Silence

Silence

This is an epic movie. It is a clash of religions and cultures and the horrible consequences of ensuing conflict. It also has an epic run time of about three hours; this is a two-bathroom movie.

The film takes place in feudal Japan in the 16^th hundreds. The two main protagonists played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield are Jesuit priests on a mission to Japan to find a renowned priest, Fr. Ferreira, played by Liam Neeson. They encounter hostile resistance from the Japanese feudal lords. The two Jesuits are in peril from the day they arrive in Japan. As in Roman times the Japanese Christens conceal their faith fearing retribution. When discovered they are subjected to horrible torture reminiscent to the martyrdom of the saints. To escape punishment, they are forced to apostatize their faith.

This is Martin Scorsese’s latest film which was ten years in the making. Scorsese had considered attending the seminary and if had this film would have been his dissertation. The Japanese see Catholicism as a threat to their society and will crush it. In Japan, the Emperor is a deity and deities do not like competition.  

Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield are the new breed of stars. Driver has had a range of roles from the narcissistic lover in the HBO series Girls to Kylo Ren in Rogue One. Here he is a tormented priest agonizing between keeping his faith and saving local Christians from gruesome torture.  He delivers a complex performance of terror and devotion.

Andrew Garfield’s character plays the pivotal role. He is Driver’s companion and is subjected to the same trials and torments. His conundrum is if he does not apostatize his devoted flock would be tortured to death or if he gives up his fate he will be dammed. The later part of the film give him full range of emotions. He is most compelling in these moments.

Liam Neeson comes in at the end of the movie. His character is the catalyst for the two Jesuits’ journey. His role is important and he delivers what is needed.

One wonderful things about this movie is the Japanese cast.  Although I am not familiar with them their acting was superb. One character, Kichijiro, unintentionally provided comic relief by asking for confession for sins he keeps repeating.   He thinks confession is his get out of jail card (I certainly hope so!). The Inquisitor is played by a grandfatherly type character who dispassionately dispenses torture like someone ordering tea. His banality portends future barbarity.  

The costumes and cinematography are outstanding. Scorsese uses an effective overhead shot.  An interviewer asked him what inspired him. Scorsese said when he lived in a tenement on the Lower East Side, he looked out the window that is how he saw the city. Yeah, been there.

This movie weights heavy on your shoulders. Jesuits are God’s storm troops and are the harbingers of colonialism. The movie is a feast for the eyes and all-round the acting is superb. But it is not a date movie.

Rogue One

Rogue One

You do not have to be a devotee of the Star Wars saga to see this film, but it defiantly helps. This movie is advertised as a standalone feature presumably to attract new audiences, but there are definitely similarities that establish lineage. Rogue One is a prequel to the 1977 Star Wars movie, A New Hope. The basic story is the rebel’s efforts for a way to destroy the Death Star (stop screaming plot spoilers, this is in the coming attractions).

This movie is like one of those concentration games where you find hidden characters. Some characters are obvious others are not. Then there are plot tie ins which are mind numbing. Folks who go to ComicCon, in full regalia, quiver with excitement connecting the dots between the two films. I only spotted four archived characters (not bad for my age).

The film defiantly has the Star Wars flavor. Rebels fighting the Empire. Lots of alien characters new and old. Huge computer graphics and epic battles. The aerial (space) battles retained the inspired dog fights from actual wars.

There are new characters, some are wonderful. Felicity Jones is the main protagonist, Jyn Erso, the daughter of an important Rebel scientist. I am going on a limb, but I was not impressed, she is too generic (where is Lara Croft when you need her). She is as threating as a shop lifter in Victoria’s Secret. Mads Mikkelsen plays a good guy! He is Jyn’s father. There is a blind samurai, Donnie Yen who channels the Force. Jiang Wen, a Rebel warrior and side kick to Yen who needs a bath. Alan Tudyk , a wonderful comic actor, is a rebel droid. The film would have benefited from more of his comedic dialog. The great Forest Whitaker is literally half a man with a terrible accent. The green card actors are Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed. Diego was effective as a rebel fighter. Riz not so much as a Rebel pilot. Many of the characters were killed off, which is strange for a franchise that uses recurring characters to bridge films.

Then there are the CG character recreations. One was spot on; I thought he was dead; he is dead. The other character looked like she stayed to long in Dunkin Donuts.

No matter what I say here, this film is going to make a ton of bucks. Should you see it? If you secretly keep a light saber under your bed, yes. Otherwise, prey for the for the third Tomb Raider film.

Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea

A better name for this movie would be Misery by the Sea. This movie is so depressing it could be an ad for Prozac. I fell for the Art House mystic. Rotten Tomato’s gave the film a 97 rating, the banter on in the press was effusive and I went to Times Talk to hear Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and the director Kenneth Lonergan extol the film.  One thing I did not do was read reviews or had any idea about the plot.

There are two main story lines. Affleck has been told he is the legal guardian of his nephew, played by Lucas Hedges, after his brother died and a tragic incident in the past ending his marriage to Michelle William’s character and driving him into numbing despair. Affleck’s approach to his character is low keyed almost monotoned. The only time he breaks out of his funk is to have a bar fight. Even when he rises above the fray his passion is subdued. It is even keeled numbness.

Affleck was surprised to be his nephew’s guardian. He does not want the responsibility nor does he want to return to Manchester. For his part the Hedges, the nephew, does not want to be looked after by his uncle or leave Manchester. Hedges coping mechanism after the death of his father is to try to get into the pants of his girlfriend (he has two of them). Affleck’s relationship with his nephew is raucous. They achieve a tentative truce and manage to be with each other.

Michelle Williams is Affleck’s ex-wife. She delivers an excellent performance and shows a range of emotions that frames the film. Whereas Affleck stymied his life, she has moved on, grew and started a new family. She has empathy for Affleck but he shuts her out.  A light moment in the movie was when she uttered of the “F” word in an effected Boston accent.

Flash backs are used to reveal the terrible past and how relationships crumbled. The flashbacks were done well. I though the tragic incident was a bit contrived. What made this picture so depressing was bad situations were mainly unchanged. There was no redemption. Sadness was not resolved, it just got old. It did not seem right to pay $12.00 for a depressing movie ticket when I can get all the depressing news for free.

Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge

This is more than a war movie. It is about love, faith, the human spirt and yes the horrors of war. Andrew Garfield gives a tour de force in his portrayal of Desmond Doss the Medal of Honor recipient. This is a true story of Doss who during WWII signal handedly as a medic saved several wounded soldiers. As a Seventh Day Advantest, he could not carry a gun and wanted to serve as a conscientious objector. His soldiers labeled him a coward.

Garfield’s performance in impassioned. It ranges from a smittened farm boy, to a wrongly persecuted coward to a war hero dedicated to saving the lives of his comrades. His execution of these phases anchors the film. Commitment to his religion is the source of his denigration by military commanders and the foundation of his courage. Garfield maneuvers these transitions with aplomb.

Vince Vaughn played his role as Sargent Howell with modified swagger (that must have been very hard). His repartee was front and center assigning tender humiliating name to the troops. This was a new level of acting for him which he executed well.

Hugo Weaver is Desmond’s tortured father a veteran of the first world war suffering from survivor’s guilt and is an abusive alcoholic. His convincing performance as a broken man who knows the horrors that will confront his son. Sam Worthington plays Captain Glover. Not much to say his performance, but it was nice seeing him again.

This movie has been compared to Saving Private Ryan. Hacksaw Ridge is more nuanced. Desmond’s back story of falling in love at first sight with his wife and remaining true to his faith give the movie more dimensions than a straight forward war movie. One thing in common with Saving Private Ryan is the horrific portrayal of war. You are no less a man or woman for closing your eyes.

Mel Gibson is many things. He is an Uber Catholic, an anti-Semite and a drunk. He is also an Academy Award winner director (Brave Heart). This film is a bravo performance and unless there is movie magic in the next two months the film may get an academy nomination.

In the end of the film there is footage of the real Desmond Doss. He was a slight man but he carried the Medal of Honor with same valor he rescued his commands. He saved an estimated 75 men. He died in 2006, he was 87 years old. God bless.

Dr. Strange

Dr. Strange

The recent crop of super hero movies has been disappointing, especially for DC. This sentient is well founded but you will be sorely remised if you skip Dr. Strange. If not the best 2016 super hero film it is right up there. The script is well written and all plot twists are comprehensible. The end does get a bit weird, a small deficit compared to the whole.

Benedict Cumberbatch is wonderful as Dr. Strange. He plays it straight showing vulnerability undermining supreme confidence. He is a renowned neurosurgeon who finds himself in the Himalayas seeking guidance (God forbid I say why). Tilda Swinton “The Ancient One “is his sensei of dark arts. Her que bald head lends credibility to the mysticism she projects. Her solemnity and tranquil confidence underlie formidable superpowers and dark secrets. As with all “grasshoppers” (Google Kung Fu 1970’s TV show) Strange gets the crap beat out of him until he masters the mysterious arts.

The villain is Mads Mikkelsen (The guy with the bleeding eye in Casino Royal). Mads is currently the go to villain, it must be that warm Nordic blood. His face glows with vengeance through sinister eyes. He is a master of the black arts and Dr. Strange’s foe. The battle scenes are epic and fit the fantastic realm of the story.

Racheal McAdams is Dr. Strange’s girlfriend in the physical world. She to is a surgeon working in the same hospital. She is always a delight to see but her role here is minimal. She is in some important scenes and her repartee with Strange provides some levity. Another character is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor who is an ally of Strange and a fellow master. There are many other characters and they all work well together making for a smoothly cohesive film. The director’s vision comes through.

The big star of the movie is the special effects, they are fantastic. The film liberally took concepts from Chris Nolan’s “Inception” with the folding cities. The scenes here are more complex and extreme; Escher would have been very impressed. There were many fight scenes and none boring. I think the special effects will be at least Oscar nominated. As proof of how good the film was I did not fall asleep, at least I think I did not.

If you think I am over selling this film, I am not. Given the elections we need a little magic to make someone go” POOF!!!”.

Deep Water Horizon

Deep Water Horizon

This is a disaster movie with sub-titles. The oil rig’s catastrophic destruction overwhelms the film. Any human-interest stories are marginalized by non-stop devastation. This is a very technical film. Laced in the dialogue are explanations of the rig’s operation and what went catastrophically wrong. Big pressure dials, lots of buttons are displayed to show the rig’s complexity. Peter Berg, the director, did an effective job depicting the disaster and fatal decisions leading up to the explosion. But the annihilation becomes wearisome.

The first hour of the movie is set up. The movie starts with Mark Walberg and Kate Hudson wife and husband waking up in bed. Walberg has lost his Calvin Kiln underwear model six pack replaced by just one pack and Hudson is puffy in the wrong places (desperately needs a manicure). From there things escalate. There are some fine performances. Kurt Russell who plays Mr. Jimmy the tough but compassionate rig boss and John Malkovich is his counter point. Malkovich is the BP executive desperate to meet deadlines by cutting expenses. The clash between Russell and Malkovich is the start of cataclysmic dominos culminating in the death of eleven men and culminating in billions of dollars in damage.

The movie gives short shrift to the ensuing ecological disaster. Over 130 million gallons of oil was released into the Gulf polluting 1,100 miles of shore lines. Countless numbers of wild life perished. BP would pay $20b to settle claims. Berg just gave one sentence at the end of the film.

Unless you are a rough neck or a bored retired catastrophe underwriter this film is not for you. 

Birth of a Nation

Birth of a Nation

The momentum of this movie was sluggish, especially the first third. The problem with doing a true story, the ending (for the most part) is known.  The lead up to the climax drags on a bit and anticipation can be a distraction.  Early scenes were a combination of benevolent treatment of young Nat by his masters interspersed with brutalization of slaves by their owners. These horrible acts molded Turner’s character and would serve as a catalyst later on.

 His elders’ saw Nat Turner as a scared child and a future leader. Early on he was tutored to read, but the Bible was the only book slaves were permitted to read. In turn he became a slave preacher. To make money his owner took him to different plantations to preach to the slaves. The real purpose was not religious instruction but another form of control. At these plantations, the cruelties he witnessed seared his mind.  

We (most of us) have seen the brutality of slavery from films like” Twelve Years a Slave” and “Roots”, nevertheless some scenes depicted were hard to watch (I closed my eyes during one shot). If the “N” word bothers you or seeing lots and lots of lynchings disturbs you, this not your movie. I do not wish to diminish the historical importance the Nat Turner’s revolt but reading about it and seeing it are two different things. This is a heroic movie, but tough to watch.

The lead actor is Nate Parker. The director is Nate Parker; the author is Nate Parker and the producer is Nate Parker. His work is commendable; but perhaps another set of eyes would have brought a different perspective. Parker’s acting was commendable and in the horrific last scenes more demanding. He was more effective as an avenging messianic leader than a soft-spoken preacher.

Armie Hammer plays Turner’s master. They go from boyhood friends to beneficent master to slave whipping owner. Hammer is so laid back he sleeps in most scenes. He portrays the dilemmas of befriending a slave and holding him accountable for transgressions required in ways dictated at the time. Penelope Ann Miller played the wife of the slave owner, I did not recognize her. Time is a cruel master.

If you are not familiar with the Nat Turner revolt of 1831, see the movie first. The Nat Turner revolt is pivotal in American history; it portends the Civil War.

p.s.-This movie has nothing to do with W.D. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation”-1915.