BLUE BAYOU

Justin Chon     Alicia Vikander     Linh Dan Pham     Mark O’Brien

 

            This film might have had potential, but it needed disciplined editing; way too many dramatic elements were included, resulting in a hodgepodge that strains credulity, especially at the end.  

            Antonio (Chon) is a tattoo artist who has trouble finding a job to support his wife Kathy (Vikander) and their two children, one a newborn.  He often runs into discriminatory remarks about his race, and the filmmakers want that characteristic visible throughout.  He was born in Korea, but was adopted when he was three by an American couple, so he has grown up in the U.S.  Other trouble he encounters is that his American parents never saw to it that he was made an American citizen, so he is threatened with deportation, even though he has lived here for 30 years, most of his life.

            Other issues that arise include Kathy’s ex-husband, who wants to see their daughter, but the child doesn’t want to see him after he had previously abandoned her and her mother.  He and his dirty cop partner stir up major problems, contributing to more drama, particularly as Antonio’s reactions to them add significantly to his difficulties. 

            Woven into the story is a woman who takes pity on Antonio desperately hawking tattoos on the street and asks for one for herself.  She is an immigrant from Viet Nam and has stories of her own to tell, but she is one of the few characters shown to be kind-hearted and generous. 

            Most of writer/director Chon’s previous work is as an actor, for which he has been nominated and won awards at film festivals.  He also has promise as a writer/director but needs more guidance in creating sympathetic characters and choosing one storyline that will be the prominent thrust in a work, as opposed to multiple threads that compete with one another.

            My favorite part of this film is when Alicia Vikander—one of our finest actresses—sings the song “Blue Bayou.”  Her acting skills are readily apparent in Blue Bayou, but the script would be improved by making her a stronger, more sensible force, rather than showing her as hysterical.  Having her physically attack a policeman is a huge mistake in the script.

            There are additional problems with inconsistencies and improbabilities, which reduces this this potentially moving account too implausible.

A film with potential that deserved serious editing.

 

Grade:  D                              By Donna R. Copeland

THE GREEN KNIGHT

Dev Patel     Alicia Vikander     Joel Edgerton     Ralph Ineson

Sarita Choudhury     Sean Harris     Kate Dickie

 

            Based on a poem written in the 14^th Century by an unknown author, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has been an intriguing story ever since.  Writer/director David Lowery in the third retelling of it in film enhances its mysteriousness by making the screen very dark, by accompanying it with choral music rendered in Middle Ages verse (with accents of dissonant modern music) composed by frequent Lowery collaborator Daniel Hart; and by a heavy dose of symbolism.

            It helps in understanding this film if one has read the poem and is familiar with the story.  I had not, so was mystified during many scenes until afterwards, when a colleague referred me to the myth.

            We meet Sir Gawain as a modest, committed knight so unassuming that he has to be ordered by King Arthur to sit by him and the queen.  When King Arthur requests that he tell a tale about himself so the King will know him, Gawain forthrightly demures, saying that he has no tale.  Soon after, the King is visited by a mysterious figure (who looks like a tree dressed up as a man) who presents his challenge to any of King Arthur’s knights.  The knight, the Green Knight (Ineson) dares any of those present to strike the Green Knight with his own axe, with the agreement that one year and one day later, the knight must find the Green Knight and allow him to strike the same blow as he had dealt to the Green Knight the year before.  No one answers but Sir Gawain who takes up the challenge, with plans to revisit the Green Knight on Christmas Day the following year.

            Close to the appointed day, Gawain sets off on the journey to honor his pledge.  Of course, along the way, he will encounter many travails and tests of his strength and commitment.  Among them are bandits who steal his horse, his sword, and a sash his mother gave him to keep him safe, then they tied him up and left him to rot.  He encounters a woman who literally lost her head, which is at the bottom of a spring.  (This is only part of the magic sprinkled in throughout the story; that is, she is talking to him with her head attached, but still wants to retrieve her head).  He also meets a Lord (Edgerton) and his Lady (Vikander plays two roles, this one and the woman he is in love with at home).  The Lord proposes a bargain (a theme in the tale) wherein he will bring Gawain all the spoils of his daily hunts, and Gawain is to give to the Lord what he gained during the day.

            After much of what Gawain lost during his travails is restored, often magically, he finally arrives at the Green Knight’s home, ready to honor his pledge.

            Although well done in many respects, The Green Knight will appeal primarily to those interested in fantasy and in literature of days gone by.  I found the dark screen and often unintelligible dialog and choral words tedious, despite my interest in the story.  A confusing aspect added by Lowery is that Gawain’s mother gives him a sash for protection before he leaves on his journey, and his local love Esse gives him a ring.  On his journey when he meets the Lord’s lady (also played by Vikander) she as well gives him these two items.

Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, and Ralph Ineson are superb in their roles, always a joy to watch.

 

Better read some background on this story so as to derive full benefit of its entertainment value.

 

Grade:   B                                                  By Donna R. Copeland

THE GLORIAS

Alicia Vikander    Julianne Moore    Timothy Hutton    Lulu Wilson    Ryan Kiera Armstrong

Janelle Monae     Bette Midler     Lorraine Tousaint

     “You will do what you want to do with your life.”  Words so aptly spoken to Gloria Steinem by a wise doctor getting a solemn promise from her.  This film of Gloria Steinem’s life—drawn from her memoir, My Life on the Road--constitutes one of the more artistic renditions of a famous person’s life.  Julie Taymor, writer/director/producer, is as interested in portraying the essence of the woman as she is in presenting factual information.  Toward that end, she flips back and forth in time, showing Gloria as a younger child, an older child, a young woman, and a fully developed activist for human rights.  During the film, these different “Glorias” talk to one another, illustrating how we carry our different ages and memories along with us throughout our life span.  So the film moves back and forth in time—which usually annoys me—but the way it is shown here makes sense.

     Taymor shows Gloria growing up in a family of modest means, the child adoring her fantasy-loving father (Timothy Hutton), who follows his own dreams, leaving her and her older sister—but primarily Gloria—to assume responsibility for a mentally disturbed mother.  This woman, despite her weaknesses, saw to it that her daughter was able to attend the renowned Smith College from where she graduated with honors.

     The film shows the young woman’s encounters as she makes her way in journalism—sometimes having to take time out for supporting herself by dancing—but showing her ability to withstand easy, compromising paths while being attuned to the important issues of the day (e.g., racism, labor unions, reproductive rights), and demonstrating her capacity for empathy and nurturance.  

At a time when women were discouraged from speaking their minds, Gloria asserted herself, and despite an almost debilitating fear of speaking in public, managed to overcome it to advocate for principles she felt strongly about. Although she is known primarily for her work in women’s interests, she also championed causes for blacks, farm workers, and Native Americans.  

     Taymor has fun with filmmaking when about half-way through the story, she inserts a sequence of pure fantasy, visualizing what she would like to see happen to a chauvinist interviewer who asks Gloria inappropriate questions.  (We see him spun out into space in a red cloudburst.)

     But on a more serious note, the film is timely in its release just after the death of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had to endure discrimination at Harvard University when she was attending as a woman.  When Harvard invited Gloria to speak there years later, she was able to scold them in a way that actually won points for her, despite her chiding the professors for claiming that rape was a very small assault and for their course list omitting any reference to women.

     The four extremely effective actors (the four Glorias, Lulu Wilson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Alicia Vikander, and Julianne Moore) are superb, and helped along majorly by Lorraine Tousaint’s Flo Kennedy, Janelle Monae’s Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Timothy Hutton’s Leo Steinem, and Bette Midler’s Bella Abzug.

            I found The Glorias to be maximally entertaining as well as informative and inspiring in its depiction of the “notorious” Gloria Steinem. THE GLORIAS is available for purchase on Digital and Streaming exclusively on Prime Video starting September 30^th

Walk on the wild side with an endearing “rabble rouser” as you see her fight for human rights.

 

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

 

TOMB RAIDER

Alicia Vikander     Dominic West     Walton Goggins     Daniel Yu     Kristin Scott Thomas     Derek Jacobi

     This Tomb Raider movie is based on a videogame series, which it tries to emulate and serve as a kind of prequel to the 2001/2003 Tomb Raider series starring Angelina Jolie.  Here, we get a few scenes of Lara’s (Vikander) childhood with her father (West), in which he is teaching her things about life she should know and saying goodbye as he takes off on an adventure.  Years go by; it appears he is not returning, and Lara has become a risk-taking bicycle courier and aspiring boxer (which she is not very good at).

     Multiple times when she is asked to sign documents related to her father’s company, she shows little interest, but when shown a puzzle cylinder left to her by her father, she is fascinated.  She easily solves the puzzle and finds a message from him.  That sets her off on a daring journey (she is her father’s child) that will take her to faraway exotic locations in an attempt to continue her father’s life-long odyssey.

     The film does have the look of a video game made into a movie.  The production design is artistic and somewhat enticing; however, the story comes across as completely improbable with a rather clunky script so that it keeps the viewer from becoming fully engaged.  Seeing Lara getting tossed about on raging seas, beaten and battered by evil men, and surviving a tomb that is disintegrating around her on a video game is very different from seeing such events in a movie.  After a while, the reaction is “Oh, c’mon!”

     Alicia Vikander is a gifted actress, but her fine, nuanced, dramatic talents are lost in this action movie that is all about brawn and physical feats (most of which turn out to be unbelievable, really).  I don’t know how many of the stunts were done by her or someone else (if by her, they’re impressive!), but look at her work in Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, Anna Karenina, A Royal Affair, and The Light between Oceans, for instance, if you want to see award-worthy acting.  Other actors like Dominic West, Walton Goggins, and Daniel Yu likewise have diminishing roles that don’t serve their talents.  The only supporting actor given a juicy tidbit is Kristin Scott Thomas, who plays it up admirably.  She is always good, and the script serves her well here.

     This is a film for video game fans, but for the rest of us—no.

Do you really want to see another Tomb Raider movie?

Grade:  C-                                     By Donna R. Copeland

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

Alicia Vikander     Michael Fassbender     Rachel Weisz

            Beautifully filmed in Australia and New Zealand, with rich musical accompaniment, artfully framed cinematography, and superior actors, The Light between Oceans promised to be an outstanding film.  Unfortunately, it falls short in its story line, such that I began to think of it as “Light (truth) between oceans of bad decisions.”  It was good in its premise of presenting a Solomon’s dilemma about mothers and a baby.  The problem here is that half of the dilemma was the result of a poor decision when truth should have been the primary consideration.  Yes, people do make bad decisions based on emotional concerns, but once insight comes to bear, and errors are compounded by guilt, we can expect all hell to break loose.

            Tom (Fassbender) has fought in the Western Front of WWI for four years, and when he returns home to Australia, he decides he would like the isolation he would be afforded if he becomes the keeper of the Janus Rock Lighthouse.  He meets with the locals and is quickly offered the job (the previous caretaker left under troubled circumstances, which the townspeople attribute to the long periods of isolation his job entailed.)  Tom, who is unassuming and seeming to carry a load of survivor’s guilt, is untroubled by this, and looks forward to it.

            Much to his surprise, a local beauty named Isabel (Vikander) has an immediate crush on him, and after an afternoon picnic asks to see the lighthouse.  But, he says, the only other person allowed there is the wife of the caretaker.  Well, then, “Marry me”, she says.  After brief correspondences, they do decide to wed, and spend blissful months in an idyllic setting, until tragedy strikes in the form of miscarriages. 

            They seem to be coping reasonably well with their grief when a surprise washes ashore.  It’s a boat with a baby inside—and a dead body.  Tom is prepared to go with protocol, report the death and apply to adopt the child, but Isabel sees this as a gift from God and pleads so earnestly, Tom doesn’t have the heart to deny her, and thus begins a heartbreaking series of fateful decisions, the consequences of which begin when, after two years of being away, they go to town and discover a hard truth.

            It’s likely that most people who see The Light between Oceans will thoroughly enjoy it.  Fassbender, Vikander, and Weisz are gifted actors who mesmerize when they’re on screen, and the cinematography by Adam Arkapaw is worth going to see just for his artistic renditions.  The same for Alexandre Desplat’s music; he never seems to fall short.  The movie is based on the highly successful novel by M. L. Stedman. 

A Soloman-like dilemma with an unnecessarily dissatisfying resolution.

Grade:  B                        By Donna R. Copeland

JASON BOURNE

Matt Damon   Tommy Lee Jones   Alicia Vikander   Vincent Cassel   Riz Ahmed   Julia Stiles

          Matt Damon is back again as the unstoppable, hunted and haunted Jason Bourne.  In this journey, he is still off the grid, earning a living in physical fights.  Tommy Lee Jones is the current Director of the CIA playing his usual double-dealings with his agents.  New on the scene is Agent Heather Lee (Vikander) as a computer whiz who can spot and track targets and assets all over the world.  The terrifying, ruthless CIA asset is played by Vincent Cassel who carries a grudge toward Bourne from way back and pursues him relentlessly, impervious to the scores of bodies he leaves behind as collateral damage.

       In addition to searching for Bourne, the CIA has proposed a secret surveillance program (Iron Hand) that it desperately wants Aaron Kalloor’s technology company to agree to.  The proposal is highly relevant today in light of the U.S. Government’s recent efforts to get Apple to allow it to look at terrorists’ e-mails and search for anti-government hackers who have invaded the government and U.S. companies’ websites. The CIA wants Kalloor’s social media platform, Deep Dream, to allow it to search its posts, but Kalloor is having the same response as Apple, saying that privacy is freedom and we need to protect that.

         Bourne learns about this from Nicky Parsons (Stiles), in addition to her finding out more about his history and about his father.  She and others have pulled an Edward Snowden maneuver and gained access to the CIA’s data set about black ops. She wants him to help them bring the CIA’s operations to light.  When the Director of the CIA learns of this, he goes after Bourne and Parsons with a vengeance, sure that they intend to expose his department.  He then sends out the asset to kill them by whatever means necessary, and when that is not entirely successful, his plan gets hopelessly convoluted.

        Damon puts his all into this role as in all the previous Bourne films, and pulls off superhuman feats in planning ahead and evading the pursuers with clever strategies and all kinds of vehicles; he’s always one step ahead, startling his adversaries with his acumen.  I must say, though, that I much prefer seeing him as the quirky botanist in The Martian. Jones can play a mean, double-crossing s.o.b. easily, giving the appearance of an all-knowing father.  There is probably no better actor to play the calculating, vindictive killer than Cassel. 

         It’s refreshing to see Alicia Vikander again take on a completely different role from those she has excelled in previously, and here she comes across as extremely intelligent and accomplished, but with feminine intuitions that serve her well.  She has read Bourne’s file and thinks she has such a keen sense about his psychology that she can “bring him in” again. 

          Riz Ahmed is an up and coming actor to watch; he is winning high marks for his roles in Nightcrawler and the current television drama, “The Night of.”

Paul Greengrass directed this production of Bourne and helped write the screenplay with Christopher Rouse.  They have succeeded in making the pace fast and furious, with nerve-wracking close calls and scenes of high suspense.  I only wish the car chase and hand-to-hand combat at the end had been shortened by half.  The camera is so jumpy, it’s hard to follow the action, and it ultimately becomes simply boring.

Another Jason Bourne thriller that hits the same high points.

Grade:  C                        By Donna R. Copeland

THE DANISH GIRL

Eddie Redmayne     Alicia Vikander     Matthias Schoenaerts     Ben Whishaw

          The Danish Girl is a remarkable account of the transgender experience, not only from the subject’s point of view but for those close to him/her as well.  David Ebershoff’s book on which the film is based is a fictionalized account that used a transgender person’s diary for inspiration.  In the hands of screenwriter Lucinda Coxon and director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and their fellow filmmakers, the drama blossoms into a visually beautiful, lyrical production with emotional realism and depth. 

         A young Danish couple, Einar (Redmayne) and Gerda (Vikander) (immeasurably more attractive than their names!), are both painters, she of portraits and he of landscapes.  He is better known, partly because this is in the 1920’s when women were “not supposed” to be painters.  They are obviously in love and playful with one another, and in one of their games, they dress him up as a woman to pose for her portraits.  It turns out that he revels in the feel of the fabric, moving like a woman, and calling himself Lili.  He shrinks from art shows; but once, for fun, they dress him up as a woman to attend a benefit, and he is hit upon by Henrik (Whishaw) who tries to kiss him. 

        The problem is that he so enjoys his “woman-ness” he goes into an identity crisis, starts dressing like a woman frequently at home, and it begins to affect his relationship with Gerda.  Eventually he realizes that he has always been female on the inside.

          One of the strengths of the film is that Gerda is not shown to freak out in response to these changes, but is genuinely troubled because she loves Einar.  And her love is the kind we always seek—one that flexes with change and sees into the soul of the other person.  She sticks by him throughout his major decisions while still giving him room to explore, and she eventually accepts him as Lili.  “We have to let Einer go”, Lili advises her at a sensitive moment, and she does.

         Redmayne is as good at playing a woman as he was in playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, for which he won an Oscar earlier this year.  Vikander is bursting on the Hollywood scene with premium and very diverse performances in Ex Machina, Testament of Youth, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Burnt—all this year!  Both Schoenaerts and Whishaw contribute to the quality of the film in their supporting roles. 

         Danny Cohen’s cinematography and Alexandre Desplat’s music play essential roles in making this a top-notch film.  The beginning and ending scenes of the Danish fiords are redolent with nostalgia and longing, and Cohen’s capturing Lili’s sensual qualities are palpable.  He has received awards from the American Academy, BAFTA, and the Golden Globes for his work in The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Painted Veil and The King’s Speech along with numerous nominations for other films.  Desplat’s compositions always seems to capture the mood and essence of the films he scores, most notably, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Philomena, and he does it again in The Danish Girl.

A film to help you understand and marvel at the power of love.

Grade:  A                                                   By Donna R. Copeland

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Henry Cavill   Armie Hammer   Alicia Vikander   Elizabeth DeBicki   Jared Harris   Hugh Grant

           Brisk, exciting, funny—The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is entertaining and intriguing from start to finish.  Solo (Cavill) pops up well dressed in East Germany in a car repair shop, and has a caustic back-and-forth with the mechanic who finally slides up from under the car.  It’s Gaby Teller (Vikander), whom the Americans and Russians need to locate her father, a missing German scientist who has been kidnapped and forced to work for an evil company that wants to rule the world by developing state-of-the-art nuclear warheads.

           Solo’s plan is to whisk her away and take him to her uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth) who knows where her father is.  The trouble is, they are followed by an amazingly fit, persistent character in a reckless car chase through the streets, and Solo finally has a physical altercation with him.  They do manage to escape, with Gaby none too pleased to be on board.

           When Solo meets with his boss Sanders (Harris) the next morning (in a public restroom no less!), he is astounded to meet up again with the mysterious man who turns out to be a Russian spy, Illya (Hammer).  Woe of woes they are now charged by the CIA and KGB with being partners in protecting Gaby and locating Teller.  Illya will be identified as Gaby’s fiancé while Solo is to go undercover at the evil company and learn what he can from their operation, particularly its current head, Victoria (DeBicki).

         In the process of the operation, we are entertained by Illya’s ill ease in a “romantic” relationship, his deficit in anger management, and Gaby’s delight in taunting and thwarting him every step of the way, such as drinking vodka and dancing sexily in the hotel room when he is trying to concentrate and maintain his composure. 

           Meanwhile, Solo easily seduces Victoria at her lavish Italian villa on the Mediterranean, with no apparent thought about her master plan and the viciousness she is capable of.  She knows who he is when he crashes her elegant party, and is relishing the thought of besting him.

           Casting for the film was spot on, with Cavill showing the right amount of greasy charm, class, and brilliance; Hammer adopting a convincing Russian accent, and achieving the right balance in social anxiety, sheer muscle strength, and competitiveness; and Vikander managing to be sexy, a physical wonder, and always sensible.  The two men’s competitiveness is a hoot, first one then the other being one up.  Vikander fits in easily as a mediator and matching strategist.  I loved the equality among all three characters, with each making essential judgments and suggestions in carrying out their mission.  Sanders, Grant, and Kuznetsov as the CIA, MI6, and KGB agents, respectively, are exactly right as well, although I must say, seeing Grant in that role was surprising, but he did it well.

          Guy Ritchie, the director—as well as co-writer with Lionel Wigram and others—might have an especially clever, charming, and entertaining spy thriller on his record with this film.  The audience in the screening I attended was consistently engaged and responsive.  Cinematographer John Mathieson (Phantom of the Opera, Gladiator, 47 Ronin) deftly wielded the camera, managing to convey all the action in difficult-to-capture scenes, as well as playing up the luxury and elegance of place.

           The film has an exciting end, and a smooth segue into a preview for a follow-up movie.

Clever, well choreographed, and entertaining twists in an old favorite.

Grade:  B+                        By Donna R. Copeland

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH

Alicia Vikander     Kit Harington     Taron Egerton     Dominic West     Emily Watson

This film is truly a testament of youth and an eloquent and moving argument against war.  It is based on Vera Brittain’s autobiography in which a young woman is passionate about being accepted into Oxford, but when her brother and their friends get caught up in the spirit of serving their country at the onset of WWI, she feels compelled to join them by taking a leave from her studies and becoming a nurse in the war zones.

The work of James Kent, the director, has primarily been in television productions (e.g., “The White Queen”), but here he demonstrates that he is well prepared for making full-length drama films, as proven by his being recognized this year with a nomination for Breakthrough British Filmmaker by the London Critics Circle Film Awards.  Testament of Youth is indeed well directed and beautifully filmed (Rob Hardy, cinematographer), with an evocative musical score (Max Richter)—all of which, along with the acting, elevates the production. 

           We recently had the pleasure of seeing Vikander in Ex Machina, Anna Karenina, and A Royal Affair, and her considerable talent and skills are in evidence here once more as a cheeky young British woman, Vera, willing to buck all kinds of obstacles in achieving her goals.  In addition to jumping the major hurdle of being accepted into Oxford as a female, she skillfully manages to get her fiancé to open up to her when he returns from his first stint in the service traumatized by the death of one of his men, and later badgers a commanding officer for the true story of what happened to someone very dear to her.

           Also noteworthy in the realization of their roles are Harington as Roland, Vera’s love interest, and Egerton as her brother Edward.  It’s refreshing to see these male characters supporting Vera’s aspirations and being sensitive to women’s issues, particularly in that day and age.  We know Harington best from “Game of Thrones” where he has been a hit and heart throb.  Here, he is more an artist type like Vera, and the poems of both of them grace the film very nicely.  Vera’s and Edward’s parents (West and Watson) are veteran actors who can always be relied upon to give fine performances. 

           This is a period film of beauty, but with much heartache as the horrors of war are graphically displayed.  It’s plain to see why Vera Brittain, the author of the memoir, devoted her adult life to advocating against war.

Beautiful, moving, and heartbreaking—but oh so real.

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