Category: Reviews

  • There is an amazing story inside those ‘Hidden Figures’

    There is an amazing story inside those ‘Hidden Figures’

    Taraji P. Henson in 'Hidden Figures'
    Taraji P. Henson in ‘Hidden Figures’

    “You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you.” – Katherine G. Johnson

    “I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed … anything that could be counted, I did.” – Katherine G. Johnson

    In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the term computer had a different meaning at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA.  It referred to women with strong backgrounds in math who worked as human computers.  With Virginia still a segregated state at the time, the African-American women worked in the West Area Computing Unit.

    One of those women was Katherine Gobel (Taraji P. Henson) whose astonishing ability with math resulted in her starting college when she was only 15 and graduating summa cum laude from West Virginia State College when she was 18.  Because of her solid grasp of analytical geometry she is sent to work in the Space Task Group led by “Al Harrison” (Kevin Costner) and his lead engineer “Paul Stafford” (Jim Parsons).  Among the work done by this group is the plotting of the trajectories for the missions of the Mercury astronauts, including John Glenn (Glen Powell).

    Octavia Spencer in 'Hidden Figures'
    Octavia Spencer in ‘Hidden Figures’

    Another was Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) who was the acting supervisor of the West Area Computers at the time.  They had always had white supervisors but when the most recent one took ill and had to leave, a new one was not hired.  Instead, Dorothy’s supervisor “Vivian Jackson” (Kirsten Dunst) had Dorothy doing the work without the title or added pay.

    The third of these women was Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe).  She was assigned to work with a unit supervised by “Karl Zielinski” (Olek Krupa) who pushes her to pursue becoming an aeronautical engineer.  The problem is that while NASA does have a program that might allow her to make that move, in order to qualify for it she needs to take courses being held at a whites-only high school.

    Hidden Figures follows the journey of these three women and those around them from before the first U.S. sub-orbital flight through John Glenn’s splashdown after he successfully orbited the Earth.  A re-entry that could not have been done without the calculations of Katherine Johnson (she got remarried).

    Janelle Monáe in 'Hidden Figures'
    Janelle Monáe in ‘Hidden Figures’

    Writer/director Theodore Melfi does a terrific job of telling his story against a backdrop that showed the tension of segregation as the struggle for civil rights intensified.  There are references to the Freedom Riders, Dr. Martin Luther King and some protests in the area where the women live.  This is done without overpowering the central story of the women.  The three leads are give great performances as do the supporting performers.

    Mary Jackson became the first African-American female aeronautical engineer at NASA.  Dorothy Vaughan was promoted, becoming the first African-American female supervisor at NASA.  Katherine Johnson would go on to calculate the flight trajectory of the Apollo 11 flight to the moon.  In 2015 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

    What makes Hidden Figures such a great movie is that it tells the stories of these amazing women in a very believable yet informative manner.  It is inspiring and heartwarming all at once.

  • ‘Assassin’s Creed’ should have been left on the video game console

    ‘Assassin’s Creed’ should have been left on the video game console

    Michael Fassbender in ‘Assassin’s Creed’

    “No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.” – Roger Ebert

    If we apply Roger Ebert’s dictum to Assassin’s Creed, based very loosely on the video game of the same name, it would have had a running time of 11 minutes rather than the 115 that audiences will endure.

    Okay, that’s an extreme overstatement.  If you like action sequences there are lots of them and they move at lightning speed.  They are well choreographed and fun to experience.  But that’s the best that can be said about this movie.  While this isn’t one of the best video game movies of all time, it’s a cut above much of that genre.  Then again, saying that is truly damning with faint praise.

    Michael Fassbender is “Cal Lynch” and it turns out he is a direct descendant of “Aguilar” who was a member of the Assassins, a secret group pledged to fight for peace and free will against the Templars.  The Templars seek to control the world’s population by eliminating free will and believe that the Apple of Eden will enable them to achieve their aims.  The Assassins have been the guardians of the Apple of Eden for centuries.

    Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender and the infamous Animus in ‘Assassin’s Creed’

    Cal is set to be executed for murder but “Sofia Rikkin” (Marion Cotillard) and her father “Alan Rikkin” (Jeremy Irons) have arranged for Cal to survive his lethal injection.  He is whisked away to the massive headquarters of Abstergo Industries, which is a part of the modern Templar Order.  Sofia’s genius has made it so that by putting Cal into the Animus, a large machine, they can access the memories of Aguilar that are buried in Cal’s DNA.  Through this process they hope to locate the Apple of Eden and take it into their possession.  If they succeed, they will eradicate free will.

    Other descendants of members of the Assassins are being kept where Cal is.  One of them turns out to be his father, “Joseph Lynch” (Brendan Gleeson although his son Brian Gleeson plays the younger version of Joseph).  The Templars tell Cal things about Joseph designed to engineer conflict between them.

    Jeremy Irons in ‘Assassin’s Creed’

    The more time that Cal spends in the Animus experiencing the memories of Aguilar, his ancestor’s incredible combat abilities become a part of him in a unique merging.  When the Templars finally learn where the Apple is hidden, the other Assassins stage an escape.  The remainder of the film is a race against time as the Assassins must stop the Templars from using the Apple.

    Again, the action is the only good part of this film.  There are two Academy Award winners (Cotillard and Irons) and two Oscar nominees (Fassbender and Charlotte Rampling) in this movie and their acting abilities are never stretched to any significant degree.  The fact that Cal is not a part of the original video game universe doesn’t help matters.  If you want drama and story, this is not the movie for you.  But if all you want is to see a lot of action, go see Assassin’s Creed.

    Our look at the best and worst of video game movies can be found here.

  • Director Denzel Washington hits ‘Fences’ out of the ballpark

    Director Denzel Washington hits ‘Fences’ out of the ballpark

    Denzel Washington and Stephen McKinley Henderson in ‘Fences’

    “You got to be right with yourself before you can be right with anybody else.”- August Wilson

    Fences began life as one of ten plays in the “Pittsburgh Cycle” (often called the Century Cycle) written by August Wilson.  Each of the plays is set in one decade in the 20th century with Fences set in the 1950s in Pittsburgh.

    The movie begins on a Friday with “Troy Maxson” (Denzel Washington) and “Jim Bono” (Stephen McKinley Henderson) working on the garbage truck, collecting their pay and then walking to Troy’s home where they commence drinking from a pint of gin in his backyard.  Troy’s wife “Rose” (Viola Davis) joins in the conversation.  There is concern because Troy had complained about the fact that none of the “coloreds” working on the garbage trucks are allowed to be promoted to the position of driver.  He has been summoned to the commissioner’s office the following week and both Rose and Jim are worried he will be fired.

    Jovan Adepo and Denzel Washington in ‘Fences’

    “Lyons” (Russell Hornsby) who is Troy’s son by his first wife stops by looking to borrow money.  This bothers Troy as does the news that his other son “Cory” (Jovan Adepo) is being recruited to play football for a college team.  Troy, who played baseball in the Negro leagues after finishing a 15 year stretch in prison, is bitter that he never got a chance to play in the major leagues.  This has him convinced that there is no future in football for Cory and he wants his younger son to focus on school and his job at the local A and P.

    Money is tight in the Maxson home because Troy’s brother “Gabe” (Mykelti Williamson) has moved out and is paying rent to a neighbor to live in her house.  Gabe was badly hurt fighting during World War II and has a plate in his skull.  The money paid to Gabe by the government paid for the house the Maxsons live in.

    Fences is primarily about Troy although both Rose and Cory have major story arcs within the film.  Troy is not a warm loving father and he makes it clear that he sees himself responsible for providing for Cory’s survival needs without having any duty to his emotional development.   Things change dramatically when Troy is forced to disclose his infidelity to Rose because his mistress has gotten pregnant.

    Viola Davis in ‘Fences’

    One could simply listen to a recitation of the amazing words of August Wilson and be far more entertained than by most dramatic films of this era.  To have actors of the caliber of this cast performing Wilson’s writing in a film that works very hard to be accurate in its visual presentation; is a treat for the eyes and ears. The fact that every member of the aforementioned cast save Jovan Adepo worked together in a 2010 Broadway revival of the play has definitely enhanced the movie version.

    Denzel Washington is a rarity, a great actor whose performances are just as terrific when he is both behind and in front of the camera.  Viola Davis’ “Rose” is powerful and will hopefully be rewarded with appropriate consideration during award season.  One of the best films I’ve seen in 2016.

  • ‘Patriots Day’ tells the story of the heroes and villains of the Boston Marathon Bombing

    ‘Patriots Day’ tells the story of the heroes and villains of the Boston Marathon Bombing

    Mark Wahlberg in ‘Patriots Day’

    “We reaffirm that on days like this, there are no Republicans or Democrats. We are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens.” – President Barrack Obama at a press conference after the Boston Bombing Marathon

    Each year on the third Monday in April the state holiday of Patriot’s Day is celebrated in Massachusetts.  And every year since 1897, the Boston Marathon is held on that day.  The joy of that day was shattered on April 15, 2013 by two powerful explosions that killed three and wounded more than 250 others.  Now comes the first feature film to tell the story of the people whose lives were changed on that day, Patriots Day from writer/director Peter Berg.

    Starring Boston native Mark Wahlberg as Boston PD “Sergeant Tommy Saunders” (a composite of several real police officers involved in the aftermath of the bombing and the investigation into who was responsible) the film tells it story with time/location stamps to provide its audience with an accurate timeline of the events from the night before the bombing through the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (portrayed by Alex Wolff).

    Most of the actors in the film are playing real-life characters.  Kevin Bason as FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Deslauriers, John Goodman as Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, Michael Beach (best known for the TV series “Third Watch”) as Governor Deval Patrick, Themo Melikidze as Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Melissa Benoits as Katherine Russell (Tamerlan’s wife).  Christopher O’Shea and Rachel Brosnahan portray real-life husband and wife Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky.

    Kevin Bacon, Mark Wahlberg and John Goodman in ‘Patriots Day’

    The movie moves slowly up to the moment when the bombs explode and then for a moment time seems to stop.  Then the pace becomes furious to aid the victims and find the terrorists behind the attack.  In telling the tale the filmmakers go to great lengths to show the difficult choices faced by law enforcement and government officials.  Would labeling the attack as terrorism immediately result in a major backlash if that assessment proved to be wrong?  Should they release photos of the suspected bombers and give them the chance to flee?  These choices and the events that led to finding the Tsarnaev brothers are laid out in an engaging and informative manner.

    The movie’s impressive cast also included J. K. Simmons as Watertown PD Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, Vincent Curatola as Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino and Jimmy O. Yang as Dung Men.  It was the carjacking of Men by the Tsarnaevs and his subsequent escape from their clutches that provided a major break in the case.

    The conclusion of the manhunt, Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s death, the shoot-outs and the capture of Dzhokhar are well done action sequences and have a very realistic feel to them.  The presence of the composite character played by Mark Wahlberg at every important of the film goes beyond coincidence and becomes an obvious concoction.  Dramatic license is one thing but this goes a bit too far.

    Melissa Benoist in ‘Patriots Day’

    The end of the film has the real people whose stories were just laid out for the audience telling us how their lives were forever altered.  The emotional energy generated by this montage is extreme.  Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told the Boston Globe, “watching the movie, not only did they get it right … but at the end of this, it was a cathartic experience for me.”

    The three people killed by the bomb’s initial blast were Krystle Marie Campbell, Lu Lingzi and eight year-old Martin William Richard.  MIT police officer Sean Collier was shot and killed in his police car by the Tsarnaev brothers.  Boston PD officer Dennis Simmonds died of injuries he suffered during the firefight between the police and the two terrorists.  14 of the blast victims had to undergo amputations.  Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes both underwent below the knee amputations on their left legs.  Roughly two years Ms Kensky chose to have her right leg amputated because of the excruciating pain from her injuries.

    It should be noted that the One Fund Boston, established to aid the victims of the bombing and their families raised and distributed more than $80 million for those victims.  Patriots Day is definitely Boston Strong.

  • ‘Passengers’ aimed for first-class but landed in coach

    ‘Passengers’ aimed for first-class but landed in coach

    Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in ‘Passengers’

    “Unless we love and are loved, each of us is alone, each of us is deeply lonely.” – Mortimer Adler

    Passengers is directed by Morten Tyldum, who gave us the brilliant Headhunters back in 2011.  Given a big budget, an Academy Award winning actress in Jennifer Lawrence, a proven action star in Chris Pratt and the very talented Michael Sheen in a key supporting role; the expectations for this film were high.  While Passengers is a very pleasing film to look at, there is little else to recommend it.

    In a future where Earth is very crowded, a very large corporation is making money hand over fist by sending people to colony planets where they can start new lives.  The Avalon is one such ship and it is bound for a place known as Homestead II.  There are 5,000 passengers and 258 crew aboard her for the 120 year journey.  As all of them are in hibernation pods and the ship’s operations are completely automated, they will not age during the voyage.

    Michael Sheen and Chris Pratt in ‘Passengers’

    There is an accident roughly 30 years into the journey and the hibernation pod occupied by “Jim Preston” (Pratt) malfunctions.  He awakens and finds himself very much alone.  While there is an android bartender named “Arthur” (Sheen) to talk to, he begins obsessing about a woman who is still in hibernation.  “Aurora Lane” (Lawrence) is a writer and as it turns out, the daughter of a Pulitzer Prize winning writer.  Face with spending the rest of his life in solitude or awakening Aurora, Jim winds up waking her.

    At first she is as frantic to find a way to return to sleep as Jim was when he found himself all alone among over 5,000 people in hibernation pods.  But they soon they fall in love and all seems well, in spite of the minor malfunctions that are growing in frequency and severity.  Then comes that moment when she learns what actually caused her to awaken.  Her anger at Jim taking away her life in this manner is intense in the extreme.  But when they learn that the ship will be lost if they don’t act, the two team up.  Aided by “Deck Chief Gus Mancuso” (Laurence Fishburne) they must find the source of the primary problem without the aid off the ship’s impressive computer diagnostics before it blows itself apart.

    Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Passengers’

    The two leads have excellent chemistry and their initial romance is very believable.  However their combined acting talents and the incredible visuals (particularly when viewed in 3D) cannot save the predictable pablum passing as a plot.  The devices used to create the problems and their solutions lack any originality.  Michael Sheen is perhaps the most redeeming part of Passengers, as the polished gentleman/android bartender with impeccable manners and wit making him seem too real to be the product of programming.

    Some of the best visuals are the extravehicular activity sequences (EVA in NASA parlance) where Jim and later Aurora venture outside the Avalon.  The shot seen in the trailer where Aurora is swimming in the pool when gravity is lost is also excellent.  There are some good moments of levity when Jim discovers how his choices in food and services are limited due to his traveling on the futuristic equivalent of the economy plan.

    Like everything else, the conclusion was clear long before the movie’s nearly two hour run-time is done.

  • Drop by the ‘Office Christmas Party’ if you’re into over the top raunchiness

    Drop by the ‘Office Christmas Party’ if you’re into over the top raunchiness

    Jennifer Aniston and T.J. Miller are sister and brother in ‘Office Christmas Party’

    “Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious” – Peter Ustinov

    The premise of Office Christmas Party is simple.  “Clay Vanstone” (T.J. Miller) runs the Chicago branch of the family company, Zenotek.  His sister “Carol Vanstone” (Jennifer Aniston) became the company’s interim CEO after the death of their father and she wants that word interim removed from her title.  To achieve that aim she is closing underperforming branches and closing the Chicago branch would kill two birds with one stone.  Not only would the bottom line improve but it would be a chance to stick it to her brother.

    Clay manages to get Carol to promise not to close the branch if he can close the deal with an IT buyer named “Walter Davis” (Courtney B. Vance).  Since the deal involves $14 million in annual billings Carol is hot for the idea.  Clay enlists the help of the branch’s real manager, “Josh Parker” (Jason Bateman) and the programming wunderkind “Tracey Hughes” (Olivia Munn) in putting on the office Christmas party that Carol had canceled.  But not just any party, they want a party to convince Walter that Zenotek is a “family” where the people who work there are happy because they are treated like part of that family.

    The problem is that the reality is almost no one at the Chicago branch is happy.  The Human Resource Manager “Mary Winetoss” (Kate McKinnon) makes Amish people seem too permissive while “Jeremy” (Rob Corddry) gives new meaning to the phrase bad attitude. There are two geeks who hack everything under the sun, including the Facebook pages of women they want to hit on and they are supervised by “Nate” (Karan Soni), who hasn’t learned that inventing a hot imaginary girlfriend never works out the way you want it to.

    Courtney B. Vance and T.J. Miller kick the ‘Office Christmas Party’ up a notch

    Nate hires an escort named “Savannah” (Abbey Lee) to pretend to be that girlfriend and that introduces her pimp “Trina” (Jillian Bell) into the storyline.  Trina is too tightly wrapped for any career, let alone pimping.  The last portion of the film turns into Josh, Tracey, Mary and surprisingly Carol needed to rescue Clay from Trina before something bad happens.

    There is plenty of crude, lewd and rude antics, more than enough to justify the film’s “R” rating.  Drinking, drugs, sex, and a cartoon drawing that might surprise some do generate laughs.  The best parts of the film are the arcs involving the supporting players, who almost save Office Christmas Party from being below the line of comic mediocrity.  Even the third act’s homage to one of the great comedies of our time, The Blues Brothers isn’t enough to set this film above the other bad holiday comedies it emulates and imitates.

    Jennifer Aniston plays the bitch very well and Kate McKinnon is simply brilliant as Mary.  But Jason Bateman as someone who always chooses the safe path has been done.  Perhaps part of the problem is the too much factor.  Five writers, two directors and way too much improvisation fail to provide funny dialogue to go along with the sight and raunchy gags.  A good rule of thumb is to skip the company holiday party but if you want laughs, don’t skip this one.

  • The Force is definitely with ‘Rogue One’

    The Force is definitely with ‘Rogue One’

    Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
    Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

    ** WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD **

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set in the time after Star Wars: Episode III and Star Wars: Episode IV; but it is a standalone film.  With director Gareth Edwards at the helm, new territory with a familiar feel is explored and folded into the original tale told by George Lucas in the original and second trilogy.

    “Galen Erso” (Mads Mikkelsen) is being sought by “Director Orson Krennic” (Ben Mendelsohn) who plans to force him to work on the Imperial Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star.  Erso went into hiding after leaving Krennic’s operations with his wife “Lyra” (Valene Kane) and young daughter (Jyn) (Beau Gadsdon).  Lyra is killed and Jyn hides in a prearranged place where she is ultimately rescued by “Saw Gerrera” (Forest Whittaker).

    Mads Mikkelsen plays “Galen Erso” in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

    Over a dozen years later an adult “Jyn” (Felicity Jones) is a prisoner of the Empire.  “Bhodi Rook” (Riz Ahmed) is an Imperial shuttle pilot who defects and reaches Saw Gerrera’s headquarters.  He is carrying a message from Galen that reveals a key weakness he created in the completed Death Star that would allow for the Rebel Alliance to destroy it. 

    Galen is working in an Imperial facility on Eadu.  The Rebellion rescues Jyn from captivity in the hope that she can get them in contact with Gerrera in order to find out where Galen is.  Jyn is told that the plan is to rescue her father in order to aid the Rebellion in stopping this ultimate weapon.  However, the leader of the mission to find Galen, “Cassian Andor” (Diego Luna) is ordered to shoot Galen on sight.

    Ben Mendelsohn stars as the villainous Director Orson Krennic in 'Star Wars: Rogue One'
    Ben Mendelsohn stars as the villainous Director Orson Krennic in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

    The Rebel council turns down the plan of Andor and Jyn to lead a raid on Scarif where the plans for the Death Star are kept on file.  So they gather a group of other rebel warriors and along with Rook, “Chirrut Îmwe” (Donnie Yen), a blind monk with an unshakable faith in the Force and his friend “Baze Malbus” (Wen Jiang) and they are off to Scarif to get those plans.

    Perhaps the most interesting character in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the droid “K2SO” (voided by Alan Tudyk).  Formerly an Imperial droid, he was reprogrammed and is now Cassian’s sidekick.  He has all of the best one-liners in the film.

    Working with a film franchise that is so beloved by its legions of fans is akin to juggling four sticks of lit dynamite.  The odds of it blowing up in your face are much higher than with other films.  But Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) is up to the task.  He weaves the indelible aerial fight sequences in with ground battles and a slew of terrific new characters in the franchise together and the result is excellent.

    Diego Luna stars as “Captain Cassian Andor” in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

    While “Princess Leia” had a few swashbuckler moments in the original trilogy, and George Lucas at one point had imagined a female Luke Skywalker (obviously with a different name), Felicity Jones takes the female action hero to the next level.  Fearless, determined and unwilling to accept anything but completing the mission, she is by far the best of the new characters.  Diego Luna is also great as the intelligence officer forced to wrestle with his conscience.

    There are visual references to the original trilogy along with appearances by “Grand Moff Tarkin” and “Princess Leia” using current actors and the digitized faces of Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher from back in the day.  Other familiar characters can be seen and enjoyed.

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a bit darker than the original films from George Lucas, but it is also a promising new direction for the franchise to move in, while we want for Star Wars: Episode VIII, due out in December of next year.

  • ‘La La Land’ is an outstanding throwback to the old-style movie musical

    ‘La La Land’ is an outstanding throwback to the old-style movie musical

    Ryan Gosling in ‘La La Land’

    “When you give up your dream, you die.” Michael Nouri as “Nick” in ‘Flashdance’

    While La La Land is set in the present, its soul is set in a long-gone era.  That being the era when movie musicals were always to be found in theaters.  Writer/director Damien Chazelle who did the same double-duty on Whiplash and wrote Grand Piano may not create a revival of the genre, but this is the best musical film of this century thus far.  It is the story of two dreamers whose pursuit of those dreams bring them together in Los Angeles.

    “Mia” (Emma Stone) left college and moved to Southern California to pursue her life-long passion of acting.  She puts a roof over her head by working as a barista in a cafe on the Warner Brothers studio lot.  “Sebastian” (Ryan Gosling) is a pianist whose love for jazz music borders on obsession.  His dream is to open his own nightspot where jazz musicians can play whatever they wish to play before adoring aficionados of that type of music.

    Emma Stone in ‘La La Land’

    Opening with a powerful song/dance number set on a very crowded freeway interchange, La La Land brings its dreamers together for the first time with a unique “meet-cute.”  At that moment, Sebastian isn’t interested in dating or much of anything other than finding a gig where he can play the music he wants to play.  J. K. Simmons, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Chazelle’s Whiplash, give Sebastian another chance to play muzak-like piano to entertain diners in his restaurant, which brings the couple together again through unusual circumstance.

    Once the pair are actually a couple, things start to change.  Mia decides to write and put on her own one-woman play.  Sebastian decides to give “Keith” (John Legend) another chance in spite of their past, and joins Keith’s music group.  They play jazz but with a decidedly modern twist.  When Sebastian goes on the road to tour the group’s album, things between the lovers are strained.  While it is clear that the dreamers will realize their individual dreams, will they reach those goals as a couple, or as individuals?

    Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in ‘La La Land’

    Chazelle’s choices are near-perfection in everything.  From the incredible vistas in the  hills that overlook the city, through use of the famed Griffith Observatory as a backdrop, to the songs and their singers; everything and anything you see and hear is like candy long-denied to a diabetic audience.  Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have an interesting dynamic as a duo.  They may not be traditional Broadway song and dance folk but they do well in their joint and separate numbers.  The music sets the tone throughout, as the lovers ride the roller-coaster that love can be, especially between those chasing long-held desires.

    The final act contains a look at their futures from two perspectives, the reality and what might have been that brings about a fitting ending to a film about lovers and dreamers.  I can’t wait to see this again.

  • ‘The Founder’ serves up a tasty treat

    ‘The Founder’ serves up a tasty treat

    Michael Keaton portrays the real Ray Kroc in ‘The Founder’

    “Luck is a dividend of sweat.  The more you sweat, the luckier you get.” – Ray Kroc

    The Founder is the latest historical biopic from director John Lee Hooker (The Rookie, The Blind Side and Saving Mr. Banks.)  It stars Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the man who built McDonald’s fast-food restaurants into a global empire.

    In 1954 Ray Kroc was selling multiple-spindle milkshake machines when he discovered the McDonald brothers, Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and their amazing hamburger stand in San Bernardino, CA.  Kroc had driven out west to see the place after the McDonald brothers had ordered more than one of the mixers he was selling.  He was amazed by the sight of people walking up to, rather than driving into an eatery, as well as the way the food was being served.  No plates, no silverware, just paper packaging that was easy to throw away after the diner was done eating.

    What Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc finds on his first visit to McDonald’s in ‘The Founder’

    Kroc convinced the brothers to try franchising again, their first efforts having failed because the franchisees failed to maintain the high standards of quality demanded by the brothers.  Aided by his secretary June Martino (Katie Kneeland), Kroc began to find franchisees who would comply with his demand for those high standards.  It was Kroc’s goal that every burger and bag of fries in every McDonald’s would taste just as good as those he had on his first trip to San Bernardino.

    It was on one of the many trips that took Ray away from his second wife, Ethel (Laura Dern) that he first met Joan Smith (Linda Cardellini).  She was playing piano in a restaurant and their attraction was strong and immediate.

    As Ray struggled to build the network of franchises, his relationship with the McDonald brothers grew strained.  In 1961, six years after he had become president of the McDonald’s corporation, he bought them out for enough money so that each of the brothers would wind up with $1 million after taxes.  In negotiating the buy-out agreement, Kroc removed the provision that called for a one-percent royalty to be paid to the brothers forever.  He claimed his investors said that was a deal breaker but he promised to honor the royalty agreement with a handshake.

    John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman in ‘The Founder’

    In the same manner as the recent Rules Don’t Apply, The Founder is focused on a narrow portion of the life of Ray Kroc, in this case from 1954 until 1970.  Other important figures in the gigantic growth of McDonald’s are featured in the film including Fred Turner (Justin Randell Brooke) and Harry Sonnenborn (B. J. Novak) are displayed as the film’s third act focuses on the lightning-fast growth of the company after Kroc wrests full control from the McDonald Brothers.

    John Lee Hancock mixes in still and video images from actual moments in the story of the rise of McDonald’s from its humble beginnings.  He has assembled an excellent cast and they did a great job.  Laura Dern plays down her beauty for her turn as the long-suffering, neglected spouse of an extremely driven man.  But this is Michael Keaton’s movie and he makes the most of it.

    The Founder is a bit different than other films in the same genre in that it hews closely to the true story.  It understates the importance of June Martino’s role behind the scenes in the early years but since the focus is on the founder, that’s understandable.  The cards that tell the stories of the main players after the film ends in 1970 include one that at this moment, McDonald’s feeds 1% of the world’s population each and every day.  Two interesting factoids about the company that weren’t among those cards are that there are over 36,000 McDonald’s locations around the world, and roughly one in eight Americans have worked at a McDonald’s at one point in their life.

  • ‘Allied’ forms a worthy treaty between Pitt and Cottilard

    ‘Allied’ forms a worthy treaty between Pitt and Cottilard

    allied1
    Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt in ‘Allied’

    “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks” – Arthur Miller

    Allied is a throwback to the epic war drama/romance of yesterday.  “Max Vartan” (Brad Pitt) is a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot.  In 1942 he’s thrown into intelligence work and sent to French Morocco to work with “Marianne Beausejour” (Marion Cotillard) in a plan to assassinate the German ambassador.  He is covered as a phosphate miner and as Marianne’s husband.  The plan centers around their landing an invitation for him to join her at an embassy party where they will kill the ambassador.

    As they are making their escape afterward Max proposes marriage.  He ends up working at a desk, but still in intelligence in London and eventually Marianne is allowed to join him.  They wed and soon their daughter Anna is born.  Max’s commanding officer “General Frank Heslop” (Jared Harris) and a Special Operations Executive (SOE, a British wartime unit engaged in espionage in Europe) official (Simon McBurney) inform Max that his wife is almost certainly a German spy.  They order Max to expose some false information to Marianne and if it shows up in the transmissions they are monitoring, he is ordered to execute her with his own hands.

    Brad Pitt in 'Allied'
    Brad Pitt in ‘Allied’

    This poses several problems.  Max truly loves Marianne and both are enamored of their daughter “Anna” who was born in the middle of a bombing raid.  He is ordered not to conduct his own investigation but as that order is being given it is obvious he will ignore it.  The question is, can he learn the truth over the course of the weekend he has before he will learn if Marianne has or hasn’t betrayed his trust.

    Max’s sister “Bridget” (Lizzy Caplan) provides a sympathetic ear but little else in the way of assistance and Max’s first attempt to discern the truth fails.  Worse yet, General Heslop discovers it and warns Max against further interference.  Again, he ignores this order and journeys into occupied France where a man named “Paul Delamare” (Thierry Frémont) can hopefully tell him if Marianne is who she claims to be.

    Brad Pitt, Jared Harris and Simon McBurney in 'Allied'
    Brad Pitt, Jared Harris and Simon McBurney in ‘Allied’

    The easy chemistry between Max and Marianne in the early going is more about two skilled intelligence operatives engaged in a cloak and dagger operation.  It never truly reaches the level of two lovers driven into each others arms in the silent desperation of war.  There is a moment where Brad Pitt kicks a chair in a move eeriely identical to one of the combat tactics he used as Achilles in 2004’s Troy and its presence seems odd.  The intelligence officer is the stealthy warrior who only fights when he has to.

    The few action sequences are well-done as is the visual feel of the World War II era where the film is set.  The pacing is more than a bit uneven.  The ultimate conclusion is easily foreseen but that makes it no less dramatic or appropriate.