Sicario

First Hit:  A strong drug war film that digs into ways the government is bending rules to gain some control over Mexican cartels.

I liked this film more the day after (the day I’m writing this) than I did watching it.

I’m not sure why, except maybe the jurisdictional confusions created by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) of the CIA and Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) of the FBI and assorted other agencies like the DOD and local and Mexican police agencies continued to process in my brain through the night.

While watching it I wanted more clarity about why Mercer was involved, why Graver’s associate Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) seemed so cold, perverse and with purpose.

The story revolves around a way that the US Government is trying to control the influx of drugs from Mexico along with the mindless killing of Mexicans that come across the border into this country. The initial scene is what sets this tone.

Blunt is wonderful. She plays the rule following toughened agent very well. Brolin is good and at times I thought he was too flippant to be a government agent. Del Toro was superb. His steely resolve in this character was perfect. Daniel Kaluuya (as FBI agent Reggie Wayne) was very good and a great co-companion of Blunt’s character. Taylor Sheridan wrote a script that, at times, seemed overly complex or confusing. Dennis Villeneuve did an excellent job of directing this story, through the complexities as well as the more direct violent scenes.

Overall:  This film grew on me after seeing it, which is a good thing.

The Martian

First Hit:  Matt Damon is wonderful in this interesting and engaging film.

With the latest news indicating that there is water on Mars, this film will have even more interest from audiences.

I cannot speak to the science demonstrated in the film and I will say the story is compelling mostly because of the acting. We have a crew on an extended mission to Mars but because there is a huge storm, they have to leave early leaving behind one of their team.

Mission Botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) was thought to be dead when the crew led by Captain Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain). NASA led by Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) decides to not tell the crew heading back to Earth that the person they left behind is still alive. The reasons he uses are valid from one point of view but, the on Earth, person responsible for the crew, Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) decides to inform the crew about Mark’s survival on Mars.

This works well as a plot device to set up an attempted rescue by this same crew later in the film. A good portion of the film is about how Mark solves the dilemma of being in a place where his food won’t last until a possible rescue mission comes back for him. He solves this problem with great verve, humor, ingenuity.

There is a bit more focus on the music he’s left with (disco era music) by Captain Lewis and it got old to me. I know it was used a clever plot device to created amusement and it wore thin. I’ve no idea if NASA works the way the film portrays but it was believable.

Besides the wonderful acting by Damon on Mars, the mixture of other characters helping to rescue him was also very good.

Damon was really strong as “the greatest botanist on the planet”. He does well at showing a positive outlook, intelligence, and fortitude to take this difficult situation and survive. Chastain was good as the mission leader, showing compassion, strength, and willingness. Daniels was very good as the no-nonsense NASA leader. Sean Bean was good in his small yet pivotal role. Donald Glover was probably the most interesting minor character. His portrayal of a certified genius able to solve the problem of identifying a rescue plan was perfect. Drew Goddard wrote a wonderful, interesting and, at times, amusing script. Ridley Scott did a great job of creating great sets (spaceship scenes were reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001) and getting some very strong performances from his actors.

Overall:  Although a little long it was an enjoyable and entertaining film.

Pawn Sacrifice

First Hit:  Fascinating story about a complicated fascinating man.

I learned chess because of Bobby Fischer in the late 1960's early 1970's. I had heard about this young man who was lighting up the chess world and wanted to know what this game was about. Learning more about chess I immediately saw the complexity of the game and wondered about the minds of people who played this game for a living.

In this film Fischer (played by Tobey Maguire) grows up in a household he found confusing and distracting. His solace – chess. He played all the time - day and night and early on he was out in the streets playing in the public parks in Brooklyn. He then started playing multiple people/boards at one time, winning most all the time.

This film follows the story from his youth until he plays Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) in Reykjavik, Iceland, then follows up with pictures and information as to what happened to the reclusive Fischer. Although the American public was supportive of the way he defeated “The Russians” in an intellectual discipline the Russians excelled in; Fischer spouted anti American and anti-semitic remarks to media through his paranoid nature which caused him to be at issue with both the government and many of the public.

As his friend and fellow chess coach Father Bill Lombardy (Peter Sarsgaard) said, Bobby went down the rabbit hole and would never come out. The mixture and use of real video/film of the time in this film was very good and added to a realistic view of this story and joy of these performances.

Maguire was really good at flipping from appearing sane and then being unstable. Schreiber was great as Spassky, his command of arrogance and humility at his loss to Fischer was perfect. Sarsgaard was really good as his friend, coach and understanding priest. Steven Knight wrote a very strong script while Edward Zwick’s directional use of old footage as well was excellent.

Overall:  I loved seeing this film because of the memories of the time, the memories it sparked within me and getting to learn something about a very driven person.

The Intern

First Hit:  Really enjoyed this film at many levels.

Having a wife that created a business and also having owned multiple small businesses, I’m very aware of the amount of work and pressure it takes to grow a business.

This film is about the relationship between Jules (Anne Hathaway), a young married mother who’s created a booming internet apparel business and Ben (Robert De Niro) who is a 70 year old intern at her company. As Jules skepticism for having an intern, let alone a senior citizen whose looking to get back into the game, grows Ben’s calm clear persistent demeanor creates space for Jules to actually appreciate his experience. Jules’ home life isn’t doing well as her husband Matt (Anders Holm) is struggling being a house husband.

Jules is interviewing possible CEOs to run her business hoping to find a way to create a better home life and to ease the pressure around herself. But as Ben continues to listen and provide guidance, Jules becomes clearer about her path forward.

I loved the way the office atmosphere emulated new smaller companies these days with a masseuse name Fiona (Rene Russo), open warehouse type floor plan where nothing is private, and overworked staff continue to do what they can with little acknowledgement from senior management. Many of scenes were compelling to watch as the tension in Jules and the clarity and calmness of Ben evolved quite well.

De Niro was very strong. His comic timing with his expressions are perfect for the part – elegant. Hathaway is very good. I enjoyed her character and she displayed the character’s strengths and weaknesses in great ways. Holm was good as the, most of the time, honorable supportive husband. Russo was fabulous as the company masseuse. Nancy Myers wrote a wonderful script and must have had a great time directing strong actors.

Overall:  I really enjoyed this film because of the story and developing business perspective.

Black Mass

First Hit:  Very disappointing film as there is little substance about Whitey’s motivation to be the criminal he was.

I was looking forward to seeing this film, because I thought I’d learn something about James “Whitey” Bulger, the man who was on the FBI’s 10 most wanted lists for years.

I learned very little except he, as Johnny Depp played him, had a brother named Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch) that was a State Senator, his childhood friend named John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) was an FBI agent, and that he became an FBI informant to further his criminal career. But there was nothing about what drove Whitey to his life of crime and even more, nothing around the deeper motivation for his killing and crime spree.

The side story about Connolly was mediocre and, in this film, it was obvious his association with Whitey was ill-used and inappropriate. It was bad script-writing, poor direction, poor acting and/or a combination of any of these resulting in the audience being un-engaged while the payoff never arrived.

Depp had a great look for the film, and it appears he did what the script and director called for, but there wasn’t enough there to make it interesting. Cumberbatch was excellent in his small role and his meetings with Connolly were perfectly executed. Edgerton was OK, and it issue seemed to be the way the script was written and how the director wanted him to be emphatic about how Whitey was helping the FBI. It just didn’t see it working as a real story. Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth wrote the script that lacked backstory as to why Whitey took up a life of crime while his brother became a State Senator. Scott Cooper didn’t seem to see how the way he filmed this story lacked interest. The subject is a fascinating one, but it was all lost within intense vignettes.

Overall:  This film lacked depth and interest.