Emma

First Hit: This version of the Jane Ashton tale, isn’t very funny, somewhat long at over two hours, and, at times, oddly entertaining.

I’m not a big fan of period pieces, and this one spends a lot of time showing us how the class structure and social hierarchy in England produced rude behavior.

The rude behavior is characterized by having the people guessing what others think and then responding without knowing what they really think. The culmination of this lack of communication is when Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) and George Knightley (Johnny Flynn) are under a tree, having extreme difficulty telling each other how they feel about each other.

The innuendos, the backhanded slights, and the occasional direct put-downs throughout this story were, on occasion, amusing. Still, mostly they struck me as arrogant attacks on people who had less social standing than others.

Emma is a rich girl in her early twenties living in a large house on an estate in England. She lives there with her father, Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy). It is near a small town, and because of her wealth, she’s looked up to by everyone in the village. When Emma walks into a store, everyone bows or curtsies. She hires friendships and people to spend time with her; Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) is one such person.

We watch Emma try to influence and control who gets engaged to whom, including Harriet. Emma is devoted to her father and has no intention of ever marrying. Emma is also forever being prodded and challenged by Knightly, her neighbor.

Knightley lives in a vast empty estate by himself. Interior shots of the house show most of the furniture covered up.

Although I didn’t like the character, Taylor-Joy was good as the arrogant Emma. Nighy was appropriately clueless as Emma’s father. Flynn did a terrific job of being the rich neighbor who suddenly harbored deeper feelings for Emma. Goth was sublime. She portrayed innocence and faith that Emma was looking out for her in a beautiful way. Eleanor Catton wrote this screenplay, that to me, was way to elongated. Autumn de Wilde directed this movie. It was at least 40 minutes too long and uninspired.

Overall: Despite the brief moments of hilarity, it was painfully long and contrived.

Burden

First Hit: This is a compelling true story about racial change in a small South Carolina town.

The movie documents this story about how Mike Burden (Garrett Hedlund), who was part of the Ku Klux Clan, decides to change his beliefs and makes amends because of his love for a woman.

In this small town, the Klan is still alive and well. Tom Griffin (Tom Wilkinson) is the head honcho in more ways than one. He’s on the verge of opening a Ku Klux Klan museum in an old movie theater, and the most impoverished people in town rent furniture and televisions from him. His repossession rate for his rentals is high. He intimidates the town with this control.

Burden works for Griffin and is his prime repossessor. Griffin treats Mike like his own son. On one repossession, Burden meets Judy (Andrea Riseborough), whose current boyfriend is behind in his payments, and Burden takes the television. Judy throws a temper tantrum and storms out to the car. She attempts to drive off, but the car won’t start and Burden gets the car started for her. The looks they give each other show that there is going to be a connection.

Judy has a young boy whose best friend is a young black child. The relationship between the young boys is a reminder that when Burden was young, his best friend was Clarence Brooks (Usher Raymond), a black person. Clarence is working but having trouble making payments on a rented television. Mike has arrived to repossess the tv. Seeing Judy’s boy playing with Clarence’s son brings up memories of their past friendship, and conflicting feelings based on his current beliefs as a Klansman.

The town has a large black population that comes together at the church that is led by Reverend Kennedy (Forest Whitaker). Kennedy preaches love, forgiveness, and bringing people together non-violently. As you might expect, with the KKK museum opening in town, the black community is upset, and Kennedy leads the non-violent protest.

At one point, Judy puts it to Burden that he has to pick between her or his continuing to be part of the Klan. This choice begins Mike’s transition from his being Klan-oriented to seeing how it is hurting the community and people he cares about.

Hedlund was amazing as Burden. The way he talked, scattered his gaze when communicating with anyone, and how his walk embodied someone who was doing little to further himself was well done. As he found his voice, he showed subtle ways to make his character believable as he evolved. Whitaker was wonderous as the town’s reverend whose goal was to create a peaceful difference. When he brings unexpected guests home, the way he tries to make it right with his family was perfectly portrayed. Riseborough was terrific as Judy. She captured a young woman who stood for her beliefs and had enough compassion to let Burden find his way to her. Wilkinson was excellent and utterly horrible as the town’s Klan leader. He made me believe he was a Klansman. Andrew Heckler wrote and directed this true story. I loved seeing the real people at the end of the film as the credits rolled.

Overall: This was a wonderfully presented story about how racism tears communities apart and how love, forgiveness, and acceptance can put them back together.

Greed

First Hit: Confusing movie about important subjects; income discrepancy, responsibility, and revenge.

I’m not very sure on how to write this review as the disjointed presentation of the subjects mentioned above left me wondering about the film’s intent.

At the end of the movie, next to still photos of the film’s scenes, we are given information about how clothing designers, companies, and sellers make billions of dollars of profit while the people who sew the clothing make as little as $2.47 for a 10-hour day of work.

The overall story follows Sir Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan), Greedy McCreadie, as he’s referred to by many, from his high school days when he left school, focused on making money to his 60th birthday party. As we learn, he was always conniving someone to play cards or playing a game called find the queen. If not that he finds ways to buy something low and sell it high.

How he got into the fashion industry was more of an accident than a purpose. From a part-time endeavor, McCreadie excelled at the art of negotiating extremely low clothing manufacturing prices. Seeing an opportunity to make a lot of money with these skills, he decides to open a clothing store, and it becomes very successful. We see him in various scenes negotiating rock bottom prices. We also see the aftermath and conditions these workers work and live under given these negotiated low manufacturing costs.

The film’s plot centers on McCreadie’s preparations for a 60th birthday party that he’s giving himself in a Greek Beachside villa. We know it is expensive because he’s trying to spend less than £1,000,000 for entertainment. He’s also invited some celebrities, and because many cannot make it, he hires celebrity stand-ins. One funny bit has McCreadie looking at these stand-ins in the makeup room, and when he says, and you’re George Michael, the guy says “yes,” and McCreadie looks at his assistant and says, “well how’s that going to work, George Michael is dead.” They are also building a small version of a coliseum where there will be a gladiator scene with a real lion.

Then there are vital scenes showing McCreadie’s privileged ways by wanting the refugees who are living on a public beach removed because it won’t look good for the guests. There are scenes where a government agency is questioning McCreadie about his businesses, the number of bankruptcies he has gone through, how he has all his assets in offshore accounts and countries so he can live so well. In contrast, others that work for him or his manufacturers suffer.

Then there are the personal relationships. McCreadie’s son Finn (Asa Butterfield) hates him, as revealed, by his open discussion about killing his father. His ex-wife Samantha (Isla Fisher), is still very close with him, and as we discover early in the story, she care-takes much of his offshore money.

Lastly, the revenge component is shared through a couple of characters. All through the film, we track McCreadie’s official biographer Nick (David Mitchell), who is probably weak and influenced to write a positive book, as he is talking with family and party attendees.

One of the key people who is planning and setting up the party for McCreadie is Naomi (Shanina Shaik). We learn of her decades long dislike for McCreadie’s ways because a decision by him, got her mother fired. Naomi’s mother had to find another job and ended up in a factory that burned down where her mother suffocated to death. Naomi has a sincere dislike for McCreadie. Her unattachment from the revenge she gets is a fascinating subject that stayed with me for hours after seeing the film.

Coogan is rather good as this arrogant, self-aggrandizing, prick of a man.

The scene in which he chastises a color decorator in a new store location about the interior color and he holds up a Fuchsia sample is funny and sad. What’s precious about it is that later scene we revisit this store, and nobody wants to shop there because of the color. McCreadie rails at the staff, who pick this color? Fisher is compelling as the ex-wife who lays back and reaps the benefits of her ex-husband's ways. Mitchell is terrific as the hesitant biographer. In the end, his understanding of Naomi’s actions is well done. Shaik was probably the best in this film. Her compassion for the Greek children living on the beach, finding ways to make everything work, and her explanation for pushing the button was sublime. Butterfield was keen as the intimidated son who just wanted to be seen, heard, and respected. Sophie Cookson (as the daughter Lily McCreadie) was great as the daughter trying to live a Kardashian life by having her every moment filmed. The scene where she gives food to the homeless on the beach is so telling. Michael Winterbottom both wrote and directed this film, and I just didn’t think it came together well. The oddly timed switching between different scenes, McCreadie’s early life, the party, and being questioned in front of the government committee were not well placed. It came across as confusing.

Overall: There are good points made by this movie, but the confusing story made it difficult to piece it all together.

Corpus Christi

First Hit: I liked this film because of how Bartosz Bielenia took ahold of his character, Daniel, and made me believe.

The premise is that Daniel (Bielenia) is in juvie for crimes that may have included murder. The film opens with him and others in a small room sawing wood with hand saws. Their instructor, who is also their guard, is imploring them to make cuts at the right angle and to use the whole blade. The set is dark with little light, and it’s more the noise of the blades going back and forth that provide the tone of this initial scene.

The guard steps out, and the boys grab Daniel, pull down his pants, and hold him down while another sodomizes him. The scene is graphic and impactful because of the way Daniel deals with it – stoically. These are rough and lost young men.

A following scene has this same group of boys standing in a room that has is set up as a chapel. Daniel is the lone altar boy, and you can see in the other boy’s faces that he’s a joke to them, especially after what just happened. Father Tomaz (Lukasz Simlat) comes in and gives an inspiring talk, and Daniel follows every word.

Daniel is to be released soon and will take a job in a sawmill in a distant city. He tells Father Tomaz that he wishes he could go to a seminary to become an ordained priest. Tomaz tells him because he’s a felon, that will not be possible.

When Daniel sees the saw mill, the place he’s been assigned to work, he flees because he knows it isn’t want he wants. Looking for a place to stay, Daniel finds a small town with a small church and goes inside. One thing leads to another, and he finds himself filling in as a Father (taking the name Father Tomaz) in this church while the resident priest is away in a detox center.

His natural compassion, boldness, and creativity help bring this small community together. He does this with inspired sermons and helping the town through a traumatic grieving process after they recently lost seven of their neighbors in a tragic accident.

The charade works until one of his old juvie nemesis tries to blackmail him.

Bielenia is amazing. The camera loves him. He just glows on the screen. He embodies this character with a real sense of authenticity, and I found myself hoping that he would never get caught masquerading as a priest. Eliza Rycembel, as Eliza, is equally wonderful. She is the first person that Daniel meets in this small town, and their relationship is engaging from the beginning. Aleksandra Konieczna, as Lidia, is excellent as the caretaker of the church’s processes and premises. Barbara Kurzaj as the vilified widow who divides the town because of the actions of her former husband is terrific. Mateusz Pacewicz wrote a powerful and inspirational screenplay. Jan Komasa captured this small Polish town realistic shots and scenes that gave this story lots of life.

Overall: This is a wonderful story that is brought to life by sublime acting and direction.

The Way Back

First Hit: This is a very well done film about redemption.

There are lots of films made about someone redeeming themselves after having a difficult time. Not all of them do it well; this one does.

Here we have a well-crafted storyline that evolves as the character evolves. By slowly revealing the depth of Jack Cunningham’s (Ben Affleck) angst, the audience is interested and wants to know more with each passing frame.

In an early opening scene, we find him in a liquor store buying a box full of beer and hard liquor. It is a holiday, and he’s heading over to his sister’s home. The stop at the store is telling because the store proprietor seems to know him, and the amount he’s purchased is unquestioned.

Cunningham is an alcoholic. He works in construction. After work, he stops by a dive bar where he is well known and makes idle bar talk and jokes with other patrons. On those nights, he’s help home by a fellow customer.

While showering the next morning, he’s got a can of beer in the soap holder, and while the water washes over him, he pounds down another beer before he’s even out of the shower. We see this scene multiple times; it is his habit. We also see him on the job with his ever-present metal coffee mug, which isn’t filled with coffee, but vodka. He drinks on the job.

Jack doesn’t care about much except Angela (Janina Gavankar), his ex-wife, which we discover because he calls and leaves a message on her phone. He also shows enthusiasm when he visits his sister Beth (Michaela Watkins) because he enjoys and appears to love, and care about, her two children.

Outside of these two things, he lives a day to day existence of going to work, going to the bar, and being led home to fall asleep in his clothes. He begins each day with a shower and a beer.

He gets offered a part-time job coaching the local high school team because he was their best player some twenty years prior. Back then, he was so good he was offered a full scholarship to Kansas University but didn’t take it. We learn why, in an intimate conversation with one of his basketball players.

Watching Jack decide to try this coaching job was another great scene. He downs at least two six-packs of beer while holding his phone next to his ear, practicing his speeches as to why he can’t take the coaching job. Outstanding scene.

It’s little scenes like this that make this film work well. Another such scene is Jack’s lunch with Angelea and their subsequent joint attendance to a friend’s son’s birthday party. Powerful scenes that open the door to the story a little bit farther.

The basketball scenes are some of the best I’ve seen shot for a film because they were very realistic to high school basketball. The movie gets it right with the noise of the gym, the anxious players, and the boys' willingness to buy into someone that knows basketball. Jack knows how to motivate them, as he motivates himself into caring about something more than his loss.

Affleck is amazing. His performance, by far, is the best acting by a man this year. Because of his very own public battle with alcohol, he makes this character real. He shows us that we know that he knows what it is like to carry the demons of addiction around. Gavankar is terrific as his former wife, who wants to move on with her life. She shows equanimity in both loving her former husband and reviling his behavior as an alcoholic. Watkins is superb as Cunningham’s sister. Her wistful ways of sharing her wish for her brother to seek help, are spot-on. The boys on the basketball team were outstanding. Brad Ingelsby wrote a dynamic screenplay that takes us on a road of discovery. Gavin O’Connor showed great and deft skills by giving the audience the right amount of information in each new scene to let the audience engage in this story as it unfolds.

Overall: This film shows how a film can be crafted by someone who cares about the story they want to tell.