The Neon Demon

First Hit:  Odd, visually striking, with great electronic music but the direct story was way too twisted.

However, there are depths in this story that are poignant and were interesting. Directly, Jesse (Elle Fanning), is a young girl without parents who comes to LA seeking to be a model. As she states: “I can’t dance, sing, or have any skills, all I have is my looks.” At 16 she’s young, she’s beautiful and everyone who meets her is taken by her presence, innocence, inner strength and beauty.

She quickly rises up in the LA fashion modeling scene, and the other models are jealous. There is a lot of gossipy discussion among the other girls about what work they have had done on their bodies to make themselves look better: Nose jobs, breast augmentation, eye lifts, body augmentations and lots of other things so that they can be the “it” girl and continue to work.

Jesse is naturally beautiful and mesmerizes every clothing designer and photographer she meets. She has become the "it girl". Her innocence and surety of her beauty is profound.

The depth of the film comes with what people will do to be seen as beautiful and how much physical beauty matters. I’m not sure I liked the way it was presented as I was bored at times but it also had a power of drawing me into the main character.

Fanning was very good as the young mid-western girl wanting to live her dream of being a model. Her ethereal beauty and strength were evident and why she was chosen for this part - she was perfect for it. Karl Glusman as Dean a photographer and friend of Jesse was OK, but didn’t bring out a strong dynamic. Jena Malone was very interesting as Jesse’s friend and make-up artist. Her twists are edgy. Bella Heathcote as Gigi the model who will do anything surgically to be the “it” model. Abby Lee was interestingly strong as another model who has some odd eating habits (at the end of the film). Keanu Reeves as the intense somewhat twisted motel manager was a nice turn. Nicolas Winding Refn wrote and directed this oddly twisted film.

Overall:  This film was more odd and interesting than engaging.

Free State of Jones

First Hit:  Ambitious telling of a few southern men who really wanted to be free of the South’s prejudicial way of life.

The film begins with Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) carrying a wounded soldier into a field hospital. Showing intelligence and compassion, he strips off the soldier’s uniform and replaces it with an officer’s and announces that he’s got a captain that needs assistance.

Because he’s an officer the wounded soldier gets help. In this simple scene we are shown the compassionate leadership qualities in Knight. When his son Daniel (Jacob Lofland), by his wife Serena (Keri Russell), gets killed, he loads him up on a mule and deserts the Confederate Army, a corporal offense, and returns the body to his home.

Serena, distraught, packs up their youngest child and leaves the area. Because he’s now a wanted deserter, Knight has to hide out in the swamp with escaped slaves. One day, while protecting a poor farmer's wife and daughters from Lt. Barbour's (Bill Tangradi) pillaging their corn, hogs, and supplies, he's discovered by the Confederate Army raiders which now want to chase him down and prosecute him.

Of course the rich landowners were not pillaged and were also protected from losing any of their property. Knight ends creating a small society of other deserters and former slaves whose goal is to live free with equality among all men. Moses (Mahershala Ali) is one of the slaves who becomes a strong leader in the movement to rid the South of their prejudicial ways.

Newton falls in love with Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who is another slave who fled their owner and they have a child together. This story becomes very complex because this growing group of freedom fighters, fight the Confederate Army and the Klu Klux Klan to earn freedom from oppressive citizen attitudes and a government learning how to enforce the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

To re-enforce the difficulty of these changes, Rachel and Newt’s son is shown in court as an adult because he’s partially black and wasn’t allowed to marry a white woman.

McConaughey was well suited to this role. His down home nature and natural leadership qualities are well represented here. Russell is strong as the first wife who leaves and comes back to be very supportive of the movement. Trangradi is very good and brings the right attitude to his character. Ali is powerful as the former slave who embraces his freedom in all ways. Mbatha-Raw is sublime as the movement’s supporter and eventual wife of Newt. Gary Ross wrote and directed this ambitious effort. Although I think he bit more off than could be chewed in this film, his representation of the changes the South went through was excellent.

Overall:  This film sheds light on a man whose tombstone accurately states: “He lived for others.”

Golden Kingdom

First Hit:  Very sweet film about four young monks left alone to fend for themselves.

Filmed in Myanmar (Burma), the beautiful countryside taking an impressive second seat to the beautiful spirits embodied in the novice (Ko Yin) priests; Witazara (Shine Htet Saw), Wezananda (Saw Ri), Thiridema (Than Maung), and Awadadema (Maung Sein).

Their Abbot Sayadaw has to leave the remote monastery going through a treacherous mountain pass, leaving the oldest Witazara in charge. The young monks learn that Sayadaw may be killed going through the pass which makes them more nervous about their plight.

However, left alone they practice their prayers, meditate and do their chores as always. There food has been provided by an old man who is a local villager each morning. Shortly after the Abbot leaves, the old man stops showing up with their food.

Because they eat only once a day, they become hungry quickly and begin searching the area around them to find food. However, there is a war going on in Myanmar (Burma) villages are being vacated and they become more and more desperate. Witazara ventures out committed to find food for his fellow young monks. He fights his fears and demons and finds a willing helper.

The sweetness of the monks doing their practice was amazing. The countryside of Burma, beautiful.

Saw was wonderful as the one appointed to guide his fellow young monks. Ri, Maung, and Sein were amazing. The beauty in their spirits came through their eyes and actions. Brian Perkins wrote and directed this wonderfully beautiful film.

Overall:  A great look at the devotion and beauty of young Burmese monks.

Me Before You

First Hit:  I bought this story fully because of Emilia Clarke's ability to create joy and hope.

Lou Clark (Clarke) is a priceless and amazing character.

In this story, she’s got a boyfriend named Patrick (Matthew Lewis) who is clear about what he wants out of life but doesn’t really hear Lou or understand her needs and therefore there is a gap in their relationship.

Lou is a pleaser (not in a bad way) and suffers through her relationship with joy because she wants to please and support Patrick. We also watch her please customers in the small bakery where we see her working when the film opens. She pleases her family by working to keep the family in their home because her father had lost his job and her working provides for the entire family.

After losing her job at the bakery she interviews to be a caretaker for a young man who has had his spinal cord severed. Will Traynor (Sam Claflin) was an extremely active, risk taking, wealthy man who gets hit by a motorcycle. He’s in constant pain, doesn’t smile much, and everything has to be done for him. His paralysis means just about everything below his neck cannot move without assistance.

Lou is offered the job and brings her joyous pleasing personality and wild clothing style to Will’s home each day. He resists her charm but slowly, over time, he cannot be but infected by her joyous view of life. He hears and understands her.

As the film unfolds, the audience, might expect a particular type of ending, however it is a bit different and that alone makes this film socially poignant as well.

Clarke is so wonderfully strong on the screen; she steals every frame she is in. I bought her character hook, line, and sinker. Claflin is really good as the suffering Will. His indifference towards Lou at the beginning was perfect. Stephen Peacocke as Nathan is wonderful as the physical therapist that does the heavy lifting for Will and his family. Jojo Moyes wrote a fantastic script. Thea Sharrock did an excellent job of directing the story and the actors.

Overall:  I really enjoyed and was touched by the this film.

Genius

First Hit:  Strong acting and intense scenes made this film “Genius.”

I loved the intensity Jude Law put into defining Thomas Wolfe as a wildly imaginative and talkative man.

I’ve no idea how Wolfe actually was, but there was a believability in the constant flow of non-stop dialogue that really worked for me. His verbose and expressive nature supported the extremely large manuscripts he brought in to Max Perkins’ (Colin Firth) office.

Perkins who was editor for F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway was clearly the kind of person who could manage Wolfe. Imagine supporting this verbose author to edit down a five-thousand-page manuscript by cutting over 90,000 words into something both printable and readable.

Perkins, being very centered and with five daughters, found Wolfe both interesting and almost like his son. Wolfe was living with and being supported by Aline Bernstein (Nicole Kidman) who fed him and helped him in a muse type way all while she was producing plays. This film set in the late 1920s – mid 1930s, was well staged.

The sense and feel of Max’s office, the street scenes, and the view from Wolfe’s first apartment were spectacular and reflective of the times. The intense dinner with Perkins, his wife Louise (Laura Linney), Bernstein, and Wolfe was filled with forceful possessive dialogue and ended up defining all four characters.

Louise, a playwright on her own, being shunted aside while the jealous Bernstein and flamboyant self-serving Wolfe monopolizing the discussion and Max, as usual, being peacemaker. I fully bought into the script and thought the direction of the characters was superb.

Firth was fantastic. I loved that he wore a hat most of the time as it was very reflective of his style and the times. Law was intensely amazing. He had me believing the forceful and penetrating inner life Wolfe was leading. Kidman was perfect. I love how she can express so much in such a controlled way. Linney was sublime as Firth’s wife and keeper of their home while supportive of Max’s drama filled client’s lives. John Logan wrote an excellent screenplay. Michael Grandage did a wonderful job of keeping the film moving along and allowing the characters to breathe.

Overall:  I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay of all the characters in this film.