THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Henry Cavill   Armie Hammer   Alicia Vikander   Elizabeth DeBicki   Jared Harris   Hugh Grant

           Brisk, exciting, funny—The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is entertaining and intriguing from start to finish.  Solo (Cavill) pops up well dressed in East Germany in a car repair shop, and has a caustic back-and-forth with the mechanic who finally slides up from under the car.  It’s Gaby Teller (Vikander), whom the Americans and Russians need to locate her father, a missing German scientist who has been kidnapped and forced to work for an evil company that wants to rule the world by developing state-of-the-art nuclear warheads.

           Solo’s plan is to whisk her away and take him to her uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth) who knows where her father is.  The trouble is, they are followed by an amazingly fit, persistent character in a reckless car chase through the streets, and Solo finally has a physical altercation with him.  They do manage to escape, with Gaby none too pleased to be on board.

           When Solo meets with his boss Sanders (Harris) the next morning (in a public restroom no less!), he is astounded to meet up again with the mysterious man who turns out to be a Russian spy, Illya (Hammer).  Woe of woes they are now charged by the CIA and KGB with being partners in protecting Gaby and locating Teller.  Illya will be identified as Gaby’s fiancé while Solo is to go undercover at the evil company and learn what he can from their operation, particularly its current head, Victoria (DeBicki).

         In the process of the operation, we are entertained by Illya’s ill ease in a “romantic” relationship, his deficit in anger management, and Gaby’s delight in taunting and thwarting him every step of the way, such as drinking vodka and dancing sexily in the hotel room when he is trying to concentrate and maintain his composure. 

           Meanwhile, Solo easily seduces Victoria at her lavish Italian villa on the Mediterranean, with no apparent thought about her master plan and the viciousness she is capable of.  She knows who he is when he crashes her elegant party, and is relishing the thought of besting him.

           Casting for the film was spot on, with Cavill showing the right amount of greasy charm, class, and brilliance; Hammer adopting a convincing Russian accent, and achieving the right balance in social anxiety, sheer muscle strength, and competitiveness; and Vikander managing to be sexy, a physical wonder, and always sensible.  The two men’s competitiveness is a hoot, first one then the other being one up.  Vikander fits in easily as a mediator and matching strategist.  I loved the equality among all three characters, with each making essential judgments and suggestions in carrying out their mission.  Sanders, Grant, and Kuznetsov as the CIA, MI6, and KGB agents, respectively, are exactly right as well, although I must say, seeing Grant in that role was surprising, but he did it well.

          Guy Ritchie, the director—as well as co-writer with Lionel Wigram and others—might have an especially clever, charming, and entertaining spy thriller on his record with this film.  The audience in the screening I attended was consistently engaged and responsive.  Cinematographer John Mathieson (Phantom of the Opera, Gladiator, 47 Ronin) deftly wielded the camera, managing to convey all the action in difficult-to-capture scenes, as well as playing up the luxury and elegance of place.

           The film has an exciting end, and a smooth segue into a preview for a follow-up movie.

Clever, well choreographed, and entertaining twists in an old favorite.

Grade:  B+                        By Donna R. Copeland

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

--> O’Shea Jackson, Jr.   Corey Hawkins   Jason Mitchell   Neil Brown, Jr.   Aldis Hodge   Keith Stanfield   Marlon Yates, Jr.

-->

           This is a heavy-duty docu-drama that is more than a picture of the beginnings of rap and its appeal; Straight Outta Compton illustrates very well for us some of the reasons for the extreme rage felt by people in the black community—all over the country.  A number of times we are shown how the men would just be on the street or in a parking lot and policemen would stop and order them to get on the ground with their hands locked behind them and search them with no legal justification.  It’s sobering to realize how long this has been going on largely unchecked until recently (which is thanks to videos)—and perhaps not even now.  It remains to be seen how much actually changes in the near future. 

           The film does a great job in introducing those of us largely unfamiliar with the genre to some of artists who got the movement started.  The names of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Tupac, and Snoop are well known, but I for one never listened to their music that much.  As an aside, the film’s putting names to faces in the beginning helps a great deal.  Most impressive are the emotional tone of their songs and the reflection of their immediate experience in life that is expressed so grippingly.

           The rap songs created a great deal of concern, especially by law enforcement officials and particularly by the number “Fuck tha Police.”  There was a riot at a concert in Detroit after the song was performed, when someone (we don’t know who) started firing shots in the air.  The rappers always defended their lyrics on the basis of the right to free speech.

           The account of the artists’ personal relationships is another feature that keeps the viewer locked in.  Easy-E, Dr. Dre, and DJ Yella were members at the start of the group N.W.A. (Niggaz wit Attitudes), and Ice Cube and McRen were brought in early on.  After their success with “Boyz-n-the-Hood” and “Easy Does It”, an agent, Jerry Heller (Giamatti), approaches Easy-E about representing N.W.A., and he does indeed bring them to fame, starting out with the major release, “Straight Outta Compton”.  (Compton, California, is where the core group members lived.)  Thousands attended their concerts, and as a testament of their music’s power, almost everyone attending knew the lyrics and could rap along with the performers.

           But after a couple of years, first Ice Cube, then others, like Dre, had suspicions that Heller and Easy-E were not giving them their fair share.  So Ice Cube set out on his own as a solo act, and sometime after Dre went with another group (Death Row Records and Suge Knight), although he too ended up wanting to be on his own.  His statement is “You can’t put a price on peace of mind.”  These discords were powerful and emotionally draining, but perhaps not surprising, given their artistic, creative personalities. 

           Straight Outta Compton, directed by F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job), is very well done, and seems as relevant today as ever with the issue of race relations heated up.  The actors bring every character alive, and the part of Ice Cube is played by his son in real life (O’shea Jackson, Jr.).  Paul Giamatti is in his element with this type of role, and easily portrays the transition of the rappers’ regard for him.

Enlightening picture of how Hip Hop came of age.

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

Z FOR ZACHARIAH

Margot Robbie     Chiwetel Ejiofor     Chris Pine

           This is a thriller that starts out rather slowly and peacefully with rolling hills in a lush green valley (filming was in New Zealand and West Virginia) where Ann (Margot) has been abandoned on her family’s farm after some kind of nuclear holocaust.  By some kind of accident of weather, the valley has been shielded from radiation that is rumored to be everywhere else.  Ann has her dog for company and is self-sufficient in getting food and other necessities, at least temporarily.  She wonders if she is the last person on earth, and then comes upon a man in a safe suit out on the road.  They’re both wary of one another and pull out guns immediately until they can determine the trustworthiness of the other. 

           Ann seems much less suspicious than the civil engineer Loomis (Ejiofor) who has radiation sickness, and takes him up to her house where she nurses him back to health, injecting into him some type of medicine he has that serves as an antidote.  He has been traumatized by recent events, and her tender, loving touch is like a balm for him. 

          The two start becoming close, and he begins to use his engineering skills in rebuilding efforts.  It’s clear they are from different cultures, he from the north and educated; she, the daughter of a southern farmer/minister who sees Loomis as someone God has sent to help her.  There is the budding of a romance, but he advises her that they should proceed slowly because of the effect it will have on both their lives.

           One day, Ann sees another man when she is out with her dog, and gets enough nerve to approach him with her gun in her hand.  Turns out, Caleb (Pine) is from a nearby mining town and shares many of Ann’s religious beliefs.  When she takes him to the house, Loomis is aghast that she immediately invites him to stay with them and fixes dinner for him.  But Caleb plans to stay only for a day or so because he is headed farther south. 

           Triangles are the most difficult of relationships, and when Caleb energetically helps out with chores and rebuilding—even helping to get a water wheel constructed to generate electricity—his stay is extended.  And this is when the story heats up with some of the expected twists and a rather ambiguous conclusion.

           I wondered how the title relates to the drama, and it seems that in the Robert C. O’Brien novel on which the screenplay is based, Ann has a childhood book called A to Z, and she concluded that if A is for Adam the first man, Z is for Zachariah, the last man—the situation she finds herself in before Loomis appears.  There is a reference to the book in the film when Loomis pulls it off the shelf in Ann’s library, and looks at it briefly.

           Zachariah explores the tension that exists in times of disaster between fear and charity.  Not only do Ann and Loomis embody these emotional reactions, all three characters relate their experiences with desperation and with other human beings dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy.  All convey the difficulty/necessity of maintaining hope during the bleakest times.  We are reminded of how critical survival skills are, sometimes making the difference between life and death.  It was also interesting—and imminently plausible—that people would venture out, not grasping the dangers of radiation.

           Craig Zobel shows his skills as a director (he also directed Compliance) of films that bring home points about human relationship, ethics, and fairness.  Zachariah is well paced, topical, and beautifully filmed (Tim Orr, cinematographer, and also for Manglehorn, Joe, and Prince Avalanche).  The actress Margot Robbie is not as well known as the other two, but she clearly carries her part forcefully here.  Ejiofor is one of my favorite actors, and he and Robbie convey as much in nonverbal signs as in what they say.  Pine manages to walk the fine line that he as a kind of intruder must in relationship to the other two who have become very close, but with each of whom he has much in common.

A film that prompts questions; how might you be in similar circumstances?

Grade:  B+                        By Donna R. Copeland

THE GIFT

--> Joel Edgerton     Jason Bateman     Rebecca Hall
 

          I do love a good psychological thriller, and The Gift has all the essential ingredients—suspense, terror, fright, a social message, and above all psychological validity.  Joel Edgerton, who co-wrote Animal Kingdom and The Rover (similar themes) with David Michod, took the writing for this onto himself, and directed and acted in it as well.  He’s truly a talented individual.  Right from the beginning of this film—with the first shot being of an empty room as well photographed as if it were a painting and foreshadowing background music by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans—it grabs your attention and you sit up straight.  Edgerton is a master at foretelling what is going to happen later, although you may not catch its significance at the time.  Gifts obviously play a key role in the drama, all of them seeming odd at first, and later you realize the glass cleaner was prophetic.

           It turns out the empty room is in a house a California realtor is showing to a couple from Chicago.  It’s upscale, and Greg (Bateman) is on his way up the ladder in a flourishing company.  His wife Robyn (Hall) is a designer who we learn has undergone some traumatic experiences but is on the mend.  They have taken the house and are shopping for furnishings when a man in the department store approaches them.  Gordo (Edgerton) was a high school classmate of Bateman, and seems to want to reestablish old ties.  Greg appears to be a bit mystified, but gamely goes along with plans to call Gordo and get together.

           That’s when the gifts with notes start arriving—a bottle of wine, some fish food and then koi for their pond.  Robyn is touched, particularly when Gordy shows up at the house during the day with additional gifts and offers to be helpful, including getting the television and DVD player hooked up.  Yes, he does seem a bit socially awkward—which appeals to Robyn’s social tolerance—but Greg is irritated. 

           Edgerton takes us down the garden path, demonstrating how susceptible we are to sociopathic characters who are ever so clever in planting “ideas that take hold.”  He does this by keeping us guessing as to who the villain is and testing our limits of tolerance for other people who seem odd to us. 

           Bateman and Hall portray the couple very much in love and tender with one another until suspicion and doubt begin to creep up.  Bateman is good at playing the young executive trying to make all the right moves in a big company so he will be promoted.  Hall is convincing as a designer who personally has basic values of tolerance and justice, and along with that, has a questioning mind.  Edgerton knows creepy, and the thing I like most about his written and evocative portrayal of the character of Gordo is its realistic accuracy as well as its ultimate ambiguity.  That is, we’re unsure of where the boundary is between “sick” and simply odd.

A consummate thriller about gifts from one’s past.

Grade:  A                        By Donna R. Copeland

FANTASTIC FOUR

--> Miles Teller     Kate Mara     Michael B. Jordan     Jamie Bell     Tony Kebbell

-->          Fantastic Four in this case could be a reference to the utterly fantastic script that edges into being four times the ridiculous.   It starts out promising when a grade school kid reports in school that his career choice is to create a method of teleportation to another dimension.  Unfortunately, he has a bad teacher who won’t accept his dream and makes him do the assignment over.  But the plucky kid is not discouraged; on the contrary, he continues to build his invention in his garage with the help of his classmate whose parents have a salvage yard.

           In high school, Reed (Teller) and his friend Ben (Bell) present their invention at a science fair, and even though their demonstration of it ruins a light board and causes the lights to go out, they get a curious visitor, Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), accompanied by his scientist daughter Sue (Mara).  Storm offers him a scholarship and a chance to collaborate with him and Sue in bringing his dream to fruition at his private company.  Sue has already been working on a similar project.

           They make progress after Dr. Storm brings in a cynical scientist, Victor (Kebbell), who had become disillusioned with corporate management and was working alone until Storm brings him back into the fold.  He also forces his errant son Johnny (Jordan) to work on the project; and although Johnny is resentful, he takes to Reed, and diligently works alongside him.  The operation is a success when they send a chimp out and successfully bring him back.

           Enter one of the corporate suits who is now interested only because he sees something in it for him, and immediately sees that bringing in NASA and the government will make him look really really good.  This makes the idealistic young scientists who are thoroughly committed to their work antsy, and they decide to take a flight on their own so it’s their names written in lights.  Reed wants his old friend Ben to be a part of the rewards, so calls him up and insists he come with them.

           The four take off, unbeknownst to anyone else, even Sue or her father.  The men are supposed to spend only a few minutes away, plant a flag and come back.  However, once they get there, their curiosity gets the best of them and they go exploring, three of them barely making it back.  Open Pandora’s box and…Yes, the three, along with Sue who discovered their venture and was helping to bring them back, return, but radically changed. 

           This is where I think the story derails.  When they arrive back they have special powers, but are in the hands of the U.S. government, which is using them for its own purposes, namely war.  They’re kept separated from one another, so can’t work together to disengage themselves and regain control of their lives.  If you see the film, you’ll know if and how they work that out.

           I was on board for the first half of the film, which is interesting in considering what going to another dimension might be.  Although I’m not totally in sympathy with the corporate world or government, I did not appreciate how they’re portrayed here as completely uncaring, self-serving, warmongers who would not even respond to the explorers’ questions about what happened to their teammates.  This is unnecessary and irresponsible on the filmmakers’ part in my opinion.

           There are also some plot holes or gaps that don’t make sense; for instance, the one who was left behind does eventually get a chance to come back, but he immediately wants to return to the other dimension.  So why does he express relief that he is rescued and then immediately want to return?  He gives an explanation, but that doesn’t answer the question of why he returned in the first place if he was happier elsewhere.

           I also have the perennial problem in action movies that they must always contain two features:  car races/crashes and fistfights.  No matter how many advanced scientific tools they have at their disposal, we must always have one of each of these, and usually many more.

          The four main actors, Teller, Mara, Jordan, and Bell, are top-notch, and it’s too bad the script, direction, and production let them down.  I did appreciate their value in loyalty and collaboration and their commitment to science for its intrinsic value.

An adventure that comes up low on fuel.

Grade:  C-                        By Donna R. Copeland

COP CAR

Kevin Bacon     Shea Whigham     James Freedson-Jackson     Hays Wellford

                                                                           Cop Car

           Cop Car is an unexpected little thriller that keeps you guessing throughout.  Written (with Christopher D. Ford) and directed by Jon Watts, it stars Kevin Bacon as the cop, and he is one of the producers.  Travis (Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Wellford) look like they are about 10 years old and have run away from home when they come upon the sheriff’s car out on the countryside.  They hide from whoever might be around for a bit, then get enough nerve to run up and touch it.  No one seems to be around, so they get in and start fooling around and pretending they are cops.  As they get braver, they explore what’s in the car and begin driving it (with only the Super Mario videogames as previous experience.

           In the meantime, the sheriff comes back for his car only to be dumbfounded at its absence.  Much of the suspense and thrill of the story has to do with why he is out there in the first place and how he will devise a way to get his car back—he is not in uniform and has left all his equipment in the missing car.  His conversations with the dispatch officer are clever in their disguise of the basic problem and his maneuverings to get his car back.

           The boys have a great time at first, driving the car over the hills and then at higher speeds on the highway.  When they get bored, they stop and explore the car further.  That’s when they find guns, a bullet-proof vest and a huge surprise in the trunk.  My only problem with the film is that present-day 10 year-olds are so much savvier about cars, guns, and electronics than these two.  With a little more creativity, the writers could have found ways for them to get into as much trouble without straining credibility. 

           The drama has clever twists with additional characters that enrich its appeal and tension, such as a woman on the highway who has to figure out what to do when she thinks she has spotted two kids driving a sheriff’s car on the highway. 

           The experienced, talented Kevin Bacon easily plays the role of the sheriff facing major dilemmas.  The two child actors are as natural as they should be, and adeptly show terror and concern when that need arises.  Realistically, one is a little wiser than the other, who offers common sense at first, but easily gives in to dares from the other.  One of the additional characters simply listed as “Man” is played very effectively by Whigham, who had a major role in the television drama, “Boardwalk Empire.” 

           A couple of good lessons contained in the film are 1) that private citizens should be cautious about their involvement in catching perpetrators—leave it to the police; and 2) that children should be taught at a fairly early age about how to handle guns, the risks of taking things that don’t belong to them, and what to do and not do in emergency situations that arise (such as how to get in touch with those who can help).  The film could be used for good teaching moments, but only if parents are comfortable with their children seeing an R-rated film.

A joy ride turns out to be life threatening for two young boys.

Grade:  C+                        By Donna R. Copeland

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE

      Writers/directors Mark Burton and Richard Starzak are masters at storytelling—even with no dialog to speak of!  Shaun the Sheep plays on the numerous connotations of sheep (being easily led, counting sheep to go to sleep, and fluffy wool, for instance) for chuckles.  But the theme running through this feature is weighty, such as how boring life can be following strict schedules and staying in one’s own backyard (farm) and never venturing out.  Going to the big city holds excitement, adventure, and new encounters, but with countless risks, especially for animals.  Yet, the ultimate message is that such experiences change us for the better.

      Through a series of unfortunate events that come about as a result of boredom, the farmer of the sheep, cow, and pigs of the story disappears into the Big City, and the sheep follow the shepherd dog there to find him.  Because of how he was transported to the city, the farmer is suffering memory loss, and the dog and sheep encounter the nasty Animal Containment officer.  Many trials and tribulations follow, with the farmer not recognizing his farm animals, and the animals being incarcerated.  No fear, though, they are masters of disguise (“Beware a wolf in sheep’s clothing”—or sheep in human clothing, as is the case here).

      I was impressed with how many very young children in the theater got the jokes in this production or asked pertinent questions about it.  Yes, there was the usual pandering to young children—farts, excrement, burps, exposed backsides (once in red!)—by the filmmakers, which they always laughed at, but the children in the audience also seemed to get the sense of the story in terms of real cruelty or danger.  I hope they also got the message about the natural beauty of nature and its fragility.

      For the adults, there is a sequence in which the farmer becomes a popular hairdresser of a style that has gone viral on social media.  The “do” is a tuft of fluffy sheep wool on top of guys’ heads.  There are also puns in business signs, and a scene in the animal containment center where the animals are sprucing up their appearance when prospective adopters enter the building.

      I’m amazed by every film I see from the Aardman animation studio (Chicken Little, Wallace & Gromit), and applaud this as another excellent film for children.  And I hope every adult who sees it is as entertained as I was.

Don’t count sheep, fall asleep, and then miss this movie!

           

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland