The Oath

First Hit: Compelling and oddly interesting story about what happens to a family when they disagree about a restrictive mandate by the government.

I do think the idea around this film was interesting and one that would spark a host of anger and division in our country. The program, as defined here, was to have everyone in the country sign a loyalty oath to the United States and the current President. The government attempts to make clear that there will be no retaliation to any individual if they don’t sign it, but if you do sign you will be rewarded, including tax breaks. Because this is such an important issue, the President allows people nearly a year to make their decision by giving them until the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, to sign The Oath.

Chris (Ike Barinholtz) and his wife Kai (Tiffany Haddish) are adamantly opposed to such government intrusion in their lives and join campaigns designed to reject The Oath. Time passes, and Chris’ support and engagement continues to grow. He’s always looking at the news and getting upset as government troops tamp down protests against The Oath. Kai, supports her husband’s actions of support, but is less engaged to make a big deal of the oppression.

As Thanksgiving approaches and Mason and Kai are expecting all of Mason’s family to join them, tensions  and anticipation rise. After the parents arrive. Dad is hard of hearing and is technologically challenged, and when Chris asks him to turn down the television, hilarity ensues.

Then his sister Eleanor (Nora Dunn) arrives with her husband (Jay Duplass) and children. The husband is sick and is in bed through the entire film, until the end. Eleanor has many of the same beliefs as Chris. Family animosity arrives when Chris’ brother Pat (Jon Barinholtz) and his girlfriend Abbie (Meredith Hagner) come to the door. The arguments begin when Chris calls Abbie “Katie” because that was the name of Pat’s previous girlfriend.

Both Abbie and Pat have signed the Patriot Oath and are ultra conservative. The characters are made to have the look and feel of conservative Trump surrogates. This causes the dinner conversation to be both hilarious and pointedly filled with anger. All during the erupting fights Kai is attempting to calm Chris down so that they can make it through Thanksgiving. All the while, watching the news, Chris learns people are getting killed during protests against The Oath.

Then on Black Friday, agents from the CPU (a government investigative agency) come to the door to ask Chris why he’s not signed The Oath. Because everyone else in the house has signed the paper, he’s adamant he’s got a right to not sign it and without a warrant order’s them out of the house.

The agents Mason (Billy Magnussen) and Peter (John Cho) are sort of a good cop bad cop team. Peter tries to keep the situation calm while Mason is highly jacked up on conservative right-wing righteousness. When Mason’s aggression really elevates to a high level, all hell breaks loose in the home and the story and film gets very dark.

Ike Barinholtz comes off as acting his role, versus being the role. Starting with the initial scene, the tone of this pressing of this role starts and stays all the way through. He seemed to overact the part. I think another actor would have made this role and film more compelling. Haddish, on the other hand, was excellent. I loved her dance through her maniac husband's issues with the government and his family, with her love for their daughter. Magnussen was excellent as the very right-wing conservative maniac. His intensity created most all the film’s tension. Cho was excellent as the mediator CPU agent. Jon Barinholtz was very good as the conservative brother that supported and protected his brother in the end. Dunn was excellent as the sister who mediates the brothers differences while being a calming voice through the film. Hagner was wonderful as Pat’s conservative girlfriend. Ike Barinholtz is a better writer than actor and his direction of everyone except himself was strong.

Overall: In this highly charged political environment and with a President who likes loyalty, this film is very poignant.

First Man

Fist Hit: Compelling reenactment of an audaciously brave time in the 1960’s where we were challenged by President Kennedy to go to the moon.

When the first man walked on the moon I was packing my bags and heading to Vietnam from Alameda Naval Air Station in San Francisco Bay. Our walking on the moon was an amazing accomplishment. This film gives us a rendition of the challenges these men faced while we made mistake after mistake learning how to build rockets, space suits, and all the other paraphernalia required to send three men in a rocket ship all the way to the moon and return them safely.

I don’t have any point of reference to what Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) was like in real life, but Gosling brought a stoic, determined, quite man to the screen. The back story to his quietness seemed to be made up of two things; it was his default way of being in the world and that he was heartbroken when his young daughter, Karen, died of a brain tumor. He didn’t speak about the loss, but it did not deter him from following orders and doing what he needed to do to be prepared for the event of the century. It was his wife Janet (Claire Foy) that kept his family life and home life grounded and together.

The film begins in 1961 when Neil flying an experimental rocket plane called the X-15 bounces off the atmosphere. He manages to land the plane safely on a dry desert lake bed, however the people he works for think he’s distracted by his daughter’s plight. What struck me about the scenes inside the X-15 cockpit was how basic and utilitarian all the switches and instruments were. The rattling in the cockpit was enough for me to lose faith in man's ability to create a safe rocket.

Armstrong applies to and gets accepted into the Gemini program based in Houston. This program is what NASA has put together to attempt to send someone to the moon as ordered by the President. The family consisting of Neil, Janet and their oldest boy Rick, pick up everything and move to Houston. Arriving in Houston, Claire gets pregnant and they have another boy named Mark.

During the development of these rockets some of the selected astronauts are killed in plane crashes and testing of the equipment. In fact, Neil wasn’t originally part of the fist Apollo crew, but when Ed White (Jason Clarke), Gus Grissom (Shea Whigham), and Roger Chaffee (Cory Michael Smith) are killed inside a capsule during a plug test, the Apollo program leader, Deke Slayton (Kyle Chandler), informs him that Armstrong will head up the first crew to land and walk on the moon. The first crew to go to the moon was Neil, Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll), and Jim Lovell (Pablo Schreiber).

There are numerous amazing scenes in this film; from Neil’s boys roughhousing and playing in the pool, to space capsules spinning uncontrollably in space, to the awe of standing on the moon.

Gosling was excellent in this role. His natural air of solitude worked perfectly for a man driven by adventure, duty, danger, and precise engineering. Foy was fantastic as the woman holding everybody and everything together in their lives. The scene when she instructs Neil to tell the boys that they may never see him again is powerful and poignantly clear. Clarke, Whigham, Smith, Chandler, Stoll, and Schreiber were excellent as part of the Gemini and Apollo teams. Josh Singer wrote an excellent screenplay. Damien Chazelle did a magnificent job of bringing the look, feel, and the technology of the 1960’s to life. The artistic shots against the front reflective face shields of the space helmets were hypnotizing.

Overall: This film is a wonderful interpretation of how we achieved an, almost, unthinkable goal.

The Hate U Give

First Hit: A fantastic film about the existence of racism and, as indicated here, in our police departments as well.

I’ve seen three films this year that deal directly with racism, Blindspotting, BlacKkKlansman, and this film The Hate U Give. In both Blindspotting and this film, we have a white policeman shooting and killing an unarmed black man.

The film starts with Maverick “Mav” Carter (Russell Hornsby) giving his children; Starr (Amandla Stenberg), Seven (Lamar Johnson), and Sekani (TJ Wright), “the talk.” Mav’s been to prison, he’s fought the hard life but wants to stop the cycle of violence and pain in the family.

He's giving his children the talk about how to act when they are stopped by police for any reason because he knows how they will be viewed being black.

I was deeply saddened listening to this because it’s 2018 and I don't understand why haven't figured out that racism, in any form, is wrong. It shows that we’ve barely grown as a country.

Their mother, Lisa (Regina Hall), doesn’t want them exposed to the school in their ghetto neighborhood so she sends them to a mostly white college prep school. She wants her children to not be unduly influenced.

Before long, it happens. Starr is being driven home with her lifelong friend Khalil (Algee Smith), when they are stopped for changing lanes without signaling. Khalil, despite Starr’s insistence that he follow the cop’s commands, mouths off to the officer and eventually follows the officer’s commands. Standing outside the car, facing the car, while the policeman checks his ID, Khalil reaches in the car to get a hairbrush, and the officer shoots and kills him. Starr witnesses the whole thing and is in shock.

Starr testifies in front of the Grand Jury, the jury decides to not indict the officer, and the city goes into an uproar. Sound familiar? Yes, this scene has been happening across the U.S., and even with incriminating video footage we’re not holding policeman responsible for their quick trigger behavior.

This film explores this issue when Starr asks her uncle Carlos (Common), who is a black police officer, why police act this way. When he starts his monologue about how a policeman has to act and respond to tense situations, I found myself thinking, wow this is a compelling argument and I can nearly see why a policeman would react this way. However, when Starr asks would the cop shoot a white guy dressed in a suit driving a Mercedes, or would he ask the white guy to put his hands up. Carlos pauses, then says, he’d tell the white guy to put his hands up.

This is the issue. Why would a black police officer shoot the black man but tell the well dressed white man to raise his hands.

Other race issues show up when Starr’s closest friend at her prep school, Hailey (Sabrina Carpenter) shows her true colors as Starr becomes more vocal about her community in her community. A great juxtaposition was her white boyfriend Chris (K.J. Apa) who supports Starr in her quest to be seen and speak her truth. My only criticism of this film is that there are sections that seemed elongated or unnecessary that altered the intense pacing of this film. I would have rather had some smart trimming to keep the pacing at the higher level.

Regardless, this film has things to say and in summary, we’ve got a lot to learn and it starts with each of us doing soul searching.

Stenberg was sublime as Starr. She was both verbally and visually expressive at the right moments. Hall was wonderful as the strong mother who wants the best for her children but also gives them enough reign to grow. Hornsby was fantastic as the father. His pent up and controlled rage channeled to help his family was perfectly expressed in this film. Common was strong and his discussion with Starr about “what if…” was key. Apa was extraordinary in his role as the white boyfriend. Johnson and Wright were amazing as Starr’s siblings. Hall was wonderfully charismatic and excellent as the young man killed by the white officer. Anthony Mackie was very strong as King, the neighborhood drug dealer, controlling the actions of many. Audrey Wells wrote a strong script. George Tillman Jr. did a wonderful job directing this story and strong actors keeping the point of racism in focus.

Overall: This was an emotional film to watch as witnessed by the numerous times I had to wipe my eyes.

The Old Man & The Gun

First Hit: Once again Robert Redford shows why he’s one of the best in this, his swan song.

In 1994 I was standing at the United Airline's counter verifying my seat assignment. To my left was the First-Class counter and there was a gentleman standing there being served. We both left our respective customer service agents at the same time and ended up walking down the concourse together. I looked over at him and said, “where are you headed?” He smiled and said “Salt Lake City, you?” “Same” I said.

I mentioned that I was doing some work for the State of Utah and that I loved the beauty of the state. “Yeah, he said, it’s beautiful county.”

We continued walking towards our plane, but I couldn’t help but notice most of the people walking towards us were smiling and pointing at us. It was mostly women that were doing the pointing and nudging, with smiles on their faces, the person they were walking with.

I looked over at him and he looked back smiling when I said, “they must be looking at you, because I’ve never been looked at while walking in an airport." Then, as the smile creeped across his face, I said, “oh my, my mother is going to really be excited when I tell her I walked down the airport concourse with Robert Redford.” He laughed and said, “I get that a lot.”

Despite his outstanding performances as an actor, he’s never won an Oscar for acting and was nominated once for The Sting. I can tell you, that his performance as The Man in All Is Lost, is beyond amazing. He’s the only actor and the whole film is shot on a sailboat that is in distress. If you’ve never seen it, do so to watch this enigma of a man show you how to capture the whole screen all the time.

In The Old Man & The Gun, it’s been reported that this is his last film as an actor. And, as Forrest Tucker, Redford moved through this story like silk. As a lifetime bank robber he knows no other life. He’s been caught 16 previous times and escaped prison each time only to go back to the only profession that makes him happy.

We watch him rob banks by himself and with two partners, Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). Hoping to catch the “Over the Hill Gang,” as the newspapers call them, is Police Detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck).

When Forrest robs a bank, he’s kind, thoughtful, and only shows the gun to the manager or teller. He waltzes in and out, no muss no fuss. He's a gentleman at all things.

During the initial robbery, he stops during his getaway to help Jewel (Sissy Spacek) who is stranded because her truck is stranded. What the audience knows it is also a away to take the heat off himself because the cops who are chasing him—drive right past.

He likes Jewel and they began to see each other and this story line provides the film much needed grounding.

Redford as Tucker is wonderful. He fits the enigmatic way Forrest goes through his life and I can see why Redford was attracted to this character. Spacek is fantastic. She’s so grounded and fully meets Redford’s character with grace. Affleck was strong as the determined detective that also has a heart to understand Tucker. Glover and Waits were great in their small but pivotal roles. Tika Sumpter as Affleck’s wife, Maureen, was sublime. I loved how she supported Hunt. David Lowery wrote and directed a wonderful story giving Redford a wonderful platform to say goodbye.

Overall: This was a joyous romp through Forrest Tucker’s life as a robber.

A Star Is Born

First Hit: First part of the film is engaging, however towards the end it less fetching and with a 135 minute running time, needed to be trimmed.

This felt like two separate films. The first part is engaging, and buying into the characters is easy. We are introduced to Jack (Bradley Cooper), a boozing leader of a popular band, in concert delivering raspy singing and playing wild guitar in-front of a huge adoring crowd.

Driving away from the concert he wants another drink and finds a bar. In the bar, he watches Ally (Lady Gaga) sing a fantastic rendition of La Vie En Rose. Jack is enthralled and heads backstage and after conversation they head to another bar to talk.

Jack discovers that Ally also writes songs, good ones. They begin a romantic relationship, and he invites her to sing one of her songs with him in front of an audience of thousands. Her insecurities, which are explored when she and Jack are hanging out in a bar, stem from what she says is her too-large of a nose. This reason for her insecurity wasn’t believable to me. A quick review of others who played this role, Barbara Streisand, has a far more unique nose. This wasn’t the best thing to select for Ally’s anxiousness. However, this is where the audience is hooked, and also where the movie begins to meander.

As the film journeys onward, we’ve bought into their love because their chemistry is excellent and Lady Gaga as an actress is fully believable. Cooper, we know, can act his pants off, and for the most part he’s good here, but I couldn’t help but sense there was some struggle with him directing himself.

The last half of the film is where this film begins its decline. For me, Jack never really seems to, or appears to, clean up from his drinking and drug use, although he supposedly does. When he finally cleans up, Ally’s music and business manager Rez Gavron (Rafl Gavron) tells Jack, that he’ll be the reason for Ally’s downfall if he continues to associate musically with his wife Ally.

At this point it becomes obvious what’s going to happen, as the clues are poignantly spread out during the course of the film.

Cooper as an actor was excellent more towards the beginning of the film, but it seemed to fall off towards the end. I have no idea of the sequence in which the film was shot but there is a noticeable difference between the beginning and end of this movie. As a director and producer, there seemed too many scenes and prudent trimming would have helped to overall presentation. As an aside, he did a great job of playing a musician on stage. Gaga was extraordinary. She is a natural on the screen and this part was perfect for her to introduce acting into her repertoire. Gavron was strong as Ally’s career guiding manager. Sam Elliot (as Bobby, Jack’s older brother) was wonderful as the older brother who did his best to raise Jack. Andrew Dice Clay (as Andrew, Ally’s father) was sublime. I’m happy to see him in this role without the “Diceman” attitude. Anthony Ramos, as Roman, was wonderful as Ally’s best friend. Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper wrote a good script, although it needed to be trimmed. Cooper, as previously stated, directed this film.

Overall: The singing was terrific, and it showcases the talent of Lady Gaga