TOLKIEN

Nicholas Hoult     Lily Collins     Derek Jacobi

Harry Gilbey     Patrick Gibson     Anthony Boyle     Tom Glynn-Carney

     J.R.R. Tolkien’s image as a mystical figure with a magical mind makes a story about his life quite the challenge.  But director Dome Karukoski and writers David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford have made a valiant effort in capturing his early inspirations (an imaginative mother who home schools her boys in Africa, acts out the stories she reads to them, teaches them languages, and instills in them a reverence for books), his traumatic experiences (deaths of parents, a horrific WWI), and the love of his life, Edith, that almost assuredly influenced his popular and revered works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  

     Above all, the film shows Tolkien adhering to values that were ingrained from childhood, ones so internalized that he was able to comply with his strict guardian’s proscriptions against associating with his love for three years (ages 18 to 21) and risking his life to seek out and protect a friend during wartime. 

     I understand the film is not endorsed by the Tolkien family and his estate, which may put a negative light on it, and well-versed readers of the books may have problems with the film as well—all perhaps justifiable.

     As one not well versed (having seen only a couple of films), I thoroughly enjoyed the film’s sensitivity to the emotional elements and entanglements shown, the artistic technique of inserting graphic memories of his life into Tolkien’s war traumas, and the abiding love story between him and Edith, all of which, I think, have a ring of truth to them.

     Nicholas Hoult (as well as the young Harry Gilbey) captures the role of Tolkien seamlessly, showing all the sincerity, befuddlement, and playfulness of the character.  Lily Collins shows the mischievousness and intellect that must have been Edith’s in the appealing manner intended.  Derek Jacoby’s ingenious cameo as a philology professor is priceless.  

     Much to be admired in this production include the artistic contributions of cinematographer Lasse Frank Johannessen and musician Thomas Newman. Johannessen’s camera serves as a guide throughout, showing devastating images of war, the playfulness of a group of friends, and the nuances of urban and rural scenes.  Newman’s music brings the cinematic and story portrayals together to make an emotional and meaningful whole.

A film worth your while whether or not you’re a hardcore fan/expert on J.R.R. Tolkien.

Grade:  B+                                    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

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

Kenneth Branagh     Penelope Cruz     Willem Dafoe     Judi Dench     Johnny Depp     Michelle Pfeiffer

Daisy Ridley     Leslie Odom, Jr.     Josh Gad     Derek Jacobi     Olivia Colman

            Murder on the Orient Express should be an exciting, engaging, production of a beloved author’s work (Agatha Christie).  Kenneth Branagh, more acclaimed as an actor than a director, fills both roles here, but is not exemplary in either, and perhaps the script (Michael Green) bears some of the responsibility.  A good detective story subtly plants clues, explicates the detective’s reasoning process, and guides the reader along in the story.  But the story here comes across as too convoluted to make sense.  I found a number of problems in this production, foremost being Branagh as Poirot, a role stamped in my mind as a David Suchet character.  Although Branagh attempts to convey the preciseness and impressive deductive abilities of Poirot, these simply do not come across clearly; they’re too English (rather than Belgian), and rather than a neat mustache, Branagh sports what looks like a gray rag across his upper lip. 

            Many of the first scenes on the inside of the train are hazy, dark and difficult to discern what is taking place, despite the work of talented production designer, Jim Clay, and cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos. 

            The fault cannot be in the stars; the cast for this film being a large group of highly accomplished actors, including Branagh, along with Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe, Leslie Odom, Jr., Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley, and Olivia Colman.  Johnny Depp is on the screen only briefly, but plays his role well.

            The plot adheres loosely to the novel, in which a group of passengers board the Orient Express in Istanbul bound for numerous European stations along the way; but the train derails in a storm, and the passengers are stranded until repairs can be made.  During this time, a murder is committed, and with Poirot on board, he is called upon to solve the case, despite his being on holiday.  Earlier, he had been approached by the victim, asking for his protection, because the man was convinced that someone was out to kill him.  The man wants to prevent a murder (his) before it happens.  Poirot refuses for reasons he states very clearly.  When the murder does take place, Poirot must solve the crime, which is the only intriguing part of this film, but delivered in a way that is hard to follow with the flurry of names and historical events.

This film seems to be a big miss for an Agatha Christie story.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland