Golda

    

        

     This biographical drama is a tour de force for Helen Mirren in the title role as Golda Meir. As with pretty much any film she is in, Ms. Mirren is remarkable and carries the weight of the film squarely on her shoulders.

     The timeline for the film is an account of Ms. Meir's leadership during the "Yom Kippur War" when Israel was attacked on all sides by Egypt and Syria. Directed by Guy Nattiv, the film is straightforward and fairly dry in its retelling of that terrible time in Israel's history.

     Co-starring are Camille Cotin as Lou Kadar, Ms. Meir's personal assistant, Rami Heuberger as Moshe Dayan, Ohad Knoller as Ariel Sharon, Lior Ashkenazi as David Elazar, and in a two-scene cameo, Liev Schreiber as Henry Kissinger. 

     Ms. Mirrin's makeup is remarkable, even in closeup. And how she survived chain smoking throughout the film is beyond me. There are countless shots of her smoking and filled ashtrays. It's enough to question your own health when you leave the theater.

           There is not much new here to learn if you are familiar with the facts but if you're not, it is certainly an important time in history to watch unfold with another great Helen Mirrin performance.

Gran Turismo

     

      Forget for a moment that this is a two hour and twenty minute commercial for a Sony Playstation video game and Nissan Motors. It's based on a true story and once we get past the video game opening sequences, it becomes a high action, intense and crowd pleasing racing film.

      I've never played the video game and knew nothing about the story but was intrigued by the "true story" aspect and the racing sequences in the trailer. Much to my surprise, not only did it not disappoint but I found myself completely engaged and at times, on the edge of my seat.

      Director Neill Blomkamp seamlessly blends CGI and actual racing to deliver a high octane story about a Gran Turismo video gamer who trains to becomes a real racing car driver. The script does add some drama, time- shifting some of the actual events to heighten the intensity of the story but any film "based on a true story" will always add elements to enhance the plot.

     The cast includes Archie Madekwe, a very engaging young actor as the gamer/driver Jann Mardenborough, David Harbour as Jack Salter, the ex-driver who mentors Jann, and Orlando Bloom as Danny Moore, a marketing executive at Nissan who comes up with the idea to train gamers as real drivers. Jann's parents are played by Geri Halliwell and Djimon Hounsou and Mr. Hounsou has some geniunely emotional moments with his son.

      IMAX was made for a film like this. Try to see it in a theater on the largest screen possible with a good sound system. I saw it in a theater with Dolby sound and it was amazing. And not for nothing, you have to love a film that makes Kenny G's music an important plot point.

The Last Voyage of The Demeter

 

    

      This underappreciated horror film was adapted from a chapter entitled, "The Captain's Log" found in Bram Stoker's original novel, "Dracula". It is a period horror film taking place entirely on the ship that carried Dracula from Romania to England.

      Even though, the title "last Voyage" predestines the film, it is still a scary joyride that takes pleasure in its shocks and gore. Director Andre Ovredal heightens the suspense and tension shooting in a claustrophobic setting, keeping views of Dracula to a minimum.  Bear McCreary's atmospheric score also pairs perfectly to build the permeating sense of dread.

      When the film starts, the ship is found wrecked off the coast of England with no survivors. We then flash back four weeks to the start of the voyage. The plot is simple. Once Dracula is loose on the ship, it's only a matter of time for who dies, when and how. It was a nice surprise, though, to discover some conventions are not followed.

      The film stars Cory Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Woody Norman, and Javier Botet as Dracula. While there is obvious need for some CGI, Mr. Botet probably endured hours of make-up to play a real version of the famous vampire. And this version, Dracula is portrayed more like Nosferatu than Bela Lugosi.

      Unlike many of today's horror films (filled with teens as victims or just plain torture porn), this is a well done, throwback horror thriller that at times, actually had me on the edge of my seat.

      In other words, it doesn't suck.

Talk To Me

    

    

       This new Australian horror film has a new take on an old concept. Contacting the dead and becoming possessed has been the subject of many a horror film but this fresh take is unique and very creepy at times.

       When a group of teens use the severed hand of a medium to contact the dead by gripping the hand and saying, "talk to me" and "let me in", they become possessed.  They time the possession for ninety seconds and then break off contact with the hand. They all consider it a fun party game until something goes horribly wrong.

        Sophie Wilde stars as Mia, a teen with lots of emotional baggage and close ties to her friend, Jade, played by Alexandra Jensen and her younger brother, Riley, played by Joe Bird. Co-starring as Jade and Riley's mother is Miranda Otto. The stars and rest of the cast work hard to sell the possession concept. Ms. Wilde and Mr. Bird in particular are standouts.

        The film opens with a great first scene that promises chills to come. From there it takes its time building the story but there is a continuous creepy atmosphere throughout and a few good scary moments. And I found the ending to be an unexpected surprise.

Haunted Mansion

 

  Turning once again to one of its theme park attractions, Disney hopes to cash in on a film based on a popular ride. Unfortunately, this time, they have missed the mark. Billed as a supernatural comedy, the film is too dark for a family film and too juvenile for an adult audience.

   A strange mix of talent make up the cast. LaKeith Standfield stars as Ben Matthias, in his biggest commercial movie to date and as expected rises well above the material (Which isn't hard to do). Rosario Dawson also stars as Gabbie, a widowed mom who buys the mansion sight unseen for her and her precocious nine-year old, played by Chase W. Dixon (films like this must always have a precocious kid in danger). Rounding out the cast are Owen Wilson as Father Kent, a questionable priest, Tiffany Haddish as Harriet the psychic, Danny DeVito as Bruce, a college professor, Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, and Jared Leto (or rather his voice) as Alistair Crump, the "Hatbox" ghost.  The writers have put most of their effort in creating Mr. LaKeith's character Ben. Aside from him, the rest of the characters are just poorly written and come off dull and more lifeless than the ghosts. 

   The special effects aren't that special, but they do include characters from the theme park attraction for fan recognition. As with the ride, these ghosts are just not that scary (except possibly for the Hatbox ghost) but rather viewer friendly so there is little suspense until the film's climax. There is also little comedy with any visual humor or jokes falling flat.

   If you can wait and have the streaming service, it shouldn't be very long before it's out of the theaters and on Disney Plus.

The Meg 2: The Trench

 

    If you were a fan of the original "The Meg" and are planning to see this, bring a box of crackers with you as it's pretty cheesy. The story is silly. The stereotype villains are template. The CGI goes from decent to terrible depending on the scene and why must all these types of films have a precocious teenager?

    Jason Statham stars once again as Jonas Taylor and while he is the film's saving grace, even he seems weary fending off giant CGI sharks. The film also stars Wu Jing, Shuya Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Serio Paris-Mencheta (so good on TV's "Snowfall"), Skyler Samuels, and Cliff Curtis. It's an intentionally international cast to boost sales in international markets.

   The story ups the ante from the first film. There are now three Megs, a giant octopus and some amphibious, carnivorous creatures that run amok in the last third of the film. When Mr. Statham literally jumps a shark; the film is even making fun at its own expense. I will say however, there are a few intense action sequences that just might keep you engaged.

    Again, fans of the original will want to see it and if you're really bored, after seeing the big three blockbusters, you could do worse than this silly, escapist summer "popcorn" movie. And don't be surprised if a third film doesn't surface in a year or two. You can't keep a good Meg down.