Indignation

First Hit:  Extremely well-acted, beautifully shot, thoughtful film about a serious young Jewish man exploring love, life, death and his understanding of the truth.

Marcus (Logan Lerman) is from a small New Jersey town where his family owns a small butcher shop. He works in his father store to earn some extra money before he goes off to school. The small college is located in Ohio.

Arriving at his dorm room he finds he's been assigned to room with two other Jewish students in a town and college that has few Jews. These upperclassmen tell him that the college tends to put Jews together for social reasons. Immediately, the audience sees that Marcus’ seriousness and introverted behavior may be in conflict with, at least, one of his roommates.

While studying in the library he sees and is bowled over by Olivia (Sarah Gadon) who is studying a couple tables away. He’s never had a relationship before and finally gets the nerve to ask her out.

His first date takes him extremely out of his comfort zone, while opening him up to feelings he’s never had before. Olivia is open and very direct and tells him about her difficult past. Marcus has never experienced anything like her before and it turns his world upside down.

All the students are required to attend church lectures given by Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts) followed by Christian prayer. Marcus is offended by this as he is both Jewish and his developing belief structure doesn’t support a “God”. There are two meetings with the Dean that are phenomenal to watch.

The acting by the actors is both amazing in their characterizations and the content of their discussions. The film is book-ended by scenes of the Korean War and of a rest home, which pull the film together because this film is not just about the budding relationships and coming of age, but about the cycle of life, death, and love.

Lerman was wonderful in this role. He clearly embodied this role and made his struggles the audience’s. Gadon was sublime. When she was on the screen, she was all I could watch. The depth of her struggles and intelligence was obvious. Letts as the Dean was truly amazing. I so enjoyed his logic and conversation twists during the two meetings with Marcus. James Schamus’ writing and direction was outstanding. His interpretation of this Philip Roth novel was great.

Overall:  I was totally engaged with this film and story.

Fury

First Hit:  Powerful story about how war will change people.

War is a tough place to learn about who you are in relation to the people you work with and an enemy that wants to kill you.

Norman (Logan Lerman) has been assigned to the Fury, a tank led by Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt). His crew of Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Trini “Gordo” Garcia (Michael Pena), and Jon “Coon-Ass” Travis (Jon Bernthal), have been together for years and through thick and thin. With much sadness they recently lost their assistant driver/gunner.

Norman was supposed to be a clerk typist and now he’s been ordered into Wardaddy’s tank that is heading to the front line. He tells Don he won’t shoot anyone and that he'd rather die than to kill.  But as the team thrives as a group, he must learn how to kill.

The tank crew is a family that depends on each other and this film exemplifies the positives and difficulties of this tank family life. The close quarters of the tank is made larger here by shooting one person at a time but you never forget that this is a close quarters tank.  Wardaddy is clearly in charge of his crew and he has a single focus to do his part against the Germans.

The pall of war is magnificently expressed in the color of each shot, whether it is inside or outside the tank. The dark haze of daylight exemplified the feelings of oppression and sadness that death brings.

Pitt is really strong in his performance of control over his crew, yet allowing and creating space for his guys to be who they are. The edges of this were defined in the scene where they had met two women in a building and building intense conversation and over the meal the women had prepared. Lerman was a revelation in his transformation to someone who would finally say; “best job I ever had”. LaBeouf was very strong as the guy who could quote scripture and drive the hell out of the tank. Pena was very good as Gordo and gunner. Bernthal was scary good as the guy always on the edge of sanity. David Ayer wrote and directed this film. The writing was as strong as his clear direction to fully take the audience deep into the world of a tank and the crew.

Overall:  Although war films are not my favorite genre, the characters elevated this film to a very high place.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

First Hit:  Despite the clichés of roles, it was easy to suspend belief and enjoy this film.

Entering high school can be traumatic as well as exciting.

I remember my first day, walking and gazing at 3 senior girls who were beautiful beyond belief and as I was walking and gazing, I turned to see where I was headed and I immediately ran into a metal pole – yes they all saw and laughed. I was embarrassed and tried to hide for a week while I licked my wounds.

Despite the good-looking main wallflower characters, it was the pain that each brought from within that made the film work for me. Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) is the main character from which we take this journey. He’s got problems which are not laid out to the audience when the film starts.

He talks of trying to find just one friend. The people he knows of through his older sister and a couple of childhood friends refuse to acknowledge his existence when in school. Maybe it is because he spent time in a mental hospital after his Aunt died – but we don’t know yet.

Charlie happens to meet up with Patrick (Ezra Miller) who is gay, having an affair with Brad (played by Johnny Simmons) - a football player, but Patrick sees Charlie's pain and reaches out to him. He introduces him to his step-sister Sam (Emma Watson) and their friends and they accept him.

For the first time in his life he feels at home and his internal demons subside for a moment. But his ghosts start coming back with memories of his aunt. The sub-plots with Emma and her choice in boys to date, his sister Candace (played by Nina Dobrev) and why she would let her boyfriend hit her we’re all engaging.

Lerman was very good as the guy trying to discover why he is so lost. Miller was truly outstanding as the vocal gay student who is trying to keep busy and his life together. Simmons, was good and convincing as the very confused gay football player. Watson was superb as Lerman’s heartthrob who also was trying to receive the love she deserves. Dobrev was strong as Lerman’s sister who was supportive when it really mattered while learning her own lessons. Stephen Chbosky both wrote and directed this film with a pretty good feel for the internal anguish of young teens.

Overall:  This was an enjoyable film but not a great one.

My One and Only

First Hit: This is a pleasantly nice film with a relatively interesting story about someone who is relatively well known but that most people know little about; George Hamilton.

Logan Lerman plays a young George Hamilton in his high school years recalling an important time when his mother Anne Deveraux (played by Renee Zellweger) decided to leave his philandering father Dan Deveraux (played by Kevin Bacon) an orchestra leader of the 40’s and 50’s.

The film begins when Anne returns from a brief trip to find Dan having another affair. She has had it, gathers the boys, buys a Cadillac Eldorado and heads to Boston looking for another husband to pay her way and give her the life she is looking for.

Anne is quite charming and has a way with her charm but her quest connects her with men who are not quite up to snuff. Her oldest son Robbie (played by Mark Rendall), who is gay, and George follow along with their mom hoping she finds what she is looking for and they finally get a home. With each failed attempt at meeting a new “step dad” they become poorer and their circumstances more desperate.

Out of money and hope, they land at her sister’s house where there is no love lost but there is stability for the boys. A couple of miss adventures and they end up with enough money to head to California, where both George and Robbie find their calling.

Zellweger is outstanding as a confused, headstrong, loving mother who does her best to do what is right. Her charm in this film is her perky and optimistic outlook regardless of the pickle they find themselves in ('never look in the rear view mirror, that’s what's behind us, always look forward and into the future'). Lerman is strong in his role as a very young man thrust into the role of head of household and responsible enough to drive (although not legally old enough) the three of them to each new city and adventure. Bacon’s plays a minor but significant character and is a driving force in the film. He is good in this role and plays the philandering father as; this is what band leaders do sort of way. Bacon’s voice is quick witted, gravely and husky and it worked. Richard Loncraine directed this film in a way that let the characters play out who they were and created something that was fun, interesting and well acted.

Overall: This isn’t one of the best films of the year, but there is some outstanding acting which made this film well worth watching.

3:10 to Yuma

First Hit: This is a decent enough film and some of the acting is quite good, however it isn’t a great western.

Russell Crowe makes a good villain but it was Ben Foster as his right hand man that put the real grit of “bad” in this remake of a Glenn Ford film.

Ben was the scene stealer from the get go. He looked and felt every bit of his part of loyal right hand man who could take over if needed.

Christian Bale is excellent in his role as someone who feels a little sorry for himself and also wants to prove that he is a man to his family. He, once again, shows why he is one of our best young actors.

Besides Ben and Christian, Logan Lerman who plays Bale’s son, William, did a wonderful job of moving from being hyper critical of his father, and life, to fully respecting him in the end. He grew up and showed up and after the film ends he would grow up to be a fine honorable man.

Overall: This was a good film with some very first rate acting.