'71

First Hit:  This well shot, dark, and a brooding film sheds little light on the Catholic / Protestant conflict in Belfast but shows how England didn’t know what to do at that time.

Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) a private in the English army is sent with his unit to Belfast to quell an unrest and assist in arresting an IRA sympathizer.

When the English Army gets attacked by the locals, he and another soldier are sent to chase down a kid who took an English soldier’s gun. The crowd erupts and Hook is left behind fighting for his life. This story is about how there is compassion, hate, honor and deceit.

O’Connell is very good as the left behind soldier. Although there are other actors in this film, the focus is on Hook and the others represent ideals and beliefs and in their way they were amazing. Gregory Burke wrote a very strong screenplay. Yann Demange directed with film with wonderful vision for the feel of the time and the situation.

Overall:  I liked the film and would have loved seeing more of the roots of the conflict.

Run All Night

First Hit:  The action is very strong, the acting is good and it’s hard to see older men attempt to move their bodies athletically.

Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) and Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) have been lifelong friends. They've been criminals for most of their lives.

Shawn has been the brains while Jimmy has been the muscle. Although Shawn has no problem killing someone, it’s been Jimmy that has racked up the kills and they haunt him. He left his wife and boy early on because he did not think he would be a fit enough father to be around his son Michael (Joel Kinnaman).

Michael resents his father and has chosen a life that, although difficult, is honorable. Shawn, on the other hand, has a boy named Danny (Boyd Holbrook) who is partly in the family business but keeps screwing up. When Danny kills a couple of crooked Albanians, Mike gets caught up and Jimmy kills Danny. This splits Danny and Shawn’s close relationship and now they’re out to kill each other.

Neeson is very good at showing determination and completing his appointed task with no feelings. Harris was very strong as the guy who has pulled the strings for years. Kinnaman was excellent as the bitter son. Holbrook was also very good as Maguire’s son. Common as professional hit man Andrew Price, was great. Brad Ingelsby wrote a strong script and Jaume Collet-Serra did a great job of creating a mood of NYC in this Irish community.

Overall:  The story of redemption of a difficult life was well done.

Unfinished Business

First Hit:  Funny, long winded at times, and a convoluted story that didn’t quite work.

Story starts with Dan (Vince Vaughn) leaving the company he works for because the person he works for, Chuck (Sienna Miller), is reducing his commission again. He storms out of the building and meets Timothy (Tom Wilkinson) who has been let go because of his age and Mike Pancake (Dave Franco) who is a challenged employee.

They agree to form a company together and go into direct competition against their old company. They believe they've scored a great contract but have to go to Germany to close the deal. When they get there they find out they are a fluffer (a company that is part of the bidding process to make a competitor, his old boss, look good).

However they decide they can win the contract and work to close the deal. What I thought was the funniest situation in this film was Dan having to stay in a museum as part of an art installation. His bed, everything, was able to be viewed through glass by the museum attendees. The name of the artwork he was installed in was American Businessman #42. Another funny scene was the steam bath scene.

There are also some very touching scenes of him and his son and daughter as they talk through life situations.

Vaughn was typical Vaughn and he’s really not a character in a movie but more of himself in a particular role. Fast-talking, occasionally intelligent, and mostly a wise ass. Miller has a minor role and was OK. Wilkinson was really pretty good in his role as the old codger who’s trying to get a little more out of his life before he dies. Franco was funny and carried off the naivety required with aplomb. Steve Conrad wrote an amusing script. Ken Scott’s direction was adequate.

Overall:  There were some funny bits, but overall it was a let-down.

Chappie

First Hit:  At times disappointing and at other times interestingly introspective.

I’ll start with the interestingly introspective thoughts:  Can consciousness be identified, digitized, and downloaded/uploaded?

I loved thinking about this. In this film, Deon Wilson (Dev Patel) thinks he can create a computer program that will allow an electronic brain to learn like a child does (although faster). He’s already created programmable robots that act like police people which dramatically brings down the crime rate in Johannesburg South Africa, where this film takes place.

There is also a part where there is an uploading followed by a downloading of the “consciousnesses” of two humans and a robot named Chappie. This stuff is interesting and can cause one to think about the possibilities. However, the criminals Ninja (Ninja), Yolandi (Yo-Landi Visser), and Yankie (Jose Pablo Cantillo), where at times clown like and too obvious and overt in their actions to make it work. I found it unbelievable that the thieves let Deon go and return on his own free will.

Additionally, I’m not sure the Vincent Moore character (Hugh Jackman), who had developed a large aggressive armored robot, was required to make this film work. He became the antagonist for the criminals, Deon, the company Deon and he worked for, and society.

In the end it seemed like the writers and directors could have made a more thoughtful film without the demoness of Moore’s character and his robot (which was vaguely too similar to other robots in other films).

Patel was good as the caring “maker”. Visser was oddly and engagingly interesting in her role and verbal cadence. Ninja was overtly too much in both ways; as a uncaring bad guy and as someone who missed his girlfriend. Cantillo was the most interesting criminal. Jackman was good in his role but I didn’t think the role was needed. Sigourney Weaver was weak in her role as decision maker in the company that made the robots. Terri Tatchell’s script was both strong and weak. Neill Blomkamp’s direction followed the script, and used some interesting sets (like the round cylindrical building with the Vodafone sign) but this film lost site of the most interesting subject.

Overall:  The concept in this film was really good and the execution faltered in many ways.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

First Hit:  At times funny and joyous while at other times it seemed to be trying to tell too many sub-stories.

There is always a risk in creating a follow-on film because of the comparison between it and the original. Sometimes films move the same character into a totally different situation, others expand or further develop the original storyline. Here we have the later.

Making a success of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, proprietor Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) and Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) have set their sights on adding a new hotel to their mix. They make a pitch for co-financing with a San Diego company.

Then we have Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) and Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy) are still dancing around getting together as a couple – “we aren’t together, but we aren’t not together”. And, Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) is still trying to decide whom to settle down with. Then there's Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) and Carol Parr (Diana Hardcastle) who are testing each other about the exclusivity or non-exclusivity of their relationship.

Besides these stories and other smaller stories and then there is the major story of Sonny and Sunaina (Tina Desai) planning and having their wedding - which is treated as a second hand story. Then there is this story about a hotel inspection by Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) who happens to fall in love with Sonny’s mother Mrs. Kapoor (Lillete Dubey). Their interaction lacked chemistry which is unfortunate because it could have been a interesting story (for a follow-on film).

There is a lot going on in the film and it’s great that the director wanted to tell something of all the stories, however it became distracting.

Patel is a wonderful personality and his joy in what he does brings his character to life. Smith is really great as a dour person. There are moments of shared internal dialogue that are wonderful as well. Dench is strong as someone who wants to reach out and is afraid to take the step. Nighy is amazing and is such a joy in this film. The film is much better with him in it. Imrie is really good as someone who is doing her best to settle down. Pickup was OK as someone who likes his fantasies but wants to be in reality. Hardcastle is strong as the woman who wants a full relationship but tries to be less monogamous. Desai is joyous to watch as the bride to be. Gere is OK as the hotel inspector want-to-be writer. While Dubey was just OK as Sonny’s mother. Ol Parker wrote the screenplay which was a bit too busy. John Madden captured lots of the Indian magic of Jaipur – one of my favorite cities in India.

Overall:  I enjoyed the film. I liked seeing the city of Jaipur again but felt that there were too many strong stories being expressed.