Serena

First Hit:  This dark film is well acted but is a downer to watch.

Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) is a young good looking man who has some family money that is tied up in land both in Brazil and the Smoky Mountains. He’s been logging the Smokey Mountains for revenue and is stripping the landscape by cutting down all the trees.

Even though this is the time of the great depression and jobs and money is scarce, there are people who don’t want the mountains raped of the trees for profit. He sleeps with an employee that brings his food. He heads back east and meets strong willed Serena (Jennifer Lawrence) who was alone in the world because her family didn’t survive a fire in their home.

She is strong independent and there is immediate chemistry. They marry and he drags her off to the Smoky Mountains. She clashes with Pemberton’s right hand man Buchanan (David Denik) because of her intellect and strength. Pemberton’s former housekeeper is now pregnant with his child and jealousy ensues. The film is about how their world collapses.

Cooper is good as Pemberton. There is nothing extraordinary about his performance. Lawrence shows, yet again, why she is an up and coming actress. She carries this film and makes it interesting. Denik is very good as Pemberton’s right hand man who tries to double-cross his boss. Ana Ularu is effective as the woman who has Pemberton’s child out of wedlock. Christopher Kyle wrote this slowly paced, mediocre and dark screen play. Susanne Bier directed getting a lot from Lawrence.

Overall:  This film did not seem like there was enough for the actors to really expand their abilities and more fully engage a story.

Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed

First Hit:  One of the sweetest films I’ve seen in a long time.

This is the story about three Spanish people who come together to learn more about themselves and to take charge of their lives. Yes this sounds overly philosophical, yet the simple elegant story by which this story unfolds is so gracefully sweet.

Based in the late 1960’s the world is changing. The Beatles have taken the world by storm but are at the brink of breaking up. “Free Love” means that sexual mores are clashing against more old fashion beliefs while personal liberty is becoming more important to young people as their peers are singing about changing the world. Juanjo (Francesc Colomer) is a young man wanting to define his place and space in the family.

The issue he uses to stand up to his father is the length of his hair. His father wants his son’s to get a haircut, while Juanjo wants to leave it as it is. Belen (Natalia de Molina) is young, sweetly beautiful, and 3+ months pregnant. She’s been ousted from the home she was sent to and is trying to find her way back home.

Antonio (Javier Camara) is a John Lennon obsessed school teacher. He teaches English to students using lyrics written by John. His kids are engaged and he loves what he does. Antonio gets the idea to drive to another part of Spain to see his hero who is shooting a film “How I Won the War”. On his way he picks up Belen and Juanjo who are hitchhiking.

As the three learn more about each other a deep friendship and honor for each other evolves as they hang around a very small town in Spain hoping to see Lennon.

Camara is outstanding as the gentle, kind and likable school teacher. His deft handling of his role and the innocent excitement he brings to the character is amazing. Molina is exquisite as the pregnant girl who is both innocent and divinely guided. Colomer is wonderful as the young man who is trying his wings for the first time. David Trueba wrote and directed this film with wonder and innocent beauty.

Overall:  Truly an enjoyable film to watch.

The Gunman

First Hit:  This film tries to be interesting and fails.

Using the politics of forced mining in the Congo as a backdrop, what the story is about is how a man slowly comes to grips with his killing past. What is unfortunate is that using this and his redemptive actions of drilling for clean water to make Terrier (Sean Penn) someone we care about failed.

I did not care one iota about Terrier’s self-redemption. Walking into the theater I expected to sit through a bunch of scenes of people shooting (and missing) at each other but for it to be so poorly done was disappointing. True to Penn’s own publicly pushed political stance – there are scenes where he’s the good guy, however, he’ll do anything to keep himself and his girlfriend Annie (Jasmine Trinca) alive and shooting people is what he resorts to doing. He continues to state that he's got no choice.

Javier Bardem, as Terrier's co-worker Felix, was a poorly created and acted character. He’s required to be extremely jealous and a drunk, and neither of these were done well. At least 3 times during the film, I was sat there thinking, I just wanted this movie to be over.

The best part of Penn’s performance was that he was in great physical shape but to have him smoking in so many scenes is downright stupid. His character didn’t need it. Trinca was OK and although she exemplified being a good person in love with someone who has a history of killing people for money, she rose above the stupidity of this film and delivered what she could. Bardem was a wasted talent in this role. Ray Winstone as Stanley, Terrier’s only true friend, was strong in his supporting role. He was the only bright light in this film. Don MacPherson wrote this mess and Pierre Morel did his best to shoot this film in an interesting way.

Overall:  Poor story, poor acting, and lousy characters make for a waste of time.

Cinderella

First Hit:  I fully enjoyed this treatment of the long time tale.

What worked most about this film is that Lilly James as Cinderella was perfect.

She was of happy spirit inside and out and whether James is like this normally I don’t know, however she embodied joy, courage, and kindness. Richard Madden playing the Prince, was also perfect as the humble, yet intelligent prince.

Then there is the inimitable Cate Blanchett as the horrible Stepmother. Perfectly cast. The story needs no introduction but one of the things I really enjoyed was the use of computer and drawn animation throughout the film. The transformation of the mice, lizards, goose and pumpkin into the carriage to take Cinderella to the ball was amazingly entertaining.

The subtle touch of a mouse doing a backflip when the Prince and Cinderella walkout onto the balcony after their marriage – priceless. Disney did a great job of this.

James was fantastic, totally believable as the humble Cinderella. Madden was wonderful as the Prince. Blanchett was superlative as the wicked stepmother. Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother was perfect. Sophia McShera and Holliday Grainger as the evil step-sisters Drisella and Anastasia respectively were fully amusing and great in their parts. Chris Weitz wrote a great screenplay. Kenneth Branagh kept the story classically original, focused and entertainingly upgraded to today.

Overall:  This is a great family film expressing the greatness of courage and kindness.

Maps to the Stars

First Hit:  I’m sure I’ll be in the minority on this – and I liked this film. It was quirky, yet insightful in the David Cronenberg style.

Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore) is a fading from view movie star who is trying to get the part of her famous deceased movie star mother in an upcoming film. She really wants the part.

The film shows her desperation of want and her pretending to not be attached to getting the role. Agatha Weiss (Mia Wasikowska) is an intelligent, scarred and somewhat twisted girl. We see her abnormal behavior unfold as the film evolves. She becomes Havana's assistant and has an edge that keeps the audience on wondering. Dr. Stafford Weiss (John Cusack) is a Hollywood based spiritual and physical energy therapist to the stars.

His wife Christina (Olivia Williams) and he are driving their son Benjie (Evan Bird) to be an ego filled young actor. There is a controlling power in their house and when Agatha shows up again, all hell breaks loose. Keeping Agatha’s attention was limo driver Jerome Fontana (Robert Pattinson), until her real wish is known.

The fun part of this film is the moving from one type of ego expression to another and in Hollywood it all stands out strong.

Moore is great as the fading star who wants to stay in the limelight. Wasikowska is fantastic as the strangely possessed young woman. Cusack is perfect as the ego driven guru believing his own self-awareness. Williams is great as the mother/wife walking a tightrope. Bird as the ego possessed young man who is getting more than he deserves is very good – believable. Pattinson is really good as the limo driver who pretends non-interest and then interest in Agatha. Bruce Wagner wrote and interesting, complex screenplay that, for me, worked. Cronenberg definitely had his vision and although it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, for me it worked well.

Overall:  I found this film interesting and fun to watch these characters go through their ego struggles.