Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Review

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" is a drama with some appropriate comic undertones from Academy Award winning Director Martin McDonagh who wrote and directed the 2007 low budget hit "In Bruges" starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason.

In his latest effort we leave the cinematic cultural vibrant landscape of Europe for the more rural and laid back American Midwest in the small sleepy town of Ebbing Missouri. The story begins about several months after teenager Angela Hayes was murdered with no culprit(s) or a single clue offered to solving her case.

Mildred Hayes (Angela Hayes's mother) played by Academy Award winner Frances McDormand (Fargo) who is highly frustrated by the lack of progress to solving her daughter murder, decides to making a bold move by painting three billboard signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed squarely at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature redneck mother’s boy with a penchant for violence gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated with more antagonism and personal threats that seem to put the case of Angela’s murder on the back burner of concern. Nevertheless, Mildred is determined one way of another to solving her daughter's death even if it kills her or kills anyone who gets in her way.

REVIEW: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" at its core is about the extraordinary trauma a parent goes through when grieving the loss of a child, especially through needless violence.

I believe in most cases people in the very depths of despair and grief will often recoil to the privacy of their homes and their personal families, barely living; completely withdrawn from their friends, food and work - just sitting and waiting in an emotional fog for others to come to them with some news of resolution to a family member’s tragic murder. BUT NOT MIIDLRED HAYES, she is fully engaged. Totally motivated with a quiet almost masculine locked jaw resolve to do anything by looking pass anyone standing in her way of accomplishing the goal of solving her daughter’s murder. It’s the brilliance of Director Martin McDonagh to draw on both the normal tragic aspects of grieving and mourning with Mildred’s approach within his screenplay that also offers up a smart, sometimes profane and vulgar, definitely hilarious, violent and sometime karmic look at this kind of relentlessness. With some clever plot point twists intertwined we see with a realistic examination of how rage, under very rare circumstances, can be a productive cathartic mechanism in making some people just better human beings.  

Frances McDormand is both phenomenal and brilliant as Mildred and is an absolute 100% lock to get a Best Actress Nomination as will is Sam Rockwell as the alcoholic, excessively violent redneck momma’s boy Deputy Jason Dixon. Also, Oscar nominations will definitely be coming in the way for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director as well. But the real  greatness of this film, with a running time of 1:15 is that “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is one of those films that keeps getting better and better, more unpredictable and more compelling as it went along. It’s truly one of those rarest of rare films that is more profound and more grounded in reality each and every frame with a subliminal message of inspiration hidden inside its story without ever being overly manipulative, gimmicky or predictable.

A must see film, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” with definitely be in my high top ten films for 2017 as one of the more satisfying movies I have seen with its funny and palatable dramatic story about small town life through the tragic prism of loss and redemption.

4 Stars

Roman J. Israel, ESQ - Review

Roman J. Israel, ESQ

Director Dan Gilroy who wrote and directed the intriguing and compelling 2014 “Nightcrawler” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, works with another A list Actor in the way of two time Academy Award Winner Denzel Washington in the legal drama “Roman J. Israel, ESQ”.

Taking place in Los Angeles, the story surrounds just three characters in the way of Denzel Washington as a lawyer named Roman Israel, along with Colin Farrell as his boss George Pierce and Carmen Ejogo a civil Rights activist as Romans’ female friend aka love interest named Maya. Roman is legally brilliant; a savant of sorts when it come to the law uniquely able to recite details of old cases by simply hearing the case number under which it was filed. His problem is he is a bit socially awkward and to a degree emotionally dysfunctional when interacting with other people. But he has a good heart with even better intentions of always wanting to help the indigent, the working class poor and overall to use his legal training to make the law be a mechanism for good in the way of social justice for those less fortunate.

Early in the film Roman discovers his small legal firm that he has been employed with for many years is closing doors for financial reasons and that he is being laid off. Emotionally lost and financially desperate to find work he reluctantly takes a job with a huge law firm run by George Pierce (Colin Farrell), a slick lawyer who was friends with Roman’s old boss who died suddenly now offering Roman better pay at his big time glitzy firm downtown.

The transition doesn’t go well as Roman  antiquated manner and ideas of doing things have left him stuck in a time warp of sorts when it comes to interacting with new high profile clients as he did at his old firm leading to real tension with his new legal colleagues as well exposing his new firm to potential laws suits. But in the process of getting a second chance with his boss George blessings, Roman gets his act together but on a rare impulse which is contrary to his nature Roman makes another decision that leads to a series of turbulent events that will put his new client as well as his new firm in a dangerous perilously situation.

REVIEW: As far as acting goes this is one Denzel’s best performances ever. You find yourself hanging on every uttered word as we watch and listen to his imaginative interpretation of this odd duck of aka Professor Cornel West looking man named Roman, who is part brilliant lawyer, part savant Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman’s “Rain Man”) part Forest Gump and part Karl Childers (Sling Blade). He creates real intrigue and dramatic weight to his Roman that while at times (and there were many) you found Roman’s conversations and actions totally perplexing, you still found yourself fixated on just how commanding Denzel owns the screen in every frame. 

Another positive is how the interplay chemistry between Roman and George is totally electric in the scenes they are together. But with all of Denzel’s acting prowess and Colin Farrell’s equally fine performance, the film gets totally loss and bogged down in the 2:09 minute running time from its endless choppy direction with an equally choppy, puzzling and meandering plot that seems never to elevate any aspect of the film into something meaningful or consequential to justify spending your time watching this overly wordy film.

By the time the movie comes to an odd dramatic ending, you really don’t care at all about Roman's fate;  …………and you should have and you won't - not even a little.

2.25 Stars

Last Flag Flying - Review

Last Flag Flying 

Self-taught writer/director Richard Linklater who is among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s offering such films as “Dazed and Confused”, “Before Sunrise” and the 2014 Best Picture nominated film “Boyhood”, takes on another realistic and natural humanist film story titled “Last Flag Flying”.

In 2003, 30 years after they served together in the Vietnam War, former Navy Corps medic Richard “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell) re-unites with Former Marine, now bar owner Sal (Bryan Cranston) and fellow former Marine now minister Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne). His visit to them is a surprise as they have not seen or spoken to each other for decades. But “Doc’s” arrival is a solemn one as he is on different type of mission to his old friends. He came to ask them to help him bury his only son, a young Marine killed in the Iraq War. Doc has decided to forgo a burial at Arlington Cemetery and with the help of his old buddies, they take the casket on a bittersweet trip up the East Coast to his home in suburban New Hampshire. Along the way, Doc, Sal and Mueller reminisce and come to terms with shared memories of the war that continues to shape their lives.

REVIEW: “Last Flag Flying” structurally speaking is a conventional film in the purest sense. Meaning, it’s never flashy in any frame during in its 2:04 minute running time, spending most of the film's story portraying very realistically meaningful “in the moment dialogue”. Specifically the kind of dialogue that helps the viewing audience get acquainted with these Marine buddies who are now years later getting reacquainted with one another. 

But in the first 30 minutes into their personal story, this viewer came to realize that while Rotten Tomato has "Last Flag Flying" scored at a modest 76, from my perspective something special was starting to take place up on the big screen. Something special as I was witnessing three stirring performances about how men, in only ways our DNA X chromosomes will generally ever allow, how men uniquely show their warmth, share their humanity, share their respect and yes share their love for and with one another. Not with tears, not with melancholy and not with bravado. But rather by drawing on their comradery that has been fortified into a deeper hidden strength from a single shared experience. In their case it was their experience as brave soldiers in Vietnam War.

While the overall arc and premise of the story is somewhat gloomy, as it is always ever present in your mind while its narrative unfolds, this is a story at its core about a funeral procession for a brave dead solider who is being laid to rest by his father and his two best friends. And while there are a few rare moments where the three men do engage in other matters like belief in God, sex and sentiments about being anti-war verse being pro-soldier loving Americans, the film is always buttressed by the wonderful interplay between Cranston’s, Carell’s and Fishburne’s characters as they create acting magic with one another, using both sometimes dramatic restraint and sometimes down right hilarious chemistry that will touch anyone’s heart at the deepest of levels.

The overall strength of "Last Flag Flying" is it is always sincerely honest with itself and therefore is always sincerely honest with its audience each step without relying on simplistic sentimental gimmicks to fill in space or take up time. No its a moving story from beginning to end that is even more elevated by some memorable and unforgettable scenes that will have you thinking about the movie days later after you see it. 

The first such scene is when we watch Doc sees his son's casket at Dover military base. The second is with all three men riding in the cargo section of the train carrying the Marines remains home. The third is when they buy and use flip phones on an impulse (remember this take place in 2003 - no I phones yet). The fourth is when the three men take a side trip to a friend's mother home who died with them while in Vietnam. And finally the scene on the day of the funeral ranging from Doc’s home to the cemetery. I guarantee you these moments in the movie will make you laugh, reflect, smile and be emotionally touched by the beautiful seamless transition of experiencing these three men support for one another during one of the deepest human tragedies anyone can experience……………..A parent putting their child to their final rest.

But the real magic in this film is Bryan Cranston. He is the lead engine on this train, metaphorical speaking, as he galvanizes the appropriate amount of inner wisdom, emotional strength, humor and personal reflection that the film needed to prevent it from being dragged down as some simple sad tale of death. His performance is nothing short of brilliant and reinforces what I have been saying for 5 years now he is the finest male actor working in Hollywood today.

Please to all who read this, I implore you to see “Last Flag Flying’ in the theater if you can. If you cannot, please do not miss it when it is convenient for you to do so. It’s a profoundly thoughtful and powerful meditative story about war and how surviving its aftermath can affect people in lasting ways negatively, but also in ways that are wonderful, humorous and nurturing.

One of the best films for 2017, “Last Flag Flying” is not just an excellent story that is well written with terrific executed performances and direction, it’s just a superbly magnificent emotional experience that should not be missed. 

4 Stars

Wonder - Review

Wonder 

Based on the New York Times bestseller, “WONDER” tells the inspiring and heartwarming story of a young boy named August Pullman. In the film we find the central character who prefers to be called “Auggie” is born with a facial abnormality ("mandibulofacial dysostosis", aka “Treacher Collins syndrome”) that up until now has prevented him from going to a mainstream school with other children. But his mother Isabel (Julia Roberts) who has taught him at home from birth realizes his reluctance to blend and interact with other kids his own age can‘t go on forever. So with love and support from Isabel, from Auggie’s father Nate (Owen Wilson) and his sister Via they all agree that it is time for him to attend the organize school Breecher Middle School.

As to be expected Auggie’s transition into the real world with other kids is marked with some cruelty, some kindness and some moments that will define his character into adulthood. It’s this transit in the film that is the core to its plot where we get to observe how the love and strength of his family, the growing acceptance and respect of his new classmates and the overall compassion of the larger community takes us the viewer on a moral message  journey. A moral tender heartfelt message journey where all those who are touched by Auggie’s life gain some new found measure of courage and kindness in their own life.

REVIEW: Actor Jacob Tremblay, who rose to fame in the Academy Award nominated film “Room”, plays Auggie splendidly. You never see someone acting under some fake prosthetic, rather during its 1:13 minute running time you discover just the opposite. A tiny  blossoming life that is decent, smart, affable and endearing in the form of Auggie Pullman, who struggles balancing the enduring support and love of his family and teachers while persevering bravely well beyond his physical years against the cruelties perpetuated towards him daily.

While Wonder" has some rare moments of just plain old corniness, it is not some Hallmark card overly sentimental schmaltzy tale. It stays effectively in the lane of reality of what parents and children go through when dealing with difficult emotional issues. The result is a sweeping arc of a story in “Wonder” that delivers a charming, sweet and infectious story of people making hurtful mistakes but who also show a capacity to figuring things out to eventually being kind and respectful towards one another.

“Wonder” delivers a wondrous cinematic lesson on the power of human compassion, self-acceptance, the acceptance of differences and the expression of human kindness. Without trying to drag tears out of the viewing audience, it still will tug on your heart with the warm compelling message for all to look at others beyond their physical surface or mask. And when someone is able to grow emotionally enough to do that without ever thinking about it,............ well as it was stated in the film,............. "When given a choice between being right (to others) and being kind (to others)……………choose kind.".

3.25 Stars  

Murder on the Orient Express - Review

Murder on the Orient Express

Director – Actor Kenneth Branagh revisits probably Agatha Christie’s most famous and successful novel in the who done it crime story “Murder on the Orient Express”. Along with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role of Detective Hercule Poirot, the cast includes Oscar winners Penélope Cruz and Judi Dench, as well Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.

PLOT: After catching the Taurus Express from Aleppo in Syria and traveling to Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot arrives at the Tokatlian Hotel. Once there, Poirot receives a telegram prompting him to return to London. He instructs the concierge to book a first-class compartment on the Simplon-Orient Express leaving that night. However, the train is fully booked and Poirot only gets a second-class berth after the intervention of a fellow Belgian who is a director of the train line.

After boarding, Poirot is approached by Mr. Samuel Ratchett (Johnny Depp), a malevolent American who believes his life is being threatened and attempts to hire Poirot to protect him, but Poirot refuses.

On the second night of the journey, the train is stopped by a snowdrift and it is also at that time Poirot's hears a disturbance in the train compartment near him. The next morning Detective Poirot is informed that Mr. Ratchett has been murdered. Poirot is asked by the owner of the train line to investigate his death.

REVIEW: “Murder on the Orient Express” was originally released in 1974 to very high praise by critics across the board. So, in a film that is so tightly structured around the meticulous procedure of essentially investigating everyone on the train, it’s a very tall order and a dramatically daunting directing task to say the least to making a film where you (and myself) probably already know its conclusion.

Overall, what the film has going for it is an old fashion pacing story telling in the same way our mothers’ use to tell us stories when we were children before going off to sleep each night. Meaning? Well it’s appealing and reasonably comforting to watch, especially with a gorgeous cinematographic back drop that pushes the viewer gracefully back to a by gone nostalgic era of elegance, style and grace. And with a flashy opening that eerily reminded me of DiCaprio’s “Titanic” and a theatric ending that eerily reminded me of the Christian image of Christ’s “The Last Supper”, this “Murder on the Orient Express” is just clever enough and fundamentally enjoyable enough to keep you fully engaged for its 1:45 minute running time.

A solid snowy day rental.

3:00 Stars

Lady Bird - Review

Lady Bird

In “Lady Bird”, Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter.

Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.

REVIEW: Initially, I thought this film was going to be slog fest to watch as it immersed itself  deep in the endless, sometimes confusing teenage banter that seems only meaningful for the very adolescents who are speaking to one another at the time. But after the first 30 minutes of the film’s 93 minute running time, “Lady Bird” pleasantly evolved into a witty, mature story of a female high school senior who is ending one important aspect of her life (figuratively and literally) by transitioning into an another.

Everything about “Lady Bird” is uniquely original, fresh and wonderful. It’s enchanted with itself and rightfully so with a good blend of real hilarity and weighty dramatic angst. It’s also a film that was not not afraid to cry, hug itself or poke itself in the eye with some well executed family dynamic scenes by making the well-rounded story board point that the experiences of human emotional pain, personal mistakes and unintentional cruelty can be a part of living and in the end be one of earliest positive pathways to maturity.

Director Gerwig gives a rare sweet, intimate and personal portrayal of female adolescence and their uniqueness for a change by closely examining the bonds of female teenage friendships and relationships.  “Lady Bird” is a smart grounded look of female youths who are in charge and have their appropriate number of casual flings with boys and then make them wait to see if the phone rings the next day. And while this is a modest and humble looking film on the surface it still offers in a large way a snappy and spirited look of the difficulties and hidden unforeseen pleasures of leaving a childhood behind to becoming a woman.

3.50 Stars