The War Machine (Comandante)

 

   Co-written and directed by Edoardo De Angelis, this new Italian drama is based on a true story that occurred during the early days of World War Two.

    Italy had 115 active submarines during World War Two. By the end of the war, only 19 were left. This is the story of "The Cappellini", it's crew and most importantly it's captain, Salvatore Todaro. Brilliantly played by Pierfrancesco Favino, Todaro sinks a neutral Belgium cargo ship after the Belgium ship fires at the sub first. 26 crew members survive in a lifeboat and Todaro must decide what to do with them. Should he leave them to their own fate or go against orders and rescue them putting his own crew in danger.

    It's a difficult moral dilemma and it makes for a riveting drama. It's a different kind of war film that illustrates perfectly the fog of war and it will keep you engaged right to the end.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

 

      Co-written and directed by George Miller, he brings us back to the barren landscapes of the world of "Mad Max". It's been years since the success of "Mad Max: Fury Road" and now Mr. Miller brings us the prequel of that film's most memorable character, Furiosa.

      You can't miss the bold type marketing for the film "starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth".  It's interesting that while Ms. Taylor-Joy does in fact "star", she doesn't enter the film until almost halfway through the story and Mr. Hemsworth is almost unrecognizable wearing a prosthetic nose.

      Furiosa is played by Alyla Browne as a child and teen. She is terrific in the early half of the story. Once Ms.Taylor-Joy does appear, she dominates her scenes and holds our attention throughout the remainder of the film. Mr. Hemsworth is clearing having a great time chewing up the scenery as Dementus, and the decision to mask his familiar features behind the prosthetic allows him the freedom to go bonkers as the crazed villain. The film also features Tome Burke as Praetorian Jack, Lachy Hulme as Immortan Joe, and George Shevtsov as The History Man.

       While not quite on par with the mayhem in the previous film, there are exciting set pieces of volatile action, especially one excellent sequence involving the hijacking of the "War Rig". The story works as a stand alone film if you are new to the series, but also offers for the fans, a fun backstory that will have you running home to rewatch the superior "Fury Road" as soon as this one ends.

IF

 

     John Krasinski wears multiple hats in this "family-friendly" film. He wrote it, produced it, directed it, is one of the producers, and even acts in it. Wearing all these hats, he takes on too much and creates uneasy tonal shifts and a story that doesn't quite gel. 

     Aiming for a return to the innocence of childhood imaginary friends (If's), the story shifts too much between the fantasy elements and the real world, where the film is grounded. Mr. Krasinski asks a lot of his audience to suspend belief and allow a 12-year-old girl, named "B", to wander New York City alone as well as the ability to see multiple "If's", not her own, without any explanation. The logic of the film dictates everyone has their own "If" but why can "B" see all of them?

     The film starts with the death of a mother and a father with a bad heart in the hospital. This is not exactly fun stuff and then quickly turns to the discovery of odd imaginary friends that may seem too bizarre and scary to young children. There is a subplot about another child in the hospital that is never really explored (is he a victim of parental abuse?). It's hard to tell exactly what age group Mr. Krasinski is appealing to. His IF's are all voiced by celebrity friends of Mr. Krasinski (I assume) and adults in the audience can amuse themselves trying to match the celebrity to the character. Good luck trying to identity Brad Pitt.

      On a positive note, the visuals are excellent, a combination of CGI and puppetry and the human cast does an admirable job, especially Callie Fleming as "B". Ms. Fleming is an adorable twelve year old, mature for her years. (She grew up playing Judith on "The Walking Dead", which will mature a kid very quickly). Her co-star Ryan Reynolds is his usual wise-cracking, fun loving self, albeit with a hint of sadness in his character. Fiona Shaw also co-stars as B's grandmother. Liza Colon-Zayas plays Janet, a hospital nurse and Bobby Moynihan plays an adult who has forgotten his "If"

      The three major If's in the story are voiced by Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Louis Gossett Jr. There is a nice post credit tribute to Mr. Gossett Jr.

      Ultimately the film has too many detours to it's central story and loses it's way, despite Mr. Krasinski's best efforts to emotionally tug at our childhood memories.

 

Back to Black

 

        Amy Winehouse was a star that shined much too briefly. This new bio drama chronicles her rise to stardom. It's a positive portrayal that, while it does show her dependency on alcohol and later drugs, doesn't really delve deeply into the dark side of her story. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson and writer Matt Greenhalgh have too much respect for their subject.

        Marisa Abela stars as Amy and she is sensational. Not only does she capture Ms. Winehouse in a physical way but she does her own singing recreating Amy's songs beautifully. The film co-stars Jack O'Connell as her great love, Blake Fielder-Civil. Mr. O'Connell is a fine actor but the script doesn't do justice ( I assume) to the bad boy influence of the real Blake on Amy's life.

        The rest of the cast includes Eddie Marsan as Mitch Winehouse, Amy's dad, who is also portrayed as too much of a good guy. Juliet Cowan plays Janis Winehouse, Amy's mum and the great Lesley Manville as Cynthia Winehouse, Amy's grandmother, a tremendous influence in Amy's life. Sam Buchanan plays Nick Shymansky, who helped Amy get her first record deal with Island Records.

          Bio films are always tricky. It's hard to tell just how much really happened and what parts are fictionalized. It's a known fact that Amy had problems with mental illness, Bulimia, alcohol and drug abuse but Mr. Greenhalgh can only imagine her state of mind when she was alone with her thoughts. 

          It's a star turn for Ms. Abela but ultimately another sad story of a great talent gone too soon.

           

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

 

      And a new trilogy begins...set "generations" after Caesar and the last film, this story has all new characters and is the first in a reported three film story.

       It stars Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, Lydia Peckham, Travis Jeffrey, Freya Allan, Dichen Lachman, and William H. Macy.

       The screenplay by Josh Friedman is surprisingly good, balancing thoughtful drama with exciting action and some interesting surprises. Director Wes Ball and his amazing effects team bring these apes, gorillas, chimpanzees, and one orangutan to incredible life. The motion capture and CGI work is stunning.

        If you are a fan of the series, you will not be disappointed. And if you have the chance, see it in IMAX. It looks and sounds tremendous.

       

The Fall Guy

 

        A rom-com wrapped up in an action heavy visual treat, this new film is very loosely based on the old TV show, "The Fall Guy" starring Lee Majors and Heather Thomas.

        The film doesn't take it self too seriously but rather begs you to be entertained. The chemistry between leads Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling is terrific and the stunt work is fantastic. The on again, off again, and on again romance does get tiresome but both attractive stars (at times, they even make fun of their own images) are fun to watch. 

        Co-starring are Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Winston Duke, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu and a scene chewing Hannah Waddingham.

        Director David Leitch used to be a stunt man himself and knows his way around an explosion or two. Here he does a great job paying tribute to all the stunt people who work so hard to entertain us. During the credits, he splits the screen to show outtakes and stunt folks at work and also runs all the names associated with the film. It's a bit of a disservice as you miss the names watching the outtakes.

        The film is lighthearted, loud, fast and has something for everyone. The definition of a popcorn movie.

Unfrosted

 

    Expanding on his comedy routine about Pop-Tarts, Jerry Seinfeld has co-written, directed and also stars in this full length feature about the unique breakfast pastry. It is quite possibly the silliest movie ever made.

    The snappy one-liners and visuals gags pop continuously and while most crackle, some fall as flat as the pop-tart itself. Mr. Seinfeld imagines a world where Kellogg's cereals completes with Post cereals for the creation of a new breakfast sensation. It's probably not far from the truth but, no doubt, was a lot more serious in the real world.

    Mr. Seinfeld stars as the head of marketing for Kellogg. Jim Gaffigan is Edsel Kellogg III, the owner of the company completing with Post's owner Marjorie Post, played by Amy Schumer. Melissa McCarthy is Donna Stankowski, a NASA scientist who joins the Kellogg team.

    The film co-stars a who's who of comedians, friends of Mr. Seinfeld's (including his wife) and serious actors taking themselves not very seriously. The list includes Max Greenfield, Hugh Grant, Peter Dinklage, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Dany Levy, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Bobby Moynihan, Adrian Martinez, Sarah Cooper, Mikey Day, Kyle Mooney, Drew Tarver, Tony Hale, Felix Solis, Dean Norris, Maria Bakalova, Kyle Dunnigan, Beck Bennett, Cedric The Entertainer, Freed Armisen, John Slattery, Jon Hamm and Sebastian Maniscalco. Many of the aforementioned co-stars are nothing more than cameos but many of them are pretty funny and Mr. Hamm and Mr. Slattery's scene steals the film.

      This lighthearted, ridiculous pastry war is best enjoyed with an actual pop-tart and a glass of milk. It's currently available only on Netflix.

        

Challengers

 

          Zendaya has great skin. I know that because of the endless close-ups in this new "sports" drama from director Luca Guadagnino. The film uses tennis as a metaphor for the love triangle between Zendaya, Josh O'Conner and Mike Faist. The relationship between the three volleys back and forth throughout the film with partners seemingly changing constantly.

          Mr. Guadagnino opens his playbook on camera angels, close-ups and various POV shots (even from the tennis ball's perspective) to the point of making one dizzy. The timeline of the script, by Justin Kuritzkes, changes constantly throughout the film as well to the point you can only tell by Zendaya's haircut, which time period you are watching.

          The sex scenes between the characters don't go beyond heavy kissing, leaving the rest to your imagination, which is certainly a tease on Mr. Guadagnino's part. His serve is out of bounds when he misses the chance to make the film sexier and more erotic than implied. The three leads are talented actors but their roles are one dimensional. Zendaya is the manipulator, Mr. Faist, the sad sack, and Mr. O'Conner, the bad boy. 

          Veterans of film music, the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is very disappointing. The pulsing electronic beat (added to build sexual tension I suppose) just becomes just more annoying as the film goes on.

          This match is pointless.