THE KID

Ethan Hawke     Chris Pratt     Jake Schur     Leila George     Dane DeHaan

     Although pretty much a typical western, The Kid has a few surprising twists and turns.  Rio (Schur) is a 14 year-old boy without a good father figure on which to pattern himself.  But he has read about Billy the Kid (played here by Dane DeHaan) and has a huge case of hero worship.  When he and his older sister Sara (George) are on the run after a tragic encounter with their uncle Grant (Pratt), whom should they meet on the way but Billy the Kid.  Sara, knowing the dangers of information, has cautioned Rio against telling anything about their story, so he doesn’t confide in Billy when they get holed up in an isolated house on the New Mexico prairie, despite Billy’s famous friendly chatter.  Rio does let him know a little of his story, and Billy is immediately touched, identifying with him and giving Rio a memento of their connection.

     Sheriff Pat Garrett (Hawke) has gotten a tip about where the bandidos are hiding, and appears on the scene, capturing Billy and his cohorts.  When Rio and Sara suddenly appear, it’s a surprise to the lawmen.  Sara tells the sheriff that they “got separated” from their father, and are on their way to Santa Fe to find their mother’s friend, and the sheriff—a clearly honorable man with a conscience—offers to let them ride with his train to the place where they will drop off one of the prisoners.  Then he will take them to Santa Fe before proceeding to Lincoln County with Billy.

     Most of the story takes place on these eventful rides, with Sara’s, Rio’s, and even Sheriff Garrett’s lives threatened here and there.  One of the most threatening is when Uncle Grant finds Rio and Sara and kidnaps her.   

     Sheriff Garrett senses that Rio is hiding something, and asks him over and over if he has anything to tell him; but Rio always says no and glosses over the real story.  

     The Kid has all the usual western tropes of gun slinging, posses, a sheriff who attempts to bring justice, etc.; but it also has:  The unlikely friendship between a wanted criminal and a boy who’s trying to figure out morality in life; men talking emotionally about their first kill; and periodic philosophical musings from a sheriff [e.g., “It’s the world we’re in“ (i.e., we’re not in control of everything); "It’s not intelligence; it’s lack of fear”, “It doesn’t matter what’s true; It matters the story they tell when you’re gone.”  

     Director Vincent D’Onofrio and writer Andrew Lanham have created a story with all the excitement and color of a western, but have inserted little elaborations that make it interesting, such as the thoughtfulness and humanity of the sheriff, reflections by men about their experiences of killing, the thoughts of a boy about life’s dilemmas, and the devastation of sexual exploitation upon a young woman.

     Outstanding actors include Ethan Hawke—always superb in his portrayals--Jake Schur as the impressionable but thoughtful Rio, Dane DeHaan as the crafty, teasing Billy the Kid, and Chris Pratt of the Jurassic World, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Passengers world, becoming a bad guy in a western.  

For westerns fans, The Kid has something to offer beyond the usual fare.

Grade:  B                                 By Donna R. Copeland

LEAP! (BALLERINA)

Voices of:  Elle Fanning   Nat Wolff   Carly Rae Jepsen   
Maddie Ziegler   Terrence Scalmmel   Mel Brooks

     Leap! inspires viewers and has messages for children about how to succeed to achieve your dream.  Yes, you need to work hard, maybe cut a few corners (careful!), know who your friends are, have people rooting for you (but not distracting you), and cash in on a lot of luck.  And, by the way, you should be nice to people along the way.

     Felicie (Fanning) grows up in an orphanage in Brittany, with memories of a mother who says, “Never give up on your dreams” and gives her a musical box with a dancing ballerina.  While in the orphanage, Felicie makes friends with Victor (Wolff), a consistent supporter with an inventive mind, and they fantasize about their escape to Paris, where Felicie can pursue her dreams of being a ballerina and Victor his of being an inventor. 

     After being chased by the orphanage staff, Felicie and Victor do manage to escape and make their way to Paris where each will have experiences that enlighten and enrich their lives.  Felicie will get drawn into stealing an identity and bluffing her way into the Paris ballet academy.  Victor manages to be hired by a company that appreciates his inventive skills.

     But along the way, lessons are to be learned.  Because of her sense of wonder, caring, and passion for dance, Felicie gains the respect of the ballet master Merante (Scammell), and manages to trick her way into the ballet academy; but ultimately she has to prove her skills against a fierce competitor. 

     Leap! entertains beautifully, both in story (co-writer and director is Eric Summer with co-director Eric Warin) and visually (L’atelier Animation).  It has excitement, intrigue, and a little humor (reference to a sculpture as “the Statue of Puberty”).  I had reservations about a few things.  Most adults are shown to be mean and ugly, and two of the main characters, Felicie and Victor, adhere pretty much to stereotypical gender roles.  There seems to be at first a tacit approval of stealing, although eventually it is condemned. 

     The French-Canadian film can be praised for showing Felicie and Victor making mistakes, not always winning in their endeavors, and being rash.  It’s nice to see them learning from their mistakes and transforming into more admirable children.  Along those same lines, we see the ballet master Merante transform from snootiness and condescension to someone who is more objective in his judgments and more encouraging to his charges.  Ultimately, we get to witness forgiveness and support among many of the characters.  And it’s refreshing to see two competitors become fast friends.

     Elle Fanning and Nat Wolff voice their characters admirably, and Mel Brooks is hilarious as Mr. Luteau, the supervisor of the orphanage. 

A children’s movie beautifully animated with an engaging, inspirational story.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

Dane DeHaan     Cara Delevingne     Clive Owen     Ethan Hawke     Rihanna    
Herbie Hancock     Sam Spruell     Voices of:  John Goodman   Elizabeth Debicki

       Valerian (DeHaan) is obnoxious as he can be, but I enjoyed the rest of the cast in the movie, the story, and the special effects.  I’m curious about why Valerian is made to be heroic and still be so obtuse.  Does this come from the comics on which it is based or from Besson’s screenwriting?  Valerian’s fellow agent Laureline (DeLevigne) is sharp, emotionally attuned, and a real fighter when she needs to be.  The film should have been named “Laureline Saves an Agent and a Planet.”  Or at least “Valerian and Laureline”, as the comics are titled.

     At any rate, this very expensive indie film must have invested large sums for the portrayal of exotic creatures, Olivier Bériot’s costumes, Hugues Tissandier’s production design, and all the efforts and equipment involved in special effects; an investment well worth it in my opinion.  If the viewer just “goes with it” and suspends reality, it is an otherworld experience with exotic creatures, harrowing light-speed flights through space and falls to the depths of unknown places.  My favorite creatures are the willowy, iridescent Pearls, who are gentle, gentile, and smart enough to acquire knowledge of science and mathematics, and anything else they need to know to reconstruct their planet, which has been destroyed by an ignorant military force.  The pearls—ejected by “converters”—are life sustaining for the people of Mül, and they treat them respectfully. 

      Pearls in the film are metaphors for that which is of value, like the earth and nature.  “We give to the earth what the sea grants to us”, the Mül people say about their recycling, as they deposit pearls into the water.  In keeping with the film’s central message, we find out what happened to the Mül planet, and the ignorance on which the attack was based (e.g., “primitive” civilizations are not as important as ours—a la the current day message, “America First”). 

     Valerian and Laureline are charged with finding and recovering the universally coveted converter belonging to the people of Mül, called the Pearls, which went missing when they were attacked. The converter, which looks like an adorable animal, makes copies of anything it ingests and ejects the copies in endless amounts.  The Pearls give it pearls because they’re essential for their survival.  Others covet the converter for their own nefarious purposes.  The assignment to retrieve the converter takes the two agents through numerous venues—other planets, U.S. military space stations, a colorful “Big Market”, and even a fancy brothel.  Their paths cross those of Commander Filitta (Owen) and General Okto-Bar (Spruell), a Jabba the Hutt kind of character (Goodman), the pimp Jolly (Hawke), and an exotic dancer Bubble (Rihanna).  In the process of carrying out their assignment, the two agents survive life-threatening situations, but eventually uncover the mystery of what happened to the planet Mül.

     Director Luc Besson (Nikita, Lucy, The Fifth Element) wrote the screenplay, based on a French comics series, and although he successfully attempted to recreate some of the Star Wars elements, the dialog lacks the sharpness and creativity of the visuals.  Better editing could have omitted a number of scenes that are extraneous and shorten a 2½ hour film.  DeHaan is miscast as a heroic character, and he comes across as braggadocios and self-centered.  The rest of the cast are highly entertaining, particularly Delevingne, Owen, Hawke, Goodman, and Debicki.  Rihanna’s exotic, shape-shifting dance and song act is a highlight. 

Besson’s adventure is a wild tour of other worlds in time and space.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

CURE FOR WELLNESS

Dane DeHaan     Jason Isaacs    Mia Goth

     For those who love horror thrillers, this will probably fit the bill.  Less enthusiastic fans, however, may find that although it is strong in the mystery that is set up in the first half with fine cinematography and sound, the last half-hour should have been cut, especially since the film is overly long at 146 minutes.  Director Gore Verbinski and the editors also missed a few inconsistencies, such as a car that has crashed way down into a ravine ends up by the side of the road a few scenes later.

     The story starts out well in setting up the mystery of a man dying suddenly of a heart attack after he reads the guilt-ridden letter of a dear friend/colleague who is CEO of his company and who has fled to a wellness center in Switzerland.  Up and coming, ambitious Lockhart (DeHaan), junior employee in this large U.S. investment firm, has been recognized by the board, which forces him by threat to go to Switzerland and retrieve CEO Roland Pembroke, who needs to take care of some paperwork before a merger with another company can take place.  Time is of the essence, because the company’s stock is falling.

     Lockhart hustles off to Switzerland, expecting to bring Pembroke back in 24 hours.  Then events begin to happen.  Despite his pleas for an expeditious departure, the director of the Center, Dr. Volmer (Isaacs), denies his request to see Pembroke.  Told to come back later, Lockhart leaves to get a hotel and return. However, on the way there, a deer lunges into the road in front of his car, which goes crashing down the hill.  Lockhart ends up with a broken leg and crutches, not waking up until three days later and finding he has been admitted as a patient to the wellness center.  Nevertheless, he is still persistent in trying to get Pembroke on the plane back to the U.S.

     Much happens to prevent this, including his being told by Dr. Volmer that he is not healthy and should be treated for all kinds of ailments, which gradually begin to appear.  He continues his sleuthing, finds Pembroke, and convinces him to fly to the U.S.  While the man is packing his bags, Lockhart meets mysterious Hannah (Goth), a young woman he had seen earlier standing on a ledge high up on the castle looking as if she will jump at any moment.  The film enhances fear by showing extreme threat, then bringing the viewer down to reality.

     A Cure for Wellness is good at keeping the viewer engaged in Lockhart’s investigation of the wellness center, how it keeps its residents there for so long (no one ever wants to leave), and the ultimate outcome for this bright, ambitious man and, eventually the whole story of Hannah.  Unfortunately, it evolves into unbelievable theatrics toward the end that become so implausible the viewer disengages with the main characters and leaves the theater feeling exasperated.  Moreover, an added concern is that the film is likely to increase unjustified suspicions toward research in medical settings, another exaggerated sub-plot.

If only filmmakers of horror movies could restrain themselves before entering the absurd.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland