THE PARTY

Timothy Spall     Kristin Scott Thomas     Patricia Clarkson     Bruno Ganz    

Cherry Jones     Emily Mortimer     Cillian Murphy

     This is a British comedy, probably not to American tastes, that presents as a staged theatre production in black and white film.  It starts as a drama among a group of intelligent academic types, and quickly transforms into a satirical comedy.  Janet (Thomas) is celebrating a political victory with a party in her home with close friends after she wins the position of shadow health minister.  With the support of her friends, she has aspirations eventually for party leadership and even prime minister.  Her husband Bill (Spall), a professor, seems a bit out of it, sitting in his rocking chair and drinking wine, until their friends April (Clarkson) and Gottfried (Ganz) arrive and he spends most of the rest of the time talking and drinking with Gottfried.  April is rather cynical, and satisfyingly reports that she and Gottfried are separated.  Gottfried is a “healer” of some kind who always takes an optimistic view of whatever is confronting him; hence his and April’s conflicts.  She constantly puts him down, but he never seems to notice.

     Janet is in the kitchen preparing canapes, while periodically taking calls from an apparent lover, when financier Tom (Murphy) arrives, looking very agitated, disappearing into the bathroom repeatedly, and conflicted about a gun he is carrying/hiding.  The other two guests at the party are Lesbians, Martha (Jones) and Jinny (Mortimer), who announce they are having triplets.  Jinny is the pregnant one, and she also has to disappear into the bathroom now and then, where she runs into Tom.

     The “fun” comes when crises erupt and secrets emerge, which seem to be related to all their relationships.  It turns out that the group is enmeshed with a colorful history that is impinging on their current lives.  As the secrets unfold, we see the reactions of each, and in the process are greatly entertained by their all-too-human reactions and solutions. 

     The Party does not contain profound observations, but it has sharp-witted conversation and striking characters played by top-tier actors.

Sit and enjoy the banter and barbs of long-time friends gathering for a celebration, which gets completely lost in the revelations of so many secrets.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS

Dylan O’Brien   Kaya Scodelario   Patricia Clarkson   Lili Taylor   Thomas Brodie-Sangster   Aidan Gillen   Ki Hong Lee   Giancarlo Esposito

          The title Maze Runner is apt in that the protagonists seem to run during almost the entire movie.  In The Scorch Trials, a group of kids are racing through “The Scorch”, which is desolate, sandy, hot terrain and bombed out cities with buildings caving in, and they have zombie-like beings and others chasing after them for one reason or another.  It’s rather remarkable through all this that they seem to survive for days without much food or water.  The film opens with a group of teenagers routed out of bed and told to run (with the implication they are being rescued).  And in fact, they are taken to a place where someone named Janson (Gillen) repeatedly reassures them they are in a safe place and to “just relax.”  It appears to be true to the starved, beleaguered teens as they are fed and clothed and begin to feel content.  Except…

          One odd member of the group whom Thomas (O’Brien) doesn’t know takes him for an exploration at night that raises his concern.  Apparently Thomas (although unbeknownst to him because something has happened to his memory) is seen as a leader [“maybe they’ll listen to you”, says Newt (Brodie-Sangster)], not only by members of his group, but by others he encounters during the rest of the story.  They boys do find things that disturb them so much they plan an escape, but since they don’t know where they are, they have no idea where they’ll run to.

          And that’s the main part of this drama.  It’s a post-apocalyptic world as told in a trilogy (The Maze Runner) by the novelist James Dashner.  Scorch Trials is the fifth in a series of films based on Dashner’s Maze Runner novels.  This is actually the first one I’ve seen personally, but although there are references to previous events in the series, the film still stands on its own. 

          When Thomas and the others in his group discover that the experiments they are a part of might be dangerous to them, they attempt to escape but must go through the barren Scorch land to get to a safe place they’ve been informed about.  The researchers are hot on their trail, along with bounty hunters and the zombie-like creatures they meet along the way.  The questions become about whom they can trust and whether or not they’ll make it to their destination. 

          Although perhaps not as original as some would hope, the story is exciting and tense throughout, and the production design (Daniel T. Dorrance) and set direction spectacular.  Director Wes Ball, Musician John Paesano and Cinematographer Gyula Pados, worked together in previous Maze productions and all contribute to the quality of this one.  Young Dylan O’Brien—who was Thomas in the 2014 production—is a fine actor who holds his own as the lead.  Other actors (Clarkson, Taylor, Gillen, and Lee) are likewise forceful in their presentations. 

A fast-paced young adult thriller with panache.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

LEARNING TO DRIVE

--> Patricia Clarkson     Ben Kingsley     Sarita Choudhury     Samantha Bee     Grace Gummer

-->

           The opening scene is priceless, and just as the taxi drivers in New York have no idea what to expect when they pick up a fare, so we encounter unexpected turns of events in Learning to Drive.  Wendy (Clarkson) becomes hysterical when her husband tells her he is leaving her (at a restaurant, no less!), and he bolts, with her right behind him.  When he boards Darwan’s (Kingsley) taxi, she jumps in on the other side and gives him hell.  Where do we go from here?

           One pathway follows Wendy as she goes through stages of adjustment trying to redefine herself.  We feel her heartbreak (Clarkson is such a good actress!), and are encouraged by her resolve to learn to drive as one small step.  By chance, Darwan, who took her home that evening, is a driving instructor in the daytime, and when Wendy finds that out later, after her daughter (Gummer) urges her to learn to drive and visit her in Vermont, she relents and makes an appointment with Darwan.

           What follows are cuts between Wendy’s life and her journey and Darwan’s who has his own issues to deal with.  Darwan is a Sikh, and his sister in India is trying to match him up with a wife.  Their stories, which touch on immigration, American xenophobia, marital infidelity, and road rage give the film more depth than we expect in a simple romantic comedy. 

           Probably its strongest asset is its window into multiculturalism and all that involves.  A vivid scene is Wendy’s long drive to Queens, a place she worked very hard to escape and Darwan worked very hard to get in.  Their differences are highlighted in Wendy’s manifestation of a liberated American woman using foul language, aggression, and wit contrasted with Darwan’s patient, traditional, ordered, polite mien.  The beauty—and the point of the story—is each becoming able to appreciate the value of the other.

           Clarkson and Kingsley are gifted actors who can bring to life any character they play, and when they’re together, the result is electric.  Gummer is proving that she has a good share of her mother’s (Meryl Streep) genes in this cameo role (not that she hasn’t had to do something with them!).  I was gratified in seeing “The Daily Show” alums Samantha Bee and John Hodgman spice up the humor with their portrayal of supporting figures.

           I like this film even more in the process of writing this review, and will keep an eye out for more from director Isabel Coixet and writer Sarah Kernochan.

Don’t miss the agony of heartbreak, the rich multiculturalism, and satisfying resolution in this romantic comedy.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland