Beyond the Lights

First Hit:  I was surprised at how much I liked it.

I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this film after reading a brief story about the movie.

However Mini Driver, as Macy Jean, the mother of the biracial Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), was effective as a goal obsessed mother who had to fend for their livelihood. She did this through her daughter's singing talent.

Noni is the dedicated daughter who, under the managing guidance of Macy Jean, has become a worldwide singing sensation. However, she is struggling because she isn’t singing her songs, she’s not in control of her life, and her life doesn’t feel like her own. In desperation she gets drunk, hangs from a balcony and gets saved from a suicide attempt by police officer Kaz Nicol (Nate Parker).

Kaz is also having his career guided by his single parent, Police Captain Nicol (Danny Glover). Captain Nicol wants his son to become a successful politician and therefore has been guiding Kaz's career moves. What was enjoyable was the way the story came together.

Driver was really good as the headstrong mom who both success for her daughter but also success for herself. Along the way, she lost sight of her daughters inner life. Mbatha-Raw was strong as the singer who wants to find her own way. She made a compelling story on the screen. Parker is very good as the officer that wants love but will not live in a way that lacks integrity. Glover is perfect as the dad who wants his son to be great. Gina Prince-Bythewood wrote and directed this film. The story-line was well thought out with some great scenes in the boardroom with Marcy Jean speaking her mind. The direction was good with the scenes in Mexico deftly giving the audience a sense of peace coming over the characters.

Overall:  An enjoyable film that kept its perspective all the way through.

Horns

First Hit:  A rather unrealistic and lousy film.

This film did try to take itself seriously, however how could it? A guy growing horns out of his head? Sure. It tries to make a villain out of Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) because his girlfriend, Merrin Williams (Juno Temple) is killed near their secret treehouse. It was their hiding spot.

Previously to being found there she was last seen with him in a restaurant fighting. Telling you what they fight about would give too much away but needless to say that they have spent their life (since grade school) together and they were in love. Because Merrin is so loved and Ig vilified, he ends up growing horns which express the town’s hatred.

Radcliffe was OK in a role that really stretches the imagination but not in a way that I would recommend. Temple is devine and is the best thing in the film. Keith Bunin wrote a mostly ridiculous script and director Alexandre Aja tried to make sense of the story.

Overall:  This film was poorly conceived and barely executed better.

Nightcrawler

First Hit:  Amazing performance in a film about a dark undercurrent theme of our society.

We like voyeur’s views of the world. How do I know, watch television news. News programs would not be as popular as they are without having a certain voyeuristic view into other people’s lives, our lives.

Here we have Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is trying to make a life for himself. He’s a thief who sells stolen metal at junk yards. He runs up on a freeway accident where he watches a videographer filming the gruesome scene. He finds out that TV news stations buy this kind of video so he decides to become an independent videographer as a way to make an interesting living. It is to the depth in which he dives into this new role that highlights the film and the story.

Louis’ sleazy looks, acts of righteous knowledgeable indignation, slumping posture, while embodying the role of providing gory TV news film for money – that makes this film all-encompassing and watchable. While this film is about Louis’ voyeuristic ways, it is also about the audiences’ engagement with the video Louis shoots as well as viewing Louis’ life.

Gyllenhaal was so immersed and engaged that I believed everything about this character. Rene Russo (playing Nina Romina the News Director who buys Louis’ video) is absolutely fabulous. Her facial expressions at the date/dinner she has with Louis are amazing. Her directness in decision making in the newsroom – perfect. Riz Ahmed as Rick, Louis’ right hand man was extraordinary. Dan Gilroy wrote and directed this film. The writing was superb and his direction of the actors and scenes was, at times, riveting.

Overall:  This film was well done and Gyllenhaal made it this way.

Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

First Hit:  One of the most amazing films I’ve ever watched.

What struck me and continues to strike me about this film was the way it was filmed. It is filmed like it all came from one camera with no edits.

Although I was amazed from the very beginning, there is a scene, where the camera is on a balcony ledge, looking up at a dark sky with a building in the background, the lights in the building change, the darkness of the sky changes to morning, and then the camera backs off the ledge moves down the building it was on and finally backs into Riggan’s (Michael Keaton) dressing room where the action picks up again.

The shot is phenomenal as are most of the shots in this film. What makes all this better is that the acting is also sublime.

This story about a man who wants to revitalize his acting career on Broadway after becoming famous as a superhero named “Birdman”. Not that the film is suppose to have a similar real life link to Keaton’s own acting life as Batman, - it does. But it is much more and deeper than this. It is about finding a place to be relevant and honest with oneself in some way.

Joining Riggan in the play he is putting on is Lesley (Naomi Watts) who has been striving her whole life to do an opening night on Broadway. Then there’s current girlfriend Laura (Andrea Riseborough) who wants to have a baby but struggles with Riggan’s inattention and is angelic in the play.

Lastly, on stage with him is Mike (Edward Norton) who is Leslie’s boyfriend and New York City stage actor supreme. His method rankles and enhances Riggan’s vision for the play. Although the story interacts with and at times becomes the story, the overall story is about Riggan becoming who he a man he likes and cares about.

Keaton is at his absolute best as Riggan and Birdman. He’s naked on the screen, we can see him. Watts is superb. Her execution of her role is perfect. Riseborough is great. The scene where she tells Riggan that she is pregnant is touchingly wonderful. Norton is beyond amazing. His command of the role is perfect. He shows just the right amount of arrogance and thoughtfulness. Emma Stone is truly a wonder. Her role as Riggan’s daughter is one of the most startling pieces of supporting work on the screen this year. Her hauntingly, desperate, and thoughtful view of the world is perfect. All of these actors gave Oscar worthy consideration performances. Zach Galifianakis as Riggans attorney and co-producer was also very, very strong. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Nicolas Giacobone wrote this amazing screenplay. Their use of words to make emotional points was spot on. Inarritu’s direction of the cinematographer, actors, and execution of the story will have him considered at Academy Awards time.

Overall:  An amazing piece of art, and that is what this film is, an outstanding and sublime piece of art.

Dear White People

First Hit:  Extremely well written script about race as viewed by blacks. 

Race as it exists in our college campuses and elsewhere is the subject of this extremely well written script. Sam White (Tessa Thompson) does a video blog called “Dear White People”.

She makes pointed observations about how white people interact with blacks on her campus. She’s got a white lover named Kurt (Kyle Gallner) who appears to not care about her color, but is hurt by her hiding their relationship. Lionel (Tyler James Williams) is a somewhat timid gay black writer who moves from one fraternity house to another because he’s always rejected.

The issue with this film is the direction of the actors and some of the actors themselves. It just felt pressed. It was hard to watch sections of the film when the dialog and script was so amazing in what it says, while the visual on the screen was so weak and stilted.

The film covered many aspects of the race issue in the United States, including the well to do black Dean of the school Dean Fairbanks (Dennis Haysbert) and his unending competition with the white school President Fletcher (Peter Syvertsen). Fairbanks son Troy (Brandon P. Bell) tries to please his father, but is very lost and has to learn to find out what is important to him.

The climax of the film is a party where white people come as black people stereotypes or famous black people. The credits show pictures and dates of fraternities/colleges that really had such parties.

Gallner was OK, seemed a bit stiff in the dialogue. Thompson was really good, one of the better actors in this film and has some great lines. Williams was up and down in the role. There were moments of brilliance and others where the sense was he was lost. Syvertsen was OK, but his line “how much are we talking about …” was perfect. Haysbert was very strong as the controlling well to do black man caught in two worlds, wanting change and keeping his position. Bell was good but I couldn’t tell the difference between the role and his poor acting. Being an overly cautious, handsome black man looking for a life path may be him, because his eyes didn't register depth in the role. Justin Simien wrote an amazing and outstanding script. I expect this script/screenplay to be nominated for an Oscar. However he needs to find a director that can share his vision and use actors in a way that can bring his words to life.

Overall:  Great story, mediocre execution.