DOPE

--> Shameik Moore     Kiersey Clemons     Tony Revolori     Rakim Mayers     Zoe Kravitz

-->

Up-and-coming filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope is a clever, well written, and directed picture with a fine cast and a plot that is complex and engaging enough to keep the audience pulled right in.  Television and film (Joyful Noise) star Shameik Moore as Malcolm nails his character, a young black high school nerd with a high crew cut (I suppose that’s what it’s called) and a big enough brain to impress/puzzle anyone standing near.  This is all done seemingly unselfconsciously; the words just roll right off his tongue.  He has two perfectly loyal (and entertaining) sidekicks almost as bright as he is.  Diggy (Clemons) is a Lesbian who everyone thinks is a boy.  Jib (Revolori) is Hispanic, but with 14% African-American blood, he identifies as black so, as brought up in the film, he has permission to use the n word.

           Malcolm lives in “The Bottoms” with his single mom in Inglewood, CA, in a poor projects neighborhood, and goes to a school where getting your shoes stolen by the leader of a gang is an everyday occurrence.  Drug dealer Dom (Mayers) stops him on the street one day and instructs him to ask a young woman (Zoe Kravitz as Nakia) to come and talk to him.  Malcolm being respectful of his elders does so and serves as their messenger back and forth, but in the process becomes totally smitten by her.  She’s a tease, and when Dom invites her to his birthday party, she tells Malcolm she’ll go if he does.  Malcolm is leery, but his friends push him to go, and they do, although they have to sneak in since they’re underage. 

           The party turns into a fiasco with the cops raiding the place, and the three students barely getting out, and then the next day Malcolm finds some important objects have been put in his backpack, which Dom has shoved at him before Dom is arrested and put in jail.  Getting the contents to where they’re supposed to go involves more planning and maneuvering than anyone would have dreamed of, but it all comes from Famuyiwa’s creative mind. 

           A good part of the film is its going against black stereotypes, such as the three friends desperately wanting to go to college (Malcolm to Harvard) and willing to make any sacrifice to avoid anything standing in their way.  At the same time, it also delves into the reality of what African-Americans are up against today.  Case in point is an advisor at school point blank telling Malcolm to forget about Harvard—that he’ll never get in given where he has come from and the high school he has attended.

           Shameik Moore surely will have a future in film with his eye-catching looks and delivery, dancing ability, and music talent (he is on several songs in the film which were recorded with Pharrel Williams, and his own new album will be released soon).  He will appear in the second season of Baz Luhrmann's Netflix series “The Get Down”, set to air in 2016.  In Dope, the interactions among the three friends is always entertaining apart from all the intrigue going on around them.

A smart film that young people will love.  Caution:  R-rated.

Grade:  A                                             By Donna R. Copeland

INSIDE OUT

Voices of:  Amy Poehler   Phyllis Smith   Mindy Kaling   Lewis Black   Bill Hader   Richard Kind   Kaitlyn Dias

From the clever title to the animation, the script, and the actors, Inside Out is a positive tale about how to deal with emotions.  The primary thought coming through is that negative emotions like sadness, anger, and fear are healthy and need to be expressed in order to get the “bad” that’s inside neutralized or to use one (such as anger) to accomplish a task.  At one point, Anger (Black) blows fire out his head to break a window in order to rescue Joy and Sadness who have just been hurled splat against it from the outside.)  Joy (Poehler), the leader of the group instinctively learns how to deal with Sadness (Smith), which I recognized as what a therapist will do with someone who is depressed (e.g., unfailing encouragement, patience, and positive reinforcement for every successive approximation toward self-confidence and effectiveness).  Joy also discovers the value of sympathy in comforting someone who has experienced a loss, as when Sadness listens empathically to Bing Bong’s (Kind) woes and he begins to feel much better.  Upshot:  Joy is not always the answer to an emotional problem.

           I am impressed that Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen, directors, came up with the basic idea of having actors voice the emotions that a little girl goes through from the time of her birth.  Like an ego with executive functions, “central station” (the embodied emotions) does what it can to orchestrate the goings-on inside Riley’s (Dias) head, modifying Riley’s reactions and experience to maintain balance.  An important memory bank is kept to pull out those that might be helpful in a specific situation, and more complex “personality islands”—like “Family” are also available.

           This is a high tension film, and I was a bit weary by the end with all the close calls and constant urgency to rescue Riley, who has been traumatized by a move from the home she had always known to one that is so different and strange.  Her parents (Diane Lane, Kyla McLachlan) are understanding, but overlook the fact that she is having a difficult time adjusting.  Understandable, in that the father’s business is high stress, and the mother has to accommodate to a much smaller house (Minnesota to San Francisco) and different ethos altogether, like broccoli pizza! 

           I am curious about how much of the principles of this film get through to children and how much they are simply reacting to the colorful characters and animation.  There was applause at the end of the screening I attended, but there was also a lot of restlessness, noise, and babies crying while the film was running.  Presumably, it will appeal more to those older than seven or eight; I would guess that children younger than that will lose interest because so much of the film rests on the dialog, which is more about abstract concepts.

A fascinating trip inside the brain of a child.

Grade:  A                    By Donna R. Copeland

JURASSIC WORLD

Chris Pratt     Bryce Dallas Howard     Vincent D’Onofrio     Irrfan Khan

Anticipation has been keen for Jurassic World, especially for those with memories of previous versions, and I expect this one will not disappoint them.  Special effects are stunningly real enough to elicit gasps and screams from the audience, and the main dinosaurs somehow have enough personality to give you the impression you’re acquainted with them. 

I think the weakest aspects of the film are in the dialog and the characters portrayed.  It’s never been clear to me why millions of dollars are spent on special effects in films and so little attention paid to dialog and character development.  Most of the characters in Jurassic World are obnoxious:  self-serving know-it-alls who ignore experts (lots of these), a hoity-toity director of the park who also won’t listen and weigh advice given to her, a rat of an older brother, and a younger brother who is mostly appealing except when his ADHD propels him through the park at breakneck speed.

           The dialog could have been made much more interesting if there had been a genuine philosophical argument about using animals like drones in warfare.  All we get here is one man wanting to do it, and the animal trainer giving reasons why not to, but it’s only a brief argument in passing. 

           We meet the two boys, Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins), as they are saying goodbye to their parents and getting on a plane to spend a week with their Aunt Claire (Howard) at her dinosaur theme park.  Of course, she is a very busy woman and not exactly kid-friendly, so pawns them off to her assistant for the day.  (The assistant is not kid-friendly either, so we get an inkling of how the day is going to go.) 

           Claire has her hands full trying to balance the demands of the owner of the park (Khan), shareholders, and staff; in particular, the animal trainer Owen (Pratt).  This would make her sympathetic, but she is all business, figures, and academic terminology, let alone mile-high control needs.  Owen is about the only sympathetic, admirable character among all of them, but most turn deaf ears to his recommendations.  He has developed the ability to bond with four young raptors with astounding results, and of course, there are those just waiting in the wings to exploit them.

           To add to the intrigue, there is a lab on site that has been experimenting with a cocktail of genetic traits to develop a super dinosaur, which is being held in captivity.  The business people know/“think?” they need to bring out a new thrill at the park every few years to keep the public interested.  This creature will be their ace in the hole very soon.  But if only they realized how much they have been playing with fire, naively mixing genes and keeping an animal in captivity without socialization or training.

          Pratt is a fine hero who is a knowledgeable Johnny-on-the-spot in times of crisis, although I think the character needs a little more forceful strength than Pratt conveys.  Howard is a good actress, but her role as written (a bundle of female stereotypes) is unbelievable, the epitome of which is her running in high heels all over acres of jungle-like parkland.  Both Khan and D’Onofrio do well in their roles as misguided leaders with a little power.

           I loved Colin Trevorrow’s work as director of Safety not Guaranteed, and his direction is spot on here—although the script, to which he contributed does not measure up to his work as director.  A very strong asset of Jurassic World is the music by Michael Giacchino, soaring at times, dissonant at others, and lyrical during tender moments—although I must say Christmas music in the beginning was a bit too much to take.

If you like to be thrilled and terrified by dinosaurs… 

Grade:  B-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ALOFT

Jennifer Connelly     Cillian Murphy     Melanie Laurent

Aloft, written and directed by Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Lhosa, is a bit of a mess for the first part of the film because we get no back-story and see characters behaving incomprehensibly.  About half- to two-thirds of the way in when we have more history, the characters and their behavior make more sense.  I’ll give you some of that background—without spoilers—because I think the movie is at fault for leaving the viewer mystified for so long. 

Nana (Connelly), the main character is a healer who has had some success, but finds it important to keep her identity as such a secret from the public, partly because otherwise she would be deluged but partly because she doesn’t really want to take credit.  She has two sons, Ivan (Murphy) and Gully (Winta McGrath) who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening tumor.  Ivan is a falconer like his grandfather, and finds it important to take the bird with him wherever he goes.  Because of tragic events in his life, Ivan as a grown man is eccentric and hot-tempered, is married with a child, and falconry is his profession.  The film jumps back and forth in time, which creates more disorientation. 

           Another confusing aspect of the film is that the actor in the role of Ivan’s wife looks so much like Connelly, so it’s not always clear who the characters are.  Sometimes scenes are included that appear to be extraneous, such as Nana’s affair and a falcon getting shot.  Perhaps they have symbolic meanings, but if so, I missed it.

           At any rate, in his adult life, Ivan is approached by reporter Jannia (Laurent), working on a documentary on falcons and requests an interview with him.  When she begins to ask him questions, however, he realizes she has another agenda and he bolts from the room in anger.  As is typical of him, he has second thoughts, and gets back in touch with her, does interviews about falcons, and they make a short journey together.

           All the action takes place in the Arctic and in Canada where the picture was filmed (Manitoba), and cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc (Enemy) takes full advantage of high winds, blanketed snow, and ice-covered lakes for dramatic effect in underscoring the emotional scenes and experiences of the characters.  Panoramas of the landscape are chillingly beautiful.

           Especially in the last half of the story, Connelly (many awards for performance in A Beautiful Mind) shows again that she knows her craft and she and Murphy (a frequently nominated Irish actor) reflect very well their mother/son conflicts.  Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), a French actress likewise popular on the award circuit, provides refreshing relief from the other two characters’ neuroses and dilemmas. 

           Aloft is a quiet, thoughtful film that will not appeal to everyone; the viewer needs to enjoy and feel comfortable thinking about the dialog and understanding the characters.  It does bring up the issue of healing practices outside the medical profession as well as emotional healing, which I found interesting, along with parenting in a family with a life-threatening illness.  The picture it shows of families with a seriously ill child, the desperation they feel and the tendency to ignore the siblings, is entirely realistic.  Something rather disconcerting, perhaps, is that this mother leaves her young children alone far more often than we Americans do, especially those of today.

Quiet and thoughtful in exploring the issue of healing.

Grade:  C                                      By Donna R. Copeland

I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS

--> Blythe Danner   Sam Elliott   Martin Starr   June Squibb   Rhea Perlman   Mary Kay Place

-->

I’ll See You in my Dreams is the kind of comedy many people like to see after a hard week.  It shines the spotlight on an older woman, Carol (Danner), who is widowed, enjoying her somewhat solitary life, but open to new experiences if someone else will take the lead.  She has three bridge/golf friends who are like family, and they all live close to one another in a retirement complex on a golf course.  Sally (Perlman) is always trying to fix Carol up with someone, and even hauls her off to a speed-dating event one evening. Rona (Place) is the more curious one, and unexpectedly stops by Carol’s house from time to time, creating a few awkward moments.  Georgina (Squibb) is a good sport and most like the typical older woman. 

     Carol, a singer and schoolteacher in her younger days, starts getting acquainted with a young man (Starr) who comes by to clean her pool.  Lloyd is an aspiring poet/singer, who ignores the age gap and likes to “hang out” with Carol.  He takes her to a karaoke bar one evening, and they clearly hit it off.  Enter a contemporary of Carol’s, Bill (Elliott), who likes her looks and smoothly gets her to go out with him.  He has a boat called “So What”, which says something about the man.  For the first time in 20 years, Carol is confronted with the possibility of getting married again. 

      With both men, the conversations turn to future plans and considerations about achieving a balance between living in the moment and working toward some future goal.  In talking with Lloyd, Carol observes that we wait our whole lives for something that we’re sure to get sooner or later.  It’s death, she says, with a bit of black humor.  The film does a good job in contrasting different perspectives about life between younger and older folks.

      Brett Haley, the young director and writer with Marc Basch, is well rounded in his acting, producing and editing experience. In Dreams, he has taken what could be light, even silly, entertainment and given it emotional depth and weightier subjects to think about.  The film draws laughter as well as some tears and joie de vivre.  He and his also young co-writer Marc Basch should be complimented for capturing the older years in life so well.

      Blythe Danner has a solid reputation as an actress in both film and television.  As Carol, her performance is engaging, but I think her character is written to be somewhat reserved and distant, which turned me off a bit.  I felt sorry for her daughter and her friends sometimes in situations where she could have shared more and been more warmly responsive, and looks unnecessarily withholding.  Both Sam Elliott and Martin Starr played characters as a study in contrasts, with each showing himself in naturalistic ways.  Starr as Lloyd is particularly moving when he sings a song for Carol towards the end of the film.

A loving comedy with soul.

Grade:  B By Donna R. Copeland

THE CONNECTION

--> Jean Dujardin     Gilles Lellouche

-->

The Connection has the thrill of the chase, suspense, two brilliant calculating minds pitted against one another, and awe, as it becomes more and more clear how broad the involvement in illegal activity extends up to high levels of government and across geographical space.   It also shows the value of persistence and belief in oneself in pursuing justice—but as well the tremendous price one may have to pay for it eventually.

      The star, the award-winning Jean Dujardin (The Artist, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Monuments Men), plays a newly appointed magistrate in Marseilles, France, Pierre Michel, who comes to the job reluctantly, preferring to stay on at his current job in the juvenile system.  But the drug trade has reached such proportions, he is pressured into accepting the new position, and he immediately goes to work on the case.  The kingpin of the drug cartel, Gaëtan “Tany” Zampa (Lellouche), is portrayed as a worthy counterpart to Michel—and the actors even resemble one another in physical appearance and smart attire.  I think this resemblance is purposeful in illustrating how criminals may not Iook the part, can be as measured and intelligent in solving problems as the good guys, and value loyalty and family traditions just as much.  One of the eeriest, chilling scenes in the film is the two men meeting face to face on a relatively deserted road in the mountains and exchanging veiled threats and dares.  Clearly, they are equal matches.

      Michel is persistent and calculating in setting up traps to bring in Zampa; aware of Zampa’s values in loyalty and being a father figure, the magistrate begins rounding up a wide swath of Zampa’s men, even those closest to him.  Zampa is also calculating and rather cold-hearted despite some of his other traits, and he expects to elude Michel’s efforts by ramping up his efforts to close an important deal in the U.S.   However, this means the FBI will get involved, which ups the ante.

      The film is inspired by a true story, the same one from which William Friedkin’s 1971 film, The French Connection, was drawn, but this French writer/director, Cedric Jimenez, wanted his version to be viewed from a European perspective.  I think he is successful in this effort, and the story is worth telling again as a fresh take on the drug business, which is still plaguing us today, a problem that reaches to government involvement at the highest levels in some countries.

      Jimenez is a producer who came to screen writing and directing only recently, and he does a credible job in making The Connection exciting and suspenseful, helped greatly by Dujardin’s and Lellouche’s fine acting.

The price of justice may be ever so dear.

Grade:  B                     By Donna R. Copeland

 

ENTOURAGE

--> Adrian Granier   Kevin Connolly   Jeremy Piven   Kevin Dillon   Jerry Ferrara   Haley Joel Osment   Billy Bob Thornton

-->

Entourage is a continuation in film of a hit TV show with the same title that ran for eight seasons from 2004-2011, both of which are loosely based on Mark Wahlburg’s (one of the producers) experiences in moving from the east to Hollywood with three of his long-time friends to begin his acting career.  Intended to be a comedy as well as drama, the film’s dialog runs at a fast-clipped pace with sometimes hard to catch comical and sarcastic one-liners laced with expletives hurtling past.  The audience in the screening I attended clear loved it, chuckling throughout and responding audibly to the more dramatic scenes.  As typical for the television show, guest cameos are sprinkled throughout (e.g., Armie Hammer, Piers Morgan, Emily Ratajkowski, Pharrell Williams, and Liam Neeson, to name a few).

           In the story, talent agent Ari (Piven) has landed a directorial and starring role for Vincent Chase (Granier) in a blockbuster film, despite the doubts of many about his capabilities.  They’re now over budget, and even though Vince swears the film is almost done and he is pleased with it, many have their doubts, and Ari must plead with the studio and with the financier (Thornton) and his son Travis (Osment) to support it to completion.

            That is the “spine” of the story, but much of the film focuses on Vince and his friends’, Eric (Connolly), “Drama” (Dillon), and “Turtle” (Ferrara), personal lives, carousing and getting in trouble with women.   One of the funniest scenes to me took place at an outdoor café when Eric is confronted by two women, both of whom he slept with the day before.  He gets a good scare, then is bewildered while they walk off triumphantly.  Turtle’s “love” life is also entertaining when he takes up with mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey (herself).  Other funny scenes involve a former assistant of Ari’s (Rex Lee) dogging him in the pursuit of having Ari give him away at his upcoming wedding.  It’s both funny and sad, because his own father won’t have anything to do with him after he came out, and this will be a gay marriage.

           Doug Ellin, the writer/director for this production and writer and director of six episodes of the TV series, has done a fine job in converting the television version to film.  The material flows into a film that can stand alone.  It’s very fortunate that most of the main cast of TV also appear in the film.  Piven, Grenier, Connolly, Dillon, and Ferrera give us a vivid picture of what the lifestyle of an up and coming actor is when he brings along his friends from home.

           This film will be much more enjoyable and entertaining to those who have followed the Entourage TV series.  Even though I am not one of those, I did get a kick out of it, and didn’t feel that I needed any back-story.  Viewers should be aware that derogatory references to women and the f-word are used in almost every sentence. 

Male bonding and their antics entertain.

Grade:  B                        By Donna R. Copeland