The Peanuts Movie - 3D

First Hit:  Uninspired and the saving grace is Snoopy and the scenes of his saving Fifi and fighting the Red Baron.

I’m not sure if it is my age or if this story is simply uninspired. Gaging by the young children around me in the theater, and the lack of excited engaged noise from them, I may not have been the only one who found this unimaginative.

The fun and amusing parts were Snoopy and his bird buddies because their scenes became the only laugh-out-loud segments. Yes the moral of Charlie Brown’s story was to speak up and talk to the Red Haired girl, but this story has been told before and lacked engagement.

Bryan Schulz wrote this script from Charles Schulz’ comic strips. Steve Martino directed this somewhat tired story which we know all too well.

Overall:  This felt like a upgraded retread of the same old story.

Spectre

First Hit:  Liked the opening scenes, absolutely cringed at the overblown banal opening credits and, while this film was generally more serious and less tongue-in-cheek as the original Bond films, it works well enough.

Bond (Daniel Craig) is working on his own. He’s working from a brief video clip clue from his now deceased boss “M” (Judi Dench). With this clue he’s off to find and eliminate the core of the problem that is haunting the MI-6 team while his current boss “M” (Ralph Fiennes) is not supporting him – officially.

The double “0” form of fighting crime is being phased out according to “C” (Andrew Scott) with new technology which is being created and financed by the guy Bond is after; the wickedly sarcastic and masochistic Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz). Supporting Bond in is mission are “Q” (Ben Whishaw), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and a reluctant Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux).

The film is a travelogue, going to many different countries and climates with Bond nattily dress for each place and occasion. The beauty and intensity of the various venues were expertly caught and this really adds to the film. However, one of the hallmark behaviors of the early bond films was an underlying level of tongue-in-cheek comments by Bond and the other characters that kept the audience bemused while watching violent struggles, things being blown up, and people being shot; were few and far between.

Craig is great as Bond mainly because he carries intensity, physicality, and intelligence, all wrapped up in one package. Waltz is playing the same type of character he’s played in other films. He does this role well but it doesn’t bode well when the audience isn’t surprised by the villain. Whishaw is really wonderful in his smallish role as "Q" (Quartermaster). It is nice to see his role expanded even as the technology he presents becomes more interesting. Harris is very cool and centering as Moneypenny. Fiennes role grows as the film reaches its conclusion and it helps the film. Seydoux is very good as someone who reluctantly ends up being protected by Bond and as a love interest. Scott is strong as the arrogant young tech savvy guy that lacks experience. John Logan and Neil Purvis wrote this slightly over complicated script. Sam Mendes did a wonderful job of putting Bond in great scenes and venues and making the script work.

Overall:  This film, although good, seems to stray from past unconvincingly.

Taxi

First Hit:  Interestingly odd film by a filmmaker who is not allowed to make films in his country.

Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker who is banned from making films by his government. What the audience sees is film about the people who come into his taxi.

These people bring different social situations into the cab, share them and either get dropped off or transferred to another taxi. Part of the film is genius in showing how life is in Iran and also the repression of his art.

His passengers include a thief and an intelligent woman discussing a subject, a man who deals in bootlegged DVDs, a couple where the husband is hurt and the woman will lose everything to his family if he dies so she wants a testament that she gets everything, superstitious women carrying live fish to a sacred stream, his niece who wants to make a film but cannot show the one she’s made because a boy did not follow the religious laws of the country, and so on.

Although at times the voices and their intensity were grating (except his) at other times we are treated to interesting dialogue all while driving through the streets of Tehran.

Jafar Panahi is the only credit on the film and he’s interesting and very centered despite the chaos around him.

Overall:  The pros definitely outweigh the cons.

Truth

First Hit:  This struck home because of how two careers were ruined by the power of people in high position and the unwillingness to acknowledge the “Truth”.

I won’t talk about how this strikes home, and I will apologize ahead of time for any political bent this review may take. George W. Bush is protected here by his political strategists (see previous review of “Our Brand Is Crisis”) to divert the public from hearing the truth.

These strategist and doubt creators twisted enough controversy about the investigation towards Bush’s lost year (AWOL) of military service commitment that Dan Rather (Robert Redford) and Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) lost their jobs.

The story is how Mapes, a prize winning producer, discovers documents that indicate Bush went AWOL from his military duty. As she dug into the information it became clear to her and her team that this story was true, therefore CBS ran the story on 60 minutes with Rather telling the tale. The timing of this was crucial because Bush was running for President.

Bush’s team found ways to bring up questions about the information that was published. In pouncing on this, the pressure on CBS was enormous and they kowtowed to the bullies of government and sponsors who supported Bush. There was an investigation done and in the near last scene, Mapes tells the committee why they are wrong.

The most beautiful scenes are when Mapes and Rather are together talking. It is evident that there is a respectful father/daughter, mentor/mentee relationship built on mutual respect for each other’s work. When the brief and actual clips of Bush are shown, you see and feel the mealy small minded way Bush comments on his win - throwing up is an acceptable response.

This is what makes this film good; the mixture of relevant information and how it is presented. Just before the credits role, the audience gets to see that the research did not disprove Mapes’ story and that people’s lives were adversely affected by telling (or not telling) the “Truth”.

Blanchett is amazing in telling this story. I was captured by her character. Redford is perfect as Dan Rather. Topher Grace as researcher Mike Smith showed a lot of intensity – not sure it was needed. Dennis Quaid as Lt. Colonel Roger Charles, fact finder and conservative throttle for Mapes was strong. James Vanderbilt wrote a very strong compelling script and directed these fine actors and story is a clear honest way.

Overall:  I like this film because of the story it told.

Our Brand Is Crisis

First Hit:  With our own elections on the horizon, Sandra Bullock carries this film with an air believability and truth although, at times, it is a lackluster film.

This story is about political strategists and how they ply their wares. I’ve no idea whether how much truth there is in the underhanded way they operate but given what gets displayed in our US elections, it isn’t too far of a stretch to imagine people behind the candidates doing battle in this way.

Here Jane (Calamity Jane) as played by Bullock has been through the ringer. She has had some wins but had one huge loss because of the meanness of one of her opponents’ strategist, Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton). Candy is running a Bolivian presidential campaign for Rivera (Louis Arcella) and Ben (Anthony Mackie) and Nell (Ann Dowd) bring Jane out of retirement to beat Candy at his own game.

They want her to be the strategist for his opponent Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) who has numerous flaws – including integrity. There are lots of scenes where the brooding Jane is thinking about the next thing to do, but when she coalesces the idea, she barks it out and everyone pays attention. It is in those scenes that had Bullock make the film interesting.

The film’s other fireworks (about 5 of them) are when Candy drops in, unscheduled, to speak with Jane. Bullock’s slow seething on Candy’s words are great. The other part of the film I was drawn to were the scenes of Sucre (capital of Bolivia). Not sure if they actually shot there, but the feel of the street scenes were very strong.

Bullock is the strongest part of the film. She makes her scenes interesting and compelling. Thornton is very good as the protagonist strategist. His snarky nature mixed with intelligence makes his character perfect for the role. Mackie is OK as is Dowd. Almeida is strong as marginally caring for the people and mostly caring that he wins the Presidency. Zoe Kazan as LeBlanc the ultimate information finder was wonderful. Peter Straughan wrote a good screen play. David Gordon Green had some directing highlights, (the debate, protest rallies, and scenes with Jane in the campaign headquarters room), but overall it didn’t feel held together as a strong story of which this could have been.

Overall:  This was less than the sum of its parts, but worthy of watching.