Thoroughbreds

First Hit: The oddity of the characters and the quirky story and acting worked for me.

Two wealthy girls living in a wealthy Connecticut neighborhood, have lost touch since grade school when they use to also ride horses together.

Amanda (Olivia Cooke) was a loner, especially after she killed her ill horse with a knife. She was seen by people as a sociopath. As we are introduced to her she is dropped off at Lily’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) mansion and while the maid is finding Lily, she’s exploring the rooms.

Amanda is there to get tutoring from Lily, and quickly figures out that Lily is being paid to be her friend by Amanda's mom.  They start talking why they're ostracized in school.

Amanda begins to tell her tale and it begins with that she has no feelings and cannot ever recall having them. This makes for a weird sort of story because I spent time trying to see Amanda have feelings.

Lily’s father died some years earlier and now her mom, Karen (Kaili Vernoff) is married to a man named Mark (Paul Sparks) who is a real jerk.

Lily wants Mark dead, Amanda killed her horse, they are troubled girls who are planning something together. They bring in Tim (Anton Yelchin) who is a small-time drug dealer who thinks he’s going to be the premier drug dealer on the east coast, but we all know this isn’t going to happen.

Hatching a plot to kill Mark, this whole thing goes haywire and we watch as Lily becomes the new cold girl in town.

The scenes of the girls talking, or attempting to cry on cue were fun, but for me the odd sparse musical accompaniments to certain scenes added to the overall quirkiness of this film.

Cooke was oddly engaging and grabbed the screen with her role. Taylor-Joy was very effective as someone who wanted to stretch her boundaries and find a new way of living. Vernoff and Sparks were strong as Lily’s mom and step dad. His attempts to be perfect were well represented. Yelchin was great as the wanna be drug dealer. Cory Finley wrote and directed this oddly interesting story.

Overall:  I liked this more than I thought I would.

Star Trek Beyond - 3D

First Hit:  Although the script and visuals were dark in tone, I loved how the main characters embodied the Star Trek story and allowed me to enjoy this film.

It is not easy to keep a film succession, based on a television series, engaging while upholding the essence of the story that has been around since 1966.

To be clear, it is Chris Pine (as Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (as Commander Spock), Karl Urban (as Dr. “Bones” McCoy), Zoe Saldana (as Lt. Uhura), Simon Pegg (Montgomery “Scotty” Scott), John Cho (as Sulu), and the late Anton Yelchin (as Chekov) that make this film engaging and the story work.

I wasn’t a fan of this particular story or the darkness of the film, but the crew of the Starship Enterprise was amazing. They have magically embodied the original characters and brought them 5 decades into the future with dignity.

This is what I loved about this film, the characters and actors. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who plays a significant role in this film, isn’t added to the mixture of the Star Trek crew in future films. The villain in this film is Krall (Idris Elba) who is looking for a item that will allow him to destroy the Federation.

Pine, Quinto, Urban, Saldana, Pegg, Cho, and Yelchin are compellingly amazing at their ability to continue the growth and transition of these characters by bridging the 50-year gap from the characters’ inception to today. They all deserve heart felt kudos. Boutella is very strong and the character she embodies fits well with this film and the crew. Simon Pegg and Doug Jung wrote this script that allowed the characters to shine through. However, I wasn’t necessarily impressed with the overall story plot. Justin Lin did an admirable job of keeping the tone and focus on the characters.

Overall:  I enjoyed the film mostly because the crew of the Starship Enterprise was perfect.

Star Trek Into Darkness

 First Hit:  Kept the thrill, charm, and excitement of the first prequel – I liked it.

What I really liked about the first 2009 “Star Trek” prequel was the embodiment of the original Star Trek television series characters as younger people.

For this film, the thing I was concerned about was if this film would be able to carry through the joy and feel of the characters. The answer is yes. Although there were things that needed some work and scene trimming, the feel of the film worked and it was fun to watch.

I’m not sure what others think, but Chris Pine (playing Kirk) has a great feel of the original Captain Kirk. A brash intelligence mixed in with independence. He knows he doesn’t know everything but he cares about the crew more than himself.

The film begins with him losing the star ship Enterprise do to this brash behavior. Then he is pressed into being captain again because of an attack at Federation HQ by Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) and he's the one who figures it out. The story hangs together really well and the main criticisms where that some scenes, like Spoke in a fist fight with Khan on the cargo containers, was overly long and served no real purpose.

The special effects were well done and did not take over the film but enhanced it.

Pine makes a great Kirk and there is room for him to grow the character in the next film. Zachary Quinto as Spock is very good. Zoe Saldana as Uhura is strong and brings an exotic presence to the bridge. Karl Urban as Bones is slightly overplayed but good enough. Simon Pegg is wonderful as Scotty. John Cho as Sulu holds his character with strength. Anton Yelchin does a wonderful job of embodying Chekov. Cumberbatch did a very good job of being the guy who was going to rule the universe. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman did a good job putting together a fun and interesting script while J.J. Abrams kept the Star Trek theme and feeling alive – kudos.

Overall:  Very entertaining and a good effort for the second prequel.

Like Crazy

First Hit:  Wonderfully realistic acting about a fresh, lasting and true love between two young people in which "I love you Like Crazy” means something.

I’m a romantic at heart and this film worked at all levels for me.

The acting by most everyone in the film was good and was superb by the principals Jacob (played by Anton Yelchin) and Anna (played by Felicity Jones). They meet because Anna leaves a note on Jacob’s car. Their first date was perfect representation of what two somewhat bashful, thoughtful people would go through when they are learning who they are in front of another person.

The relationship builds and their inner connection grows as the school year goes on. This is represented by walks in the park, dinners and in bed. Her goal is to be a writer and his is to be a furniture builder and upon graduation they have some decisions to make. She is on a student visa from England and must go home.

However, she breaks the law and stays beyond the legal limit. She eventually leaves and goes home to England. When she returns on a tourist visa she is detained and sent back home. This event sets up the film discovering how they handle a long distance relationship:  Will they each take other lovers? Will their love last? Was their love real? Will they make it through the trials and tribulations of being separated by “the law?”

The answer to these questions is “yes”. The audience gets to see that even though they each take different lovers who may be prettier (better looking) than their partner, something is missing.

This film is about love, the power of love and two young people realizing it.

Yelchin is wonderful and exemplary as the creative furniture maker. Jones was outstanding as the girl who has found her partner and continues to reach out to make it happen. Jennifer Lawrence as Sam is Jacob’s work assistant and sometimes lover is good and is a perfect example of someone who may be prettier than the other woman but when the spark isn't there you know it. Charlie Bewley is really good as Simon, Anna’s neighbor who falls in love with her, is great looking but there is a connection missing. The scene where he proposes is heartbreaking. Alex Kingston and Oliver Muirhead are divine as Anna’s parents. Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones wrote this wonderful script while Doremus did a wonderful job of keeping the story on track and the film crisp.

Overall:  This was a wonderful love story which depicted thoughtful college age kids with thoughtfulness.

The Beaver

First Hit:  An intense, well-acted and dark film which does bring some light to depression.

I was slightly amused at “dark film which does bring some light to depression”.

There is little lightness to depression but this film does bring this difficult state of mind into focus. As one who has gone through bouts of depression, the emptiness, listlessness, and lack of seeing any way out is powerfully embodied by Walter Black (played by Mel Gibson).

I’m sure anyone who lives with depression experiences it, or has it manifest, in differing ways. Here all Walter wants to do is sleep. His therapy is not helping nor are the pills given to him by the medical community. We only get small glimpse that he was once seen or perceived as happy through stories by his wife Meredith (played by Jodie Foster).

However, Walter is head of a family toy company that is going down the tubes. His wife supports him but only as she wants him to be. His older son Porter (played by Anton Yelchin) resents his father and is afraid he is turning out like him. He keeps sticky notes on the wall in his room listing all the similarities he has with his dad.

Walter’s youngest son Henry (played by Riley Thomas Stewart) feels invisible to everyone. This point is poorly demonstrated by his mother driving past her son when she goes to pick him up from school each day. Meredith kicks Walter out of the house and he ends up in a hotel with a few of his belongings, including a beaver hand puppet.

He drinks himself into a functional stupor and attempts to hang himself on the shower rod, but it fails. The puppet, on his hand, wakes him up with a different Aussie accent and begins to tell him that he should listen to The Beaver (puppet). The Beaver then becomes his constant companion talking in a live voice that has him engaging with the world.

He re-engages with his wife and youngest son and the people at work. The company becomes more successful because of an idea Henry and The Beaver tell him. Walter (and The Beaver) end up on talk shows but always with The Beaver talking. Meredith wants to have dinner with Walter but not The Beaver and it becomes disastrous.

In the end Walter has to take back his own life from The Beaver by severing their relationship and be open to his family seeing all of him again.

Gibson is either one of the greatest actors ever or he has a close relationship with depression. Regardless, to put that character up on the screen and make it real was powerful. Foster as his wife was good, but her tightness over rode a tender softness that also needed surfacing. However as director of this film she was fabulous. Yelchin as the older son who was living in fear that he’d become like his father was outstanding. Stewart was perfect as the young son that just believes that his dad is OK regardless if he’s the Beaver or not. Kyle Killen wrote a strong and risky screenplay that would have failed under another director and actor’s hands. Foster as I said was brilliant directing this cast and her understanding of the script.

Overall: This isn’t a pick-me-up type film but it is a very strong film about what many people struggle with.