Zero Dark Thirty

First Hit:  An impactful, single focus, no nonsense story about how Osama bin Laden was killed.

This film is about one subject and one subject only – the finding and killing of Osama bin Laden (OBL).

There are no real subplots in this film which meant that we follow one storyline from beginning to end. To do this, the writing, characters and acting have to be clear, focused and crisp. This film does all this in spades.

We follow Maya (played by Jessica Chastain) from when she arrives in Afghanistan, about 10 years of interviewing, analyzing, and searching until she identifies and verifies, to the US Government, that OBL as dead. The in office Presidents are heard on occasion in the background but only as place markers in time and to spout policy and precedents.

We join her as she gets her first indoctrination into the torturing of prisoners to get information. Then we follow her as she digs up small leads and puts pieces of the puzzle together and with her unqualified belief, she finds OBL’s hiding place. There have been questions about the showing of torture and even more questions about if the US Government tortures people.

Nothing I saw on film is beyond the ability of our government. I know our government likes to think we treat prisoners fairly, but frankly I don’t believe it. Although I never saw waterboarding, I’ve seen some pretty terrible treatment of the enemy while in Vietnam and I’m sure it is worse today.

Chastain is sublime in her role. There is nothing else in her mind except finding Osama bin Laden. Although her face is extraordinarily beautiful she doesn’t draw attention to her beauty. All the audience focuses on is her driven single-mindedness and the story. Jason Clarke plays Dan her boss when she first gets this job, and he is outstanding in intensity and drive. Mark Boal wrote a great screenplay. Kathryn Bigelow’s direction was amazing and easily on par with her Oscar direction of “The Hurt Locker”.

Overall: Amazingly detailed film with a single focus.

The Impossible

First Hit:  Based on a true story, I sat in awe throughout the entire film.

What would it be like to experience a tsunami? Although the actors played this family as English, it didn't detract from the real Spanish family's experience.

In this story the family; wife Maria (Naomi Watts), husband Henry (Ewan McGregor), oldest son Lucas (Tom Holland), middle son Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and youngest son Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) are on a vacation in Thailand.

What happens was one of the greatest natural disasters to ever be recorded - 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The direct visuals of the water, what happens under the water, and how the human spirit pulls together to continue to live is amazing.

It felt almost like we were watching a documentary in that we were given the realism of the ensuing chaos after an event like this. Although Watts is the main character, Holland’s strong role as oldest son having to learn what family means and how the connection of the human spirit and the connection of family carry life onward.

The actual water sequences with the outstanding sound editing gives the audience the feeling what it could be like to be caught in a huge water wave.

This story about amazing survivability of humans when faced with death and calamity is amazing.

Watts gives an amazing performance. I fully believed her. Her characters strength and selfless compassion was beautiful and remarkable. McGregor was good but his role felt a bit pressed when compared to Watt’s performance. Holland is a true star in this film. His growth as a human being and as a boy becoming a man was nothing short of amazing. Josin and Pendergast were perfect as the youngest boys and the tender scenes of Simon’s head on Thomas’ lap was perfect. Sergio G. Sanchez wrote an amazing script which was expertly directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. He did a remarkable job in all aspects of this film, the effects, actors and managing the story.

Overall:  One of the best films I’ve seen all year.

Django Unchained

First Hit: Visually strong and arresting, crisp action, good story and great acting.

The story is about a slave named Django (played by Jamie Foxx) who is rescued from slavery by a dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz). He saves him because Django knows the faces of Shultz’s next bounty.

Django is good as his partner and they work together as bounty hunters through the winter with a promise by Shultz to assist Django in finding his enslaved wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Broomhilda is enslaved by Calvin Candie (played by Leonard DiCaprio) who has a wizened and manipulative house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).

That’s the premise and along their journey there is enough of a story to set up backgrounds and motivations for each of the characters. The funny moments are truly funny. The violent bloody moments are true Tarantino blood baths.

The story and characters were wonderfully conceived and delivered.

Foxx is absolutely delivers a very strong performance as the enslaved and now free Django. Waltz is superior and excellent in his role and delivers some of the best lines in the film. Washington is sublime as the comfort slave with an unending spirit to live her life fully. DiCaprio is surprisingly and excellently nice, crude, and mean as the owner of the largest slave plantation. Jackson is beyond sublime as the wizened house slave. His ability to show both control (drinking a drink in the library room) and subservience was amazing. When he is on the screen you have to watch him. Quentin Tarantino wrote a tight, engaging and expressive script and his direction was flawless.

Overall:  This film is one of Quentin Tarantino’s best efforts as writer and director.

Lay the Favorite

First Hit: Funny at times and Bruce Willis is the best part of this film.

Beth (played by Rebecca Hall) frustrated with her lackluster life, leaves for Las Vegas looking for dancing and money. What she ends up with, because she’s good with numbers, is working for a bookie named Dink (played by Bruce Willis).

Dink is married to Tulip (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) who is a very high maintenance, strong, pushy, wife that demands attention and money. Rebecca becomes Dink’s good luck charm and he makes some good money with her as part of the business. But, as we all know, gambling isn’t about having a good luck charm and Dink goes sideways when he starts losing.

Rebecca starts to work for Dink’s close friend and fellow bookie Rosie (played by Vince Vaughn). She discovers that Rosie has some bad work habits and decides to try to go back to work for Dink.

This film has no point that hasn’t been tread before. It is about trust, it is about finding your swim lane, it is about being open, honest and truthful. To this end it is OK.

Hall is delightful to watch as is Willis, but Zeta-Jones character seemed telegraphed. Willis, it probably the best thing about this film as he does the wide swings of winning and losing bets, very well. Hall is nice, easy and joyful to watch. Her mistakes (as her character) or telegraphed and I saw myself giving eye-rolls toward the screen with some of her choices. Zeta-Jones was poorly directed, had a mediocre script, or just had an off day. Vaughn was Vaughn, which means he doesn’t really act, he’s just the perfect wise guy, always talking and sometimes the role fits him – this one does. D.V. DeVincentis wrote mediocre but somewhat adequate script. Stephen Frears directed this and got a good performance from Willis and Hall.

Overall: Lazy Sunday evening film because it won’t require much concentration.

Hitchcock

First Hit:  This film is for older people because if you don’t remember his films or TV show, this film isn’t much to watch.

Alfred Hitchcock (played by Anthony Hopkins) directed many great films from thrillers to mysteries to horrors to dramas.

This film begins after the success of his film North by Northwest which starred Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. He’s searching for a film to do and finds the book Psycho which is a horror story. He buys all the available copies so that no one will know the ending until they see the film.

However Paramount films won’t finance the film because, to them, they think it is a cheap type of film. They want another North by Northwest. Anyway this story focuses on his relationship with this wife Alma Reville (played by Helen Mirren), how they work together, and his fantasies about being with sexy blonds. This point is made in the film because his previous films co-star (Eva Marie Saint) won’t work with him again. The film is also about his creative genius and abilities to make a film work.

In Psycho Janet Leigh (played by Scarlett Johansson) is the femme-fatal and has a wonderful working relationship with Hitchcock. Alma has an admirer who likes working with her, but although she likes working with him she doesn’t want to have an affair.

Hitchcock has some very odd mannerisms and his way of speaking is halting and direct. He is also shown here as obsessed with food and ice cream. I do recall his films when they came out and I also use to watch his television program – but here I saw a version of Hitchcock the human and it was interesting.

Hopkins played an interesting Hitchcock and without knowing much about the man, I found it interesting and disturbing in the way he acted and responded to people. Mirren was fabulous as Alma, the woman who loved and was a major creative force in Hitchcock’s life. Johansson was really good as Janet Leigh’s character. John J. McLaughlin wrote an interesting and informative screenplay. Sacha Gervasi did have a clear vision for this film but it felt limited in execution.

Overall:  I enjoyed the film but it is probably for a selected audience.