Arrival

Director Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival is the best sci-fi extraterrestrial film since Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  

Writer Eric Heisserer’s screenplay based on Ted Chiang’s story is absolutely brilliant. And, that was my conclusion with just the first viewing.  But, thinking I might have missed something, I had a second viewing and was completely blown away, when I uncovered the real magic driving this story. Brilliance moved to absolutely incredible!

Obviously, I will tell you no more, except that I don’t see how anyone can beat this for Best Adapted Screenplay.

I will tell you that the plot concerns mysterious spacecrafts that, suddenly, appear in 12 seemingly random areas of the world, the principal one to the film in Montana.

Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a renowned linguist, who is brought to the site to help in trying to decipher the language of the aliens and determine their purpose in coming to Earth.  Amy Adams is absolutely wonderful in this role.

 

Jeremy Renner admirably plays a physicist, who is brought to the site to provide a scientist’s point of view and Forest Whitaker is excellent, as always, as the army colonel in charge of the area.

The film moves at a methodical pace as Banks tries to find the key to understanding the way to communicate with the aliens and Heisserer’s script craftily brings us into Banks’ process before things begin to unravel when some of the countries involved decide not to share their findings and, finally, decide to declare war on the extraterrestrials.

Thanks to the fabulous editing of Joe Walker, we are drawn into Banks’ mind to see how she begins to unravel the mystery.

Arrival is, arguably, the most intelligent film of the year, so far, and deserves a 4.9 out of 5.  This is a film to see even if you’re not a sci-fi enthusiast. 

Hacksaw Ridge

Director Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge is an amazing film on several levels. 

First of all, it is a harrowing view of what war is really like.  I can’t remember of film that is as relentlessly graphic regarding the horror that happens on a battlefield.  And, it is only watchable because of the hero of the film, a man who abhors what is going on and is only there to try and save as many lives he can.

 

This is the true story of Desmond Dawes, a young man from Virginia, who can’t abide staying safely at home while his brother and friends go off to war.  Yet, his religion forbids taking a life and he won’t even hold a rifle. 

  

Thinking he would become a medic, he ended up in a rifle battalion and had to suffer insults and beatings until he was court-martialed for disobeying his commander and had to go through a trial before being given the status as conscientious objector and, finally, allowed to become a medic.

It is Dawes’ incredible service on Okinawa that becomes the core of the film.

Dawes is admirably played by Andrew Garfield and other standout performances include Rachel Griffiths and Hugo Weaving as Dawes’ parents, as well as Teresa Palmer as the woman who becomes his wife.

The script by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight is tight and to the point.  John Gilbert’s editing is fabulous and Barry Robison’s Production Design is absolutely wonderful.  It’s unbelievable that Gibson pulled together this production for a quarter of the cost spent on superhero fictions.

I give Hacksaw Ridge a 4.5 out of 5.

Doctor Strange

Writer/Director Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange is a cut above the usually fantastic superhero films.  Yes, it’s that good.  And, I recommend that you see it in 3D as the visual effects are awesomely great. 

 

Scott and his writing partners Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill have created a story with a style that transcends the feel of a comic book-based movie.  

The arrogant Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a world class surgeon whose career is cut short by horrific auto accident that destroys his delicate hands.  

With no viable choices in Western medicine to help him, Strange goes East to Kathmandu where he finds The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and her main henchman Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who induct him into a new dimension of reality.  

Unfortunately, our and that reality are under a threat from the darkest force in the universe.

Along with the aforementioned actors, Rachel McAdams as Strange’s love interest Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as the librarian Wong and Mads Mikkelsen as the evil nemesis Kaecilius all give outstanding performances.   

Cinematographer Ben Davis and Production Designer Charles Wood set a perfect stage for the action.

 I give Doctor Strange a 4.7 out of 5.