A WRINKLE IN TIME

Storm Reid     Oprah Winfrey     Reese Witherspoon     Mindy Kaling

Chris Pine     Gugu Mbitha-Raw     Zach Galafianakis     Michael Pena     David Oyelowo

     This is a fabulous production through and through.  Based on a novel of the same name by Madeleine L’Engle, it packs an emotional punch in following the arc of transformation in an embittered girl trying to cope with perceived abandonment and possible death of her father.  She has cut herself off from friends, allowed her performance at school to slump, and of course then becomes the butt of cruel barbs from classmates.  Her self-esteem has bottomed out, and it seems as if no one can help her.

     But something miraculous happens that reunites her with her father’s dream and prods her to begin a painful, terrifying journey of self-discovery and acceptance.  This is where film comes into its own in telling a wondrous story, and the filmmakers responsible for cinematography, art and production design and visual and special effects create the magic for us to go on that journey with her.  It will be beautiful, but terrifying and emotional and exciting as well, as we travel through warped space and time.  An end goal of a search to find someone actually becomes a rescue mission (of more than one person).

     Three supernatural beings make their appearance in Meg’s (Reid) life in the forms of the three Mrs.:  Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Winfrey).  They are other-worldly, but present themselves as “warriors who serve the good and right in the universe.”  Whatsit is more human-like in her playfulness and in making errors in communication, and she represents the annoyance of Meg’s mother, her school principal, and friends who get exasperated with Meg.  Who talks in quotes from famous writers to get her points across, and represents intellectual curiosity and and warmth—which is a nice combination.  Which is a guiding force that seems best equipped to get through Meg’s defenses and guide her to a more realistic picture of herself, emphasizing the fundamental importance of faith in oneself and allies sticking together.

     The fantasy has a way of reminding us of current events with some of its principles, such as fear leads to rage, which leads to violence, which leads to darkness.  It has a message about the value of individuals’ being a source of light in dark times.

     The positive messages in A Wrinkle in Time make it more than just a thrill and fantasy; it has substance as well with respect to truthfulness (including to oneself), frankness (expressing thoughts/feeling that need to come out), and self-acceptance (including owning and accepting our faults.  We get to see all the main characters profit from their experiences and introspection. 

      Ava DuVernay can be so proud of her accomplishments in film; it’s mind-blowing to think about how she has ranged from Selma to A Wrinkle in Time, two vastly different genres and movie making.  The three “Mrs.’s” are entertaining and extremely helpful to Meg in their insight and encouragement.  Meg has two other fine supports on the journey; her brother (Deric McCabe) and friend Calvin (Levi Miller).  Her parents (Pine and Mbitha-Raw), both scientists, come across as realistic and loving but with flaws.  Their mixed-race family is inspiring in its inclusiveness; although I have to admit that I was a bit turned off by the “preciousness” of the opening scenes showing the family as more idealistic than real.

     A Wrinkle in Time has some very frightening scenes, so a caution to parents with sensitive children.  They will want to make sure to wait until their child is older, but above all be prepared to discuss the movie afterwards with their children, regardless.  As an adult, those scenes were thrilling to me, and add much to the quality of the film, so I’m glad they were left in. 

A marvelous fantasy based on a beloved book with outstanding visual and special effects and powerful messages for all kinds of children.

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland

SING

Voices of:  Matthew McConaughey   Reese Witherspoon   Seth MacFarlane   Scarlett Johansson   John C. Reilly  

Nick Kroll   Nick Offerman   Leslie Jones   Jennifer Saunders   Rhea Perlman   

Jennifer Hudson   Tori Kelly   Taron Egerton   Garth Jennings   

       The show must go on.  Clever animation and a wealth of songs tell the story of Showman Buster Moon (McConaughey), a koala who has inherited a famous theater from his father, and he is desperately trying to keep it going.  But he has had a number of failed projects and is about to lose it to the bank when he has a great idea for a singing contest. 

          The screwball comedy in the efforts to make it happen include such things as Buster’s secretary Miss Crawley (Jennings) constantly losing her glass eye, which bounces around, landing on the computer keyboard, and making $1,000 into $100,000.  Buster doesn’t find out about this until much later, because as Miss Crawley was carrying a stack of the flyers announcing the contest to show Buster, the whole stack gets blown out the window and scattered by the wind.  Hundreds of flyers all get picked up by aspiring vocalists all around the city in need of cash.

        Sing is animated and all the characters are animals.  There are pigs, elephants, sheep, baboons, giraffes, and an alligator among others, but these are only the main players.  Rosita (Witherspoon) is a housewife pig with 25 kids and an absent-minded husband who takes her for granted.  She is tech-savvy, and creates an automated assembly line at home so she can get out of the house to compete.  Mike (MacFarlane) is a mouse with a Frank Sinatra voice who has a gambling problem, and hence has big brown bears chasing after him for cheating.  Ash (Johansson), a porcupine is part of a duo, but Buster only wants her to sing, wounding her narcissistic partner deeply.  When she gets really into her songs, quills have a tendency to fly out and get stuck in the audience.  Meena (Kelly) is an elephant with a voice, but she is so shy she clams up during a performance, which enrages her “stage-mother” father.  Included is Johnny (Egerton), a gorilla who has great talent for jazz piano, the only problem being that his gangster father wants him to continue to pull off jobs with him.

       When one disaster follows another, and it looks like all is lost, Buster engages the help of his friend Eddie (Reilly) the sheep, who comes from a wealthy family and has a nanna, Nana Noodleman (Hudson and Saunders) who used to perform in operas at Moon’s concert hall.  Buster wants her to sponsor the contest, so invites her to a rehearsal.  Disasters happen, involving all the contestants and those chasing after them, so that it’s doubtful Buster and his hall will survive.

       The primary theme of the film is that everyone involved must pull together to make the show go on, and that fundraising is always something to be dealt with.  Sometimes it also takes boosting the self-confidence of the performer, holding back parents pushing their children inappropriately, and then convincing other parents that their child has talent and needs to be encouraged.

       The film is a bit of a mish-mash in the beginning, and I wonder how many children can appreciate the plot, because it has a lot to do with the “business” of running a theater.  But when the contest and parent involvement begin to happen, the story gets more interesting and engaging.  Writer-director Garth Jennings has conceived of a picture that is ultimately engaging and has good information for children.  The production design by Eric Guillon and animation pull the audience in visually, and Toby Talbot’s music is a running delight throughout.

This is a fanciful animation about what is actually involved in show business.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

HOT PURSUIT

Reese Witherspoon     Sofia Vergara

Reese Witherspoon playing a bumbling cop in Hot Pursuit is a role that should be beneath her after stunning performances in Wild and Gone Girl; yet she is not only the co-star, but one of the producers of this film.  Moreover, the director is a woman!  That writers (David Feeney and John Quaintaine) are still playing into the trite stereotype of women as poor drivers, hysterical, and bumbling just amazes me.  This is supposed to be a comedy—and does have some good lines here and there—but that picture of women is not funny any more.  Absurdity can be fun, but there is a point beyond which it is just ludicrous.

           Cooper (Witherspoon) is a young police officer who is sent to accompany a male officer in putting a couple in witness protection.  The woman will be under Cooper’s watch, and it will be tricky because Daniella (Vergara) and her husband are going to testify against a major drug cartel leader who has just been arrested, so their lives are in danger.  The first problem is that Daniella does not want to testify, so periodically tries to run away.  We won’t say what happens to the husband, but  Cooper and Daniella undergo a series of catastrophes and near-misses on their way to the police station, all the while arguing with each other incessantly.  To make matters worse, Cooper has been betrayed, and the media is reporting her as a rogue cop who needs to be apprehended. So there are fliers with their pictures and media broadcasts telling the public to turn them in.

           The two women do make a good team despite the bickering and minor betrayals, but they also rescue one another just in the nick of time.  Probably one of the funniest motifs of the film is high-heeled Daniella hauling a white(!) suitcase filled with shoes across all kinds of terrain, into her own swanky convertible, in pick-ups, in horse trailers, and through roadside stores with Cooper at her heels yelling at her to hurry.  Hilarious too is Cooper coming to a swanky party disguised as a young boy (following Daniella’s many barbs about her not being girly enough).  So the two stars do have comedic energy and talent; it’s just that the script often goes for ridiculous slapstick rather than clever humor.

A few good laughs, but too many cringing episodes.

Grade:  D                                    By Donna R. Copeland

WILD

Reese Witherspoon     Laura Dern     Thomas Sadoski     Michiel Huisman

Gaby Hoffmann     Kevin Rankin     W. Earl Brown

     A young woman makes a soul-cleansing journey (1100 miles) to make amends and work through a painful grief by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from the southern border of California up to the Oregon-Washington border.  Reese Witherspoon is enchanting in playing the role of Cheryl Strayed, who ventures out with little preparation or training, only a set jaw and little, albeit some, trepidation.  In her favor besides her heroic determination are good looks and a winning personality. 

     Her first challenge is simply loading her gigantic pack and struggling to put it on her back and stand up, which takes several tries.  After she has walked several days, one helpful person helps her go through it and throw out all unnecessary items, and things go better after that.  She has to climb over large rock formations, wade through waist-deep water, and trudge through snow, so lightening it is essential.

     What makes the story so engaging are not only her personal struggles, but the many kinds of people Cheryl meets along the trail, some initially threatening, some clearly threatening, many who are clearly helpful, and even a rosy-cheeked curly-headed cherubic boy who wins her heart by being interested in her and eventually singing her a song.  This occurs toward the end of the trail and precipitates an emotional break-through for her.  Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club, C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria) also hooks the viewer in with his artful way of inserting scenes of Cheryl’s past, which informs about who she is, what she has experienced, and why she is on this journey.  It seems to be a bit of a fad for filmmakers to avoid chronology and jump around in time, which to me is not always successful, but Vallee knows just how to do it so that it adds to the viewer’s experience and keeps the drama moving smoothly.  

     The film is based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Wild:  From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trailway, and Nick Hornby’s screenplay is a finely crafted adaptation of the book to film.  High drama, beautiful scenes of the Trail, and sprinkles of clever humor add up to a very good movie.  Witherspoon’s performance is one of her best, and the addition of Laura Dern as her mother, Thomas Sadoski as her ex-husband, and colorful characters along the trail make for a well-synchronized enactment of the fine script and direction.  Wild is likely to be mentioned more than once during awards season for 2014 films.

Take a hike.  You’ll enjoy it!

Grade:  B+                        By Donna R. Copeland