MISSING LINK

Zoe Saldana     Hugh Jackman     Timothy Olyphant     Zach Galifiankis     Stephen Fry

     Laika Entertainment Production Company is developing a notable reputation for its production design and animation that enliven well-conceived stories and get the viewers’ rapt attention.  Writer/director Chris Butler (Kubo and the Two Strings, Coraline, ParaNorman) and production designer Lou Romano wow us again with artistically drawn images and sets and with a tale full of suspense and adventure (along with some chuckles—e.g., the panicked call that “The people we don’t want here are leaving!”).

     Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman) is trying valiantly to achieve a reputation as an adventurer and discoverer of anthropological links heretofore (late 19^thCentury) unknown. He has received some recognition, but wants the London scientific society to endorse him.  Well, Lord Piggot-Dunceb, head of the society is trying desperately to hold onto the old, standard ways—e.g., that man descended only from great statesmen (not apes, for goodness sakes!), and none of this includes women, etc. But Frost gets Lord Piggot to agree to a bet, that he can prove the existence of an entirely new evolutionary branch, after which he will be accepted into the Society.

     From there, we accompany Frost on a series of adventures—finding the “missing link” in Washington State [an enormous being (Galifianakis) that measures up to Frost’s exact measurements], locating the map to the Himalayan Yetis where “Mr. Link” thinks his ancestors reside—and fulfilling Mr. Link’s desires to rejoin who he thinks are his ancestors.  But a number of obstacles will stand in the way.  First of all, they have to find the map of Sir Frost’s and his previous colleague, Aldous Fortnight’s, joint exploration into the Himalayas looking for the Yetis.  

     This brings him into a confrontation with Aldous’s widow, Adelina.  She’s not disposed to Sir Frost because of their prior association, and refuses to give him the map at first.  Then, when he steals it, she decides she could be useful in the effort and insists on joining the party.

     To add to the intrigue, Lord Piggot has hired a nefarious character, Stenk (Olyphant) to get rid of Foster by any means possible.  He appears and reappears throughout the adventurers’ pursuits, on the scene to the very end, trying to do away with Frost.  The most spectacular and tense scenes come at the end when characters are hanging onto ropes and pickaxes to save themselves.

     The story makes good points in exposing the sometimes underbelly of scientific research—self-serving pride and recognition, exploitation of subjects studied and lack of concern/respect for them.  It pays homage to women who follow men, but have the fortitude ultimately to pursue their own interests.  Most notably, it avoided the obvious pull for a romantic relationship, an expected and tired trope.

A beautifully told story about dedication, commitment, and good will.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Josh Brolin   Tom Holland   Chris Pratt   Chris Evans   Chris Hemsworth   Robert Downey, Jr.   Zoe Saldana

Tom Hiddleston   Benedict Cumberbatch   Chadwick Boseman   Letitia Wright   Danai Gurira

Mark Ruffalo   Peter Dinklage   Bradley Cooper   Vin Diesel   Don Cheadle

     Marvel Comics has gone all out in seeing to it that this rendition of the Avengers franchise thrills, chills, and awes. Surprising plot turns and awesome special effects while keeping the well-known players’ characters doing their thing, are sure to seize audience attention and keep it spellbound. It’s always best to be familiar with the comic book stories, but for those who have only a foggy notion about them and haven’t kept up, there is still much to entertain.

     The essential conflict in this story is Thanos’ (Brolin) attempt to collect all the Infinity Stones so he can rule the world.  He has an agenda; and it’s another case of someone thinking they know what’s best for all mankind.  Thanos has decided that there are too many people in the world relative to the number of resources, so his simple solution is to destroy half of them. That way, the world’s limited resources won’t be depleted.  Keep in mind that he is utterly convinced that this is the only solution.

     It’s rather fun to see all the Marvel superheroes uniting together in their commitment to save the universe from a seemingly invincible monster.  And Brolin plays Thanos with just the right mix of power-hungry deluded, admiration of strength and bravery, and slight vulnerability to love and affection.  He is an ideologue who has supreme confidence in his belief of what is good for all mankind.  One of the creative twists of the writers (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely), is in showing his deep emotional attachment to Gamora (Saldana), his adoptive daughter, whom he rescued from poverty when he was destroying her world. His love for her and subsequent disillusionment is one of the few emotional pulls in the film, which is mainly concerned with the battles among super-heroes. 

     Disillusionment is shown once again when Thanos’ forces are attacking Wakanda, the pristine realm of Black Panther (Boseman).  At one point, the Panthers’ warrior in command, Okoye (Gurira),  states, “When we opened up Wakanda, this is not what I imagined”, to which Panther asks, “What did you imagine?”  Her reply: “The Olympics, maybe a Starbucks…” illustrating the movie’s subtle references to practical and more lofty ideals.

     This is a film for action movie aficionados, and it delivers all to be expected in that sense.  The story, special effects, and cinematography meet these expectations.  But for those who prefer a more subtle, nuanced plot and refreshing character development, it will come up short.  

Action?  Adventure?  Exciting fantasy? You got it with this film. There are other choices if action and extended battle scenes are not for you.

Grade:  B                                                 By Donna R. Copeland

MY LITTLE PONY

Voices of:  Tara Strong   Emily Blunt   Kristin Chenoweth   Liev Shreiber  

Michael Pena   Taye Diggs   Zoe Saldana   Sia   Uzo Adaba

     This frothy confection using a kaleidoscope of pastels is made for little girls who cherish dolls, animals, sugar and spice and everything nice.  Fortunately, it also conveys messages about friendship (“Friendship is magic”), teamwork, loyalty, creativity, forgiveness, and a sense of responsibility for those in one’s charge.  It has bold adventure, excitement, and near-escapes to balance out the sweetness and light. 

     It begins with all-too-true (for females) dithering by the main character Twilight (Strong), the friendship princess, about whether she will be good enough to lead the Festival of Friendship and convince her fellow princesses to exert their magic on the elements to create a successful party.  They look like they might come around, but suddenly the Storm King (Shreiber) and his commander Tempest (Blunt) burst in with the intent of stealing the magic of Ponyville where the princesses and their people reside.

     Twilight steps up to the plate, vowing it will never happen, and recruits her friends to look for support from Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs (Adaba).  Along the way, they will encounter a smooth-talking cat, Capper (Diggs), Captain Celaeno (Saldana) and her pack of erstwhile pirates forced to abandon their adventures and serve the Storm King, and finally, Queen Novo’s lonely, brave daughter Princess Skystar (Chenoweth).  They narrowly escape being sold and must continue to flee, with Tempest and the Storm King in hot pursuit. 

     My Little Pony was originally a television series, “My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic.”  The 2017 film, directed by Jayson Thiessen, with screenplay co-written by Meghan McCarthy, Joe Ballarni, Rita Hsiao, Michael Vogel, and Lauren Faust, is based on an original story by Bonnie Zacherle.  Its appeal is almost guaranteed for young girls, and may still be favorably received by older people who can appreciate its solid messages.  The coloring and animations are first-rate, and the music and songs by Daniel Ingram, Sia, the Lukas Graham Band, DNCE, and CL are lyrical and moving.

     I appreciated this film for its appeal to girls, with its messages about basic values of confidence, fortitude, adventure, and comedy that will stand them in good stead, whatever age they live in.

Young girls can dream of greater and greater accomplishments.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

Chris Pratt     Zoe Saldana     Dave Bautista     Vin Diesel     Bradley Cooper     Kurt Russell

Michael Rooker     Karen Gillan     Pom Klementieff     Elizabeth Debicki     Sylvester Stallone

     The complex action, visually capturing special effects, dry humor, and honest human emotions that were in the first GOTG are just as present here.  Director James Gunn co-wrote the screenplay with Dan Abnett, based on Marvel’s Comics, with credit given to the creators of certain characters.  Tender or heated dramatics with Quill’s curious circumstances around his history help balance the story with ferocious, fast-action battles and the, sometimes, hilarious arguments between protagonists.

     To open, we see a snippet of Quill’s parents during their courting days 34 years earlier in Missouri, his dad showing his mother a special plant that has great promise for him.  Jump to 2014, and Captain Quill (Pratt) and his team [Gamora (Saldana), Drax (Bautista), Baby Groot (Diesel), and Rocket (Cooper)] are being congratulated by Ayesha (Debicki) for doing good work.  Unfortunately, there is a kink in the good will when she discovers that some of her special batteries were stolen.  Feeling betrayed, she and her army are on their tail before long, and when that is a failure, she hires another group led by Yondu (Rooker), Quill’s father figure, to join the posse.  Adding complexity to the plot include mutiny, the resurfacing of Gamora’s evil sister Nebula (Gillan), and the appearance of Stakar Ogord (Stallone) to remind Yondu of his going against the code and the reason for his exile.

     Of course, the pièce de résistance is the arrival of a weird-looking spaceship that no one recognizes.  Out comes Ego (Russell), claiming to be Quill’s biological father who takes him and his crew to his very own planet.  As expected, there will be explanations, exclamations, and struggles as Quill tries to cope with this information and his father’s plans.

     The combination of entertaining characters and their interactions with one another made this film for me, although I did enjoy the special effects, especially the stunning weapons greeting a group of predators who thought they had Quill and his team captured.  The flirtatious teasing between Quill and Gamora and Drax and Mantis, along with Rocket and Groot becoming friends with everyone makes this a fun view.  But it’s more than that; it comments on the human condition in a most entertaining way.

     Chris Pratt shows his talent in combining the traits of a hunk with a genuine, caring regular guy (as he does here and recently in Passengers).  Kurt Russell is on a roll with this, The Fate of the Furious, Deepwater Horizon, and The Hateful Eight; but this role seems more substantive, and should win him more deserved recognition.  As well, the rest of the cast adds color and depth to their characters, contributing to a remarkable film.  And I would like to underscore the artistic merit of the music by Tyler Bates and cinematography by Henry Braham. 

Delightful entertainment balancing emotional valence with impressive special effects.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

LIVE BY NIGHT

Ben Affleck     Elle Fanning     Brenda Gleeson     Sienna Miller     Zoe Saldana     Chris Cooper

Remo Girone     Robert Glenister     Chris Messina     Miguel Pimentel

         Does crime pay?  Live by Night seems to be addressing this issue, but the reasoning and events used to talk about it are complicated.  Joe (Affleck) is rebellious toward his father (Gleeson), a Boston police captain, and a bit jaded after a stint in the Marines during WWI, saying that he is no longer going to take orders from anyone.  As a reaction to these situations, he chooses a life of crime to support himself, much against his father’s advice, of course.  But the irony is in what he finds when he is caught between two warring crime bosses; father figures ordering him around—in spades.  And he also finds that now the stakes are much higher, and his vow not to kill anyone else becomes increasingly impossible.

      Joe is extremely naïve in the beginning of the story, and easily becomes fatefully involved with the girlfriend of the first big boss, Albert White (Glenister).   Emma (Miller) is coquettish and he is easily entangled in her web.  He just about loses his life as a result, but is rescued at the last minute, although he does have to do some time in prison.

        Just why he again makes a bad choice when he gets out is not explained—a fault of the writing.  That is, a boy who seemed to come from a “good” family with basic values is somehow attracted to a life of crime?  There is nothing in the script about the character that accounts for this.  But say it’s simply money; he doesn’t know how to make lots of money without participating in the alcohol trade during Prohibition.  Let’s just go with that.

         Competing drug lords Albert White (Glenister) and Maso Pescatore (Girone) recognize his skills, and recruit him; first, White, then Pescatore.  He is able to keep from killing when he is with White, but with Pescatore, that option is not open.  Not only must he deal with competition in business, but he eventually has to deal with the Ku Klux Klan in Florida.  The ante keeps increasing for this unfortunate character until he thinks he has finally reached a solution.

           Another complication Joe encounters in Florida comes in the form of a sexy Cuban, Graciela (Soldana), who supports pro-Cuba revolutionary causes.  She will be his redemption both emotionally and legally.  At last, he finds through her a path that will free him from his baser instincts.  But there are major twists in the story on up to the end.

         Affleck co-wrote, produced, and directed Live by Night, and after his success with Argo and winning numerous awards, this film is something of a disappointment, which has to do with a host of problems.  The main characters are not well fleshed out; the sound quality makes it difficult to understand the dialog sometimes, and the logic of going from Point A to Point B in events as well as the characters is weak or absent.  Affleck’s own performance is thin, not nearly as powerful as much of his earlier work in Gone Girl, Argo, and The Town, for instance.  Perhaps it’s just a matter of time and attention; he has numerous projects in development and in production.

          Turning in good performances are Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, Ramo Girone, Robert Glenister, and Chris Messina.  Robert Richardson (Hateful Eight World War Z, Django Unchained, Hugo) is a wizard with the camera, and the music of Harry Gregson captures the period.

A gangsta movie for gangsta fans.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

STAR TREK BEYOND

Chris Pine   Zachary Quinto   Karl Urban   Simon Pegg   John Cho   Zoe Saldana   

Anton Yelchin   Idris Elba   Sofia Boutella   Lydia Wilson

          After three years in space, the crew of the USS Enterprise is getting a bit antsy.  Captain Kirk (Pine) applies for the job of vice admiral because he’s a bit bored, those with families are feeling the separation, and Chief Engineer Scottie (Pegg) is dithering about budget problems.  Suddenly, an escape pod appears, and its occupant, Kalara (Wilson) requests Captain Kirk’s help after an alien warlord attacked her ship and captured her crew.

In all good faith, the Enterprise heads to the crippled ship, only to find out it is a trap.  The remainder of the story entails taking on the warlord at great risk, suffering severe threats and requiring all the ingenuity, tactics, and memory the captain and his crew can muster simply to survive. 

          They do encounter an ally in Jaylah (Boutella) when she saves Scotty from soldiers about to capture him.  Her people were already captured and killed by the warlord Krall (Elba).  Much to Scotty’s surprise, she has come upon the Federation’s missing USS Franklin, making it her home, and ingeniously getting key equipment up and running.  Moreover, she has the ability to put a hologram around it to conceal it.

        Star Trek fans will be thrilled with the returning cast from previous films, like Pine, Quinto, Saldana, Pegg, Urban, Cho, and Yelchin (sadly, Yelchin died earlier this year in an accident).  Beloved Spock actor, Leonard Nimoy also passed away this year, and tributes are made to both in the film.  Two new key figures have been introduced, played by Elba (Krall) and Boutella (Jaylah).  

          All the actors kindle the human/bot dramas into a warm and glowing fire, but the film is almost completely overrun by warring spectacles—including, of course, the obligatory hand-to-hand combat.  (How I wish filmmakers of blockbuster movies would eliminate this completely unnecessary motif, particularly in the context of futuristic technology).  The special effects are impressive, but it’s too bad they overpower interesting stories.  This feature clearly marks the influence of Director Justin Lin, known for his The Fast and the Furious action films.  Many will prefer such a hyped up version, whereas the rest of us are more focused on human drama.

A fast and furious rendition of the Star Trek franchise.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

INFINITELY POLAR BEAR

Mark Ruffalo     Zoe Saldana     Imogene Wolodarsky

Funny and tenderly sad, Infinitely Polar Bear gives us a taste of what it’s like living with bipolar disorder as a person and as a family member.  Writer/director Maya Forbes apparently knows of what she speaks because every bit of the film rings true, from the mental disorder, to the kids’ behavior, to the challenges one parent takes on in pursuing an education and the other taking on household responsibilities with little prior experience.  It’s also remarkable in showing the amount of patience, love, and commitment it takes for each person to muddle through.  Finally, it’s refreshing to see a film about a family in which the communication is out front, including allowing the children to speak their minds freely.

           The story begins on a rather pessimistic note with Cam (Ruffalo) getting fired from his job and entering a manic episode.  He is admitted to the hospital where he looks like a zombie at first, but gradually becomes well enough to go to a halfway house.  His wife Maggie (Saldana) plugs away at a job far beneath her qualifications, and their girls Amelia (Wolodarsky) and Faith (Ashley Aufderheide) have to transfer to a substandard school. 

           Then good problem solving gets them on a better—although not ideal—track.  Maggie is accepted by Columbia University to work on an MBA, the downside of which is that she must be away from home during the week for 18 months.  At first, Cam is taken aback and overwhelmed, but Maggie expresses her confidence in him to take care of the girls.  As expected, it’s rocky along the way, what with lapses on Cam’s part, car breakdowns, and the endless demands of keeping up with the dishes and the laundry.  But the young girls admirably step up to the plate and take on more responsibility, which is good for them.  It’s also rewarding to see how handy Cam is in fixing whatever is broken and creatively constructing all kinds of solutions to meet their needs.

           The story ends on a hopeful note, although not with everything tied up neatly with a bow.  But I can say that in the end, we are confident that “the kids will be all right.”

           My hat is off to Mark Ruffalo for being willing to take on a househusband role and be impaired to boot!  And he does a magnificent job!  I hope he receives nominations for such a challenging project.  He and Zoe Saldana work together beautifully and convincingly in portraying heroic parents in reality-based troubling situations.  It is gratifying to hear that young Wolodarsky—without any prior acting experience—nails her role.  It’s in her blood literally, I suppose, in that she is the daughter of Forbes and one of the producers, Wallace Solodarsky. 

           Ah, the music in this film!  Whenever a scene needs it, award-winning Theodore Shapiro  (Hope Springs, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Marley and Me, The Devil Wears Prada) comes up with exactly the right songs and orchestral interludes to enhance the effects of the drama.

An infinitely rewarding film.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland