THE TRANSPORTER REFUELED

--> Ed Skrein     Ray Stevenson     Loan Chabanol     Gabriella Wright

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           Fast-paced action and full of special effects, wild gunfire, and spectacular car chases, Transporter Refueled doesn’t contain much that is surprising, but it is done with style, sometimes in the most elegant of places.  (It was filmed in France, including Paris.)  Although this is the fourth in a series of Transporters (referring to one who transports packages for unknown clients), it stars for the first time Ed Skrein as Frank Martin reprising the role made famous by Jason Statham.  The terms of the transporting contract are succinctly spelled out:  No changing the deal, no opening the package, and the identities of the players are withheld. 

            In this feature, Frank takes on a job that involves highly skilled attractive women out for money and revenge.  All he knows is that he is supposed to transport two packages and take them in his car to a certain destination.  Little does he know what he is getting into, nor that it will also involve his father, Frank Martin senior (Stevenson).  The two had been looking forward to some father-son bonding for the weekend, but that will be delayed.

           In addition to hand-to-hand combat and firing weapons, the action includes a car driving up airport loading docks and through the lobby, eventually flying through the air and landing on all four wheels upright.  This is in addition to two people who have to escape from a plane while it’s rolling down the runway.  Skrein steps into the hero role with ease, carrying just the right amount of iciness, muscle power, and passion to be convincing.  Of course, typical of this genre, the hero can do away with four, five, six bruisers all by himself.  Frank’s humanness comes through especially when he is with his father.  He cares so much about him, he’ll risk his life for him, and still, they have arguments and digs at each other that are typical father-son exchanges, slightly aggressive, impatient, and sometimes funny. 

           The group of women, led by Anna (Chabanol), have interesting back stories, and perform actions that in the past were mostly reserved for men, e.g., combat, electronics, and bank heists.  Chabanol (Fading Gigolo, Third Person) is early in her acting career, but she has other talents too in modeling, art, and writing.  In Anna, she fits the role well in its requirement that she be mysterious, crafty, physically tough, AND beautiful. 

“Packages” get delivered; revenge is bittersweet. 

Grade:  C+                                                                        By Donna R. Copeland

A WALK IN THE WOODS

Robert Redford   Nick Nolte   Emma Thompson   Mary Steenburgen   Nick Offerman   Kristen Schaal

           A Walk in the Woods is literally like a walk in the woods with entertaining companions and sometimes annoying, sometimes helpful, meet-ups on the trail.  Based on a memoir by Bill Bryson, the film shows Bill (Redford) as a little bored with his easy life and hatches the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail, which his wife (Thompson) begs him not to do, but if he insists, to take someone with him.  After calling numerous friends, he is not able to find anyone until his old, currently estranged, friend Stephen (Nolte), hearing about the invitations via the grapevine, calls him up and invites himself along in such a way Bill cannot gracefully refuse.  And since he is a kind, thoughtful, well-educated soul—and a little desperate—he agrees Stephen should come.  (The film is remarkable in its portrayal of Bill as ambivalent; he’s not able to forsake his good breeding and principles, even though he is often repelled by the crudeness of Stephen.  But the ending shows a resolution of this ambivalence in a warmly human way.)

           We get our first introduction to Stephen when he arrives in a small plane, can barely fit through the door but gets through, dropping hat and bag, huffing and puffing, and stumbling out.  When he walks, he has a noticeable limp.  Again, Bill is the epitome of politeness and patience, and you shiver to think how these two are going to hike—not just walk—such a challenging route.

           Of course, they will have many adventures and misadventures both on the trail and in towns along the way, many of which are laugh-out-loud humorous and some actually life-threatening.  Stephen is the perfect foil for the refined Bill, by observing and talking crudely about things in the past and present that may appear to be obvious, but would ordinarily be brushed away by Bill.  Therein lies some of the value of this story—that Bill seems to be learning, as he has done all his life, from new experiences; yet tolerates Stephen, seldom losing patience with him.  Even when Stephen pokes fun at Bill’s intellectual sharpness and knowledge, Bill recognizes the good in Stephen and appreciates it.

           Part of the reward of this film is watching gifted experienced actors like Redford and Nolte doing what they do best.  They know the characters they’re portraying, and fit with them hand-in-glove.  The director, Ken Kwapis (Big Miracle, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and writers Rick Kerb and Bill Holderman do fine work in interspersing comedic moments into the action when it gets strenuous or alarming, and bringing in novel elements to keep us watching.  For instance, one of my favorite character artists is Kristen Schaal, who appears on the trail as Mary Ellen, the “expert” in hiking who has no sense of tact or personal engagement.  She does it so well, we—like Bill and Stephen—want to get away from her as fast as we can.

           I think this film did what it set out to do, and the music by Nathan Larson and cinematography by John Bailey nicely complement the story.  I understand Hollywood is attempting to increase appeal to older audiences which comprise a growing percentage of the theater going public (e.g., I’ll See you in my Dreams), and A Walk in the Woods fits nicely in that genre.

A walk in the woods to remember.

Grade:  C                        By Donna R. Copeland

MISTRESS AMERICA

--> Greta Gerwig     Lola Kirke

-->

           Mistress America is the name of a short story one of the two main characters, Tracy (Kirke), is writing during her first year of college.  It’s about a new friend she has just met, Brooke (Gerwig), who will eventually be her half sister when their two parents get married.  The twist is that Brooke is unaware of Tracy’s using her as a main character in her story.  This turns out to be a big deal toward the end, which makes me think that Noah Baumbach (director) and Greta Gerwig (writers) intended this to be a point of discussion, not only during the film but later among viewers as well.  He has been writing and directing for years (While We’re Young, Frances Ha, Greenberg, The Squid and the Whale), sometimes with her collaboration, and presumably they’ve had to deal with this issue in their own lives.

           In this comedy/drama, Tracy is having a pretty miserable time in her first year of college in New York City, and when her mother urges her to get in touch with her fiancé’s daughter, Brooke, who is older and has been in the city for a while, Tracy follows through.  The two meet and hit it off right away; Tracy is fascinated with vivacious Brooke, and sees her as having all the personal qualities she herself lacks and wishes she had.  Interestingly, as time goes on, she “adopts” some of these qualities and becomes more self-assured and confident in the process.

           Brooke has numerous of money-making projects on the burner at any one time, the most important at the moment being that of opening up a restaurant with her fiancé (whom we never meet because he’s overseas) to be called “Mom’s.”  To do this, they need a number of investors, which introduces all the main characters into the plot, including one of Brooke’s old friends, Mamie-Claire (Heather Lind) and her husband, Dylan (Michael Chernus) whom Brooke was previously engaged to.  Brooke has been left feeling that Mamie-Claire and Dylan both “owe” her, and since they have money, she decides to visit them—along with an entourage of Tracy, Tracy’s friend who has a car, and his clingy girlfriend.  Particularly when they’re all together in this luxurious home, the movie turns into a stage play, which might be a drawback to some, but didn’t bother me. 

           Mistress America is primarily a comedy showing the quirks and foibles between couples and friends and common sources of conflict such as jealousy, competition, ownership, and attention.  Many will enjoy the dialog, but it came across as too artificial and glib at times, and the thought occurred to me that people just don’t talk that way in real life.  Nevertheless, the film will appeal to many for a light, enjoyable evening out and the possibility for some serious discussion afterwards.

Be cautious in making short stories out of the lives of people you know.

Grade:  B                                                                   By Donna R. Copeland

NO ESCAPE

Lake Bell     Owen Wilson     Pierce Brosnan

           There is no escaping the relentless strain of one close call after another in No Escape.  It starts out with gunfire and a slit throat, which should tell you something about what is to come.  The premise of the film is a good one; after his business fails, Jack Dwyer (Wilson) takes his family to his new job in an unspecified Asian country completely unaware of the political unrest brewing.  The natives are wising up to big companies coming into their country and exploiting them (e.g., privatizing their water supply on the stated intention of water purification), the business of Jack’s new company.  As soon as the Dwyers (Bell as Annie) arrive in the country and register in a hotel, the gunfire starts, phones don’t work, and snow comes on the TV.  A coup is suddenly taking place.

           But throughout the rest of the film the Dwyers with their two young girls in tow, are running, running, running, jumping from one building to another, hiding underneath something to avoid the mobs and gunshots, fighting (literally) for their lives, and trying to strategize plans and make their way to safety in a city completely new to them.  Not much happens beyond the close calls.  Hammond (Brosnan), whom the Dwyers meet on the plane when one daughter asks about his scars, is a mysterious fellow who magnanimously offers them a ride to their hotel, and suddenly reappears just the nick of time on several occasions.

           Owen Wilson is much better known for lighter roles (except for Behind Enemy Lines), but steps up to a more complicated role here of being a nice guy, good husband and father, and then compelled to protect his family at all costs.  He and Bell have good chemistry as a husband and wife, and both actors are exemplary in their performances.  Brosnan is perfect for his (by now expected) role of someone who is ambiguous initially, but ends up being a hero.

           My problem with this film is the script.  I cannot see the purpose of a movie that has one close call after another for the entire film.  There is little comic relief or even dialog that reflects the humanity of anyone, except perhaps for a conversation between Jack and Annie toward the end.  The Dwyers are constantly quarreling with one another about strategy, and the kids’ roles seem like they’re written by someone who doesn’t know kids at all.  The girls—especially the older one—end up being rather annoying—which shouldn’t happen in this kind of film!

           How much better it would have been if the writer/director John Erick Dowdle (written with his brother and producer Drew) had offered more background on Jack’s new company, on the brewing unrest within the foreign country, of Jack’s failed business, and the relationship between Jack and Annie before the action, all of which could have eliminated some of the too numerous close calls and senseless violence.  As it is, the film goes far beyond plausibility.  And as an aside, who would go to live in a foreign country without making any attempt to learn a few basics about the language?

Moviegoer beware unrelenting violence of almost every kind.  This is an action film with little else.

Grade:  C-                        By Donna R. Copeland

AMERICAN ULTRA

--> Jesse Eisenberg   Kristen Stewart   Topher Grace   Connie Britton   John Leguizamo   Tony Hale

           We meet Mike (Eisenberg) and Phoebe (Stewart) when they’re at the airport waiting to board their plane for a vacation in Hawaii.  That is, we meet Phoebe waiting intently; Mike is in the men’s room in the midst of a panic attack.  It’s clear he’s a bit of a wuss and a stoner, but Phoebe is incredibly patient with him until they get back home and the trip has been aborted.  Then he begins to fray on her nerves.  Without knowing much about the film beforehand, one would think this is going to be a love story in which he learns to step up to the plate.

          But soon after, mysterious (dangerous) things begin to happen.  A strange older woman comes into the cash and carry store where he works, and seems to be giving him a warning, but it’s all gobbledy gook to him, and he just thinks she’s strange and needs to go—which she does, leaving behind the soup and drink she had picked up to buy.  Then he sees two men messing with his car, and he goes out to run them off, but they have guns and his life is in danger. 

           Obviously, there is more to this than a simple love story; it involves the CIA’s secret operations and revelations about Mike’s own past, as well as others’.  It’s a bit disorienting to notice that he often seems clueless, but somehow he knows how to handle himself in a fight, and has background knowledge about things he has no recollection learning.  Through it all he is resistant to take action except when he is threatened, and uppermost in his mind is getting to go back home with Phoebe.

           As the revelations keep coming, and his life is threatened more and more, he learns something about Phoebe that makes him question even her and her motives.  And you really wonder whether this man is going to survive at all.

           But Eisenberg, who has received high marks in a number of hits (The End of the Tour, The Social Network, Zombieland, The Squid and the Whale) is a wonder in pulling off his character in American Ultra.  At times, addled, neurotic, and clumsy, he still is able to make Phoebe laugh at his humor (he even draws cartoons) and see him as the kindest person alive.  And then you the viewer watch him in combat, and go “Whoa!”

           Stewart is impressing most viewers with her talent recently (namely in Clouds of Sils Maria and Still Alice), and she is just as good here, merging into a more and more complex role as the story proceeds.  She is essential in helping us see Mike’s character.

           Smaller, but critical roles are played by Connie Britton, Topher Grace (ah, how you’ll love to hate him!), John Leguizamo (as a colorful paranoid drug dealer with good intentions), Walter Goggins (who ever heard of a bad guy who breaks out in peals of laughter?), and Bill Pullman (who gives an ugly twist to government insurgence.

          Although this film directed by Nima Nourizadeh is clearly meant to be a fun caper—which it is!—it does make serious statements about the U.S. government and its recent history of overstepping boundaries and keeping tabs on American citizens.  So with the spoof, maybe we need to keep a vigilant eye on its workings.

Surprises keep unraveling in this “love story” within an action film.

Grade:  B                        By Donna R. Copeland

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL

--> Bel Powley     Alexander Skarsgard     Kristen Wiig     Christopher Malone

-->

           The execution of Diary is vey well done--artistically and movingly rendered; however, the way the material is handled by writer/director Marielle Heller leaves much to be desired. Apart from the beautiful palette, the clever animated cartoons, and the appealing main character, the story turns out to be a sad, sordid one with no responsible adult in sight.  And because of that, it's hard for me to believe a young woman could turn out as well as the protagonist does in the film. More likely she wouldn't be able to rise above her experiences and learn from them--as Minnie did--or worse could have resorted to more desperate measures to escape her life.

           The three main actors—Powley, Skarsgard, and Wiig—are gifted in their art and seamlessly portray their characters here.  As Charlotte the mother, Wiig shows her to be so narcissistic and shallow it's impossible for her to provide maternal care and devotion to her two daughters, despite her good looks and charming personality.  She has even conveyed to her older child that Minnie will never measure up to her, particularly in looks.  And in the end she has a plan for Minnie that will make her to be just as unhappy as she is.

           Skarsgard aces the role of the immature male Monroe who seems only to have enough ambition to retire early. He's always ready with an excuse for his bad behavior ("I have needs too" "I'm only human"), usually in the realm of blaming others.

           Powley is amazing in her characterization of confused teenager Minnie needing guidance but not realizing it. She's able to be the sexy young woman and child of wonder, while still posing existential arguments within herself.  

           While the actors are very good, this is a difficult film to watch.  It’s like reading someone else’s diary and feeling like a snoop.  Yet, I believe that it is a realistic picture of how a budding young girl and an older man can get started in an affair, especially in the context of an oblivious mother and an undisciplined man.  Only once is there a responsible adult intervening (and even he does not discuss what he has found out with the girl; he tells her mother, his ex-wife) and at no time is statutory rape mentioned.  The girl is left to figure things out for herself on her own.

           Diary was a hit at Sundance, and it’s praised for giving a tell-all account of a teenage girl’s life.  I just wish some material had been included that would show some positive influences on Minnie to help her get to the place she did.

A peek at a teenage girl’s inner life and risky behavior.

Grade:  B-                                   By Donna R. Copeland

PHOENIX

Nina Hoss     Ronald Zehlfeld     Nina Kunzendorf

            A story of betrayal, blind trust and denouement, Phoenix will pull you in and keep you engaged throughout.  It starts out mysteriously with two women in a car, one driving and the other in head bandages so only her eyes show.  We learn that Nelly (Hoss), who got plastic surgery after facial disfigurement in the Nazi concentration camp, asked specifically to have her previous look preserved as much as possible, even when she was given the opportunity to take on a new identity and a new life.  Her companion is taken aback by this; Lene (Kunzendorf) is solicitous and clearly cares about Nelly and wants to talk about a new life in Palestine. 

            But Nelly has something else in mind, which is to try to recapture her “old” life; she wants to reconnect with her husband Johnny (Zehrfeld).  She was a singer in a club in Berlin when the Nazis arrested her for being a Jew.  So she returns to the club in search of Johnny.  She still has black eyes from the surgery, and her appearance is altered to some extent, so when Johnny (Zehrfeld) sees her at the club, he doesn’t recognize her; however, he realizes she is similar enough to his wife that she could get the missing woman’s inheritance, and he would give her a cut in the deal.

            Nelly decides to go along with the plan, hoping Johnny will ultimately recognize her, but she doesn’t have all the facts, and therein lies the intrigue and value of this tale.  It touches on the German people’s wanting to whitewash their involvement in what happened in the war (as illustrated by Johnny’s telling Nelly not to worry about looking like her old attractive self; no one will want to ask her about her real experience in the concentration camp, such as disfigurement and a tattoo on her forearm); people’s tendency to resist change and want to hold onto the past (as illustrated by Nelly’s naïve belief that she could return to her old life); and the effects of betrayal, which are unpredictable and uncontrollable by another person (as illustrated by Lene’s decisions).

            This beautifully rendered film by Christian Petzold (Barbara, Jerichow) has depth and provokes questions that could be discussed long after Phoenix is seen.  What if Nelly had listened to Lene and moved on to Palestine?  What was the ultimate fate of Nelly and Johnny (because the ending was ambiguous)?  Why wouldn’t her German friends wonder about Nelly’s apparent avoidance of horrors in the concentration camp?  Why wouldn’t they ask about a tattoo?  Is it love or something else that propels one back to a seemingly doomed relationship?

            Nina Hoss and Ronald Zehrfeld are regulars in Petzold’s films, and are perfectly cast in this film and perform their roles admirably in Phoenix.  Petzold keeps the film nuanced and paced so the full story comes out gradually, and to top it off, the ending is perfect.

A bit of mystery about two people post WWII with larger implications.

Grade:  A                        By Donna R. Copeland