DARK PHOENIX

Sophie Turner     Jennifer Lawrence     James McAvoy     Michael Fassbender

Nicholas Hoult     Tye Sheridan     Kodie Smit-McPhee    Jessica Chastain

     Enter the world of super powers where the X-Men need only concentrate—perhaps with furrowed brows and taut faces—and the most formidable foe or metal structure can be violently repelled or disintegrated into a puff of smoke.  When you get a whole cast with these powers it can be dizzying, but that doesn’t keep you from being engaged in the story.

Jean is a child in the back seat of her parents’ car tooling down the highway, complaining about the music they’re listening to.  Suddenly she’s in a hospital asking where her parents are. Dr. Charles Xavier (McAvoy) appears and gently verifies her fears that her parents are dead.  It will be OK; Dr. Xavier has a school that might be just right for her, since she is “special” (which she scoffs at). But seriously, he says, it’s a place where children are taught to take pride in their differentness.  It’s clear from this short introduction that Jean has realized that she is different, and can harm others, so despite her misgivings—which voices later on—she agrees to enroll in the school.

     That’s Jean’s childhood; now she is almost grown up (played by Sophie Turner) and has joined the Xavier’s X-Men, albeit still in training.  She’s chosen to go with the group to rescue the NASA space flight of Endeavor, which has run into trouble.  During this mission, she is asked to do a heroic save in the last few seconds, and it’s apparent when she barely escapes with her life that she is changed.  That is, her powers are much stronger.   

     How this happened is a puzzle, although another character later on explains that “it” was given to her for a specific purpose.  The rest of the story is about these powers and the havoc they create for Jean, along with anyone around her.  The story hearkens back to Dr. Xavier’s when he first met Jean; that is, that such “gifts” to someone can be used for good or ill.  The person receiving them can make the decision as to how to exert them.  Although Dr. Xavier will be discredited from time to time, many of his principles will come back to Jean when she is in dire turmoil and pulled in two directions.

     Directed and co-written by Simon Kinberg, who was a producer on previous X-men films (X-Men:  Apocalypse, X-Men:  Days of Future Past, X-Men:  First Class), the film moves along at a fast clip, doesn’t overstay its welcome (less than two hours long), and incorporates substantive moral/ethical issues and emotional truths into an engaging story.  That is, it depicts remorse for mistakes, tensions around the use of power, the importance of “family”—however constituted—and the construction of an identity that “fits.”  

     Following her “Game of Thrones” success as a girl/woman undergoing numerous transformations, Sophie Turner proves she is ready for big-time movies and a starring role.  Aided by creative special effects, as Jean she is transformed into a “phoenix” (mythologically, a bird that regenerates) with powers that overwhelm her at first until she can figure them out.  Here, her upbringing—such as it was—will guide her in making decisions about who she wants to be.  Turner personifies these subtleties in good and evil to a tee.

     An unnamed character, a deliciously evil being without a soul and preoccupied with a quest for power, then appears to try to swing the odds.  She has in mind to use Jean to resurrect the power of a race in decline.  Jean has been a surprise all along, so we wonder what she will do…

     Fine casting strengthens this film’s success in storytelling.  James McAvoy embodies the person who has achieved acclaim but has to come to terms with mistakes he’s made.  The remorse shown is palpable.  Michael Fassbender’s initial befuddlement and subsequent resolve helps keep the tension at an optimum level, and supporting actors, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, and Kodie-Smit-McPhee contribute significantly to the drama.

     Although knowledge of previous X-Men films will help in making sense of this rendition, it’s not a strict necessity, except perhaps in identifying the characters.

An exciting journey into the X-Men universe, with women holding their own—even starring.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE SOUVENIR

Tilda Swinton     Honor Swinton Byrne    Tom Burke

Jack McMullan     Richard Ayoade     Tosin Cole

     I don’t recall ever wanting so badly for a movie to be over.  Right from the beginning, it’s obvious how the story is going to go, with the star having no capacity to make decisions or assert herself, or even stand up for herself when she is being taken advantage of. She doesn’t bill a roomer who should be paying a share of housing, and tolerates a sponger who contributes little to nothing in the relationship or anywhere else.  And when there are clear warning signs glaring at her, she remains passive, and asks for forgiveness for being so “mean.” She seems like an anachronism in today’s world, in which women are tuned in and wanting to establish themselves in their personal and professional pursuits.  The film is set in 1980’s London, but I see no purpose in harking back to those mores.

     Julie (Byrne) attends film school with aspirations for being a filmmaker. We see only snatches of her work, but it appears she is both writing and directing her first feature.  She is still dependent on her mother (Swinton), and although they appear to be close at times, Julie never seems to confide in her, even when she is in crisis.  We don’t see any conflict between them; we only see her asking for money from her mother.

     Anthony (Burke) appears on the scene, and although he isn’t romantic in any way—in fact, he’s rather cynical and critical—Julie falls for him. Anthony purportedly has some kind of job in the government (the Foreign Office, he says), but it’s not clear exactly what he does.  He tells Julie stories about it, but then says, “Oh, I’m just kidding.” He conveys very clearly that she is not to ask him questions about his life, past or present.  If she does, he responds with, “You’re inviting me to torture you.”  His presence in her life distracts her from her studies, and as things go from bad to worse as she catches him in lie after lie, she doesn’t seem to know what to do.  What?!?

     Although written and directed by a woman, Joanna Hoff, and being something of a memoir, Souvenir (named for a painting of the same title by Jean-Honore Fragonard that Julie and Anthony bonded with during a trip to the museum) is surprising in its foreshortening characters to little more than stick figures, limiting conversations to little more than trivia so that we learn very little about who the characters really are, and in its lacking any semblance of intimacy in any of the relationships depicted.  A case in point is when the couple looks at the painting, has slightly different interpretations of it, but neither is given a chance to expand on his/her point of view. This was apparently an intimate, meaningful moment between Julie and Anthony, but it’s not made explicit for the viewer.

     Editing (Helle le Fevre) doesn’t help much; scenes pop up in which the viewer has to figure out who the people shown are and what they are about.  Prime example is a scene in a parking lot with a van waiting for people to board—the last person being Julie.  Finally, when we see her we know that this is her film crew getting ready to travel somewhere.  There are only snatches of Julie’s filmmaking, so the people boarding the bus are not immediately recognizable.

     Acting by the three stars, Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Burke, saves this film from being a complete washout.  Although the film has initially been well received, to me, its point of view is one of detachment, with little introspection and psychological exploration or explication of the characters.  Scenes are more often than not cut short before we can see the players’ emotional reactions to what has just happened.  Primarily because of these characteristics, I lost interest in the story early on.

A naïve young woman, aspiring to be a filmmaker and getting involved with an older man is a story with potential, but curiously lacks much passion in the telling or in the enactment.

Grade:  D                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ROCKETMAN

Taron Egerton     Jamie Bell     Richard Madden     Bryce Dallas Howard     Gemma Jones     Tom Bennett

     For such a flashy performer, it’s surprising that Reginald Dwight (aka Elton John) grew up in an emotionally bleak household, with everyone crying out for love and not getting it, which they all sing about).  Well, except for Reggie’s grandmother (Jones), who recognized and accepted who he was and was responsible for helping him get a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.  His father refused to hug him—ever—and his mother only expressed mild interest in him.  All this is presented to help us understand the grown-up Elton who at the prime of his fame saw no limits to his flamboyance.

     The structure of the film reflects sensitivity and psychological awareness on the part of the director, Dexter Fletcher, and writer, Lee Hall.  We see Elton first in full regalia entering into a group therapy session in which his stories of his life are seen in flashback, starting with his childhood, his entry into the music world, the acme of his career, then the inevitable slide down as his indulgent lifestyle catches up with him.  Themes reflect those early experiences of shyness, insecurity, loneliness, and the sense that everyone will leave him.  It’s only after heart-breaking experience and therapy that he begins to get insight into his own role in disappointing relationships with others.

     The thrilling scenes in Rocketman show the incredible, rapid rise of this multi-talented star in singing and piano playing, along with his glittering showmanship.  The music and the visual presentation are glorious.  Likely, as a response to the bleakness and need for love, a brilliant imagination took hold and carried Elton soaring into the intoxicating reaches of fame.

     Taron Egerton embodies Elton John ideally, in that we forget we are seeing him rather than Elton.  Taron captures the voice (perhaps not the piano playing, but it’s still convincing) and personality of Elton, in all its resplendence, recklessness, anguish, pouting, and joy. Jamie Bell’s performance as his trusted longtime lyricist, loyal collaborator, and friend works so well as a contrast to the showman, while capturing the genuineness in his feelings toward a superstar.  Other actors deserving mention are Richard Madden as the irrepressible agent resembling Elton’s father in his ultimately unemotional business self, Gemma Jones as the savior-like grammy, Bryce Dallas Howard as the self-preoccupied mother, and Tom Bennett as the step-father who gets on board and manages to contribute in a dysfunctional family.

    Musician Matthew Margeson, cinematographer George Richmond, and costume designer Julian Day and their teams contribute significantly to the artistic presentations that dazzle us and keep us entertained throughout the film.

     I’d like to recognize and applaud Elton John’s willingness to have his life portrayed in all his glory, pathos, and self-centeredness.  Only those who have achieved confidence and satisfaction with themselves could afford such a revealing picture.  It’s eloquently embodied in one of the last scenes of the film, when the adult John is finally able to embrace the child Reggie. Insight and therapy can achieve such wondrous results!

An unusual film about a major rock star who eventually finds redemption from excessiveness.

Grade:  A-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MA

Octavia Spencer     Diana Silvers     McKaley Miller     Juliette Lewis     Luke Evans

Corey Fogelmanis     Dante Brown     Gianni Paolo     Allison Janney     Tanyell Waivers

      Successfully blending chilling horror, high comedy, and serious drama with intelligence is a rarity in the world of filmdom.  But director Tate Taylor, writer Scotty Landes, and actress Octavia Spencer have together achieved just that in Ma.  It’s cleverly paced, so that the characters are a bit puzzling in the beginning—especially Spencer’s lead character Sue Ann—or they seem to fit a well-known trope that makes you think they will be predictable.  

     But not much is predictable in this horror-farce; it’s delightfully surprising almost every step of the way.  Even the ending.  As the story gets more and more complicated, one wonders how the filmmakers are going to resolve it, and they did a good job.  

     Maggie (Silvers) and her mother (Lewis) have moved back to the mother’s hometown after a sojourn in California.  Maggie is a teen and a bit apprehensive about the first day of school.  She first meets a shy classmate in a wheelchair and helpfully gives her a push when she needs it before entering her own class.  There, she is immediately welcomed by extrovert Haley (Miller) who treats her like an old friend, invites her to a party, and disparages her for declining in favor of going to a concert with her mother.  When the concert falls through, Maggie gets back on board for the party, and is immediately taken in by Haley and her three friends.  

     They’re a raucous high school group all ready to party and drink.  They have a ruse for getting drinks by asking a passerby outside a liquor store to buy them liquor.  This is where Sue Ann comes in and refuses at first to oblige them, lecturing them about drinking.  But just as she will any number of times, she later pulls the “Just kidding” routine, and even has them come to her basement to party rather than going to a favorite place for teens outside of town where they might get caught.  

     This is all great fun, with Sue Ann joining them and becoming close so that one teen slips and calls her “Ma”, which she seems to like.  But gradually, things start becoming weird.  The teens attempt to distance themselves, but they have no idea whom they are dealing with.  We the audience are privy to some of her actions, but even we won’t know the half of it yet.

     Octavia Spencer lives up to her award-winning performances, and this is likely to be one of her “best yet.”  She is new to the horror genre, and proves that she is well up to a starring role as a psychologically complex figure who displays a range of temperaments, antagonisms, and personal qualities.  Hopefully, she will be recognized at awards time for her brilliance in this role.  

     One of the intelligent features of Ma is its illustration of precursors in Sue Ann’s life that helped form her current personality, including when we get an inkling of Munchausen syndrome. It highlights the destructiveness of teasing, along with the obliviousness of active and passive participants to its cruelty.  So the movie is more than thrills, chills, and entertainment; it touches on elements of peer pressure, over-reactive parents, drug use, and taking action in an emergency.  It’s also about the sins of a father being visited upon his progeny.

     Not to be ignored are the numerous truly funny scenes that take place, sometimes during horrific incidents.  Just two prime examples are in addressing one character’s talkativeness, and the other in infusing a bestial character with sera meant for a dog. But also, Allison Janney’s Dr. Brooks, a veterinarian with an acerbic air who is Sue Ann’s boss is priceless; a perfect cameo.

Who would not want to see such an intelligent horror-comedy with a heavy dose of drama?

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ALL IS TRUE

Kenneth Branagh     Judi Dench     Ian McKellen     Kathryn Wilder     Jack Colgrave Hirst

     Not so much rings true (I don’t think) in this fantasy written by Ben Elton and directed by Kenneth Branagh—also its star—but it is interesting.  All is True deals with the period immediately following the fire that destroyed the Globe Theatre, primary venue for William Shakespeare’s plays. Immediately after, Shakespeare retired and never wrote any more.  

     The film shows Shakespeare (played by Branagh) returning home and planting a garden, although, admittedly, he was not very good at it.  In settling back in with his wife and two daughters—one of whom is married—Shakespeare is presented as being glad to be home, devoted to his family, and still grieving the loss of his son Hamnet at age 11.  In this drama, Hamnet’s twin, Judith (Wilder) reveals her own story of how the child died. 

     Most of the drama delves into the hypothesized dynamics of the Shakespeare family, in which William’s wife Anne (Judi Dench in predictably fine form) voices her resentment about his extended absences and other affections he has expressed in his poems.  She is cranky, but mostly forgiving.  His daughter Judith (Wilder) echoes her mother, but her complaints have an additional edge; she is convinced that her father values his dead son over his daughters, particularly her.  The Shakespeares’ daughter Susanna is married to a Puritanical physician, and it’s implied that he takes a self-righteous, accusatory stance on most issues.  The movie shows Judith eventually marrying after she and her father resolve their conflicts, although it is not under the best of circumstances.  All is True suggests that both daughters were involved in local scandals.

     I found the film rather strange in its presumed knowledge of history and its attempts to be currently relevant.  For example, the film clearly conveys its respect for Shakespeare, but it also comes down hard on male privilege and upper class self-entitlements, as well as absent fathers out to make their mark on the world.

     Not being a Shakespearean scholar, I was constantly wondering how much the film is based on historical fact.  Elton and Branagh include any number of hypothetical interactions and events that may veer far from the truth, however plausible they might be.  In this respect, I’m opposed to dramatic liberties taken by filmmakers who seem to go off on their own tangents, simply to entertain/thrill audiences.  On the other hand, if the screenwriter is a real scholar, and makes educated guesses about, say, how it was for Shakespeare to “come home”, I’m a bit more forgiving.

     At any rate, for aficionados of the period and Shakespeare, the film is likely to be entertaining.  For those not particularly interested in historical details and atmosphere, you can skip it.

An unusual look at William Shakespeare and imagining his life in retirement.

Grade:  B-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

PHOTOGRAPH

Nawazzaddin Siddiqui     Sanya Malhotra     Farrukh Jaffar

     Photograph is very similar to writer/director Ritesh Batra’s previous film, The Lunchbox in its quiet love story where the protagonists are unassuming people who manage to fall into each other’s world quite by accident. In this production, Mumbai street photographer Rafi (Siddiqui) takes a picture of Miloni (Malhotra), but after she has paid for it, she gets distracted and walks away while he is struggling to put it in an envelope.  

     We wait to see if they will ever see each other again, and sure enough they do, and he is able to give her the picture.  It turns out, the timing is exquisite for both of them.  Her parents want to give her picture to a friend whose son is about to depart for the United States; they see a match here.  And Miloni is able to supply the snapshot. Rafi has a doting grandmother who threatens him in all kinds of charming ways if he doesn’t find a wife soon. And, oh! she is coming to visit him soon.

     Rafi, while devoted to a grandmother who made sacrifices for him and his siblings, is shown to be a very careful man in conducting his life.  He doesn’t move quickly in any endeavor, so there are no prospects in his horizon for a wife.  He cannot bear to disappoint Dadi (Jaffar), so he uses his imagination in pulling out Miloni’s picture while a song entitled “Noori” is playing, and voila! he creates a girlfriend named Noori he can tell her about.

     But Dadi won’t be satisfied unless she is able to meet her, so Rafi has to ask Miloni to meet Dadi, say her name is Noori, and play along as if she is his chosen one. Shy, self-effacing Miloni is intrigued by this, and decides she will help Rafi.  Plus, there seems to be a mutual attraction between them that neither seems to fully comprehend.

     The charm of Photograph lies mostly in the innocence and trust of all involved, from the two main characters to Rafi’s friends and family, to Miloni’s family.  The charm throughout is remarkable because Miloni is from a privileged background, whereas Rafi and his family are of more modest means, yet all are honorable with similar values.  Batra shows how people from different social strata can come together so easily if outside social constraints are absent.  Cagey Dadi has figured out that her grandson’s love is from a different station, but she goes no further than letting Rafi know she knows.  

     This film is not for everyone with its slow pace, studied character development, and social commentary.  But for those who can appreciate a simply told story about people in another country where most of the characters are admirable, it will be refreshing.

This is an Indian adventure that is close-up in portraying real people with minds of their own.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BOOKSMART

Beanie Feldstein     Kaitlin Dever     Billie Lourde     Jessica Williams

Lisa Kudrow     Will Forte     Jason Sudeikis

     Take a peek at the generation coming up, just graduating from high school and finally developing perspective on where they’ve been and where they’re going.  Booksmart is something of a nerdy girl’s dream; one who is smart in book learning, but panicked to realize the night before high school graduation that she hasn’t lived.  She’s developed a slightly condescending attitude toward her classmates through the years, not realizing that some of them have been achieving just as much (i.e., headed for Harvard, Yale, etc.), but have been having fun and developing relationships all along.  She wants to salvage her life and is determined, even if she has only one night to do it. 

     The movie is meant to be a lighthearted window into the current younger generation (those of means, at least) with lifestyles that are self-indulgent, but not heartless.  Although there are scenes where the two main figures—the “nerds”—are characterized in unkind stereotypical ways, minds are changed when the girls loosen up and begin to mix with their classmates on a more even footing.  Some of this might be a little “pie-in-the sky” wishful thinking (most people with deep-seated impressions are not ordinarily so forgiving of those who are “different”), but it’s a good model for younger audiences to see how people can come together in permissive circumstances.

     Beanie Feldstein as Molly and Kaitlin Dever as Amy hold their own as starring characters who are confronted with a whole new world right in their hometown before they take off for Botswana or wherever—parts unknown.  They show the girls sparring, arguing, and coalescing, solidifying a friendship that will last forever.  Feldstein in particular sensitively conveys subtle changes in her character that develop as she gains insight.

     New director/accomplished actress Olivia Wilde is backed up by an all-female writing team (Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman) in portraying diversity in an appealing light.  Tolerance is paramount here in going against your usual prejudices about intelligence, gender, and race—um…maybe not so much, class.  But there is a forgiving attitude throughout—especially with the hilarious Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte as Amy’s parents, but also other characters who change and forgive as they get more information. (Have you ever forgiven someone who vomited on you?)

     Music by Dan Nakamura and cinematography by Jason McCormick do their job of integrating elements of the film together into a meaningful whole.

A great date night movie for the young at heart—with substance.

Grade:  B                                   By Donna R. Copeland