Cyrano

     Director Joe Wright, working from a screenplay by Erica Schmidt (based on her play), brings us a wonderful adaptation of the classic love triangle.

     Earlier versions of Cyrano have always focused on his deformity of an extra-large nose, rendering him unable to profess his love for Roxanne. Here Cyrano is played by Peter Dinklage and it's the rather obvious size difference that keeps him from revealing his love, instead wooing her through his poetic letters delivered by Christian, the soldier Roxanne thinks she loves.

     Mr. Dinklage is absolutely wonderful in the role. He is a fierce swordsman, has an intellectual and poetic wit, and wears his heartbreaking unspoken love on his sleeve. And as it turns out, is not a bad singer, in a Tom Waits sort of way. Roxanne is played by the lovely Haley Bennett and Christian is play by the dashing Kelvin Harrison Jr.. Co-starring as the villain who also love Roxanne is Ben Mendelsohn, always a delight in a role he knows so well.

     The production is breathtaking. The locations (in and around towns in Sicily) are wonderful. The costumes are luminous and the surprising songs and choreography add a new dimension to the ageless tale. The singing and dancing are subtle and never overwhelm the production. There is really only one large number that is rendered beautifully.

      If you are looking for a change of pace from the usual films that seemed dumped on an audience in February, "Cyrano" makes for a great "date night".

Uncharted

           

          Based on a video game (which I have never played or even seen), this action, adventure story is in the mold of a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "National Treasure". While not quite living up to the standards of those iconic films, it does have its moments and relies heavily on the charms of its two stars to carry the film.

         The film stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg and there is great chemistry between the "old and new school" action heroes. Mr. Wahlberg is "Sully" a thief with a plan to seek out a fortune of gold lost during the original Magellan expedition. He enlists the aid of Nathan Drake (Mr. Holland) who along with his older brother, Sam,  had tried to steal the map of the expedition years earlier. Already a success as "Spider-man", Mr. Holland has now set himself up to be the next generation Hollywood action star.

          Following the various clues, the film takes us from New York, to Barcelona, and to the Philippines as the two fortune seekers try to complete the puzzle and locate the treasure.  The film opens in the middle of an elaborate action sequence but stops short to take us into a flashback. It is only later that we return to the sequence to see how it unfolded and how it plays out. Since it is the most exciting sequence in the film, director Rueben Fleischer gets the most out of it by showing it twice. There is also an exciting, but totally unbelievable climax that just can't be described.

          Co-starring are Antonio Banderas and Tati Gabrielle as villains also in search of the treasure and Sophia Ali as a slippery colleague of Sully's who may or may not be trusted.  Steven Waddington is a villainous henchman known only as "The Scotsman" who exists for the sole purpose of comic relief as no one can understand his Scottish accent.

          The film follows a tried-and-true formula that is dull in parts but it is the great charm of Mr. Holland and reliability of Mr. Wahlberg that still makes it a fun but brainless watch. There are two post credits sequences that leave the door open for the inevitable sequel.

The Worst Person in the World

 

                  Nominated for best International film and best original screenplay at this year's Oscars,  this new Norwegian film is more romantic drama than comedy. It tells the story of Julie, played by Renate Reinsve, a young woman about to turn 30 and still figuring out her life.

                  The film follows Julie through career and relationship changes and is divided into twelve chapters with a prologue and epilogue. Much of the story centers on her relationship with Aksel, a comic book artist, 14 years her senior, played by Anders Danielsen Lie and then later with Eivind, a coffee barista played by Herbert Nordrum.

                  The three leads, especially Ms. Reinsve are terrific. Julie's story is not defined by usual rom-com elements and while there is some humor, it is a far more serious film. Ms. Reinsve moves through the film like a breath of fresh air and we find ourselves rooting for Julie even as her life, with no clear direction, takes unexpected twists and turns.

  

                 Directed and co-written by Joachim Trier, it's a smart, original take on a well known formula.

The Lost Daughter

 

      Not exactly new, this drama is currently streaming on Netflix. Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, the film explores motherhood through the eyes of Olivia Coleman as Leda Caruso, Jessie Buckley in flashbacks as a young Leda, and Dakota Johnson as Nina, a young mother vacationing at the same Greek resort as Leda.

      Vacationing alone, Leda's peaceful stay is constantly interrupted by Nina and the rest of her loud, obnoxious family. She becomes obsessed with Nina and her daughter Elena. Watching them invokes memories of her own young motherhood which we come to find out was not an easy one.

      The film co-stars Ed Harris, as Lyle, the resort's maintenance man, Paul Mescal as Will, a resort assistant, and Peter Sarsgaard as a college professor colleague of young Leda. Ms. Coleman is amazing as always and Ms. Buckley captures her perfectly as her younger self. Ms. Johnson and the rest of the cast are excellent as well.

      While not exactly a "thriller",  we are teased by many tense moments as the story unfolds. It's a slow burn but filled with intriguing characters as well as much symbolism. It is that symbolism that leaves the film open to interpretation as well as an ambiguous ending that begs discussion.

Moonfall

     It's that time of year when bad movies fill the void of winter and we can always expect a new Liam Neeson thriller.  While he does not star in this new sci-fi disaster film, Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson do and I guess they needed the paycheck.

     Directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich, the film is one of those "so bad, it's good" or just bad movies depending on your tolerance for ridiculous plots and even more ridiculous dialog. The premise of the moon falling out of orbit, I guess has a tiny bit of plausibility but the eventual reason for it happening is really ludicrous. And yet, Ms. Berry and Mr. Wilson do their best serious acting as the head of NASA and her disgraced astronaut out to save the earth. Joining them is John Bradley, as an armchair, amateur scientist who first discovers the problem. No one believes him at first but he somehow ends up in space, helping to save the day.

     There are the usual subplots involving family members in peril to give the film some gravitas and heart and lots of miniatures are destroyed in the ensuing mayhem. The special effects go from terrible to almost decent depending on what is transpiring on screen.

     The film co-stars Michael Pena, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu and in a "blink and you'll miss him" cameo, Donald Sutherland.  And of course, a bunch of adorable kids threatened by falling pieces of the moon. The only thing they forgot was a family dog.

     I realize this doesn't come off as a very favorable review but in a strange way, the film is still fun, especially in IMAX. It's actually a welcome distraction from the real-life problems we are all facing these days.