The Girl on the Train

Plot: Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train every day to New York, and watches the people she sees from the window. She is obsessed with a young couple she does not know from her old neighborhood. One day she sees the woman, Megan (Haley Bennett) kissing a man Kamal (Edgar Ramirez) -- not her husband Scott (Luke Evans), and very soon the Megan is missing, and soon after that found dead in the near-by woods.

When Rachel is not riding the train, she gets drunk and sometimes stalks her ex-husband Tom's (Justin Theroux) house, where he lives with his new wife Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). During this period, she woke up bloody and with a black-out of memory. Detective Riley (Allison Janney) suspects her but lacks evidence. Slowly Rachel pieces together what happened that night, and the relationships between Tom, Megan, Kamal, Anna and herself. After snake-like plot twists the villain is revealed.   [imdb]    [photos]

Review: It's a great psychological thriller and a Who-Dun-It. Emily Blunt's Rachel is unstable and maybe crazy, but how crazy and is she dangerous? What happened when she was blacked out, and whose blood was that on her?

We watch Rachel's life devolve even as she obsessively pieces together the backstory of Megan's murder.

I liked all of it. I liked Emily Blunt's depressed affect, the low key detective Riley, jealous new wife Anna and her protective relationship with the baby. It is a great movie that they don't make enough of. The best part is the complex relationships between the characters and the complex strategies that they play between each other on the personal and emotional plane.

It is a complicated story that is easier to follow in the movie than in the book. I liked the book, but I liked the movie better because Rachel's emotions are darker and crazier, and because the twists at the end are easier to follow. 

Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Edgar Ramirez, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez. 

Directed by: Tate Taylor

Written by: Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the novel by Paula Hawkins

The Music: Moody orchestral music by Danny Elfman

The Visuals: Solid visuals of the train, some clever interior shots with the actors, a few interesting paintings on the sets

Rating: 4.0 stars: Fun acting by Emily Blunt, Luke Evans, and nearly everyone else. A great story told clearly. Dramatic and dark. They should make more movies like this. 

 

More: Critics who say the story is predictable are nuts. I read the book, and I still found the ending surprising. I think it is great.

Even More: Its the moody darkness fits the national zeitgeist.

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 3D

 Plot: Jake's (Asa Butterfield) beloved Grandfather used to tell him stories about a Miss Peregrine's boarding school with strange and magical children -- just like Prof X's school but with younger students. After Grandpa dies, Jake goes to the site of the now ruined school, and is magically transported to 1943 during the Nazi bombing of this island in Wales. Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), runs a tight ship at the school, and she has cast a spell to keep time from passing, and to keep the school hidden from the monstrous Holos and their magical master Barron (Samuel L Jackson.)

Barron and his Cronies want to kill the children and eat their eyes to attain immortality. Jake is attracted to the cute Emma (Ella Purnell), and so he evades his father to spend time there, just when Barron arrives to capture Miss Peregrine and kill the children. After initial escape, Jake and friends battle Barron and the Holos until the unavoidable ending.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Weird and creepy, this halloween-like fantasy adventure is too creepy for kids, yet still a little juvenile for me. The creepy parts, especially the bad guys eating eyeballs, is really creepy. The monsters were scary, and the overall vibe was creepy. The story starts slow and a little bit sleepy, but eventually we meet the kids and figure out how peculiar they are.

The best acting was from Eva Green, who is marvelous as the tough and mysterious Miss Peregrine. Loved it.  Samuel L Jackson's Barron is mercurial, strange and menacing -- great acting. Asa Butterfield starts out slow and never musters the emotion to energize the role. I never thought was realistically flirting with Emma (Ella Purnell) -- let alone in love with her. None of the children were very good, except for Finley MacMillan's Enoch, who was brooding & creepy.

The art direction was a highlight too especially the ghost ship; sometimes it got juvenile, for example the battle with the skeletons. The Hollows eating a feast of eyeballs is unforgettable. Nightmarish.

This is a fantasy, so the story is necessarily a bit silly -- this is no different. I don't hold that against it.

Overall, it was fun, after a slow start.

Cast: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L Jackson, Ella Purnell

Directed by: Tim Burton

Based on the book by: Ransom Riggs

The Music: Not memorable.

The Visuals: Great. I saw it in 3D. It has some great images. 

Rating: 2.5 stars:  Great visuals. Could have used better young actors. 

 

More: I am interested in reading the books.

Even More: Tim Burton is just the guy for a nightmare story like this.

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Deepwater Horizon

Plot: The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform which lead to the giant BP gulf oil spill that lasted 89 days in 2010. The film follows electronics tech Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) from saying goodbye to his wife Felica (Kate Hudson) to his helicopter ride to the rig, through some troubling preliminary problems, into the incident that steadily gets worse and worse and worse. Mr Jimmy (Kurt Russell) plays the chief of the rig, and he is the tough, seasoned oil driller who gets co-opted by the evil BP engineers. Andrea (Gina Rodriguez) plays a bridge operator, and the only woman on board.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Like other disaster movies, we meet the characters slowly at the beginning including some of their families, then we get to know the situation, and the director foreshadows some problems ahead. Soon there is a fire and explosions, and people are dying, and everyone is struggling to survive. Tense, exciting. What is going to happen? Who is going to die? When will the Coast Guard come?

Mark Russell's Jimmy was well acted: he was principled and practical. I can imagine someone just like that. Mark Walhberg's Mike represented a regular person who became a hero in the situation. Gina Rodriguez's Andrea seemed realistic too, spunky or scared depending on the situation. The characters were the strongest part.

Deepwater Horizon was not too melodramatic just a few extra hugs at the end; Not too preachy either, though they could have skipped singing the O'Jay's Money, Money, Money to emphasize how the company skimped on safety.

I liked the prayer on the deck of the cargo ship at the end. I liked gritty men all kneeling. I think that could have happened too. 

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez, Kate Hudson

Directed by: Peter Berg

The Music: A mix of electronic and acoustical music. The music is low key and in the background rather than in your face. 

The Visuals: I thought the visuals were great, and I never thought they were fake. I recall looking up a photo of the real Deepwater Horizon fire, and it looked just like the movie poster. 

Rating: 4.0 stars: .

More: I did a safety report on the Deepwater Horizon disaster for work, and they left out some of the safety problems, like alarms ringing that got ignored, and how the main dock where the life boat was got blown-up.

Even More: I forgot how good For the Love of Money (Money, Money, Money) was. Love that bass part.

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Bridget Jones's Baby

Plot: TV producer Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) just turned 43 and is still looking for love. Suddenly she is pregnant, but is the father Mark (Colin Firth) or Jack (Patrick Dempsey)? Side plots include an election with her Mom, and a new millennial boss at work.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Renee Zellweger is great, and there are plenty of clever jokes. This movie is a sitcom with three parts, a love triangle, the workplace craziness, and Bridget's parents. It is held together by Renee Zellweger's acting, and she does a great job. She is so expressive with her face, and then there is her internal dialog which ratchets up the tension. The script is clever and the dialog is strong. The humor can be social -- like the interviews with guests on TV, or slapstick like the funny, funny entrance to the hospital.

Overall this was fun and entertaining. 

Cast: Renee Zellweger, Colin Furth, Patrick Dempsey

Directed by: Sharon Maguire

Written by: Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer, Emma Thompson (based on a story by Helen Fielding who also wrote the book)

The Music: Great selection of pop songs, with a few too many oldies. As I write this I am sorting through the ones I want to buy.  

The Visuals: It is a sitcom. It is mainly talking. Bridget's pregnant belly looked like real skin. 

Rating: 3.0 stars: Fun to watch. Without any serious message. All of the pro-lefty stuff Jack early on, is un-done by the wise-cracks about the feminist protesters at the end. They did not have much respect for the Pussy-Riot-like rock band either. 

More: Yes, the screenwriter named Emma Thompson is that Emma Thompson, the actress. Emma also played the doctor.

Even More: They filmed multiple endings so that no one could leak what happened, or more cynically so that they could release the ending that tested best. The actors did not know which one was going to be used.

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Sully

Plot: Sully (Tom Hanks) is the captain of a US Air flight that crash lands in the Hudson River, an event that actually happened. Early on there are flashbacks setting up the characters, and afterwards Sully and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) have a combative accident-investigation hearing with the NTSB. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Twenty-five minutes of top entertainment mixed with 55 minutes of filler with 10 minutes of melodrama floating on top.

The good scenes are great. I loved the flight reenactment, the crash, and especially the rescue. I enjoyed seeing to ferry boat crews and the helicopter cops. Heroic. Awe inspiring.

The slow parts are slow. There is a sequence when Hanks, breathes twice, then walks through door, down an aisle past people, and then sits in a chair. Really drawn out and sleepy. Earlier there are scenes of Sully with his father cropdusting and in the Air Force landing a plane: equally sleepy. Slow-pacing does not make a movie more Oscar-worthy.

Hanks is a good actor, and he becomes Capt Sullenberger. Hanks is as good as ever. It never feels like he is actor playing Sully, despite how recognizable Hanks is. The dialog with his wife and with co-pilot Jeff is also nicely done.

I was glad I saw Sully, but there were parts where wish I could I turn on my phone and look at Facebook, or read my Kindle. The quantity of filler material wrecked my enjoyment; I guess they needed to bulk up the movie to 96 minutes to make people feel they got their money's worth.

I accept Hollywood movies have some melodramatic sappiness and the temporal reshuffling. This was distracting, but not a problem -- at least to me. I question whether an NTSC hearing was the appropriate structure for a movie. Maybe putting the accident in the center would have been a better idea.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Written by: Todd Komarnicki based on the book Highest Duty by Chesley Sully Sullenberger

The Music: Not memorable or even noticeable. No soundtrack album available. 

The Visuals: Solid reenactment of the disaster. It looked just like the news footage. Lots of talking. Lots of conference rooms.

Rating: 2.0 stars: I was glad I saw it, but I also felt like leaving during the middle. Don't leave though, because the end is good.

More: Hanks' version of Sully is heroic and humble. Good attributes for anyone to copy. Sully is frequently on the CBS Morning News talking about the aviation industry, and he seems sensible and intelligent.

Even More: "Upon the film's release, NTSB investigators objected to the film's portrayal of them as inaccurate. After reviewing the factual record and viewing the film, The New York Times wrote that "the film’s version of the inquiry veers from the official record in both tone and substance" and "depicts the investigators as departing from standard protocol in airline accident inquiries." NTSB lead investigator John Balzano disputed the film's depiction, saying that investigators "weren't out to embarrass anybody at all", and a former NTSB investigator also expressed concern that the depiction would be taken by moviegoers as evidence of "government incompetence"  --Wikipedia

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Light Between the Oceans

Plot:  Tough former soldier Tom (Michael Fassbender) takes up duty at a lonely lighthouse in Australia, but local girl Isabel (Alicia Vikander) thinks he's dreamy. Soon they marry and move to the lighthouse, where significantly Isabel has two miscarriages.  Soon a boat washes ashore with a living infant girl and dead father. Isabel takes the baby as her own, and that works for a while. A few years later mourning widow Hannah (Rachel Weisz) meets Isabel & Tom, and says my daughter who was lost at sea is about the age as your daughter. In time the police come and after some dramatic flourishes the movie ends. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: It starts like a drama, and ends a crime movie. Great acting all around from Fassbender, Vikander and Weisz. The images are beautiful and the music is good too. It has all the pieces. This is a drama in a lighthouse, so there is lots of talking -- good thing the dialog is clever and fun to listen to.

I was uncomfortable when they decided to keep the infant, which I viewed as kidnapping or child abduction. As the baby grows, I can't help thinking about the parents and the terrible ending when it comes. Later as their deeds become known, I don't sympathize with them. I only think about poor Hannah. My heart's tension decided early on Hannah, so the tearful drama with Isabel only seemed like her just desserts. I suspect director Clanfrance wanted us to feel torn, but I didn't and so the movie is just average.

This was not a tear-jerker, at least for me. I kept waiting for Isabel to get the justice she deserved. 

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz

Directed by:  Derek Clanfrance

Written by:  Derek Clanfrance based on the novel by ML Stedman; It is not a true story. 

The Music: Pretty orchestral music by Alexandre Desplat

The Visuals: Nice nature photography and interior shots. 

Rating: 2.5 stars: Well crafted, but not fun or morally challenging. 

 

More: The book has excellent reviews.

Even More: Filmed in New Zealand

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Hell or High Water

Plot: Ex-con Tanner (Ben Foster) and his younger brother Toby (Chris Pine) rob Texas Midland bank branches to keep Texas Midland bank from foreclosing on their dead mother's ranch. Texas Ranger's Marcus (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto (Gil Birmingham) wise-crack their way through west Texas trying to catch Tanner and Toby, leading to a climatic scene with high power rifles. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: .This is a drama between brothers and between cops. There are great dialog scenes and three good action scenes, the initial bank robbery, the last bank robbery and Tanner's last stand. All of those were tense and exciting. The dialog was good too, but it takes a while to see past the Texas toughness to the people underneath.

Clearly, the Texas Midland Bank is evil doer in the eyes of the movie, and no one thinks that the family should be evicted. The boys and the bank are both evil. The Texas Rangers are only after the boys.

The movie seems to justify the killing in the name of keeping a poor family on its land, and that doesn't seen right to me. Perhaps the innocent people died by accident, but that is far worse than being evicted for not paying a bank loan back.

Cast: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birminham

Directed by: English director David Mackenzie

The Music: Good music

The Visuals: Some good art direction in the various sets. I liked the trailers. There are some artsy shots of the countryside too. 

Rating: 3.0 stars: Good dialog with a thoughtful story.

More [SPOILER]: The ending between Ranger Marcus and Toby is unclear. I choose to believe that Marcus never sees Toby again, and Toby continues to try to do the right thing with his family.

Even More: This movie was filmed in two and a half weeks. Very fast.

There were no sets; all locations and little farm house.

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