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

ALOFT

Jennifer Connelly     Cillian Murphy     Melanie Laurent

Aloft, written and directed by Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Lhosa, is a bit of a mess for the first part of the film because we get no back-story and see characters behaving incomprehensibly.  About half- to two-thirds of the way in when we have more history, the characters and their behavior make more sense.  I’ll give you some of that background—without spoilers—because I think the movie is at fault for leaving the viewer mystified for so long. 

Nana (Connelly), the main character is a healer who has had some success, but finds it important to keep her identity as such a secret from the public, partly because otherwise she would be deluged but partly because she doesn’t really want to take credit.  She has two sons, Ivan (Murphy) and Gully (Winta McGrath) who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening tumor.  Ivan is a falconer like his grandfather, and finds it important to take the bird with him wherever he goes.  Because of tragic events in his life, Ivan as a grown man is eccentric and hot-tempered, is married with a child, and falconry is his profession.  The film jumps back and forth in time, which creates more disorientation. 

           Another confusing aspect of the film is that the actor in the role of Ivan’s wife looks so much like Connelly, so it’s not always clear who the characters are.  Sometimes scenes are included that appear to be extraneous, such as Nana’s affair and a falcon getting shot.  Perhaps they have symbolic meanings, but if so, I missed it.

           At any rate, in his adult life, Ivan is approached by reporter Jannia (Laurent), working on a documentary on falcons and requests an interview with him.  When she begins to ask him questions, however, he realizes she has another agenda and he bolts from the room in anger.  As is typical of him, he has second thoughts, and gets back in touch with her, does interviews about falcons, and they make a short journey together.

           All the action takes place in the Arctic and in Canada where the picture was filmed (Manitoba), and cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc (Enemy) takes full advantage of high winds, blanketed snow, and ice-covered lakes for dramatic effect in underscoring the emotional scenes and experiences of the characters.  Panoramas of the landscape are chillingly beautiful.

           Especially in the last half of the story, Connelly (many awards for performance in A Beautiful Mind) shows again that she knows her craft and she and Murphy (a frequently nominated Irish actor) reflect very well their mother/son conflicts.  Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), a French actress likewise popular on the award circuit, provides refreshing relief from the other two characters’ neuroses and dilemmas. 

           Aloft is a quiet, thoughtful film that will not appeal to everyone; the viewer needs to enjoy and feel comfortable thinking about the dialog and understanding the characters.  It does bring up the issue of healing practices outside the medical profession as well as emotional healing, which I found interesting, along with parenting in a family with a life-threatening illness.  The picture it shows of families with a seriously ill child, the desperation they feel and the tendency to ignore the siblings, is entirely realistic.  Something rather disconcerting, perhaps, is that this mother leaves her young children alone far more often than we Americans do, especially those of today.

Quiet and thoughtful in exploring the issue of healing.

Grade:  C                                      By Donna R. Copeland