Nerve

First Hit:  I sat down in my seat with a bit of apprehension, and this all changed as soon as the film rolled, it was a blast.

This film could have easily been a bomb. But what kept it from being a dud was the explosion of characters, “watchers” and “players”.

The main character Vee (Emma Roberts) who is the beautiful girl, who doesn’t know her beauty and she hides in the background. She's a watcher and engaged with people but through her creative (although we don’t see much of it) side as a photographer.

Her BFF is Sydney (Emily Meade), a risk taking girl that does what she can for attention. Yes, she's a player and it is obvious that by playing "Nerve" she attempts to convince herself and others that she is not insecure.

"Nerve" is like the old "Truth or Dare" game but the difference is that there is no "truth" in "Nerve"; it is all "dare". It has been created anonymously by a group of hackers/programmers on the dark web, and it invites anyone to be a player or watcher. The more dares completed and the more complex dares a player attempts to "complete", the more money the player can win.

If the watcher’s like you, you win more money for completing the dare. Watchers get to watch you do the dare live on any device. Emma gets goaded to becoming a player by Sydney and because her fear is real and it puts her outside her comfort zone, she instantly becomes a favorite of watchers.

The watchers hook her up with Ian (Dave Franco) and together they take on the dares presented to them. One that touched me was riding a motorcycle together with the driver blind. It touched me only because I was in a passenger car in my late teens with the driver’s eyes were covered by a back seat passenger who shouted out driving commands. It only lasted about 2 minutes on a quiet, no traffic street, but it was a bit nerve-racking.

Anyway the contest to win the big prize becomes engaging for the watchers with Vee and Ian as a team, Sydney and Ty (Colson Baker AKA Machine Gun Kelly) as the other front runners. Many of the dares are difficult to watch, some are inventive, while others are a bit odd. The intenseness and playfulness of each dare was well shot and most of the dialogue fit the players generational sound and meaning. This film was fun.

Roberts was spot on perfect. Her growing into a player worked well as her inner strength came through. Meade was really strong as the girl craving for attention but, in the end, still had heart. Franco was great and it was nice to see him in a non-comedic role. He brought charm to his character. Baker was perfectly intense as was needed. Miles Heizer as Tommy, Vee’s friend, was charmingly protective of Vee reflecting his hidden love for her. Juliette Lewis as Roberts' mother was wonderful. Jessica Sharzer wrote a script that was spot-on to the time, place, and feel of the characters and their situations. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman did a wonderful job of directing this with intense and thoughtful scenes. They got great performances out of the actors and script.

Overall:  This film surprised me with how good and fun it was to watch.

Star Trek Beyond - 3D

First Hit:  Although the script and visuals were dark in tone, I loved how the main characters embodied the Star Trek story and allowed me to enjoy this film.

It is not easy to keep a film succession, based on a television series, engaging while upholding the essence of the story that has been around since 1966.

To be clear, it is Chris Pine (as Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (as Commander Spock), Karl Urban (as Dr. “Bones” McCoy), Zoe Saldana (as Lt. Uhura), Simon Pegg (Montgomery “Scotty” Scott), John Cho (as Sulu), and the late Anton Yelchin (as Chekov) that make this film engaging and the story work.

I wasn’t a fan of this particular story or the darkness of the film, but the crew of the Starship Enterprise was amazing. They have magically embodied the original characters and brought them 5 decades into the future with dignity.

This is what I loved about this film, the characters and actors. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who plays a significant role in this film, isn’t added to the mixture of the Star Trek crew in future films. The villain in this film is Krall (Idris Elba) who is looking for a item that will allow him to destroy the Federation.

Pine, Quinto, Urban, Saldana, Pegg, Cho, and Yelchin are compellingly amazing at their ability to continue the growth and transition of these characters by bridging the 50-year gap from the characters’ inception to today. They all deserve heart felt kudos. Boutella is very strong and the character she embodies fits well with this film and the crew. Simon Pegg and Doug Jung wrote this script that allowed the characters to shine through. However, I wasn’t necessarily impressed with the overall story plot. Justin Lin did an admirable job of keeping the tone and focus on the characters.

Overall:  I enjoyed the film mostly because the crew of the Starship Enterprise was perfect.

Captain Fantastic

First Hit:  This is an amazing film about family, love, and the belief in doing something different.

This film stayed with me for days after watching it. The strength of the film is in the characters.

I’m not sure where they got the name for the film, but to let you know it has nothing to do with a fantasy comic book character and all to do with an amazing man brave enough to raise his children in a way that makes them fully responsible for their actions, by giving the skills to make good choices, and allowing them the freedom to discover.

Viggo Mortensen (as the father Ben) has a daily regimen for his six children that includes, hunting, climbing, running, exercise, reading, cooking, cleaning, and helping their siblings. They are living somewhere deep in the woods in the Pacific Northwest far away from any city and the noise of urban and suburban America.

The children all speak at least four languages and the truth when they talk. They have been home-schooled, are resilient, and each have their unique personal strengths that come out in the film. We learn that their mother Leslie (Trin Miller) has been in the hospital for 3 months for her struggles of being bipolar.

Ben then learns on a trip to town to get mail and supplies, that she has committed suicide. He tells the children in a very straightforward manner and their grieving process is touchingly shown. They want to go to the funeral but Leslie’s father Jack (Frank Langella) forbids it and threatens Ben with being arrested. He blames Ben for Leslie’s life choices and for making his daughter ill.

Of course the audience and Abigail, (Ann Dowd) Leslie’s mom, knows different; but it makes for some riveting scenes between Ben and Jack. During the trip to the funeral, they visit Leslie’s sister Harper (Kathryn Hahn), brother-in-law Dave (Steve Zahn), and their two boys. The scenes during this visit are interesting as well as hilarious.

Mortensen again reminds me here about how good an actor he is. He is fantastic (maybe why the film was named this) and clearly shows why he’s a great actor. George McKay (as Bo) was amazing as the oldest son. Samantha Isler (as Kielyr) was so present and strong as the oldest daughter. Annaliese Basso (as Vespyr) was sublime as the second oldest daughter. Nicholas Hamilton (as Rellian) was the second oldest son was wonderful in his pivotal role. Shree Crooks and Charlie Shotwell (as Zaja and Nai respectively) played the two youngest children and they brought so much humor and joy to the film that it would have been far less without them. Langella was perfect as the conservative, wealthy father of Leslie who stressed about the path his daughter took. Dowd was great as the slightly oppressed wife of Langella while being understanding of her son-in-law Ben and her daughter’s wishes. Matt Ross wrote and directed this film. The writing was outstanding, sharp, pointed and elegant all at the same time. His direction was spot on, leaving the audience to engage and learn more about this family.

Overall:  One of the very best films I’ve seen all year.

The Infiltrator

First Hit:  Tension begins early and stays through to the end of the film – well done.

The setting is the 1980’s. Columbian cocaine is pouring into the United States through Florida.

The US Government is doing what it can to stop the flow of drugs. Nancy Reagan’s “Just say no” campaign was in full bloom and most of the U.S. Customs department’s war on drugs was to follow the flow of the drugs.

One of Customs’ best agents Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston) thinks that a better way to get to the top of the cartel was to “follow the money”. He and his partner Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) set themselves up as a company with bank money laundering connections. Mazur takes the alias of Bob Musella. The way these two find their way to the right banking and cartel connections is filled with tense scenes made only better by the acting, especially by Cranston.

One thing that struck me was the complicated way things came together. There were a lot of characters and plot elements, however, I felt like it how a real life setup might unfold.

For instance, during a conversation with a cartel member in a strip club, Musella said he was engaged. He did this because he didn’t want to partake in a sexual encounter and he was fully committed to his wife Evelyn (Juliet Aubrey). Stating he was engaged required the U. S. Customs agency to set him up with a finance. His hard line boss Bonnie Tischler (Amy Ryan), selects a newly minted agent Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger) which created its own level of tension and concern because she had no experience.

The film and scenes we’re not done in a highly slick manner, which worked for me because otherwise would have made the film appear too staged. Where Ertz and Musella worked best was during the scenes to develop a relationship with cartel member Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt) and his wife Gloria (Elena Anaya).

Cranston was really strong in this role based on a true story. His ability to create tension for his life and his family’s life was palpable. Leguizamo was perfect as his partner that seemed the on edge of being a really smart and partially unhinged. Ryan was perfect as the hard-line female Customs boss. Kruger was wonderful as the undercover fiancé. Bratt and Anaya were very strong as major components of the cartel. Ellen Sue Brown wrote a very strong script. Brad Furman did a wonderful job of making the film work by not making it too slick.

Overall:  This true story from the Eighties was well represented 30 years later.

The Secret Life of Pets

First Hit:  Made me think about what our dog might be doing while I was watching this film.  

Pi in hat

There are moments in this film where the animators and voice artists get dogs and cats perfectly right:  Watch the dogs circle to lie down. Other times they were represented as we might want them to be or the way we think they are.

The voice acting in this film is very strong; among them are:  Jenny Slate as Gidget. Louis C.K. as Max. Lake Bell as Chloe. Albert Brooks as Tiberius and the fully engaging Kevin Hart as Snowball the bunny.

Pi Smile Carpet edit

The overall story is that Max and Duke get lost and their friends come to help them find their way home. The animation was very strong and did an excellent job of catching their behaviors. Listening to the children in the theater react to this animated film was the signal telling me the writers and directors were spot on. They captured the young demographic perfectly.

The film did feel a little long and I would have cut the entire sequence in the sausage factory, thought it was unnecessary and didn't move the real story along.

Slate, C. K., Bell, Brooks and Hart’s voices were fully engaging and wonderful. Cino Paul and Ken Daurio wrote a very strong and fun screenplay. Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud did a great job of directing this animated feature and getting the most out of the voice actors.

Overall:  This film was fun and I left the theater happy.