MEN

 Jessie Buckley     Rory Kinnear     Paapa Essiedu     Zac Rothera-Oxley     Gayle Rankin

         Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) is a master at mixing up reality and fantasy/symbolism, making viewers think one way, then another about the characters and the story.  One must do a bit of work to make sense of his films; otherwise, they would seem to be meaningless.  

         Choral music (Geoff Burrow, Ben Salisbury) and lush cinematography (Rob Hardy) pave the way for a delightful time in a beautiful old house for Harper (Buckley) to get away and heal from the recent messy break-up with her husband James (Essiedu).

         When she arrives at the house and meets the landlord Geoffrey (Kinnear), she is taken aback with his wry humor and teasing, but he is gracious after playfully chiding her for picking an apple in the yard and eating it.  He points out that television and wi-fi are a bit iffy, gives her the one house key (“you don’t really need to lock the door”), and he’s off.

         The horror only really begins when she ventures out for a walk in the forest, delights herself playing with echoes at the entrance to a cave, but then realizes she is lost, with it starting to rain.  And was that a naked man standing in front of an abandoned building?

         There is plenty of horror after that, with the naked man, a smart-alecky kid, the vicar, an unsympathetic policeman, and so on.  Intentionally, Garland has made it appear that Harper must be psychotic, and much of what seems to happen is only in her mind.  (How many times have women been told that?)

         But stepping back and with some thought, we realize that Garland is making a statement about the relationships between men and women and the way in which women are generally regarded.  (Hasn’t Eve always been held responsible for all the ills that followed from her eating the forbidden fruit?)  All the male characters in Men (and I think Garland’s use of the plural is meaningful, in that it guides us toward the general statement he is making) end up scorning Harper and even dying (“because of her”).  

         More of the symbolism could be discussed (e.g., references to death, birth, the barely audible “Papa says so” repeated several times, the appearance of blood on hands and on the naked man), but the viewer should go to see the picture with an open mind and give free rein to one’s personal associations to the images and references.

         Men is not likely to appeal to the general audience, but for those who like to see and appreciate films considered to be “artistic”, it’s well worth seeing.  My fault of the film is that its promised intrigue in the beginning falls into something that is so heavy-handed it becomes almost meaningless in the end.  A little bit of horror is good, but too much makes me just tired.

 

A well-crafted drama with elements of horror that make it intriguing, but maybe there is too much of a good thing.

 

Grade:  B                    By Donna R. Copeland

ANNIHILATION

Natalie Portman     Oscar Isaac     Jennifer Jason Leigh     Gina Rodriguez     Tessa Thompson

     Think about mixing the surreal and mysterious with real human drama within a glorious visual spectacle, and you can envision Annihilation.  Alex Garland has drawn on his previous experience with Ex Machina and plunged ahead with another futuristic presentation of humans confronting what may or may not be an alarming future.  He has the ability to balance the fantastic with the real so that one can buy into his dramas.  They seem otherworldly, yet something we can imagine really happening.  Part of the success of his work is in giving clues from the beginning that will inform the viewer later in trying to explain what transpires later.

     We’re first confronted with a puzzling interrogation of biologist Lena (Portman) by a military person in a hazmat suit (Benedict Wong).  He’s asking her who-what-when kinds of questions, the answer to which she says, “I don’t know” or “I can’t remember.”  She appears to be a little dense, but this is one of the nicely misleading cues that Garland does so well.  He does let us know she is a respected biologist at John Hopkins University.

     We soon see Lena’s missing husband Kane (Isaac) who appears suddenly after such a long absence she thinks he has died.  Although we learn that he has been involved in a covert operation, he doesn’t have many answers and seems very different from his old self.  But then abruptly he shows signs of a medical condition, which involves calling emergency services.

    More drama ensues, after which we see Lena volunteering to explore a new phenomenon that has occurred on earth called “the shimmer.”  Her team is led by psychologist Dr. Ventress (Leigh), and includes three other female scientists.  They will follow in the steps of other military people who have explored the region, but never came back, except for one.  This is a group of very brave women (nice to see!) who have no ties at home (“We’re all damaged goods here”), and for various reasons want to find a scientific explanation for The Shimmer, which “swallowed up” the military’s Southern Reach. 

     This is where the real adventure begins, with the expected strains on loyalty and mental balance, in confronting threats never before imagined.  It was especially gratifying to see a female character (Lena) having such deep curiosity, determination, and clear-headedness that she is able to confront whatever is before her, without becoming unhinged or allowing images from the past to distract her.

     Finally, the electrically charged ending leaves the viewer with possibilities rather than a neat package. 

This is a film not to miss for its thrills, human drama, and eloquently presented futuristic possibilities.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

EX MACHINA

Domhnail Gleason     Oscar Isaac     Alicia Vikander

 In Ex Machina, Alex Garland, writer/director, weaves a tantalizing sci-fi tale that is part horror, part ethics/morality (whether A.I.’s should be treated humanely), and part romance.  In keeping with the title, the work is constructed so that by the end of the story we have been given information that lets us know just how bad things are.  “Deus ex machina” is a literary term meaning “god from the machine”, and refers to a plot device whereby a problem towards the end of the story is unexpectedly solved by the insertion of something or someone new.   Although the “Deus” is left out of the title of the film, references are made to the god-like role the creator of the A.I. has, especially since his invention is made more human by being sentient and emotionally aware. 

            Garland is a master at juxtaposition:  An ultra-modern home/laboratory set in the beauty of nature’s flora and fauna; a research site that appears to run smoothly and effortlessly with the help of the latest technology and a researcher fully in control, yet it could be called “the house of paranoia” when suspicious activities make their appearance; opening scenes are accompanied by the tuneful music of Schumann’s “Scenes from Childhood”, but in time there is a sense of dread, and the music becomes cacophonous.  A scene that is bright and revealing will suddenly turn dark, when secrets come to light.  CEO Nathan Bateman (Isaac) is a fitness freak, yet imbibes liquor and wine constantly.

            Caleb (Gleason) is incredulous but overjoyed to learn that he has won a contest among young coding specialists in the computer search company he works for.  He will get to spend a week working on a top-secret project with the eccentric CEO who wrote the Blue Book of code.  Caleb is a bit taken aback when he is flown by helicopter to a field in the mountains and told to follow the river until he comes to a house.  Nothing else is orthodox after that either, even simply getting entry into the house.

            After entering, he encounters Nathan, who is indeed a physical specimen, and who is presently at a punching bag.  As he guides Caleb through the property with enigmatic descriptions and instructions (“Your key opens any door you’re permitted to go through, but won’t work on those you’re not”), it is also clear that he is intellectually sharp and a challenging teacher.  It is some time before Caleb learns what Nathan’s project is.  But finally, he is introduced to Ava (Vikander), Nathan’s newest creation, and told that he will be doing a Turing test on her (finding out just how sentient and human-like she is). 

            Delightful special effects show Ava’s mechanistic appearance while including sufficient human qualities to make her attractive.  Then when she unexpectedly dons wig and clothes, she is indeed a handsome woman.  Also appealing is her command of language, her soft voice, and pureness of logic.  Vikander cinches the role with just the right mixture of human and A.I. qualities. 

            Oscar Isaac’s talent shines through as a bearded, complex character with many admirable and despicable facets to his controlling personality.  Gleason is making a name for himself lately in any number of films (Harry Potter movies, Calvary with his father Brendan, and Unbroken), and was named as one of European films’ “Shooting Stars” in 2011.

            The excellent script, special effects, and acting make this the best sci-fi film I’ve seen.  I’m looking forward to what I hope will be many more productions by Alex Garland.

Fascinating!

Grade:  A                        By Donna R. Copeland