Demolition

First Hit:  There were strong and weak aspects to this film, however I liked the concept of tearing things apart so that one can rebuild one's life.

Pema Chodron, an American Tibetan Buddhist, wrote a book called “When Things Fall Apart.”

The beginning of this film reminded me of this book. Sometimes when things in our life fall apart (internally or externally), it can be a calling to deconstruct one’s life so that it can be re-built with more mindfulness and understanding.

Now this might sound too philosophical when writing about a film where the main character loses his wife in an auto accident and due to a malfunctioning vending machine, he decides to look at his life.

Here Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Julia (Heather Lind) are driving and get into an accident. She dies, he lives, and as he begins to view his life, he realizes that he didn’t really know his wife or his life. To find out more he begins by tearing his physical possessions apart. It starts with his refrigerator, then computer, then his house. These are funny and cathartic scenes.

Opening to viewing what he feels inside, two outside influences push him along; his father-in-law and boss Phil (Chris Cooper) and Karen (Naomi Watts) the vending machine customer service representative. Additionally, she has a son, Chris (Judah Lewis), who is struggling being a teenager and together, Davis and the boy learn valuable life lessons.

Gyllenhaal is strong and ever present in his scenes. There is a scene where he’s listening to a song he and Chris created together while walking down the street in NYC. Watching him free dance down the street, one can sense the amazing versatility and skills he has as an actor. Watts character wasn’t as clearly defined and was probably set up this way to bring her son’s confused life into focus. Lewis was very strong and very good in his role as a confused 15-year-old young man. Cooper was very good as the strong determined man who held his daughter in very high regard. Bryan Sipe wrote and interesting script with a great concept. Jean-Marc Vallee directed this story in some creative ways and I loved the bit about buying anything on Ebay.

Overall:  This wasn’t a great film but, for me, the point of the story was set early on and I bought into the way it was presented.

Everybody Wants Some!!

First Hit:  The music was to die for and the story grew on me as it evolved.

This film takes place over 3 – 4 days by following Jake (Blake Jenner) arriving on a Friday afternoon at an unnamed Texas University to take up residency in the baseball team’s campus home provided by a school sponsor and ending on the following Monday.

As with most Richard Linklater films, dialog and time period is clearly identified. When Jake gets in his car and drives off to the university he turns up the stereo in the vintage Oldsmobile 442 to blast out The Knack’s “My Sharona”. This perfectly sets the tone for the film.

Other music includes Blondie, Van Halen, The Cars, and Cheap Trick. As a jock hanging out with other jocks there is a perception about his intellectual capabilities. However, as the film points out a couple of times, each sub-group of people have their own ranges of intelligence and abilities. It reflects what is true in society. In other words, jocks are not all stupid.

That said, without any structure to their lives over the weekend they attend multiple parties, go to multiple nightclubs, and because they’re in college multiple types of pranks are pulled on each other. But in the end, you see these disparate personalities coming together in cohesive groups on their way to learning more about who they are.

Jenner was well cast as the young freshman baseball jock who is thoughtful. His quiet and inclusive ways made him very likeable. Justin Street (as Jay), Ryan Guzman (as Roper), Tyler Hoechlin (as McReynolds), Wyatt Russell (as Willoughby), Glen Powell (as Finnegan), Temple Baker (as Plummer), J. Quinton Johnson (as Dale), and Will Brittain (as Beuter) we’re all wonderful as the primary members of the baseball team. Each brought a strong and unique personality. Zoey Deutch as Beverly, Jay’s love interest, was very strong and an interesting character. Linklater wrote a very strong script with dialogue that really worked and his direction was spot on, especially the detail of in the scenes.

Overall:  This was a wonderful slice of life film that has deeper meaning.

The Boss

First Hit:  Not a well thought out plot, however at times, it was laugh out loud funny.

I’m not a big Melissa McCarthy fan. I don’t always find her sense of humor to be my cup of tea. Often, her size/weight are part of the humor kit bag. Here it wasn’t which made the experience better.

As Michelle Darnell, a fabulously wealthy woman wooing crowds with her state it and take it philosophy, she is crassly focused on herself and her money. She was raised in an orphanage because she is returned to the orphanage 3 times by foster parents that find her unlikable.

During her hey-day, Claire (Kristen Bell), her assistant works hard to support her, but is mistreated and finally leaves. Michelle, at the same time, is also arrested and convicted for insider trading and spends time in jail because of her competitor, Renault (Peter Dinklage), turns her in.

Upon release from prison Michelle shows up at Claire’s door without anywhere else to go. Claire trusts here again and they go into business but Michelle double-crosses Claire again. Will Michelle learn? Watch the film to find out.

McCarthy is very funny at times. I appreciated that her weight wasn’t used as a focal point to her humor. Bell is funny, touching and is an actress that I think is underrated because she consistently delivers.  Dinklage is odd in this role and I’m not sure it was well cast. Ella Anderson, as Bell’s daughter, was really good. She carried curiosity, kindness and faith very well. Ben Falcone wrote and directed this occasionally funny film.

Overall:  It was enjoyable and at times, very funny, but plot wise it was just OK.

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

First Hit:  As the second to last film in this series, it moves the storyline along and was watchable.

Series films have become prominent fare being produced by Hollywood. Originality appears to be too risky and studios are banking on a prior successful story-lines, many times with the same actors, to produce dollars.

There are series films that have done well and grow in their story-line and presentation. Some are sequential types of films where the story develops over time (e.g. Rocky). Other use the same actors and/or their characters in new situations (e.g. James Bond films). Two of the latest series sets are The Hunger Games series and the Divergent series.

Both of these film series have heroines, use young actors, but the major difference between film number 3 for both these, is that Divergent is watchable and has a plot, whereas The Hunger Games was barely more than a set-up for the fourth film and virtually unwatchable.

Acting wise there are stronger actors in The Hunger Games however the script and possibly the direction let them down.

In this Divergent film, we find Tris (Shailene Woodley) disliking the change in leadership of their community and with this wants to breakthrough the wall surrounding Chicago to find out what else exists. In a daring escape she and Four (Theo James), Christina (Zoe Kravitz), Caleb (Ansel Elgort), and Peter (Miles Teller), go over the wall and end up in the Bureau of Genetic Welfare where Tris meets and begins working with David (Jeff Daniels).

As the façade of David is exposed, Four heads back to Chicago to help his mother Evelyn (Naomi Watts) sort through the problems of governing a division free Chicago.

Woodley is good enough in this film and I don’t know if it was the script, direction or her abilities that lowered my interest and caring about her character. James was consistent in his role and was one of the better characters. Teller was also very consistent, not only in this film, but through all of them. Elgort seemed amateurish in his portrayal of Caleb. Daniels was sufficiently strong as the antagonist. Watts was OK in a role that seemed unrealistic in its portrayal. Noah Oppenheim and Adam Cooper wrote this mediocre script. Robert Schwentke did a fair job of keeping the film moving along despite the lack of solid substance.

Overall:  This film wasn’t completely lost and hopefully its conclusion in June of 2017 will work better.

Marguerite

First Hit:  This film was, at times, very funny, sad, and too long.

Marguerite Dumont (Catherine Frot) has always wanted to be an opera singer. She’s very rich, married Baron Georges Dumont (Andre Marcon) because she loved him and he had a title (Baron).

The problem with Marguerite’s singing is that she sings off key. Nobody has told her this and when she sings for her music club everyone applauds because she’s got money and contributes to the club’s cause. Her husband never comes to these events at their home because he cannot stand her singing and hates to be part of the delusion everyone perpetuates to get her money, just like his own delusion.

There is a side story as well with Lucien Beaumont (Sylvain Dieuaide) and a wonderful singer named Hazel (Christa Theret). Unfortunately, this story is not well established and poorly executed.

Marguerite insists on having a public concert and hires Atos Pezzini (Michel Fau) a fading quirky opera singer who has no prospects and needs the money. The scenes of him and his team (a bearded lady and a deaf piano player) are generally funny. But watching the scenes of Marguerite singing off key were hilarious.

It requires an amazing skill to sing that badly so well. However, the film seems to drag and it could have been shorted by 15 – 30 minutes and been just as good.

Frot was strong as Marguerite the loving wife and it was amazing how she could sing off key so well. Marcon was good as the husband who never wanted to hurt his wife’s feelings and grew to really care about her. Fau was very good as the gay fading opera singer who tried to help Marguerite. Denis Mpunga was fabulous as Madelbos, Marguerite’s servant and assistant. His double edged presence was great to watch. Xavier Giannoli wrote and directed the film. Some of the dialogue was amazing, especially from Mpunga and Frot. The length of the film was bothersome as it seemed to elongate sections for no apparent reason.

Overall:  Although I laughed and enjoyed the off-key singing and the story of truth and love was good, it just seemed to be overly managed/directed.