Still Alice

Co-Writers/Co-Directors Richard Glatzer’s and Wash Westmoreland’s Still Alice is a courageous film, tackling the subject of Alzheimer’s disease.

Julianne Moore turns in an astounding performance as a 50-year-old linguistics professor at Columbia, who comes down with the early onset of the disease.  Moreover, her rare form is “familial,” meaning it can be passed on to her three children.

Two test and one is positive for 100% surety she will, someday, get it and the third doesn’t want to know.  So, the filmmakers have loaded the dice to show the complete tragedy of this debilitating condition.  

Moore could not be better at depicting every stage of the descent into oblivion that afflicts her character.  But, she is not alone in turning in a great performance.  Both Kristen Stewart and Kate Bosworth show up to support Moore and, in doing so, demonstrate their own talent.

Cinematographer Denis Lenoir and Editor Nicolas Chaudeurge, also, support the actors and the overall production, expertly.

This film is not for the timid.  It is gut-wrenchingly sad and, sometimes, hard to digest. But, the prevalence of disease touches such a great percentage of the population that it behooves us all to have the understanding Still Alice provides.

I give Still Alice a 4 out of 5.

Paddington

The first 5-out-of-5 film of the year, is Paddington, Writer/Director Paul King’s mix of real-life and animation.

Together with Co-Writers Hamish McColl and Michael Bond, King has created a truly delightful fairy tale that has appeal to every age level.

Paddington (Ben Whishaw’s voice) is a young bear of rare breed from “Darkest Peru” where he lived with his Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon’s voice) and Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton’s voice) until an earthquake destroyed their home and Uncle Pastuzo.

While Aunt Lucy retires to the Old Animal’s home, Paddington is sent to England where an Explorer (Tim Downie), who discovered and lived with the talking bears over a quarter century ago, had promised a home for them if they ever came to the U.K.

 

Having stowed away on a cruise ship, Paddington is found by a family consisting of a reluctant Father (Hugh Bonneville), an inviting Mother (Sally Hawkins), the shy Daughter (Madeleine Harris), an enterprising Son (Samuel Joslin) and accepting Aunt (Julie Walters).  While the Father only agrees to have him stay for one night, Paddington wins over the hearts of the rest of the family despite the mayhem he causes.

 

Paddington’s unfamiliarity with human society provides scenes of hilarity and charm.  Drama is added with the Explorer’s Daughter (Nicole Kidman), who works at the Museum and is driven to redeem her dead father’s reputation…expelled from the Geographic Society because he wouldn’t divulge the location of the rare bears…by capturing and stuffing Paddington.  

If you want to have some real film fun and leave the theater with an uplifted heart, take your children, your parents, your friends or go by yourself to enjoy Paddington.

The Wedding Ringer

Writer/Director Jeremy Garelick, along with Co-Writer Jay Lavender have a great premise with The Wedding Ringer.

Jimmy Calahan (Kevin Hart) has created a successful business portraying the Best Man at the weddings of Millennials, who do not have any friends. 

He is approached by friendless Doug Harris (Josh Gad), who needs not only a Best Man, but 7 Groomsmen, as well…something that Callahan has never done.

                                                               

 Though there is too much time in the setup…mainly the entire first act…, the film starts to pay off when Jimmy and Doug dance at someone else’s wedding; then play a hysterical football game with Doug’s father-in-law’s (Ken Howard) friends, who include real-life football stars Joe Namath, John Riggins and Ed “Too Tall” Jones; Doug is kidnapped for a riotous bachelor party; and everyone joins in for the honeymoon finale.

If you’re willing to be patient for some great laughs, these scenes alone make the film worthwhile.  I give The Wedding Ringer a 3+ out of 5.

Blackhat

Director Michael Mann is known for some really good action films like Heat, Public Enemies and Hancock, but with Blackhat he is hampered by Writer Morgan Davis Foehl’s lackluster script, Stuart Dryburgh’s dark and dull cinematography and, most of all, the plodding editing of a team consisting of Mako Kamitsuna, Jeremiah O’Driscoll, Stephen E. Rivkin and Joe Walker.  And these guys usually do great work, so there must be some reason for this limp result, here, which, unfortunately, Mann has to own.

Despite these difficulties, Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang, Wei Tang and Viola Davis all make the best of their roles and Blackhat does have some interesting aspects revolving around cybercrime.

Nevertheless, Blackhat only gets a 2+ out of 5.

Whiplash

It’s not often that a first-time film writer/director gets Academy Award nominations, but Damien Chazelle has succeeded with Whiplash.

The story concerns Andrew (Miles Teller), a first-year musician, who is an aspiring drummer at the reputed top music school in New York.

He is selected by Professor Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), the top conductor in the school, to be part of his jazz band.  But, Fletcher is the teacher-from-hell, making his students literally bleed to impress him and achieve his idea of perfection.

It’s no wonder that Simmons won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and is, now, nominated for an Academy Award in the same category.  While he is demonic, he, also, gives credence to his theory that potential greatness needs to be challenged to the nth degree for it to come forth.  Part of the success of his role and the film is the debate it stirs about whether his contention is valid or not.

If you can handle the blood, you’ll want to see this amazing work for its resounding climax alone.

I give Whiplash a 4+ out of 5.