TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Tom Cruise     Jennifer Connelly     Miles Teller     Monica Barbaro

Val Kilmer     Jon Hamm     Ed Harris     Glen Powell     Lewis Pullman

         As with many Tom Cruise movies, this one seems made for him, although he doesn’t reign supreme all the time.  In the beginning, “Maverick” gets a lot of ribbing as an “old man” from a group of young Top Gun ace recruits, and his superiors are trying to tell him that new technology is going to make him and the planes he flies obsolete.  They’re obviously wanting to get rid of him (especially after he hijacks a plane to prove a point) and finally resort to thinking they will bump him into being a teacher.  Good luck with that—he has always refused career advancements that would take him out of flying.  Hence, he has stayed a Captain.

         The plot is creative in coming up with solutions by which Maverick manages to get his way repeatedly—usually through some derring-do that his superiors must acknowledge is impressive.  Well, OK, so they give an inch, but then, he will take a mile, so to speak.

         This is a very male movie in its illustration of how men relate to one another, especially in groups.  The beginning interactions among them are filled with bravado and macho competitiveness (insufferable at times from a female point of view).  Even the female recruit must do the same to be a part of the group.  Monica Barbaro as “Phoenix” very winningly illustrates this. Authority struggles underlie most of the conflicts.  One recruit, “Rooster” (Teller), has a long-standing resentment toward Maverick for something that still bothers both of them.  We also witness the “star pupil” in “Hangman” (Powell) who seems always to have the right answers and be on the right side, and the nerdy “Bob” (Pullman) who never seems to be able to lay claim to the group.

         I do admire the writers’ (Ehren Kruger et al.) making Maverick’s ingenious flight plan for the primary mission of bombing a uranium plant a metaphor for the entire story.  To wit, expert navigation that takes risks (flying low through a narrow canyon while dodging artillery, then a steep climb to safety (hopefully) using one’s experience, skills, and basic instincts).  These skills are called upon by many pairs of characters in working through their conflicts.    

         The writers beneficially inserted bits of humor and romance periodically to offset the high tension and at times heaviness of the plot.

         Along with the script, direction by Joseph Kosinski and a fine cast help move this Top Gun a step above many action movies that seem to be primarily about special effects and thrills.   These characters really move us and are so well drawn, we want to know more about them.

         Jennifer Connelly is always a joy to see, and cameos by Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, and Val Kilmer serve the movie well.

 

Underneath the blaring sound and visual effects of Top Gun, there are heartwarming stories that portray real human struggles.

 

Grade:  B                    By Donna R. Copeland

mother!

Jennifer Lawrence     Javier Bardem     Ed Harris     Michelle Pfeiffer    

Brian Gleeson     Domhnall Gleeson     Kristen Wiig

      mother! could be seen as an allegory, one about an artist’s insatiable need for love and admiration.  The story begins in an ordinary way, with a young couple, played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem (they’re never given names, nor are any of the characters, making it seem even more like an allegory), living in what looks like an idyllic setting, a romantic old house belonging to his family they are refurbishing—well, actually she’s refurbishing it; he is a serious poet with strict boundaries around his writing room. 

     Home invasion #1 occurs when a man (Harris) suddenly appears at the door, and the poet invites him in, clearly delighting in what he says about the poet’s work.  Sometime after, another visitor arrives, and she turns out to be the man’s wife (Pfeiffer).  Ignoring his wife’s cautions, the poet magnanimously tells them they can stay as long as they please, also ignoring their sense of entitlement and bad behavior as guests.  After two sons of the guests (B Gleeson and D Gleeson) arrive, the family has a major dispute about a will that devolves into a trip to the hospital for one of them.

     After these guests leave, the poet and his wife have a period of blissful retreat, during which she gets pregnant and he finishes a major work.  She is so happy and hopeful, and he seems genuinely pleased.  Then home invasion #2 occurs after his book is published; hordes of fans, along with the publisher (Wiig) arrive to celebrate.  The mayhem is captured in many scenes to come.

     All the while, the house gives off creepy sounds and groans as if it were a character itself; blood stains appear and travel/transform with pungent meaning.  Occult signs and portents are everywhere.  Aronofsky seems to be making a major point about stardom and fandom, how they feed off one another, and how they can go out of control. 

     I’m a fan of Aranofsky, and like the idea of showing so graphically how artist and fan are so reciprocal, how the artist can be seduced at whatever cost, and how the mob mentality of fans seems to have no limits.  But in this film, I think he went over the top in prolonging the invasion scenes so that they take over the movie.  This gets tedious very quickly.  I did get a huge kick out of seeing the fans literally interpret the poet’s words to mean that when he says “share”, that entitles them to have what is his.

     Clearly, Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem pulled out all the stops in their performances.  And Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer, with their relatives (the Gleesons), are able to add a touch of the comedic to offset the horrors.  I wish Wiig’s appearances had been highlighted more, as she is so camera-grabbing in the brief times we see her.

Ah, yes, one of the successful artist’s challenges is managing fandom.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

RUN ALL NIGHT

Liam Neeson     Ed Harris     Joel Kinnaman     Common     Vincent D’Onofrio

 

Run all Night is another Liam Neeson picture in which he might be half dead, but can still manage to be a hero in a gun fight or even pass a physical test of brawn.  Here, he is Jimmy Conlon, a gangster with rivers of blood on his hands, and going into old age with a guilty conscience.  One detective in particular trails him, trying to get a list of his victims.  I understand that policemen often have a case or a few cases that haunt them, ones that remain unpunished and seem to have particular resonance for the detective (observed by Richard Price, the novelist who accompanied crime scene units in New York for years, gathering information for his books and screenplays, in an interview with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air).   Detective Harding cannot even be civil to Conlon in a casual conversation in a café because he’s so bugged that Conlon has been left free.   Of course, Neeson’s character remains his characteristic droll, slight-taunting self.

      Conlon and Maquire (Harris) have been lifelong partners in crime, and Maquire has always said that “Wherever we’re going when we cross that line, we’re going together.”  That cannot possibly hold, however, when sons are involved.  Maquire’s son has taken after his father—although without nearly the smarts and caginess of the old man.  He has made promises to some gangsters that he cannot keep, and they come after him.  He continues to handle the situation poorly, and it results in a bloody mess.  By coincidence, Conlon’s son Mike (Kinnaman) is the driver of a limo outside Danny’s (Boyd Holbrook) apartment, waiting for his fare to return, and has witnessed enough of the melee that he is a threat to Danny.  Mike gets away, and runs to his apartment, knowing that Danny will be after him, so he needs to protect his family. 

      Jimmy has gotten wind of everything, and although they have been estranged for years, he begs his son to protect himself and his family, because he knows how criminals work, and that Danny will be coming after Mike.  But Mike has suffered because of his father’s occupation, resents him deeply, and thinks it best simply to call the police, which is against his father’s advice.  Conlon is keenly aware that his son won’t have a chance of fairness because of his father’s reputation. 

      Indeed, the father is right, and then follows a series of encounters in which father has to save son just in the nick of time.  Not only is law enforcement after both of them (the police have been purposefully misinformed), but Maquire has also sent out his own minions to get them, the most fearsome of all being a thug (Common) with a laser night vision eyepiece.

      In watching films like this, my practical mind always asks questions such as, “in a car chase where the occupants of the cars have guns, why don’t they simply shoot at the tires, rather than trying to play bumper cars?”  Why does Conlon stay silent, rather than explain situations?  Numerous times, he could have explained in more detail to Maquire why Danny got killed, or could have told his son that he left him and his mother in order for them to have a better life.  And finally, Jimmy looks so out of shape, alcoholic, and half dead at times—particularly in the beginning of the film—it’s really a stretch to think that he could even participate in a physical fight, let alone come out the victor time and time again.

      If these and other implausibilities can be ignored and you don’t mind seeing replays of other movies (like the Taken ones), you may find Run all Night to be an exciting film with one catastrophe after another, close calls, and heroics.  And it has the gifted actors Neeson and Harris doing their thing.

For those who like the Liam Neeson genre, you will find this film to be a fine run—all night.

Grade:  C- By Donna R. Copeland