Patriots’ Day

Actors: Mark Wahlberg, J. K. Simmons, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, Jimmy O. Yang

Rating: 9 out of 10, I wasn’t sure if it was too early in the process for a film about the marathon bombings but Peter Berg once again dials up a very nice ode to the heroes of a real world disaster. Wahlberg limps, for some reason, through in his usual Mass-hole personae but the movie truly belongs to the effective and behind the scenes heroic hunt for the idiotic bombers. While Boston is highlighted the message for me was the way any American city would respond to this challenge. If you push, we’re going to push back. Some of the little known heroes were also given their time to shine like the tiny Chinese immigrant who bravely escaped the bombers’ clutches which led to the ultimate capture and the Watertown police who ended up in a massive firefight including bombs. You want to say this is an important film which may sound pretentious but this was a very good story, extremely well told.

MVP: Jimmy O. Yang as Dun Meng, the true hero of the story

Assassin’s Creed

Actors: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael K. Williams.

Rating: 7 out of 10, I remember watching for extended periods of time as my high school aged son played the video game this movie is based on. They gathered an all-star cast but should have spent more of their money on a coherent script. The action was great when they stayed in 1490s Spain with the lead character leaping off buildings and cutting a deadly swath through the forces of the Spanish inquisition (who no one expects! – sorry). Unfortunately the movie spends a lot of time in the present day with a convoluted and questionable plot. Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons are wasted with thankless roles while a too mysterious, age old war between the Assassins and the Knights Templar is barely explained. I guess you had to have played the game to understand some of that but the medieval Spain scenes were worth the price of admission.

MVP: Fassbender in the dual assassin role spanning centuries

Passengers

Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Andy García.

Rating: 9 out of 10, I know it’s getting skewered by the critics but this was sci fi done very well because the people were the important focus and not just the technology. If there was any doubt (none here) about Jennifer Lawrence’s screen presence this movie should eradicate it. Chris Pratt is very serviceable and likable for the first part of the movie but Lawrence dominates when she appears. They play two passengers who should be in cryosleep for a 120 year voyage to a new planet. Pratt is awakened early when the ship blunders into a very large asteroid which leads to a maddeningly slow failure of the ship. Alone for over a year Pratt does what any young man would do, he wakes the hottest fellow passenger he can find. While I treat that issue glibly the movie does not which brings up the interesting moral questions of the dilemma. While the movie does stumble to the finish line it was uniformly entertaining, so blow off the critics and go see it.

MVP: Lawrence as Aurora – sexy, intelligent, and warm

Steel Magnolias

Actors: Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Julia Roberts, Tom Skerritt, Dylan McDermott, Kevin J. O'Connor, Sam Shepard

Rating: 9 out of 10, A guilty pleasure for me because this has to rank up there as one of the biggest “chick” flicks ever made. My lack of estrogen doesn’t prevent me from enjoying great writing though and this movie has so many fantastic lines that it’s impossible to dislike. Quite the contrary I love this movie especially for the interplay between MacLaine and Dukakis’ character. Dolly Parton is kind of lost in a cast with this much talent. It’s the kind of movie that you’ll still be hearing the lines from a couple days after seeing it and still smiling. An enduring testament to friendship and the strength available within a circle of friends.

MVP: Dukakis as the impossibly funny Clairee, tormentor of Ouiser

Arrival

Actors: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker

Rating: 9 out of 10, Adams stars as a world renowned linguist charged with opening up communication channels with some recently arrived extra-terrestrials. This is one of the most intelligent and thought provoking films I’ve seen in a long time. You shouldn’t go in expecting the usual sci fi action, this is very cerebral as it theorizes what humanity’s reaction would be to the arrival of twelve massive alien aircraft around the world. There’s a poorly disguised but ultimately fulfilling twist which raises questions in the viewers’ mind as what you would do in the same situation. Despite its somewhat dour tone, this is Denis Villenueve after all, the message is surprisingly optimistic. One of the best movies of the year and certainly the smartest.

MVP: Adams as the sexiest nerd in a long time

Edge of Seventeen

Actors: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Hayden Szeto, Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick

Rating: 9 out of 10, Looking from the outside you’d think this was another in the long line of teen coming of age dramedies which rely heavily on typecasting and formulaic, angst ridden plots. This was so much more. It felt very true, especially with the teen relationships, whether sister-brother or friends. It was also incredibly funny with each actor allowed her/his space without going over the top. Hailee Steinfeld continues her remarkable young career as the lead actress. She plays a self-centered brat who somehow comes across as truly likable. I’m still trying to figure out how she carried that off. Blake Jenner followed up his lead turn in Everybody Wants Some as the older, seemingly perfect older brother but again, with some true depth. My favorite supporting actor however was Hayden Szeto, as the bumbling nervous schoolmate who worships Steinfeld only to be blissfully ignored (been there, done that during my own high school years). I guess that’s what I really liked about the movie. I think everyone will be able to pick out a situation that resonates with them from their own experience. It wasn’t a caricature and it didn’t have to be to be funny and poignant.

MVP: Steinfeld as the precociously blessed Nadine

From Here to Eternity

Actors: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Philip Ober, Jack Warden, Mickey Shaughnessy, Claude Akins, George Reeves

Rating: 8 out of 10, I was interested in seeing this again because I spent a couple years assigned to Schofield Barracks where this movie is set and was filmed. It tells the story of three different Soldiers assigned there in the days leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack. I never drove by the famous beach where Lancaster and Kerr had their iconic swim without thinking of them. Lancaster is very good and believable in his role as the First Sergeant with a corrupt company commander. Sinatra is also very good as the lovable loser Maggio. While its not a true representation of Army life, at least in today’s world it expertly tells an interwoven story with true heart. I still don't get the whole fascination with Montgomery Clift, I thought he was the weakest part of the film.

MVP: Lancaster as First Sergeant Warden

The Goodbye Girl

Actors: Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Paul Benedict

Rating: 7 out of 10, This seemed a lot funnier back in the 1970s. It has not aged well although Dreyfuss is still very funny as the struggling actor forced to share an apartment with a single mom. Mason is unsympathetic in that role and you have to wonder what led to eventual love story. The 70s were a confusing time. The funniest bits involve the actor’s need for approval and his attempt at a very gay Richard III in an off-Broadway play. I was a huge fan of Neil Simon’s writing but again, this hasn’t aged well; almost as if we’ve outgrown the simple plot devices he employs for laughs.

MVP: Dreyfuss as Elliot the gayest Richard III ever

To Sir With love

Actors: Sidney Poitier, Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Lulu

Rating: 8 out of 10, I remembered when first seeing this and wondering that there were black people in England. Poitier towers as the upright teacher of a rowdy bunch of teenagers afflicted with severe cockney-ness. While the film is severely dated the lessons are not. England is imprisoned in its class system and this is Mr. Chips for the lower class. I found myself drawn into the drama again despite the years and less simple life we’re all “blessed” with nowadays. The more famous song still plays regularly on oldies station and is effectively sprinkled throughout the film.

MVP: Poitier as the strict but humane teacher Thackeray.

Rocketeer

Actors: Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, Tiny Ron Taylor

Rating: 8 out of 10, I really enjoyed this now dated semi-super hero flick. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and has a lot of fun along the way. It’s set in pre-WW2 L.A. with Howard Hughes and golden age Hollywood as a back drop. Bill Campbell as an accident prone flyboy stumbles upon a rocket pack and is soon zooming around L.A. thwarting Nazi spy plots. His character is much luckier in the love department with Jennifer Connelly absolutely radiant. I’d forgotten just how beautiful she was at this stage of her career and she thoroughly dominates a white dress in the second half of the movie. It’s a fun ride culminating in a shootout at the Griffith Observatory (because every LA flick ends up there eventually) involving Nazis, mafia, and the FBI. Alan Arkin as Campbell’s mentor adds his usual depth.

MVP: Connelly as Jenny Blake and that dress

Oliver

Actors: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed, Harry Secombe, Jack Wild, Hugh Griffith

Rating: 9 out of 10, I’m not a huge fan of musicals but this one still gets me. As each of the songs roll around more memories arrive with them.  Unlike most musicals each and every song was welcome and impeccably staged. The entire movie was shot on soundstages which is even more incredible given the scope and size of the sets. I am surprised Shani Wallis never did more because she shines like a beacon as Nancy. Lester was a little underwhelming in the title role but Wild as the Artful Dodger more than makes up for that. Oliver Reed as the evil Bill Sikes was the stuff of childhood nightmares. A great two hour escape and isn’t that what a movie should be.

MVP: Wallis as the ill-fated but beautiful Nancy

Vertigo

Actors: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones, Ellen Corby

Rating: 10 out of 10, I saw this ages ago and while memorable it didn’t really register with me. Seeing it again in my march through some old movies I realized what a true masterpiece it is. Since the earlier viewing I’ve visited and fallen in love with San Francisco several times which certainly helped as the city is a true supporting character in this very Hitchcockian (obviously) plot. Sir Alfred serves up a very involved murder which with the passage of time may seem quaint at times but still keeps viewer riveted. Jimmy Stewart seemingly always played a likable character (yesteryear’s Tom Hanks) but he’s given a very flawed hero to play here. This truly is Hitchcock’s masterpiece and it remains one of the best ever. Oh and Kim Novak was an absolute knockout.

MVP: Stewart as the height challenged "Scottie" Ferguson

The French Connection

Actors: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi

Rating: 9 out of 10, The word that leaps to mind when describing this crime thriller is “gritty” as the very flawed New York City of the early 1970s is unflinchingly exposed. This story about two NYC cops who take down a huge heroin smuggling ring stands up well to the time that’s passed even with today’s kinder, gentler police expectations. The car chase with Hackman pursuing an assassin who’s trying to escape via the subway remains one of the best ever filmed. Hackman made his career with the uber-intense character of Popeye Doyle.

MVP: Hackman as Det. Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle

Doctor Strange

Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton.

Rating: 8 out of 10, I was interested to see how this iconic comic book character born out of the hallucinogenic sixties would fare in today’s medium. As with all things Marvel, they delivered. I think they spend a little too much time leading up to the acquisition of his necromancer skills but once they do the film is almost hypnotic with cities being turned inside out and Mads Mikkelson doing what he does best – being a deranged villain, this time with burnt out eyes. I would watch Tilda Swinton paint a room because she’s mesmerizing and perfect as the Ancient One. Cumberbatch is okay but he’s such a heel for the first half that it’s tough to root for him as we build towards the climax. That’s where the sixties in all their psychedelic glory asserts itself with mind-bending trips around the globe and cosmic battles. My only problem with the plot was Dr Strange transforming from a complete novice to master sorcerer almost overnight. Small potatoes though as this was a great ride, liberally infused with sly humor and the inevitable Stan Lee cameo.

MVP: Swinton, as always, the best thing about anything she’s in as the Ancient One

Sand Pebbles

Actors: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen, Mako, Simon Oakland, Larry Gates, Emmanuel Arsan

Rating: 7 out of 10, One tends to forget as time has passed what a huge movie star Steve McQueen was. I watched this last night and was struck by his screen presence, reminded why he was such a big deal. The epic movie is a slimly disguised polemic against the US involvement in Vietnam transferring the issues of that conflict to 1920s China. McQueen plays a disinterested sailor on a gunboat that’s soon drawn into the conflict surrounding foreign involvement in China and the Nanking Incident. The gunboat gets poignantly dirtier and rustier as the crew succumbs to the conflicting themes. McQueen befriends and trains a young coolie only to have to shoot him when he is tortured by his own people. The movie stands up well to time although it’s way over the top in beating the viewer about the head and shoulders about the evils of imperialism. Interestingly the “infamous” Emmanuel plays a supporting role in this as Attenborough’s love interest.

MVP: McQueen in one of his best roles ever as Homan