Captain Fantastic

This film is exactly as its title suggests: fantastic.
Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen, excellent) and his family live pretty much off the grid in no man's land Washington. He and his children live in a wooded house and commute to the town in Steve, their converted school bus which can also be their home away from home. He has taught his children to hunt, defend themselves and how the rest of society is horrid. The children are incredibly intelligent and talented but have extreme awkwardness around others as they have little experience with the real world. No subject in their life is off limits and he is frank with his children when discussing life events. He tells his youngest child about sex and rape though she is only six.
Then, the unthinkable happens. His wife dies. She suffered from bipolar disorder and slit her wrists. Her father, Jack (Frank Langella) forbids Ben from attending the ceremony, nor will he honor his daughter's dying wish, that her body be cremated and her ashes flushed down a toilet. That was even written down. His children want to attend but Jack has warned Ben that if he shows up, he will be arrested and at first, Ben decides to listen. However, upon finally taking to heart the glum expressions of his children, he decides to stick it to the men. They begin the road trip, which probably takes longer than the five days they have until Leslie's funeral. (Leslie is his wife.) They visit Ben's sister, Harper (the always brilliant Kathryn Hahn) and her husband, Dave (the also always great Steve Zahn) and their two sons who love video games and everything electronic. They have the traditional lifestyle while Ben will let his children freely curse and even drink a little bit of alcohol. His nephews do not know the truth about their aunt and he tells them, not respecting the rules of the house. Instead of sleeping indoors, they sleep under the stars. But his children are far smarter than his public school educated nephews, but his kids don't know what a Nike is. Okay, it is a Greek God but they don't know that it is a popular shoe brand.
Then they show up at Leslie's funeral and he interrupts the priest's eulogy and tells the crowd about what Leslie would have really wanted. Jack has him escorted out. Though Jack is a good man, he doesn't let his wife, Abigail (Ann Dowd) spend as much time with her grandchildren as she would like.
However, things get complicated when the rebellious son, Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton) runs away to live with his grandparents as he is furious at his father for getting his mother help when she needed it. He also provides Jack with the fodder he needs to secure his fight for full custody of the children, as some of the survival activities Ben had the children participate in would be considered borderline child abuse. Despite this, Ben will not give up without a fight. He has his second oldest daughter, Vespyr (Annalise Basso) rescue him, which includes climbing on a roof. This is dangerous and I knew right away that she was going to fall, which she does. She is severely injured and must wear a neck brace though her injuries could have been much worse. This finally forces Ben to realize how dangerous his exercises can be. He decides to let Jack have the  children, though that doesn't last.
The children hide in Steve and Ben is surprised when they emerge.
But they have one final mission, rescue Leslie from her grave. Which they do and they have the funeral that she would have wished for, flushing her ashes down an airport toilet.
Though this is the main plot there is also the secondary plot of the oldest son, Bodevan (George MacKay). He has been accepted into many elite colleges such as both Harvard and Yale, which he die with his mother's help. I did wonder because they have absolutely no technology. Bo also proposes to a girl (Erin Moriarty) he meets at a trailer camp after their first date. Which is certainly the funniest scene in the film though also the saddest as he just doesn't have a grip on real life. In the end, he ends up going to Namibia. To do what, who knows? I was just surprised that he was able to obtain a passport.
Now, I do have a few issues with the film. If Ben believed that Leslie's mental illness started as post-partum depression after Bo's birth, why did they have so many kids? Also, Leslie was just forty-one when she died. She already had an eighteen year old. There is no way she could have had a law practice by then as the priest says in her eulogy. Also, I wish there would have been some more talking at the end. The children are finally in normal school though they still live organically. And the film forces you to think. Is Ben truly doing the children a favor by living the life he does? Is he doing more harm than good?
A great example of this is the scene where Ben fakes a heart attack in a grocery store so his kids can steal food in the operation better known as Free the Food. This scene, while well done, just points out how misguided and wrong Ben is. By doing that, he is demonstrating that he is no better than all the greedy and entitled people he wanted to escape from. And that is just incorrect.
Each performance is great and it does feel real and it is realistic with the opening scene is disturbing as Bo kills a deer with a knife and his bare hands. Which is gross and he eats a piece of the raw meat. Which leads to the scene when one of the children asks Harper how she killed the chicken and she must explain that she bought it from a store. I hope they adjust well to regular school. Still, the film is a must-watch, proving just how strong family can be, when pushed. Grade: A-

Star Trek: Beyond

This is probably the last film of the new Star Trek series, after all, it is a trilogy. I do have some issues with it, but overall, it was a good film.
James T. Kirk (Chris Kirk) is getting bored with his life aboard the Enterprise. His life is too routine and mundane for his liking. He will soon want to eat his words. While enjoying some rest and relaxation on the space colony of Yorktown (who knows why it is named that), a foreign friend of the Federation who doesn't even speak English (Lydia Wilson). Her ship and crew has been taken captive by an enemy and she needs help to rescue them. Kirk agrees to help. Boy, will he regret that.
The group is evil, and viciously attacks the Enterprise, rendering the ship useless. Some of the crew is able to use escape pods to flee the scene while the rest are taken hostage, though Kirk is not among them. He and Chekov (the late, but good Anton Yelchin) and the other captain (who turns out to be lying about everything, she will eventually die, without being given the chance to redeem herself) are in one group, Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Sulu (John Cho) are among the prisoners, while Bones (Karl Urban) is forced to care for an injured Spock (Zachary Quinto). Eventually, everyone but Sulu and Uhura are together again, along with the native Jahlah (Sofia Bontella) who managed to escape from the enemy Krall's (Idris Elba's) lair. She is with the ship's engineer, Scotty (Simon Pegg, who also co-wrote the screenplay, though you would never know it) to rebuild her home, which is an old Federation ship called Franklin. Though she is a strong character, she just lets Kirk take over, as he is used to doing. But he does save her from Krall when he could have easily left her behind. That moment got people clapping. Then Krall goes after Yorktown with his weapon of death. And Uhura saves Spock, which is sweet. Though they have
 already have a huge battle under their belts, they are not done. They must stop Krall from ruining Yorktown. Now, here is where one of my problems with the film comes in. Uhura is examining some old footage from the former crew of the Franklin and notices something odd. The former captain, Edison, presumed dead for over one hundred years, is actually still alive. He is now Krall. I don't understand how she figures that out, but it is the truth. Krall and Kirk get into a huge fist fight as Krall tries to unleash the weapon and Kirk tries to divert it into outer space, but of course, good beats evil and Krall is cast into outer space and dies, never to be seen or heard from again. Order is restored.
Now, though the film is action-packed, there are still some deeper meaning lines, including Uhura blatantly telling Krall that unity is their strength, there did need to be more character interactions outside of the heavy action scenes. The romance between Spock and Uhura isn't mentioned much though they each, once again, give great performances. But Spock and Kirk are also struggling to make change of life decisions, but, in the end, decide not to take their new positions and continue flying around, saving the world. I wished the ending would have been different, but it was sweet with Bones throwing Kirk a surprise birthday party even though Kirk isn't big on birthdays.
Despite my issues with the film, it was still incredibly good as a whole, with great editing, cinematography and mise-en-scene, with spectacular make-up, costumes and art direction. Also, it is not right about Yelchin's death, as he is the youngest of all the main characters. Such a good career cut far too short. Grade: B+

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

This was a pretty enjoyable movie, basically non-stop action from start to finish.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is sort of like Han Solo, out mostly for the money, determined to make money from finally capturing the orb, which has some crazy powers. But that doesn't go so well. Soon, many others are after him. There is Rocket the Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Groot is probably my favorite character. He is a tree, a genetically modified tree but he is kind and sweet. He can grow flowers from his limbs and can create fire. Also after him is Gamora (Zoe Saldana), an adopted daughter of Ronan (Lee Pace) who is pure evil. He killed many people's families, including Gamora's. They are arrested and put in the Klyn, a prison and Rocket does manage to get them out, but they pick up a pure hater of Ronan, Drax (Dave Bautista), who nearly kills Gamora, as she is Ronan's daughter. Eventually, they burst out and set off to kill Ronan and make money from the orb. They bring it to the Collector (Benicio Del Toro), who has little more than a cameo role. It is here where they realize how dangerous and destructive the Orb actually is. Peter grows attached to Gamora, who doesn't understand why music is so important to Peter. But of course, Peter has an origin story, that tape player is the gift his mother gave to him after she died. Thus, it is Peter's most precious possession.
They have to run from the Empire, led by Glenn Close, whose talents are wasted on this little role. She doesn't have much to do. Sure, her role is important but it is for someone who doesn't have the talent she does. They manage to get the orb as Ronan is trying to kill innocent people. They are nearly destroyed and poor Groot sacrifices himself for the good of the world and his friends. At first, the band sticks together reluctantly, but each of them would prefer to die among friends than at the hands of the enemy.
They do not destroy the planet, they capture the Orb. Of course, they are forced to work for the guy who kidnapped a teenage Peter and trained him to steal stuff, so there is many levels. Once they finally get the orb, Peter gives a decoy to Yondu (Michael Rooker), so doesn't appear to care. Their criminal records are expunged. The romance doesn't really take off between Gamora and Peter, but there is always the next film.
Now, I don't really have any problems with the film, although I would love to know where Peter's assistant, who barely appears in the first part of the film, goes after that. But the soundtrack is amazing and there are some funny parts and the acting is pretty good, though the roles aren't particularly difficult. Unfortunately, this just isn't my type of film. And the best part is that there is a baby Groot at the end of the film. Grade: B+

An Education (2009)

This is an interesting little gem of a film.
Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) is a good student, though she has struggles with Latin. She has dreams to go to Oxford and that is what her parents, Jack and Marjorie (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour) want for her also.
And then she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard) who is older and more sophisticated. He is able to take her to Paris, somewhere she always wanted to go. He is a smooth talker as his occupation isn't the most legal. Actually, it is completely illegal. David and his friend, Danny (Dominic Cooper) steal hidden artwork from unsuspecting people. It gives them a cushy lifestyle and Jenny benefits.
Yes, she is furious, livid, in fact, when she finds out the truth and David doesn't truly defend his actions. He merely tells her that she can return to her life as a schoolgirl, but she doesn't want that. In fact, she even accepts his proposal. Shockingly, her parents are okay with that, they just want her to be taken care of and now that will certainly happen. She drops out of school and then discovers the devastating truth, in David's glove compartment. David is married. It seems very Jane Eyre-esque. That is without a doubt, by design. There are several references to Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester throughout the film as Jenny is studying that book in school.
Naturally, Jenny is livid and her father is beyond mad also. David doesn't even have the guts to tell her parents, leaving Jenny to face them alone. She even goes back and apologizes to her headmistress at school, Miss Walton (Emma Thompson) literally groveling for the opportunity to repeat her last year and take her exams again. Miss Walton isn't a forgiven person. Jenny does recruit one of her teachers, Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams) who urged her not to give up Oxford regardless of getting married or not. Jenny does get into Oxford though she feels older and wiser than all the other students attending.
I'm just glad that Jenny didn't get pregnant. She does confront David's wife (Sally Hawkins) and this isn't the first time one of his mistresses have come to the house. At this one isn't in the family way, as that has happened before.
Sure, this plot has probably been done before, but the performances are very good, with Mulligan more than earning her Oscar nomination, Molina and Williams being stand outs. The scenery and costumes are also breathtaking.
However, her father's immediate support of the marriage came to me as a surprise and was upsetting just as it was for the character of Jenny. I don't really have a problem with the film, and there aren't any flaws, though Jenny's cello does get pushed aside once she and David start truly dating which is upsetting as it is how they met. However, I don't know if I'll watch this film again any time soon. Grade: A-

Cast Away (2000)

Tom Hanks is a great actor. Sure, Chuck Noland is a character that he has played before, an every man, but Chuck suffers from a tragic twist.
He is a FedEx man, traveling around the globe to improve efficiency. Directly after Christmas, just as he is about to propose to his long-term girlfriend, Kelly (Helen Hunt), he is involved in a terrible plane crash. The other four men die, he eventually finds the body and buries him.
He does make it to an abandoned island that has no crops other than coconut. He survives there for four years, and nothing comes easy. He suffers from some nasty injuries. But the joy on his face when he creates fire is one of pure emotion. Before he leaves, a tooth is bothering him, so when he is on the island, is forced to become inventive. Several packages washed ashore with him, including some ice skates, which he uses to cut out his tooth. But there is also a volleyball, and that he becomes his best friend, the only person he can talk to.
It isn't until a part of a porta potty washes ashore when he truly becomes determined to leave the island. He braids rope together to hold the logs into place on his raft and sets out, with Wilson in toe. Wilson survives crashing waves and a storm, but the videocassette tape just can't hold him any longer and Chuck is devastated.
And then he returns to society. Kelly has moved on, she married this dentist (Chris Noth) who performed a root canal on Chuck before the crash. She also has a little girl. Though she still loves Chuck, and admits it and he still loves her in return, he knows that he must let her go.
He ends the film with returning this one package that he didn't open, one with a beautiful set of hand painted wings. But the owner isn't there, so he just leaves the package only to run into the owner while he is struggling to find a path to take. He doesn't know where his life is headed which is entirely new for him.
Hanks carries the film as he is on screen for the vast majority of it. He is fantastic. Hunt is good too, though her role is small.
I have very few problems with the film, but one is that Hunt should have had more screen time, especially since she is billed above the title. They should have gone back to Memphis after receiving the word that Chuck hadn't made it to his destination. I would have liked to have seen that. And then she picks Chris Noth over Tom Hanks, I mean Chris Noth cheated on Juliana Marguiles, who does that? I know, I'm mixing up my pop culture. Still, Hanks is better than Noth any day of the week.
That being said, the film is realistic, Hanks grows out his beard and hair and loses tons of weight for the role. I also liked the camera angles, especially the one in the beginning which is from the point of view of a package. Grade: A-

Manhattan: Series Recap and Reaction

This is a great little gem of a show.
It takes place in the middle of nowhere New Mexico from 1943 to 1945 and features a bunch of scientists who are working on a gadget, the atomic bomb. They believe that this weapon will end all wars. Boy, were they wrong.
Dr. Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey, great) is the main character, leading a band of misfits who are building an alternative gadget to the one led by Dr. Reed Akley (the also great David Harbour). Things are thrown for a loop when the young and brilliant Dr. Charles Isaacs (Ashley Zukerman) arrives on the hill. as the secret operation is called. Charlie and Frank both have a few secrets and are probably more alike than they want to admit. They are each brilliant, but misguided. When one of Frank's men, Sid Liao (Eddie Shin, one of the token minorities) is accused of spying, when he is really only selling secrets to companies to pay for his daughter's medical treatments, Frank helps him escape, only to have him be accidentally shot down, without having the opportunity to clear his name. And that is only one of the complicated plot lines.
First, the characters: Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey)-a scientist who is more than willing to sacrifice his own career for others, but he expects a nose to the grindstone and absolute loyalty in return. Liza Winter (Olivia Williams)-his wife, who is a botanist and in season two, finally puts her doctorate to good use, trying to figure out the effects that the radium will have on the environment and the people. Callie Winter (Alexia Fast)-sort of an unnecessary character, as her plot lines feel out of place. She dates the young soldier, Cole Dunleavy (Jefferson White) who shot Liao, but this doesn't anger her father like she thought it would. Charlie Isaacs (Ashley Zukerman)-he is a young and extremely intelligent scientist but he plagarized a paragraph from his one important college paper which won an award. He struggles with loyalty and switches sides from time to time. Abby Isaacs (Rachel Brosnahan)-his wife. She is smarter than she looks. Still, she struggles with her sexuality and is so devastated by her miscarriage, off screen, in season two urges her to go back to her forgotten religious roots. Helen Prins (Katja Herbers)-the only female scientist. She is one Frank's team, but she struggles with being the only woman. She tries to get ahead, but is also of strong opinion. Paul Crosley (Harry Lloyd)-a British scientist who pretends to spy for the British in season two. He has issues with Frank and tries to leave the hill several times. He also has a secret from his past which secretly drives him to be his best. Jim Meeks (Christopher Denham)-doesn't have much screen time in season one. In fact, he disappears for a few episodes without explanation. But he is so shaken by Sid's death, that he becomes a spy just so the bomb will never be used. Too bad his quest fails and becomes more complicated than he could ever have imagined. Louis 'Fritz' Fedowitz (Michael Chernus)-probably the only good character, who throughout two seasons, doesn't betray anyone or really commit any crimes. He is also the most sympathetic character. My heart aches for him. Glen Babbit (Daniel Stern)-is an important scientist who is also secretly homosexual. He advises the younger ones, but is also upset at all the disloyalty among the ranks. Emmett Darrow (William Petersen)-only appears in season two. He is the new commander on the hill and is ruthless in his quest to build the bomb before the Germans. He is also religious or at least pretends to be.
There are plenty of plot lines, and twists and turns throughout, plus some great guest appearances, including turns by Peter Stomare, Neve Campbell, Brad Garrett, Daniel London (a nasty Robert Oppenheimer), Mamie Gummer (another Soviet spy) and Justin Kirk (probably the best of all of them).
The show is absolutely brilliant, and an atmosphere of suppression and realism. You truly do feel like you are being transported back to 1943, with everyone smoking and drinking including the pregnant women, like it was no big deal. People work the switchboard, technology is crude and yet it is shocking at what they have, like the giant walkie talkies in the finale.
The finale is actually pretty good, considering they weren't sure what would happen to the show. The bomb actually works, despite Frank's attempt at sabotage, and Jim's attempts to destroy the project. But Jim has plenty of blood on his hands, even though that is precisely what he wanted to avoid. Even Fritz's wife, Jeannie (Lauren Myers) who figured out the truth about him. Mamie Gummer kills her and makes it look like an accident. Fritz is devastated. He commits suicide in the finale. Reed Akley killed himself toward the end of season one, devastated that his plan won't work. So, yes, there are plenty of murders and two suicides, but no births. So that doesn't even out.
Still, there are very few flaws in the show. I have already mentioned them. Callie shouldn't really be a main character, though I hated that she was written out in season two. She should have been a recurring supporting character. And then in season one, Jim isn't in several episodes, not even in the background, which makes no sense whatsoever. It is just odd. But the characters are real, with personalities and even odd quirks and each actor is great, perfect in their roles. This show is a must watch, you won't be disappointed. Grade: A-

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

This was a fascinating film, with quirky characters.
Greg (Thomas Mann) is a loner who has more issues than someone in his position should have. He has kind, loving, devoted albeit nagging parents.
He doesn't have any friends. Okay, he does but he won't admit it. Earl Jackson (RJ Cyler) and Greg go way back and they make odd, avant gerde film together. Earl even eats all the weird food Greg's dad (Nick Offerman) has in the house.
Then, his mother (Connie Britton) forces him to befriend Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke). He doesn't want to go and she doesn't want him there, but Connie forces him so he goes and eventually, and somewhat reluctantly the two become friends. It does stay platonic. She likes their odd films and he doesn't mind her new bald head. He tries to keep her sane and she does the same to him.
And then she stops treatment. He is furious, unable to believe that she would give up on life.
Though he promised she wouldn't die, she does. And it kills him, though he does start to rebuild his life. He gave up on school work just to send time with her, so his grades dropped severely and the college took back his admission. He and Earl got into a fight, though they make up at Rachel's funeral.
I have some problems with the film, namely Greg is an unreliable narrator and the friendship of Greg and Earl needed to be tied up better. Earl was also an underdeveloped character. He had some great lines, though he was very obsessed with boobs, in general  not to anyone specific. But he needed more than that. His brother was also interesting. Each character was just that, a character.
The cinematography was great along with the set design. It is a film that I will watch again but I feel cheated. I wanted something better. I didn't want to be lied to. I wish Greg had changed more. That being said, it was a well done film with great acting, I just wished I liked the characters more. Earl was probably the most interesting and he didn't get as much screen time as he deserved. Grade: B+

Conviction (2010)

Betty Anne Waters (Bailee Madison as a young child, Hilary Swank as an adult) is a good little sister. She literally gives up her life, hopes and dreams to become a lawyer with the sole purpose of freeing her brother (Sam Waterston) who is spending his life in prison after being convicted of murder.
Convicted of murdering Katharina Brow, an older woman whose house they broke into as a child, the evidence against him is mostly circumstantial, with some of his ex-girlfriends saying that he confessed to them, a flimsy alibi and blood evidence that is the same type as his, but this is 1983, after all.
Betty's marriage, to a man who doesn't think that her brother is innocent. She had a hard childhood, with eight different foster homes and never even finishing high school. Though it is never said what he does for a living, she did marry up. Needless to say, they get divorced and she shuffles through law school, where she deals with difficult college professors where she can't even turn in a paper a minute late.
She does make a friend, Abra Rice (Minnie Driver) though she tries to put Abra off, but it doesn't work.
However, Betty becoming a lawyer is only one hurdle. They need to find evidence that will prove Kenny's innocence, and it isn't easy. It took Betty sixteen years to become a lawyer and in accordance with Massachusetts state law, all the evidence, physical and otherwise was destroyed after ten years, along with any hope of freeing him. But Betty and Abra do not give up. It takes her borrowing some of Abra's clothes and going to the courthouse in person before the evidence is miraculously unearthed.
Still, there is more. The new district attorney doesn't want to admit that a mistake was made, so Abra, Betty and a lawyer who takes up lost causes, Barry Scheck (Peter Gallagher), go to the witnesses and find out that Nancy Taylor (Melissa Leo) who was later found to be corrupt, coerced the witnesses into lying on the stand, determined to get Kenny in prison. However, Roseanna (Juliette Lewis) refuses to sign the affadavit, not wanting to be convicted of perjury. I couldn't believe she knew that much, what with being an alcoholic. But Kenny's other ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Brenda (Clea DuVall) does and signs the papers at the request of her daughter.
Finally, after eighteen years in jail, Kenny is freed. He is released, finally sees his daughter, who is, thankfully, happy to see him, though she grew up her whole life believing him to be a murderer. Kenny cannot thank his sister enough.
However, once Kenny is out, Betty doesn't know what to do with her law degree. She continues bartending and works part-time getting innocents out of prison. The police of Ayer were found guilty and they settled but Nancy would never get any jail time because of immunity.
All-in-all, this was a good film, though the timeline was a little murky in parts, but the story was good. A bit more background, on the crime that Kenny actually did commit would have been good. He did truly have a record.
The performances are also great, everyone is excellent, though Betty and Abra did lack some personality. It is a good story on how devoted siblings can be to each other. Grade: A-