, you don't need to know them inside and out.

I wanna know ya, pal!

The film's problem goes back to the script. It's 103 minutes and it goes by pretty quickly. Some details get lost in the process. It goes from one monster encounter to another. The script is running on cursed shoes. It's still a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. At least it gives the real Stine an amusing walk-on cameo as a teacher named Mr. Black.

Come on, pal. I know ya wanna-

Vance, duct tape and rubber ball.

(muffle!)

Danny Elfman's score is good as are the monster designs. A lot of them are CGI, but Slappy over-here is a real puppet (Avery Jones played him on-set). Other monsters were done with makeup and they're also good. The technical department did their job well on this flick.

This version of Goosebumps is spooky-fun for kids and parents alike. If you're disappointed that this wasn't scary, then my next review should satisfy your need.

Bridge of Spies

I'm sure Lincoln left many waiting for Steven Spielberg's follow-up. Now we have it in Bridge of Spies, which once again makes history thrilling.

In 1957, James Donovan (Tom Hanks) was an insurance lawyer in Brooklyn. He's called upon to defend Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), a spy for the Soviet Union. The public and even the Judge want to convict him yesterday, but Donovan wants to give Abel a fair trial per the Constitution. He wants the US to set an example for the Soviets should they capture a US agent or two.

In 1960, pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is shot down and taken prisoner by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is willing to swap Powers for Abel. Donovan is called upon to be the mediator for the exchange. His mission takes him to East Germany, where a host of unhelpful Soviet and US bureaucrats await him. It all leads them to Glienicke Bridge.

The screenplay by Matt Charman and the Coen Brothers shares its name with a 2010 non-fiction book, but it's not based on that. This screenplay raises ideas that are relevant today, like the constitution and what it stands for. Its deliberate pace means that it doesn't beat you with these ideas. Instead, they illustrate good points about proper diplomatic etiquette. It might make you wonder why certain political people don't subscribe to the film's ideals anymore. 

Tom Hanks as James Donovan adds another great character to his filmography. He's the Good Cop when everyone wants him to be the Bad Cop. He keeps standing whenever someone knocks him down, something Abel himself points out. This is a character we want to win.

Mark Rylance makes for a sympathetic spy as Abel. He's vilified by the US and ignored by the Soviet Union. So much for dying for his adopted country. His predicament is a valid deconstruction of the classic double-agent. Still, his stoicism makes for a funny running gag.

As longtime collaborator John Williams was unavailable, Spielberg brought on Thomas Newman for the score. It's a good score that doesn't kick in until a half-hour in, when Abel is about to be convicted. It sounds like a Williams score, which I don't know is a good thing or not.

Spielberg's other frequent collaborators, editor Michael Kahn and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, made it for the spy games. Their work is reliable as always. The production and costume design are a great recreation of the Cold War.

Bridge of Spies isn't an action-oriented movie. But if you can withstand the film's pace, the 141 minutes will drive on by. It's another great film in Spielberg's long career.

Pan

Peter Pan is still a spring chicken after 113 years. He's always ready to entertain the next generation with his stories of ticking crocs and pirates and fairies. Director Joe Wright is here to tell the story of Peter's first adventures in their first 3D film, Pan.

Peter (Levi Miller) was left at a Lambeth orphanage by his mother, Mary (Amanda Seyfried). Years later, Peter and the orphans try to survive both the Blitz and nasty Sister Barnabas (Kathy Burke). Peter and his best friend Nibs discover a letter meant for Peter from Mary, one that promises she'll meet him "in this world or another." Before long, Peter and some orphans are snatched by bungee-jumping clown pirates from a flying ship!

The ship takes them to that other world, Neverland. The evil captain Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) has the orphans mine for Pixum crystals, the source of Pixie Dust. Peter discovers he can fly. That's bad news for Blackbeard, because there's a foretold flying messiah scheduled to beat him. Peter escapes with his new friends James Hook (Garrett Hedlund) and Smee (Adeel Akhtar) into the forest of the "Whatchamacallit tribe" (real name, again, not said). The tribe somewhat welcomes him as the Messiah they've been waiting for.

Pan makes odd choices from the moment they arrive at Neverland. Hugh Jackman makes for a hammy Pirate, but his casting would've been perfect for Hook in a straight version of Barrie's play. The actual Hook is Han Solo with an odd accent and in no ways hinted to be Peter's future nemesis. I'm sure his descent into villainy is saved for a sequel that will never be. The "Whatchamacallit tribe" believe Peter's their Messiah the second they see his flute necklace, but doubt him a few minutes later. The audience might question why a film set during the Blitz has Blackbeard lead his slaves to "Smells Like Teen Spirit," but John Powell's orchestration of that 90's tune was awesome.

The technical aspects keep this film hovering. The work of cinematographers John Mathieson and Seamus McGarvey make this worth seeing on the big screen. The first scenes in Neverland show off Blackbeard's mines and exquisitely demonstrate their size and scope. The environments designed by Aline Bonetto are imaginative creations which use both CGI and practical sets. The costume design by Jacqueline Durran is memorable, even if the "Whatchamacallit tribe's" wardrobe clashes with itself. The weakest effects, though, were the too-obvious CGI skeletal Neverbirds,

Pan's story is all too-familiar if you know anything influenced by Joseph Campbell. You'll know exactly what'll happen even if you don't get closer to the story it's a prequel to. I'm forgiving it for it's storytelling flaws because its visual design isn't a complete eyesore. At worst it's weird.

The Walk

His story was already documented by James Marsh in Man on Wire, but wire-walker Philippe Petit still got dramatized by Robert Zemeckis in The Walk. But who would blame them for doing it again?

It's 1973, Philippe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a street performer in Paris. He wants to execute the biggest, grandest stunt of his life and finds the venue for said stunt in a magazine article about the World Trade Center. Over the next year, Philippe recruits a string of accomplices to execute "the artistic crime of the century." His accomplices are drawn to his bravado, but doubt the sanity of the stunt. Even Philippe has his doubts.

Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne from Petit's memoir To Reach the Clouds. The film has Philippe relate his story to the audience from the Statue of Liberty. The constant voice-overs are useful, but sometimes they're a bit too intrusive. The mysterious visitor who meets Philippe before he partakes in "le coup" needed some context. But the clouds parting to reveal the path between the Twin Towers could have spoke for themselves.

Our protagonist is a delightfully bold man. Philippe is so bold that he can declare, in all honesty, what he plans to do on the Twin Towers to an Airport customs agent and get away with it. All he wants is the ultimate artistic experience. His character arc, and that of his accomplices, is kind of rushed towards the end. But the screenplay at least tries.

The film is surprisingly hit and miss with its visual effects. There were a few effects that were so distractingly obvious. At least the recreation of the Twin Towers was flawless. The wire-walking scenes are what the movie is about and they don't disappoint. When they're paired with Alan Silvestri's score, the results are magical. The Grand Finale makes it worth seeing on the big screen.

The Walk is about an illegal, dangerous event that occurred at a place that no longer exists. Its likely message is to appreciate every moment for it may never come again. It's not perfect, but The Walk means well. And it's good enough to stay on the wire.

Sicario

You think it's easy dealing with drug cartels? Leave it to director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan to prove you wrong with Sicario. Their collaboration is one of the darkest crime films you might ever see.

The film opens with FBI Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and her team raiding a cartel house. There are bodies stuffed inside the walls, one of which is attached to an explosive booby-trap. The trap leaves two officers dead and Kate with a score to settle. Her boss, Mr. Jennings (Victor Garber), transfers her to a DOD team in El Paso headed by Agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and Colombian Operative Alejandro (Benicio del Toro).

Their mission, which they chose to accept, is to track down Cartel Kingpin Manuel Diaz (Bernardo P. Saracino) and his boss, Fausto Alarcon (Julio Cedillo). Their journey takes them across the border to Juarez, Mexico and back again. Kate assumes the operation will be simply by-the-book. Naturally, she's unnerved by Matt and Alejandro's unethical tactics. They say it's for a good cause, but Kate's not sure, especially after she hears what cause it is.

The film hits the ground-running with Jóhann Jóhannsson's creepy, booming score playing over studio logos. Jóhannsson, and editor Joe Walker, build up the uneasiness when the film begins proper, up to when the FBI comes knocking. Their work continues when the agents fight the cartel henchmen. The sound designers and cinematographer Roger Deakins add to the film's tense atmosphere.

What about the people in the story? The highlight of Sicario is Benicio del Toro as Alejandro. He barely speaks, but his brutal interrogation tactics get to the point. His calm demeanor barely wavers. He might be an awesome character in another movie, but here, he's unpredictable and frightening. The cartel crooks let their brutality speak for them. The Federal higher-ups, including Matt, aren't that nice. And Kate just keeps getting stonewalled at every turn.

Sicario is a film some people might want to see just once, while others won't want to see at all. I'd be fine with seeing it again under different circumstances. That is, if I'm in the mood for a pitch black, tense crime thriller where the lawful break the law to uphold it. And that's the kind of mood you'll have to be in to withstand this movie, or even its first scene.

The Martian

Andy Weir's self-published novel, The Martian, was a hit in both online and physical formats. Its film version, realized by director Ridley Scott, perfectly explains why that was. It's a simple survival story with a guy the audience comes to love.

Botanist and Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is part of the Ares III mission to Mars. But a giant sandstorm hits the planet and messes up the mission. Mark gets lost in the chaos, so the other astronauts leave Mars without him. Mark wakes up alone on the Red Planet. The first thing on his mind is to science his way out of this mess until the next Ares mission arrives. It's a lot easier when he gets in touch with NASA. But a mistake on either end could screw him up big time.

Matt Damon as Mark Watney is what the movie is all about. He's a strong-willed man with a good sense of humor and amazing survival skills. The first thing he does when he realizes his situation is to treat his wounds. He also loves to criticize the numerous disco tracks left with him at every opportunity. Only when things go south or stupid does Mark loose his cool. Still, he's a very relatable protagonist throughout the film's 2 1/2 hours. 

Everyone else on the cast is good too. The Ares crew consists of Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Pena and Aksel Hennie. They're a well-rounded crew of characters; only wish I'd see them more with Mark before the storm hit. That could've explained the stakes more. On Earth, Jeff Daniels as NASA director Sanders is more of a person than a hate sink like most movie bureaucrats. Donald Glover, as a scientist who helps makes the ending possible, was good comic relief.

The film is a visual showcase as well. Whether it's the red planet or space, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and the visual effects team make them look good. Special notice goes to the Ares III's spaceship, the Hermes. It's a rotating spaceship realized with both live-action and CGI elements into one seamless machine. The visual effects department's finest moment is the climactic scene when Mark is saved. 

The Martian is about a guy surviving impossible odds. It doesn't need to get any more complicated than that. It's by far the most optimistic sci-fi film Ridley Scott has ever made. It's both technically and emotionally proficient, and for that, it's one of Scott's best films ever.

Grandma

Grandma is a movie which proves you don't need massive run-times to make a point. It's only 78 minutes and it doesn't waste a minute.

Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin) is an acclaimed poet with less-acclaimed personal skills. She's estranged from her daughter, Judy (Marcia Gay Harden), while Violet, her long time life partner, has recently passed on. The film opens with her and her current girlfriend, Olivia (Judy Greer), bitterly breaking up. And then her granddaughter, Sage (Julia Garner), shows up at her front door. Sage is pregnant and due for an abortion in eight hours. Sage is broke and needs money for the procedure. Elle is broke and needs money so Sage can have money for the procedure. And thus begins the most awkward drive around Los Angeles of their lives.

Writer/Director Paul Weitz divides the plot into six chapters. Each chapter has Elle and Sage go to one stop, do their thing, and move on. These chapters allow stars such as John Cho, Laverne Cox, Sam Elliott, and Elizabeth Pena to appear in memorable cameo roles. They make the most in the short screen time they have.

Tomlin makes the most of her screen time. Elle's bluntness makes her more popular with the audience than with her acquaintances. Her losing her temper can become black comedy gold in the right circumstances. Elliott's scene, though, is where we start to see her at her most dramatic. That's when we start to sympathize with the acid tongued misanthrope.

Grandma is a bittersweet movie. But the ending leaves the movie on a more hopeful note. It's a movie about coming to terms with the past and embracing the future. It makes that point quickly and the results are unforgettable.

Everest

Everest is the safest you'll get to the titular mountain without the hypothermia and cliff-falling. You'll just have to see some other folks experience that.

In March 1996, Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhall) lead joint expeditions to Mt. Everest "because it's there." Their clients pay through the nose to scale the summit. And Hall's expedition has Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly), author and journalist, to document their trek. If only Jon had a happier tale to tell.

When they finally scale the summit on May 10th, a monstrous blizzard joins them. They're out in the open when the storm hits and supplies are pretty much zip. Only blind luck and miracles can save them now. Or at least some of them.

The film has an all-star cast, but I failed to recognize a lot of them. I knew it was Josh Brolin as client Beck Weathers, but not Robin Wright as his wife, Peach. Or Keira Knightley as Hall's wife Jan. It does help acknowledge them as people, rather than actors as people. But the thin story makes it hard to tell which character was which. So it was hard to get invested in their fates. While one character's death, I thought, was painfully avoidable, another's survival was a complete surprise.

It does a lot better in the technical aspects. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino captures magnificent scenery from everywhere except atop the actual mountain. Those scenes were filmed mainly on a CGI-enhanced set and as far as you know, you're there. The makeup team also deserves mention for its ghastly depiction of frostbite and exposure. So does Dario Marianelli, who once again delivers an epic cinematic score.

Everest is available on Flatscreen, 3D and IMAX formats. You'll get the same gigantic scenery no matter which format you choose. The narrative might fall short, but the scenery props it back up. You might pay a lot, depending on where you live, but at least you won't risk your life by doing so.