BEIRUT

Rosamund Pike     Jon Hamm     Dean Norris     Shea Whigham     Harry Pine

     If you go to see Beirut, directed by Brad Anderson and written by Tony Gilroy, you would do well beforehand to acquaint yourself thoroughly with the actor-character pairs, because so many people are thrown at you at once, it’s hard to know who’s who.  This is after the opening scene of an energetic cocktail party gone bad.  No background information is given, either about the story or the characters. So there is a lot of figuring-out to do through most of the first half.  This, along with Mason Skiles’ (Hamm) continuous imbibing of hard liquor brings on a bit of wooziness.

     Skiles has gone into a deep funk and become an alcoholic after his diplomatic sojourn in Beirut where he loses all that is dear to him.  He returns to the States after an international reputation for negotiating, only to form a small two-man company that negotiates between small-town bosses and labor unions.  After his partner announces that he is joining another company, Skiles is suddenly presented with a puzzling offer from the CIA, which is to present a lecture at the American University in Beirut on negotiating.  Beirut is the last place he wants to go on earth, but the timeliness (and probably seductiveness of something more exciting than his boring life) of the charge, along with a first-class airplane ticket, cash, and passport, allows him to be “poured” (alcohol reference again) onto the plane.

     Once there, Skiles has a devil of a time trying to find out what he is expected to do, because he knows it is more than simply a lecture.  Sandy Crowley (Pike) is clearly tasked with squiring him around, but the agendas of three State Department officials is obscure—until it finally seeps out.  He is to negotiate the release of an American (a former friend when he was in Lebanon) who has been kidnapped by Palestinians.  The exchange is to be for one of the men involved in the 1972 Munich massacre.  This means he has to deal with Israel as well, as they are likely to have one of the perpetrators.

     There are additional complexities in the mix that make this film engaging; unfortunately, the viewer is presented with so many puzzles to figure out it simply becomes frustrating.  The filmmakers should have given us more background into characters like Skiles, Crowley, the State Department officials, young Karim (whom Skiles and his wife had sheltered and mentored), and the whole political situation at the time.  When I view a film, I want to be carried along by the story, not charged with figuring out who is who and what is going on throughout.

     The actors are the best part of this film, giving color and fascination to an intriguing subject.  I think we were let down by director Anderson and writer Gilroy, who failed to provide the essential elements to make this a captivating story—which it should have been.  It’s only towards the very end when Skiles is negotiating the exchange of prisoners that Beirut comes into its own.

Intrigues during the Lebanese civil war that should captivate us more than this film does.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

DEATH WISH

Bruce Willis     Vincent D’Onofrio     Elisabeth Shue     Camila Morrone     Dean Norris     Kimberly Elise

     This is a film that will definitely appeal to gun enthusiasts.  It not only glorifies guns, but it drums in the message throughout about how important they are for protection.  Why, a gun can shoot an intruder in seconds, while it takes police minutes to reach you, exclaims the young, attractive gun dealer at the Jolly Roger.  The film opens up with numerous announcements of all the murders in Chicago, saying to the audience, “Be afraid.” 

     Then we get a picture of a golden family:  Father (Willis) a surgeon, mother (devoted and earning a Ph.D.), daughter (Morrone) just accepted by her first-choice university, and loyal uncle (D’Onofrio) who is needy, but clearly loves his brother and his family.  Heinous things then happen to the wife and daughter, leaving the father, Paul, in despair.  He is a successful surgeon used to solving medical problems, and when he learns from Detective Raines (Norris) how slowly his investigations are proceeding and how few murders are actually solved, this, coupled with his guilt about not protecting his family, spurs him into action.

     Paul begins to educate himself about guns and practices shooting.  But he also has time on his hands and starts wandering the streets and riding buses, hoping he will run into a white van with three men inside (his only clue about the intruders).  He doesn’t see that, but he does see crimes being committed and feels behooved to intervene, which he does in a car jacking and when a young boy is shot in the leg by the “Ice Cream Man.”

     His interventions earn him a reputation, which, with his determination in finding the perpetrators in his own case, serves to encourage him in vigilantism.  Now, keep in mind, this is Bruce Willis the actor; he will be imminently successful, will be a perfect shot, and will have the best and biggest guns at his disposal.  What follows is entertaining if you like that kind of story and if you can ignore all the blood and torture that follows. 

     It’s hard to see what the purpose is in movies like Death Wish, which glorify guns and vigilante heroism, beyond that of supporting the National Rifle Association (NRA), which probably helped finance this film.  While the deaths that Paul wreaks seem justified in the heat and emotion of the moment, it sets a bad precedent for execution without the benefit of trial by jury. 

     Films such as this are troubling to me, especially when I hear audience reactions (like chuckles and laughs) that clearly indicate so many do not comprehend the enormity of the gun issue.  This is not “light entertainment”, nor should it be.  The only redeemable aspect of this film is that the acting is very good. 

This is a bad model for anyone to follow, even if you think you can be as successful a vigilante as a Bruce Willis character.

Grade:  D                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE BOOK OF HENRY

Naomi Watts   Jaeden Lieberher   Jacob Tremblay   Sarah Silverman   Dean Norris   Maddie Ziegler   Lee Pace

      This is a very different version of the single mother bringing up two boys on her own than we usually see—either in real life or in the movies.  Susan (Watts) is unconventional in her being consistently late in picking up her boys from school, whistling to them from the car, playing videogames, and so on; but she is quite conventional in her “good mother” role of warmth and nurturance and being able to play and have fun with her kids—the more important things, really.

     Henry (Lieberher, previously in Midnight Special) is a very (unbelievably, maybe?) precocious child who not only knows more facts than most adults, but reasons at an adult level.  In addition, he has a keen sense of fairness and ethical principles.  He’s not obnoxious, though, because he’s so sincere and thoughtful of others.  His younger brother Peter (Tremblay, previously in Room) is a great counterpart in his sweetness, but it’s nice to see his spunk and competitiveness with his older brother. 

      So this family is tumbling through life, mostly enjoying it, and trying to be helpful to others.  Susan has a co-worker at a coffee shop (Silverman), who clearly needs her support.  Henry has to rescue his brother from bullies at school.  But what puts the intrigue of the story in motion is Henry’s observation of his schoolmate Christina (Ziegler) next door with her stepfather, Mr. Sickleman (Norris), the city’s police commissioner.  From what Henry can glean from his online searches and books, Christina is suffering from abuse.  There has already been an incident in the grocery store observed by Henry and his mother, where a man was being abusive to a woman, and Susan advises Henry not to try to intervene by telling him, “It’s not our business”; it could provoke more violence.  But Henry is not convinced, saying that apathy, not violence, is the worst thing in the world.  He then proceeds to devise a plan whereby Christina can be rescued.

      Something happens, and Henry cannot enact his plan, but he has given Susan the most detailed instructions as to how she can see to it that Christina gets the help she needs.  This is the action of the story, filled with suspense, and keeping the audience on edge.

Director Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed) knows very well how to direct movies with drama that have some thrill to them.  His team of Michael Giacchino (music) and John Schwartzman (cinematographer), along with others, add measurably to the production. 

      Although the script is very good in terms of entertainment and capturing the imagination, I think Gregg Hurwitz made a mistake in putting adult words and concepts into a child’s role, and making him, in psychology parlance, a “parent child.”  This doesn’t usually work out so well in real life as it does in this film.  The script is also weakened by the gaps in Henry’s story.  I can’t say more, but that was jarring to me.  On the other hand, the insertion of precursors like Susan’s whistle, her penchant for videogames, and Henry’s class report on legacy are clever in their prescience.

      Naomi Watts is a solid performer who consistently gets good reviews, and she deserves it as well for her work here.  She’s such a natural in relating to children, and her tremulous standing up to Mr. Sickleman is outstanding.  To be commended are the two boys playing her sons, Jaeden Lieberher and Jacob Tremblay.  They seem to understand intuitively what is called for, and they produce it naturally.  Dean Norris knows very well how to play the villain (“Under the Dome” and other TV series), and his portrayal of the bully and reactions of surprise and concern ripple through his face so tellingly.  I’m not sure why the Silverman character was included; although she played her part very well, the character seemed extraneous to me.

     Although I liked The Book of Henry in many ways (directing, music, cinematography, actors, entertainment), there are parts of it that seem over the top.  For instance, I mentioned the portrayal of children.  The most galling was catapulting poor Henry (basically, a wonderful boy) back in the traditional role of a dominant husband over a submissive wife.  “I must tell you exactly what to do and you must follow my instructions implicitly.”  “Pay attention to our finances!  You don’t even know what we are worth.  I’ve made all this money so you don’t have to work any more.”

      This movie will be applauded by those taken in by the romantic story that children can be as wise as adults, but don’t you believe it.  Even the writer of this script hedged on that.

An entertaining—even exciting—movie, if you don’t think too hard.

Grade:  C+                          By Donna R. Copeland

FIST FIGHT

Charlie Day     Ice Cube     Christina Hendricks     Tracy Morgan     Jillian Bell     Dean Norris

     This is one of the most pathetic, obnoxious films I’ve ever seen.  It’s hard to know where to start.  It pains me to learn that it is supposed to be a comedy.  Mr. Campbell (Day) is an English teacher in a high school completely out of control where students are able to put porn on TVs, use their cell phones to disrupt a video on the Civil War, write obscene remarks on a teacher’s blackboard (which are not erasable), spray the hallway floor with oil, and so on.  (Hopefully, you don’t know of any school in the world like this, and that it’s completely a product of the filmmakers’ minds.)  Campbell is a nice guy, but on the wimpy side, who is not averse to being sneaky—both of which he is accused of by everyone.  He gets framed right and left, but often because he simply doesn’t stand up for himself.

     He is a perfect foil for the teacher-bully at the school, Mr. Strickland (Ice Cube), who is able to maintain authority simply with a loud, commanding voice and penetrating stare.  Strickland is a good example of how this kind of authoritarianism is ineffective at best and abusive at worst.  He is also primed to single people out with pointed finger to blame for his troubles.  He’s still a (very) big kid with poor impulse control.

     The basic scenario of the film is that these two characters get cross-wires with each other, abetted by the students, but aided by their own poor problem-solving skills.  They have regressed to the point that the bully insists on the wimp coming outside after school for a fistfight (Fist Fight; get it?).  “We’re gonna handle this like real men”, says Strickland.  Real men?  Not!

     To add “spice” to the drama, the script calls for the school counselor to be the hopeless counselor who does drugs and flirts with a student, and another (Hendricks), who whips out a knife, wanting Strickland to use it on Campbell. 

     I always dread films that have school or psychology as subjects because Hollywood is notorious for mishandling and miscasting them.  Here, most of the students look like they’re at least in their twenties (making the action even more absurd), and the adults behave like children with poor impulse control who resort to outright lying when confronted.  Fist Fight models such a bad school environment it becomes absurd. 

     But the most disturbing experience of the screening is that a significant number of people in the audience, laughed throughout and applauded at the end.  I wonder, “Who are these people?  Do they not grasp the importance of modeling in films?  Do they think it’s hilarious when mobs egg on two people to fight one another, even when there’s a mismatch?”

Fist Fight is not recommended for anybody anywhere anytime.

Grade:  F                                               By Donna R. Copeland

REMEMBER

Christopher Plummer     Martin Landau     Dean Norris     Henry Czerny     Jurgen Prochnow

            The star of Remember is Zev (Plummer), an elderly man with dementia.  He is in a nursing home, and has trouble remembering that his wife recently died.  He has made friends with another resident, Max (Landau), who has secretly sent him in search of a Nazi who was a block commander at Auschwitz, someone they both knew during WWII and feel is responsible for killing Max’s and Zev’s families.  The man named is supposed to have stolen a Jew’s identity after the war in order to leave Germany and settle in the U.S. as ‘Rudy Kurlander.’  Max has tracked down four people with the name ‘Kurlander’, given Zev detailed instructions on how to get to each one, and when he recognizes the man they are looking for, Zev is to kill him. 

            The film has a number of problems, the most salient being that the character as written, Zev, is not convincing as someone with dementia.  He remembers a number of things, such as who his son is, and somehow manages to travel by train, bus, and taxi to four different cities—even one in Canada where he must navigate the border.  I think that even those in the beginning stages of dementia would have major difficulties in managing such a trip, all the while keeping track of Max’s letter and cash and following his instructions.  Contradictions like these abound; at times, he cannot even remember who Max is, and has to have someone read the letter to him.

            The cast is good—particularly Plummer, who is the whole reason for seeing Remember.  He is captivating, even with the faulty script and editing.  The film does a good job in “leading the audience on” in such a way that you’re intrigued as to exactly what Zev’s mission is, and including scenes with drama and even playfulness when Zev is talking to children.  Landau is also very good in conveying critical importance to the mission he sends Zev on and reminding him to honor his promise.

            Atom Egoyan is known for his earlier work (The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica), for which he received awards, but his films since then have not been acclaimed.  His collaboration here with writer Benjamin August is not much help, and is more of a step away from quality filmmaking.  The plot simply does not hold together. 

            The surprising turn of events at the end of Remember make for a climactic conclusion, but it’s a little rushed and is not related enough to the rest of the story to make it logically grounded.

Plummer as someone with dementia is a testament to his acting skills, but weak screenplay and editing detract from the film Remember.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

SECRET IN THEIR EYES

Chiwetel Ejiofor   Julia Roberts   Nicole Kidman   Michael Kelly   Dean Norris   Alfred Molina

          Secret in their eyes is a real thriller and horror story marked by obsessions, compulsions, and over-reactions.  It opens in the present, but now and then goes back 12 years to a time when Ray (Ejiofor), Jess (Roberts), Claire (Kidman), Siefert (Kelly), Bumpy (Norris) and D.A. Morales (Molina) all worked in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.  At that time, the daughter of Jess was brutally murdered, and although much effort was put into finding the killer, they were unsuccessful.

              Ray and Jeff and her daughter were good friends, and unbeknownst to anyone else, he spent the 12 years looking at police mug shots in hopes of finding the perp.  He is convinced that the man was a guest at one of their office picnics where a group picture was taken, but no one in the office admits to knowing him much less inviting him.  Ray’s persistence and intimidation eventually yields a name, Marzin (Joe Cole) and although Ray has only come back as an FBI contractor to seek out terrorists, he talks the present #2 person in the office, Claire, into allowing him to do police work on the case on the QT. 

            Nevertheless he runs into major resistance by Kelly and Morales who are using Marzin as an informer.  The time is shortly after the 9/1/1 terrorist attack, and they are convinced that Marzin has a major lead into a second planned attack. 

              Obsessed, Ray continues to pursue Marzin and convinces Claire and Jess that he is the one.  An interrogation of Marzin by Ray and Claire (a horrific and hilarious interchange) seems to yield a confession.  But the plot is just heating up.  Morales gets word of their undercover work and in no uncertain terms makes them let Marzin go free.

             After that, there are still fits and starts in the case, but major revelations will ensue that will be shocking.  In this respect, Secret in their Eyes is well conceived and it certainly is exciting and interesting.  It’s too bad Director Billy Ray and his team did not give more thought to how they portray police work; poor judgment and repeated breaching of professional boundaries on the part of the main characters detracts from the quality of the work.  I regarded a couple of items as cheap tricks; namely, lurching back and forth between two time periods rather than proceeding chronologically, making the plot more confusing; and divulging information clearly intended to lead the viewer to a false conclusion. 

        Moreover, I found the implicit approval of ignoring proper channels for justice objectionable.  Those channels and boundaries are based on good judgment and portraying characters as heroic when they go beyond them seems unwise on the part of filmmakers simply for thrills. 

             Despite the weaknesses in plot, the actors do a superb job in their roles.  Roberts’ portrayal of a grieving mother who shows ambivalence in bringing up the case again and her role, if any, in it is finely done.  Ejiofor and Kidman are likewise fine individually, but the chemistry between them is so diluted, it’s impossible to see them as having a torch for one another.  That part seemed like an add-in because someone thought they needed a romantic touch somewhere.  Molina is appropriately terrifying in his portrayal of a man obsessed in preventing any more terrorist attacks, and Kelly and Norris lend major support in their roles.

We could call this a thriller with fine actors; you just need to overlook some flaws in the plot.

Grade:  C                                        By Donna R. Copeland