PARADISE HIGHWAY

 Morgan Freeman     Juliette Binoche     Cameron Monaghan     Hala Finley     Frank Grillo

            This is a crime drama as thrilling as any you would want to see, with the best of writing and directing by Anna Gutto and a cast containing the illustrious Juliette Binoche in a completely divergent role from her past and the inimitable Morgan Freeman being in his quintessential role of the quiet, irritating upsetter.  Close behind them is young Hala Finley who is already a master at showing how children can portray depth of character and artistry while still maintaining childhood innocence.  

            This is not your ordinary crime drama—no screaming car chases, no grossly bloody scenes, no mano-a-mano male combat for a finale—it shows ordinary people confronting life dilemmas and careful, committed FBI work that would do our country proud.  One might think this was not “exciting” enough, but in actuality, it was so intense at times I needed to take a break from my home screening.

            The story begins with a novel characterization of a female truck driver Sally (Binoche) talking to her friends on the road—other female truck drivers—indicating her dubious ties to her brother Dennis (Grillo).  He is in prison, and after a lifetime of protecting her from an abusive father, he is able to get her to help him in alleviating some of the abuse he is experiencing in prison.  This involves her transporting “packages” for him from one place to another.  

            When one of these “packages” turns out to be a young girl (Finley), the plot heats up.  This is especially since the writer of the drama is giving credit to how smart and streetwise young girls from her background are today.  We the audience learn something about the knowledge and understanding victims of poverty and trafficking acquire in their brief lives.

            Now, Sally has to deal with situations in her life for which she is completely unprepared.  For the first time, she must take into account someone other than herself and her devotion to her brother.  That journey will be much more difficult than anything she’s had to face before.

            I contrast this production with male-dominated stories of daring-do in which “action” scenes predominate.  Here, you find two unlikely females developing a tentative bond, an unlikely FBI pair trying to work together, and the unexpected disruptions of a child.  The bottom line is that it becomes interesting—even engrossing—while revealing much about human relationships, trafficking of children, the prison system, and intelligent police work.

            

A thriller well worth your time and interest, Paradise Highway shows us important considerations in life.

 

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDES TO GO FOR IT

 

            What a life Rita Moreno has had—and it’s still going on!  She got a Hollywood Star at age 64, and at 84 is working on a remake of “One Day at a Time”, a Broadway play.  Arriving with her mother in the 1930’s from Puerto Rico on the U.S. shores, Rosita (only later would she be called Rita) was struck by the lack of greenery and color on her approach and a statue of a woman holding what looked to her like an ice cream cone in her right hand.  Little did Moreno know what was ahead for her.

            She was a success right away (“I learned very early how to get attention”), having been spotted by an MGM agent at a New York nightclub when she was only 16 years old. After a brief meeting with Louis B. Mayer, she traveled to Hollywood with a contract in hand, where her mother’s sense of how to make her look as much as possible like Elizabeth Taylor, helped her get cast immediately.  Unfortunately, Hollywood filmmakers saw her solely as a Latina, so there followed countless roles as a beautiful young native girl with an accent.  (She began to realize that it didn’t matter which accent; the filmmakers didn’t distinguish between them.  She only needed to come across as a slightly kooky “other” girl.)

            Moreno hadn’t come across many people to guide her in in the new world she was in, so she stumbled into numerous situations/roles that were great initially, but weren’t the best for her ultimately.  But she was good at realizing what she was being asked to do.  This extended to her relationship with Marlon Brando who, despite all his narcissism, at least guided her into psychotherapy.  That would stand her in good stead as she continued to make her way through the Hollywood scene after she and he had parted.

            It was interesting to me that the filmmakers (Mariem Perez Riers, director) interspersed excerpts of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings into Moreno’s story.  It was a way to demonstrate the vulnerability of many women in the context of male authority/power, which indicated the intent of the makers of this documentary to use Rita Moreno’s life to illustrate the point.  And that is that generations of women are starting to learn how to manage and maneuver themselves through the male-dominated maelstrom of whatever business they are in.  It’s not just Hollywood; it’s almost every major business of today.

            This incredible woman has now achieved EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status.  

 

A fine documentary about Rita Moreno’s remarkable life directed by Mariem Perez Riera

 

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

VANQUISH

Morgan Freeman     Ruby Rose     Patrick Muldoon

 

            Astonishingly clever!  With a cool script, incredible cinematography (Anastas N. Michos) and music (Aldo Shilaku), Gallo et al. have recreated the genre in a very different way.  Morgan Freeman in his inimitable way and Ruby Rose bring it to life.  

            The story begins with headlines obscured by film credits of a hero policeman, Damon (Freeman) being shot and confined to a wheelchair.  Later, when we see his “confession” at church it’s a bit puzzling.  But all will be explained during the course of the movie—the whole movie.

            Damon is sitting on the wharf at his glittering white mansion contemplating.  What is he thinking about?  When he is back in the house, his trusted caretaker Victoria (Rose) appears with her daughter—whom she is devoted to—wanting to serve dinner.  Very soon, it seems urgent for Damon to talk to her.  He wants her to do five errands for him.  These errands are related to her past life, which she has foresworn.  She argues with him, not succumbing to temptation.  He insists, appealing to her devotion to her daughter.  

            She has no choice; he has her over a barrel, so we see her donning special equipment and roaring out on a motorcycle, special helmet on head.  Her assignment is to pick up packages at five locations and bring them to him.  She isn’t informed about what they will be (although she seems to know), but eerily, at every stop she encounters someone who knows her from her past—a murky past.

            Cinematography and music play a dominant role in the plot, accentuating emotions evoked in the viewer.  When the mood is scary, weird, tense—whatever—every element works to bring you along.

            This is a story that, it turns out, is simple and direct, once all the elements are in place.  Maybe it’s one that some people will figure out right away, but I was led down the garden path, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

        Not a great film in the grand scheme of things, but well done with notably artistic cinematography and musical renditions.

 

Vanquish is teeth gritting much of the time, but the underlying story is one of substance.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS

Keira Knightley    Mackenzie Foy    Morgan Freeman    Helen Mirren

Misty Copeland     Matthew MacFadyen     Jayden Fowora-Knight

     The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is just as enchanting as it should be, and involves a twist.  In this case, the traditional hero’s journey is undertaken by a girl named Clara, the girl in Tchaikovsky’s popular “Nutcracker” ballet.  The script is based on E. T. A. Hoffman’s 1816 story (“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”), in which the young girl Clara has a very special Christmas.

     The film opens with the Stahlbaum family preparing to go to the grandfather’s for their annual Christmas party.  The mother, Maria, has died, but has left presents for each of the three children.  Mr. Stahlbaum (MacFadyen) is clearly grieving, but is trying to make the best of it.  Louise and Fritz are thrilled with their gifts, but Clara (Foy) is puzzled by hers.  It’s some kind of egg, and as pretty as it is, Clara, a very smart inventive girl like her mother, sees that it requires a key, which she doesn’t have.  Enigmatically, there is a note from her mother, noting, “Everything you need is inside.”  Then Clara brightens; her grandfather very likely made it and gave it to her mother.  He should have the key.  Now, the socially shy girl is excited about going to the party.

     It’s after that the adventures start.  First, when Clara runs to her grandfather (Freeman) looking for the key, she solves a problem for him and presents him with hers.  He lets her know that she must search, saying, “Some locks are harder to pick than others.”  That will be an understatement!  As she is wont to do, Clara begins wandering around, and comes upon a whole new world, snowy and beautiful, and a certain tree that is lit up like no other.  She spies a key, but then…pesky mouse!

     As she continues her journey through this strange world, she comes upon Phillip (Fowora-Knight), a guard who warns her about going to the fourth world, which is very dangerous.  She’s still curious, and wants to forge on, and the guard is skeptical, but goes with her, more willingly when he discerns that she is a princess.  She knows nothing about that, but along the way, they meet the heads of the three realms:  Lands of Snowflakes, Flowers, and Sweets, and are entertained with a ballet that explains the realms, the fourth being one that belongs to Mother Ginger (Mirren) who has mice attending her and a reputation for being fearsome.
     A ballet is performed to tell the story of the four realms, with New York City American Ballet Theater's Misty Copeland making her debut in a movie as the lead dancer.  She was able to bring in the ABT choreographer, Liam Scarlett, and Director Lasse Hallstrom welcomed their input into which dances from the traditional Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Ballet to include and supplement them with more contemporary choreography.

     The bulk of the story is told by the Sugarplum Fairy (Knightley), from the Land of Sweets.  Whereupon, Clara—who is feeling more and more like a princess and even a queen—decides it is her duty to solve a mystery and do what she can to unite the four realms.  It’s exciting to see Clara come into her own, figuring out what is going on in the four realms, showing bravery in overcoming obstacles and betrayals, and achieving her goal and reuniting with her family as a changed person.

     Disney is often criticized for its shallowness in productions, but I think their story here should inspire young girls while it entertains with enough intrigue, captivating graphics and special effects to please its audience.

An inspiring story with a superb model for young girls.

Grade:  A                                        By Donna R. Copeland

GOING IN STYLE

Morgan Freeman   Michael Caine   Alan Arkin   Matt Dillon  

Joey King   Peter Serafinowicz   Ann Margret   Kenan Thompson

      Going in Style is primarily a comedy, highlighting its three main stars (Freeman, Caine, Arkin), their struggles with aging, and the mixture of easy camaraderie and insults going on between them.  It’s a remake of the 1979 Going in Style with George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strassberg. As in the previous version, to spice it up, a bit of “justifiable” crime antics loosely akin to that in the recent Hell or High Water (at least in its rationale) make it much more interesting.  It plays on the immediate fears of older people today about their pensions and Social Security and the anger toward contemporary banks for their misbehavior. 

     Joe (Caine) is in a bad place because he is financing his granddaughter’s education; Willie has major kidney problems that need attention, and Albert (Arkin) is simply trying to survive.  When the company they worked for, for years, pulls the rug out from under them, they have to figure out a plan.  About the same time that Joe is having discussions with his obtuse, unsympathetic banker who sold him a policy that eventually tripled his mortgage payment (reminiscent of hundreds of such scams in our recent past), thieves hold up the bank.  When they get away with a million plus dollars, Joe says, “Hmmm…”

     The film proceeds formulaically like a comedy show with precise timing of jokes, human interest segments, and clever twists of plot.  A romantic connection is clearly inserted to appease those who need that element.  But the major twist toward the end involves an astute child wise beyond her years.  I guess it was the only way the filmmakers could get out of a bit of a mess, and it will surely please most of the audience. 

     Directed by Zach Braff (Garden State, Wish I was Here), a man much younger than the character and actors, it helps us empathize with so many older Americans who have lost their pensions to corporate thoughtlessness, greed, and bank scams.  Leads Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin are all pros who have worked together previously in various combinations, and they give gravitas to the production.  Strong supporting roles are played by Dillon, Margret, Thompson, and King.  The soundtrack and original music of Rob Simonsen provide entertaining, lyrical tunes as an accompaniment.

An updated, timely version of three old friends’ lives.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BEN-HUR

Jack Huston   Toby Kebbell   Rodrigo Santoro   Nazanin Boniadi   Ayelet Zurer   Pilou Asbaek   Morgan Freeman

          This story of Ben-Hur is derived from the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace entitled Ben-Hur:  A Tale of the Christ, with a screenplay by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, who also wrote the screenplay for 12 Years a Slave.  In this film version, the plot diverges here and there from the novel.   Previous films based on the book were made in 1907, 1925, 1959, and 2003, the most famous of which was William Wyler’s in 1959 starring Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd, which won 11 Academy Awards and became the top grossing picture of 1960.

           In 2016 Ben-Hur, Judah (Huston) and Messala (Kebbell) are brothers, Messala being rescued by the Ben-Hur family when he became an orphan.  This sets up an intense bonding/rivalry between the two, the latter fueled by the mother’s antagonism toward Messala, and her efforts to place a wedge in the obvious attraction between Messala and her daughter.  Embittered and feeling justified in his actions, Messala accuses Judah of treason against the empire and betrays the family who sheltered him.

         Like a coming-of-age hero who must undergo numerous trials, Judah is arrested by the Roman soldiers (he wasn’t guilty and tried to protect the zealot he had rescued who betrayed him), put in a Roman ship’s galley to row for five years, manages to escape during a battle at sea, and is washed ashore near the camp of a wealthy African sheik (Freeman). After saving the sheik’s sick and dying horse, the sheik sponsors Judah’s entry into the chariot race of his life with Messala being his primary competitor.  Messala has now become an important Roman officer in the army.

        Huston and Kebbell show their acting skills in achieving a detectable ambivalence toward one another that comes through as a deep, complex relationship.  Judah is the more secure and insightful brother who was born naturally into a noble family, whereas Messala has stored up years of resentment at their social inequality, despite Judah’s assurances that he is truly a member of the Ben-Hur family.  Messala has coped with his situation by joining the Romans in their brutal campaign to crush uprisings that seem to be proliferating in conquered dominions.  Morgan Freeman as the sheik has the same gravitas that he brings to all his roles.  The actresses are beautiful, but are primarily ornaments without much of a role, except maybe Esther (Boniadi), who is paired with Judah and asserts herself easily when she thinks Judah is not listening to her.

          The story of Ben-Hur is well told with OK special effects, but I see no need for the 3-D version.  For those who are sympathetic to the Christian religion, it is likely to be inspiring as well as entertaining. 

Brother against brother in brutal Roman times.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

NOW YOU SEE ME 2

Mark Ruffalo   Lizzie Caplan   Daniel Radcliffe   Jesse Eisenberg   Dave Franco  

Morgan Freeman   Woody Harrelson   Michael Caine   Sanaa Lathan

          Dazzling sleights of hand, cat and mouse chases, vengeance, and power struggles continue the essence of the Now You See Me films (#3 is already planned).  Revelations about mysteries left unresolved in the first picture are cleverly revealed, specifically with regard to Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman).

        The Four Horsemen of Now You See Me have been in hiding for a year after they robbed their sponsor’s Parisian bank account during their performance in New York to give the spoils to their audience, many of who were victims of Hurricane Katrina.  They have been in training for the next big caper, the details of which have not been revealed.  They’re restless and resentful that the secret society from whom they receive their instructions, the Eye, has not provided them with more challenges.  The sponsor of their original show, Arthur Tressler (Caine) of Tressler Insurance, had not been generous to the victims, so the Horsemen considered themselves Robinhood figures who give to the poor what the rich have withheld.  Now, finally, the magic troupe has plans to reappear by usurping a major advertising promotion by the company Octa in London, 

         But the FBI is after them for their previous heist, along with Thaddeus, in jail for his role in the previous story, and Tressler, who lost millions in one of their heists.  Along for the venomous ride this time is Tressler’s son Walter (Radcliffe) who has a big investment in pleasing and redeeming his father.

         Sanguine truths are sprinkled about through this story to at least give it some depth.  Walter, who has learned from his father the value of secrecy, says, “True freedom is not being seen”, an astute observation of one who wants his actions and behavior to remain anonymous.  Another character emphatically refers to the “power of an empty fist”, so useful in magic tricks.  And finally, in the last few moments, Thaddeus observes that “Seeing is believing…” but he thinks it’s important to ask whether what’s seen is truth or lie.  (It’s noted that belief has ‘lie’ in the middle of the word.) 

        When the film begins, we learn that one of the Horsemen (played by Isla Fisher) is missing, and the team needs to recruit another.  After some disagreement, cheeky Lula (Caplan) is accepted and wins their respect for her skills.  Magic tricks are very similar to those in the first film, and all the actors are captivating in their renditions.  Radcliffe does a fine, convincing job in being evil with daddy issues.

          The last scenes are clearly set-ups for Now You See Me 3.

If you liked the first one, you’ll probably enjoy Now You See Me 2.  If not, skip it.

           

Grade:  C+                        By Donna R. Copeland