GODZILLA VS. KONG

Alexander Skarsgard     Millie Bobby Brown     Rebecca Hall     Brian Tyree Henry     

Kyle Chandler     Demian Bichir     Kaylee Hottle     Eiza Gonzalez     Julian Dennison 

            G vs K is an impressive technological spectacle surrounding the penultimate battle between Godzilla and Kong, with just enough other elements thrown in, and a bit of human interest and spoof to make it fun viewing.  

            Several story lines with their own action sequences weave back and forth, that at times seem to have no connection, but everything comes together in the end.  Several different parties are trying to achieve their own ends.   

Kong has thrown a tree trunk into the sky that pierces a hole in the covering that hides him from Godzilla.  His caretakers had it installed because they don’t want him fighting with Godzilla.  When this does happen, it seems the only solution is to whisk Kong off to Hollow Earth under Antarctica, his old home, where a still untapped power source lies.  

We’re endeared immediately by the tiny deaf girl Jia (Hottle) who has a special connection with Kong.  Her mother Dr. Andrews (Hall), an anthropological linguist, has tried to teach him sign language, but he doesn’t seem to learn.  As it turns out, Jia (Hottle) has been successful, so when the scientists decide to take Kong to the depths of Antarctica for him to save civilization, Jia is the only one Kong will trust to allow himself to be transported there.

            The whole situation is complicated by the megalomaniacal plans of the Apex Corporation’s Walter Simmons (Bichir).  He thinks he has found the answer to the dilemma caused by having two monsters in the world, Godzilla and Kong.  If he acquires something that will leave only one Titan—which would be under his control—then…

            To accomplish his aims, Simmons approaches the brother of the explorer who died some years back when his party tried to enter “Hollow Earth”, the area below Antarctica from whence the Titans (including Kong and Godzilla) came, and where there is an untapped power source that the earth needs.  Something called the inversion of gravity destroyed the crew when they tried to enter Hollow Earth. Simmons wants the brother, Lind (Skarsgard), to take Kong back to his old home so he can locate the power source, and he has developed a special plane to take them there that will avoid the gravity problem.

            So there is one party headed to Antarctica consisting of Lind, Kong and his caretakers, and Simmons’ daughter as special emissary for his interests, Maya (Gonzalez).   Another party consists of podcaster Bernie (Henry), who has his suspicions about Apex which he voices explicitly on his podcast; his follower Madison Russell (Brown), daughter of Mark Russell (Chandler), director of the Monarch Relief Organization; and Madison’s nerd friend Josh (Dennison.    They plan to sneak into Apex’s headquarters, but unwittingly get transported elsewhere.  The third party is Simmons himself working with his chief technical officer manipulating events behind the scenes.

            There are sometimes meaningful, sometimes entertaining dramas among all these people, which give the film a bit of the human element.  But primarily, this film is about the cinematic technology envisioned by Director Adam Wingard.  He wants the battles between Kong and Godzilla to be something never seen before in its use of technology to show more detail in the two figures and their fights, in the settings in which they’re engaging, and in the brilliance of color and flash, e.g., the texture and color in the sky at sunset and in the city at night with the neon.

            Godzilla vs. Kong is a film for Marvel fans, and especially those who have followed the Godzilla and Kong sagas—but it can also be entertaining for those who are into adventure and fantasy.  Except for the advanced film technology, this is basically the usual fare in terms of character development and plot.

An epic cinematic battle with a good cast and technological advances that will intrigue you more than the usual plot.

 

Grade:  C+                            By Donna R. Copeland

FIRST MAN

Ryan Gosling     Claire Foy     Jason Clarke     Kyle Chandler

Corey Stoll     Ciaran Hinds     Pablo Schreiber     Shea Whigham

     First Man is Damien Chazelle’s sharp turn away from the musical orientation of his previous hits, Whiplash and La La Land.  We do see one tender song piece near the beginning of the movie when Neil Armstrong dances nostalgically with his wife.  Thereafter, our ears are bombarded with the roars, bangs, creaks, and groans inside spacecrafts.  What he has retained in this account of NASA’s efforts to land a man on the moon before Russia in the 1960’s are intense interpersonal relationships fraught with passion, nerve-wracking episodes, and grief.  

     More than anything, the film gives an inside look at the early space endeavors, their costs in human life and money, the intense pressure all immediately involved and their families experienced, and the mixture of bonding and competitiveness that took place among the astronauts.  It presents a brilliant picture of how men work together in a competitive, high-pressure setting, which is likely to be in contrast with how women relate to one another in such an environment.  (I’m thinking specifically of the women in the film Hidden Figures, for example.) Here, there’s camaraderie, but little of the deep emotional sharing we saw in the earlier film, and much more competitiveness. 

     First Man is as well a portrait of the heroic astronaut Neil Armstrong (empathically played by Ryan Gosling), who became even more reticent after the death of his daughter, as perhaps his way of dealing with the grief.  He’s a man who doggedly pursues his goals without being deterred by setbacks, does not hesitate to use his own judgment in place of what he is told to do, and although his emotions are tightly hidden and controlled, this defense can be broken through in certain circumstances.  The latter achieved by his wife Janet (Foy) in a scene that highlights her influence, and may be an award-winning performance for the actor.

Chazelle has also retained two colleagues from his previous films, composer Justin Hurwitz and cinematographer Linus Sandgren, and brought in Christopher Nolan’s notable production designer Nathan Crowley, to create a powerful account of the subject that is both extravaganza with awesome special effects and deep emotional pulls. 

     The movie, based on James R. Hansen’s book, can be regarded as of historical value for young people and those seriously interested in U.S. space programs. It’s a serious account that is fascinating and entertaining as well.  A small downside could be the extended scenes inside the spacecraft, which are so noisy it’s hard to hear the dialog and the mechanical focus in the picture is not informative as to what is going on.  I read that in fact it is so noisy inside a spacecraft some astronauts experience hearing loss, so these scenes are not unrealistic; I just have some concern about my own hearing!

A fascinating and apparently realistic look behind the achievement of getting a man on the moon. 

Grade A-                                                By Donna R. Copeland

GAME NIGHT

Rachel McAdams     Jason Bateman     Jesse Plemons     Kyle Chandler

     This is a silly movie, and if you’re in a silly mood and easily go along with most comedies you see, you might like it.  It comes across first as a TV sit-com, then moves into what is supposed to be a thriller, then finally devolves into the absurd.  I think the writer Mark Perez intended for the script to move smoothly between couples’ conversations, comedy, and life-threatening chills.  But the conversations come across as hackneyed, the comedy not funny (unless you like the kind that is catty, mean, or demeaning), and the thriller parts become anti-climactic “gotcha” moments.  And the insertion of serious talks about such things as having a baby, and infidelity in the midst of a crisis is disjointedly unreal.  Perhaps some will see Game Night as a spoof on mystery/horror films, but I imagine most of these people will find most of the elements in the plot contrived.

     The main couple, Annie (McAdams) and Max (Bateman), are nuts about gaming and have an entertaining competitiveness with each other and when playing with their friends.  The film weaves in stories about all their relationships that are funny but have a sharp edge of discomfort and go on for too long.  Much of the interaction among all the couples is trying to one-up each other (which some laugh at, but I find not very funny).  One of the “serious” but intended comical elements is Max’s brother Brooks (Chandler) coming to visit.  We’re told about the psychological issues between the two, which are, indeed, played out before us.  We meet an egotistical “Hollywood” type who comes in flaunting his wealth and lording it over his brother.  He takes over every scene he’s in and all are enthralled and impressed with him, much to the chagrin of Max, who puts up only mild resistance.

     One of Brooks’ ostentations is to invite Annie’s and Max’s friends to his house/mansion the next week, which is intended to be the game of all games.  But there will be surprise after surprise (unless the viewer guesses each beforehand) intended to give the viewer a “what’s real? and “what’s the game”? kind of reaction.

     McAdams and Bateman do well with the material they have to work with, and come across as people one would like to know more about beyond the clichés.  But the real star is Jesse Plemons playing the nerd-like neighbor Gary, who is a lonely policeman longing to be included in the games his neighbors play.  Too bad the filmmakers didn’t end the film with his coup de grace.  That would have given their film a meaning we could hold onto. 

Game Night has some things going for it, but mostly it is a waste of time.

Gaming can be fun…until it gets mixed up in major crime.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Casey Affleck     Kyle Chandler     Michelle Williams     Lucas Hedges     Gretchen Mol

          Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me) is a master of film, as so brilliantly displayed here by script and direction, acting (Affleck, Hedges, Williams), cinematography (Jody Lee Lipes), editing (Jennifer Lame), and a soundtrack perfectly apt for every scene (Lesley Barber).  The movie unfolds organically, tracing the history of the acutely sensitive but emotionally closed off Lee Chandler (Affleck).  It’s not clear in the beginning, but when we get the full story of this man’s adult life, we feel like we know him—not so much by what he says and doesn’t say as what we learn of what he has gone through and the reactions to  

him of those around him.

           The man is already carrying around a huge burden, and although the family has been warned, his brother’s death is naturally shocking.  More shocking to Lee is that he is to be his nephew’s guardian, a role for which he is completely unprepared emotionally, but there is another issue.  He left Manchester under a cloud and doesn’t want to return; but his nephew Patrick (Hedges) is still in high school and understandably doesn’t want to move away to Lee’s town.  How this dilemma is resolved attests to Lonergan’s skill in honing in on real people and how they react to and solve problems; this is not a fairy tale.

        The film is an exquisite portrayal of a traumatized man trying to connect with other people, whether they are strangers, current associates, or from his past.  The boisterous, demonstrative scenes of him with his wife and children before the trauma are in stark contrast to his current way of relating, e.g., it took days and days before he could give his nephew a hug.  We see the absolutely torturous condition of someone not being able to confide in anyone else.  Lonergan gives us a picture of a man not only traumatized, but filled with guilt.  Once we get this full picture, the way in which he resolves his dilemma is completely understandable.  Without this understanding, we might judge him differently.

        Casey Affleck is clearly in the news about his performance here, and it is well deserved.  He must inhabit a character who shows little or no emotion, but conveys so much nonverbally to show us the deep rivers of emotion rushing through him.  Lee has erected defenses so strong, that certain provocations will bring a torrent of action, yet others who are more gentle will leave him unmoved outwardly with a sea of turmoil beneath.  Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams give fine supporting performances opposite Affleck, both reacting explosively to him but in different ways.  I was struck by Hedges’ portrayal of a teenager who in some ways is more mature than the adult in charge of him.

            Barber and Lipes provide music and cinematography that pair together inspiringly to convey the mood and temper of every scene.  The opening views of a serene, picturesque seaside in the beginning contrasts with what we will see later in the, sometimes ugly, events that will ensue.  Barber’s music will enhance whatever the scene is. 

Understanding can be both a ravishing and a melancholy experience.

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland

CAROL

Rooney Mara     Cate Blanchett     Sarah Paulson     Kyle Chandler

           Much has been made of the Lesbian relationship in Carol, but this award-winning film at Cannes (Best actress for Mara and Queer Palm for director Todd Haynes) contains much more in-depth exploration of women in the l950’s, and the trials and consequences in particular of these two women, Carol (Blanchett) and Therese (Mara), who simply don’t fit the mold.  They are independent thinkers, despite Therese’s complaint that “I say ‘yes’ to everything.” The two men (Chandler as Harge and Lacy as Richard) who claim they’re in love with Carol and Therese are completely taken aback and bewildered by the women’s resistance to being appendages.  The rejection is not only mystifying; it’s a painful narcissistic wound for them.

      Therese is a shop girl at a department store and when Carol comes in to buy a Christmas present in the Toy Department, they seem to have an instant awareness and attraction to one another.  Immediately, Therese shows that she’s not a typical 50’s girl when she says she didn’t care much for dolls as a child; she loved trains.  And Carol is then easily convinced to buy her daughter a train when she finds that the doll she was looking for is not in stock.

         This could have been the end of it, except Carol (unconsciously?) leaves her gloves on the counter and when Therese finds them and mails them to her along with the train set, Carol must thank her by offering to take her to lunch.

      The difference in class between the two women is noteworthy; Carol wears an expensive fur and goes to high-end restaurants.  When she orders a martini and quiche for lunch, Therese says she’ll have the same, although in her words, “I barely even know what to order for lunch.”  This difference in background becomes a significant issue throughout the drama that will take place.  The wealthier, older, more experienced Carol could be seen as “toying” with Therese for her own amusement; although this is not born out in the end when Carol shows moral/ethical strengths that are not obvious initially.

          The highly respected and admired Blanchett performs at her usual level of excellence with fine nuances and subtleties.  But Mara is equally good here in playing a younger woman unsure of herself and still in the process of finding out who she is and what she wants in life.  Director Haynes clearly understands women, and with screenwriter Phyllis Nagy has adapted Patricia Highsmith's novel for the screen with knowing grace, utilizing—along with the actors—the talents of musician Carter Burwell and cinematographer Edward Lachman.  Lachman uses light and screen shots to interesting effect, as does Burwell with music anticipating scenes and capturing mood.  The movie takes place at Christmastime, and the carol “Silver Bells” is perfectly apt as the two women embark on a hopeful journey together.

        Carol proceeds slowly and gently as the women’s relationship develops, although there are some jolting surprises that make the viewer sit up straight.  The ending is remarkable when Carol pleads her case in a custody battle with her husband at a meeting in the presence of lawyers, imploring them to keep the interests of their child foremost and arguing reasonably about hers and Harge’s joint responsibilities.  She warns that “a court battle could get ugly, and we’re not ugly people.”

Carol reminds women that even though we have a ways to go, contemporary women can be grateful for the progress that has brought us this far.

Grade:  A-                                               By Donna R. Copeland