Director: James Gunn

Writers: James Gunn, Dan Abnett (and 9 other creators of the characters and the comic series)

Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell

Rated PG

Runtime 136 MIN

In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit and a major feather in the cap of Marvel, who somehow knocked it out of the proverbial park with an offbeat space opera starring a talking raccoon and a walking tree. Even as a Marvel fan, I was skeptical of the premise on the big screen back then. Fast forward to 2017, and we are deep into “Phase 3” of the Marvel universe and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, represents a major tent pole of the expanding franchise. Guardians Vol. 2 delivers on the humor and tone of the first but continues to prove Marvel’s struggle to develop engaging bad guys.

All of our heroes are back again for round 2 and, as the story opens, we join them on a mission to keep batteries out of the hands of some bad guys. They keep the cargo safe, but Rocket has sticky fingers and the companions end up the object of some aggressive negative customer feedback, for stealing the items they were just paid for protecting. When our heroes seem to be at the end of the line, a would-be savior appears, Ego (Kurt Russell), who claims to be Star Lord’s father.

The humor and tone, that made the first GotG so successful, still shines through in Vol. 2 and Baby Groot sends the cute factor through the roof. The complaint the sophomore effort garners comes from the same place as most of Marvel’s movie efforts, the development of a truly satisfying evil entity. GotG Vol. 2 is well over two hours long, but as I looked at my watch and realized I was an hour and 15 minutes in, the main bad guy was not yet fully revealed.

Now it isn’t a leap to figure out that the family picture being painted isn’t perfect, but the lack of antagonist motive development and the missing sense of dread fostered by infamous bad guys represents a missed opportunity for Marvel to flip the script. Despite this, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is still a great entry into the growing Marvel canon and one that plays extremely well with family members of all ages.

B

Director: Brett Haley

Writers: Marc Basch, Brett Haley

Stars: Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman

Rated R

1HR 33MIN

US release June 9th, 2017

The Hero boasts a fantastic cast and a striking story that delves into the life of an aging actor, Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott). Lee lives alone and though he lives comfortably, he does so without the active career of his youth. His agent’s only offer is the acceptance of a lifetime achievement award by the Western Appreciation Guild.

While visiting his stoner buddy, Jeremy (Nick Offerman), Lee’s future intersects with a young female comic, Charlotte (Laura Prepon). The chemistry between them was both immediate and, perhaps, a little creepy given their age difference. Lee takes Charlotte to the award ceremony and during his substance enhanced speech (compliments of Charlotte), he creates a youtube and social media sensation, relaunching his career. Not all is golden though, as a terminal form of cancer diagnosis and an estranged daughter, Lucy (Krysten Ritter- Jessica Jones), demand focus and resolution.

Sam Elliot’s distinctive mustache, southern draw, and deep resonating voice make him an archetype for the western film world. His real life career, unfortunately, has had fewer opportunities as a result, so seeing him as Lee Hayden, a man whose fame was established in a western movie 40 years in the past is not hard to imagine. The themes of this movie are remarkably similar to another aging actor film, Dog Years (starring Burt Reynolds), though the tone is very different. In The Hero, we never see Lee in his youth, nor does he seem so forlorn. The portrayals are much closer to realism (as long as you can accept the stunning Laura Prepon falling for a man more than twice her age). The recurring theme of the ocean appearing in his dreams hints at the relentlessness of time and establishes it as his inescapable enemy. I can’t help but give a nod to two poignant and relevant poems from Edna St. Vincent Millay that are worked into the film in a satisfying way.

Director, Brett Haley, was present for the screening at the Montclair Film Festival and he summed it up pretty well before the screening, “If you are a fan of Sam Elliot then you are going to love this movie if not, there is the door.”

B+

Director: Russell Harbaugh

Writer: Russell Harbaugh, Eric Mendelsohn

Stars: James Adomian, Andie MacDowell, Juliet Rylance, Francesca Faridany, Dree Hemmingway, Gareth Williams

This movie had its world premier at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival with Russell Harbaugh and Andie MacDowell on hand, among others, for a post-screening Q&A. Love after Love is Russell Harbaugh’s directorial début and, in comments before the screening, he notes his intention for the movie to have an emotional effect on you. Overall, he was pretty successful with an unusual style that does a great job of mimicking the relentless passage of time and showing how messy people have to become to heal after loss.

Suzanne (Andie MacDowell) and Nicholas (Chris O’ Dowd) open the film quietly while exploring the nature of happiness. This pause at the beginning of the movie sets the scene for the frenetic pace of storytelling that is about to unfold. We soon see the patriarch of the family and writer of some note, Glen (Gareth Williams), at a well-attended family dinner.  His speech seems off and he notes that his throat doesn’t hurt, though it sounds bad. We are quickly whisked to a bedside scene where the same family members attend Glen, who is obviously dying of an unspecified neuromuscular disorder.

Harbaugh makes a brave entry into the world of film direction with a movie that does not rely on classic storytelling or exposition.  A lot of faith is put in the audience to follow the story through various scenes of differing emotional clarity. Sometimes it is just a look from Suzanne that reflects her thoughts on the conduct of her son. At other times, you are thrown headlong into a scene of consequence only hinted at before.

The center of the success of this movie depended on MacDowell’s ability to suggest nuance and show a woman who is fumbling to find her existence after the loss of her husband. Nicholas has an equal focus in the movie as we see his poor choices play out in his relationships and work life.  Both carry out the task at hand and Harbaugh deserves a lot of credit for such an ambitious first feature.

At the time of this writing, this movie does not have a buyer, though gauging the films strength, one should be imminent.

B+

Director: Kevin Phillips

Writers: Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski

Stars: Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Sawyer Barth, Max Talisman

Rated R

Runtime 100 min

Super Dark Times played at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival with the director and most of the cast in attendance at my screening.   It is a dark feature that commits to its premise with considerable zeal. The development of the characters and the situation they face resonates and makes the viewer squirm in his/her seat as the story unfolds.

Zach (Owen Campbell) and Josh (Charlie Tahan) are typical suburban high school students and best friends. All the normal rhythms of teen life are well-developed in the opening ten minutes and you genuinely come to like both boys as they discuss their mutual interest in a classmate, Allison (Elizabeth Cappuccino) in a funny scene involving a glue mishap and double entendre.

A fringe friend Daryl (Max Talisman), provides early comic relief for this movie.  He along with his friend Charlie (Sawyer Booth) round out a foursome that feels very much like Southpark in its makeup. Daryl is hilarious with his personality and delivery. At the post-screening Q&A, he demonstrated that this trait is a basic part of his character on and off the screen.

The fun nature of the movie up to this point shifts after a chance accident involving a sword and a bag of weed leads to the death of one of the kids. The subsequent coverup by the remaining party and its aftermath is the focus from here on out. Though you could say we have seen this before, the way in which the violence is displayed onscreen is haunting in its realistic nature without glorifying the acts themselves. Though the movie has some slow points (the movie centers on a lot of wistfulness of one of the characters while the other is locked away for an extended period), the movie is a satisfying affair.

One other thing to note, Kevin’s extensive credits in cinematography are quite clear.  The many long shots of barren trees at night throughout the film, help to maintain the tone and set the slowly building tension in this dark tale.

B+

Stars: Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke, Ellar Coltrane, Chevy Chase, Nikki Blonsky

1 HR 54 MIN

Dog years premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. Most of the cast and the director/writer, Adam Rifkin, were in attendance for the début (I actually sat directly behind Chevy Chase and his family). The story centers around an aging actor, Vic Edwards (Burt Reynolds), adored in his youth by throngs of fans, who nows lives alone eating Hungry Man tv dinners with his equally senior dog (in a sad sequence the pup is put to sleep early in the movie).

Vic’s Hollywood contemporary and apparent only friend, Sonny (Chevy Chase), encourages Vic to attend the Nashville Film Festival where he is to be honored with the lifetime achievement award, arguing that some of the greats received it and attended in prior years. After some consideration, Vic departs LAX back to his home state of Tennesee. He doesn’t quite find the reception he was looking for but he may have gained far more in the end.

Though Vic Edwards is a fictional character, the movie brilliantly uses real film from Burt’s career throughout the film. There are several sequences where Vic is talking to a young Burt Reynolds (Vic,  himself, from the movie’s point of view). The passage of time portrayed in this juxtaposition is profound. Though not a biopic about Burt Reynolds, the movie captures much of what it must feel like to have risen so far and to have it pass mostly into memory. The truth of that could be seen in Reynolds own comments during the post-screening Q&A where he said he was absolutely crying in many parts.

The movie has a pretty straightforward two person unlikely friendship story arc between Lil (Ariel Winters) and Vic. Lil doesn’t know Vic’s work and is not happy that she has to schlep Vic around for the weekend as a chauffeur. The rest of the cast has a small role to play in story and are not developed much beyond stereotypes. Overall, the movie is enjoyable as a nostalgic tribute to Reynolds terrific career even though it only goes skin deep.

B

Director: Jordan Ross

Stars: Eliza Taylor, Lena Heady, Pablo Schreiber, Grant Harvey, Ben Feldman, Daniel Weber

Rated R

1HR 33MIN

So I got a chance to view the second showing of the worldwide premiere of Thumper at Tribeca 2017. Director, Jordan Ross, was on hand and introduced the film as well as had a Q&A post-screening. He noted after the film viewing that his work on documentaries was a principal source of material for the story. With the success of this film, I’d like to see more doc director’s write stories pick up the pen and tell tales based on their work with real-life individuals. It is clear that the best stories are those closest to your experience. In Thumper, Ross captured a lot the humanistic elements that exist in the real life producer and seller drug game.

The movie opens with Wyatt (Pablo Schreiber) attending two small children until a bedraggled wife takes them off on the day’s journey. Once they leave, Troy (Grant Harvey) shows up with accomplice Beaver(Daniel Weber) and the trio retires to the shed out back. Here we find a meth cooking lab, ala Breaking Bad whose setup is far from Walter White’s capabilities, and maybe even below Jesse’s. We learn that Wolf and several of his friends push Wyatt’s drugs at school. The group’s dealings become much more complicated when the new girl in the school Kat (Eliza Taylor) allows Beaver to copy off a quiz paper and they become friends. What ensues is an engaging tale where lives are upended and consequences are dire.

The movie boasts excellent storytelling. Wolf, Kat, and Beaver shine in almost every scene. Thumper is a gritty tale, that approaches familiar themes with a fresh look. This is a movie I highly recommend you to go see.

A-

Director: Ben Wheatley

Stars: Sharlto Copley, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Noah Taylor, Cillian Murphy

Rated R

1HR 30MIN

Wide release April 21 (US)

If you have ever wondered what a shootout would look like if BOTH sides had stormtrooper marksmanship, this might be the movie of the millennium for you. This skin deep 1978 Boston warehouse gangster flick, has a lot of humor for the duration of the 90 minutes, even if plot development doesn’t move past the setup.

And let’s be honest here, the setup only resembles a plot, in that it leads to the gimmick…but I’ll get to that in a minute. Justine (Larson) is brokering a deal between an IRA faction led by Chris (Murphy) and a gun broker, Ord (Hammer), and his gun dealer friends (Copley et al.). Both sides bring henchmen to facilitate the actual exchange, however, unbeknownst to the parties, these stand-ins have a score to settle with one another from a fight the night before. What ensues is the start of a gunfight that takes up about the next 70 minutes. The relentless onslaught of mostly ineffective weaponry reaches almost comic levels(you are inclined to laugh when someone actually DOES get hit).  Every once in a while someone stands up and moves around..only to be shot in the leg and made to crawl around with liberal doses of one-timers.

I should feel bad here because I think I may have spoiled the movie. There really isn’t much more to the main plot. The intent is to keep the action high, the walking limited and the mouth free-flowing. Style and action over substance…check. The cast is mostly wasted.  Larson has been far more interesting, in fact, they all have. This movie does have a positive aspect in its 90 minutes running time in this day and age of wearing even good scripts thin with bloat. Free Fire is mostly fun, even if you care nothing for any of the characters and won’t remember it past the exit.

C+

Director:  Rupert Sanders

Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Carmen Pitt

Rated PG-13

Runtime: 105min

Okay, before I begin this review, I need to confess…I knew nothing about Ghost in the Shell in its anime incarnation prior to this movie (the original manga written by Masamune Shirow with the anime showing up in 1995). My review, therefore, can only assess the movie at face value. And since we are talking about faces, let’s start with the lovely Scarlett Johansson who plays the lead “Major”. Her casting created a whitewashing uproar since the source material calls for an Asian lead, and it does seem odd that she is one of the only caucasian people in an obviously far east setting. Late in the movie, we find a flimsy reason for this, but I’ll leave it there for you to discover.

The opening of the movie has an android building experiment sequence taking place. In it, Major’s (Johansson) human brain is fused with an entirely fabricated body. The result looks like a barbie doll body with Scarlett’s face. Every time she goes to fight mode this is also the way she looks. It is about as close as you can get to having her fight in the nude without committing fully. Apparently, Major’s brain was saved when her parents and family were killed as refugees by terrorists. With her enhanced body and human mind, she is an ideal agent for a counter terrorist group, Section 9, led by Amaraki (Takeshi Kitano). In a stylistic onslaught, Major thwarts an attack on Hanka Robotics (her creators) business conference by robotic geishas. She attempts to hack into one of the geishas to discover the origins of the attack and is nearly hacked into herself.  You can clearly see by this early narrative, a lot of cyber witchcraft takes place.

Unfortunately, this asset is never fully explored. The world, though highly infused with generically Asian esthetic, fails to capitalize on the concept and possibilities of a world where artificial enhancements are commonplace. That being said, the movie kept me interested. I know that the source material is supposed to explore more profound concepts. However this is a fun romp with retread concepts of evil corporations and the abhorrent nature of technology.  Oh did I mention, Scarlett Johansson epitomizes loveliness?

B-

Director: Marc Webb

Star: Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate, Roberta Taylor

Rated PG-13

101 minutes

This is Marc Webb’s most recent effort since his big screen Amazing Spiderman days. And like those two movies, I am left with conflicted feelings over what was brought to screen. Don’t get me wrong,  the casting and portrayals are excellent, but, I have some questions about the message and the framing of the dialogue in question.

Chris Evans has become the on-screen personification of the ultimate Boy Scout through his work with Marvel as Captain America. This can be a somewhat limiting career predicament. In his most recent roles, whether in the horrific future dystopian world in Snow Piercer or a nice guy that chooses the high road in Before You Go… Evans characters have stood for justice and “doing the right thing”.  In Gifted, Evans plays Frank Adler, a single man living in rural Florida, raising his niece, Mary (Mckenna Grace). The movie makes it a point to establish Frank as an every man. His house is small and his niece sleeps on a bed that’s in a common area. Frank’s white shirt is dirty because he works on boats to make a living.

At the beginning of the movie, Mary is preparing for her first day of school.  She has been homeschooled up until now and she does not want to go. Frank sees her off to the school bus and receives an admonishment that he should not be sending her to school by his neighbor and friend, Roberta (Octavia Spencer). Mary has a rough first day but she attracts the interest of her teacher, Bonnie (Jenny Slate) because she is a math genius. Before long she is offered a scholarship to a new school that would challenge her math prowess. Frank turns down the offer which then gets the attention of Mary’s grandmother (Frank’s mother) and sets up the legal procedural that dominates the second act.

The movie is well acted and has a story that will keep you engaged. Mckenna Grace’s presence on screen hints at a potentially bright future, even if it is not in Mathematics like her on-screen character. The issue I have with Gifted relates to the message delivered. The movie insinuates that having access to better school conditions is a negative thing. Of course, the movie frames the story in such an extreme way, you would tend to agree with the premise. The resolution of the story is less high-minded than it is derivative. The early frustration Mary shows in class is a real outcome of being in an environment that is less than challenging. Kids also do not automatically associate with the smart kids, being smart is generally not the thing that makes you the cool kid.

Decent movie, even if I don’t agree with the framing of the message.

B

Director: Niko Caro

Stars: Jessica Chastain, John Heldenbergh, Daniel Bruhl

US Release 3-31-17

Rated PG-13

124 min

Endless tales of heroic deeds can be told about World War II and the atrocities associated with the holocaust. The Zookeeper’s Wife tells the courageous story of Antonina Zabinski, adapted from a novel (written by Diane Ackerman) based on Antonina’s diaries. The movie, however, is disappointing in several aspects, despite a wealth of riveting material to draw from.

Antonina (Chastain) helps her husband, Jan Zabinski (Heldenbergh), manage the Warsaw Zoo leading up to and through WWII. Time is taken to establish her special connection to the animals with images of her riding a motorbike around the zoo with a young camel running after her and her helping to deliver a baby elephant that was in trouble during birth. The early scenes of beauty and harmony serve as a sharp contrast to the images of exploding bombs, death and invasion forces that soon transpire.

Soon after the occupation of Poland, Lutz Heck (Bruhl) arrives to assume the role of chief zoologist for the Reich. He convinces the Zabinskis to let him take best breeding stock left alive after the bombing back to the zoo to Berlin, he subsequently kills all of the remaining animals, saying there is no food to feed them. It is here that we see the Zabinskis begin to work for the resistance.  They offer to set up a pig farm in the zoo to feed the occupying German troops and Lutz Heck decides to use the zoo for experiments to bring an extinct German species of livestock back to life. Meanwhile, Jan uses his need to get slop for the pigs from the ghetto of Warsaw (enforced Jewish encampment near the zoo) to smuggle Jews away from imprisonment, hiding them in the many tunnels beneath the zoo grounds.

There are obvious tension points with Lutz daily presence at the zoo and the hidden escapees. Antonina plays different tunes on the piano to indicate when the jews should hide and when they can come out. However, the movie glosses over these things. There is no development in any of the struggle for those that are hiding. There is no development in the reason for the resistance. My biggest dislike, however, was the Hollywood inclusion of a fabricated love triangle. Through it, Jan is seen as a jealous husband concerned about his wife paying attention to Lutz advances on her that were carnal in nature. Jan, himself, was a fascinating man, who in real life, was a firm atheist but still had a humanistic need to right the wrongs of those persecuted for their religion, by others of differing faith.

In the end, this is a movie that could have been so much more. Chastain was amazing as always, but the tale told lacked.

C+