Wonder

First Hit:  This film was incredibly touching and wonderful to watch.

From the get go, I was totally taken away and transported into a wide-ranging realm of feelings and emotions. Wearing a NASA space helmet is how we are introduced to Auggie, August Pullman (Jason Tremblay). Because we know Auggie has a facial deformity we want to see what he looks like.

Helping the audience engage and look at themselves, early in the film, Auggie’s mother Isabel (Julia Roberts) tells Auggie that everyone has scars from living their life.

The first moment I was deeply touched by the depth of what Auggie was going to deal with was his first day of school. He had been homeschooled by his mom and going into the 5th grade was to be his first foyer into the public-school system.

As his dad Nate (Owen Wilson), Isabel, and sister Via (Izabela Vidovic) walk him to the front of school, the audience can feel the anxious anticipation of his helmet removal and seeing all the kids stare at him with a somewhat shocked look in their faces.

The first day is hell for him, no one really talks to him and a rumor begins that if someone touches him, they’ll get the plague. I felt for him deeply as he was ignored. Slowly he gains one friend, Jack Will (Noah Jupe), because Auggie helps him with a science pop-quiz.

In the meantime, the film takes time and develops Via who is ignored by her family most of her life because of Auggie’s circumstance. Another way this film adds to its depth is by doing short 5 minute segments about specific people in the film including Via, Jack and Via’s close friend Miranda (Danielle Rose Russell). It was smart and done in an effective manner.

The film really focuses on the dynamics that the family deals with not just Auggie’s struggle.

As Auggie finds his footing in school his classmates begin to see his depth and personality, which opens the door for his life to become more socially whole.

Tremblay was amazing as Auggie. He exemplified the struggle a young boy with this deformity would have to deal with. Roberts was, divine. Her laugh, smile and tears of both sadness and joy come across as genuine. She doesn’t do a lot of movies these days, so to get a chance to see her is wonderful. Wilson is great as Auggie’s father. Vidovic was sublime as Auggie’s sister. She embodied the young capable daughter finding her own way as her family focuses on her brother. The play she stars in encapsulated the story perfectly. Jupe was superb as the first young boy to reach out to Auggie. Millie Davis (plays school mate Summer) was like her character’s name “Summer.” Russell was really good as Via’s friend who had to find her way back into the Pullman’s family. Mandy Patinkin as the school principle Mr. Tushman was amazing. We all needed a principle like him in our lives. Stephen Chbosky, Steve Conrad, and Jack Thorne wrote a strong and effective screenplay. Director Chbosky got amazing performances from everyone.

Overall:  This was a truly wonderful story turned into a touching film.

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

First Hit:  I enjoyed the innocence, charm , clumsiness, and brilliance of Denzel Washington’s Israel.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Washington) is a savant in knowing civil law. Teamed with his former professor, who is the court face of this law firm, Israel is the brilliant man behind the curtain. Israel has spent his entire career at a desk in the office preparing all the paperwork and briefs for his partner.

One day his partner has a heart attack and passes away. When Israel goes to the office he's greeted by Lynn (Amanda Warren), his partner’s daughter. She tells him the firm is broke and defunct. He’s asked to get a continuance for all the pending court cases, but instead, he goes to court and starts arguing the cases and immediately gets hit with a contempt of court citation because he lacks tact and courtroom experience.

The firm is being swallowed-up by a law firm run by George Pierce (Colin Farrell). Pierce offers Israel a job doing what he’s been doing for more money and initially Israel says no. Discovering that he’s stuck in the 1970’s, as reflected by his taste in music, electronics, and clothing, and has poor communication skills, he cannot get a job.

Forced to make some money, he takes Pierce's up on his offer and becomes the office odd-ball. But some soon learn just how brilliant he is and how he set the tone for civil rights law during his career. In an opportunity to address a local ACLU group led by Maya Alston (Carmen Ejogo), he again discovers how misplaced his views can be to a young group of activists.

As he sees his life careening out of the mental box he’s lived in, he makes one attempt to move into the 21st century. In doing so, he breaks attorney / client privilege and turns in the name of a trigger man in a murder robbery. Collecting reward money, he begins to treat himself.

This is where we get to watch Washington do his magic in acting. He makes the constant shifting between be the 70’s boxed-up guy and a modern guy taking advantage of the world. It's sublime.

Of course, as a Hollywood movie would do, all this catches up with Roman and his way of making it right and how Pierce honors this choice is touching.

Washington is brilliant. He climbs into role and the character with a clear understanding of making this part really work. Farrell is wonderful as the quick smart lawyer and business owner. The moments where he shows us and Israel his humanness is just enough to make it all work. Ejogo was fantastic. She made me believe she loved what she did and that she knew the civil rights history Israel brought to her life. Dan Gilroy wrote and directed this film. I loved the look and feel he brought to Israel as a throw-back to today’s world.

Overall:  I liked the story and thought it worked well.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

First Hit:  Very interesting characters but in the end, the story was unsatisfying, dark, and disturbing.

This is a story about grief, the processing of this grief, and challenging this small town's law enforcement abilities.

Mildred (Francis McDormand) has spent about a year hoping to get satisfaction from the Ebbing Police, headed by Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), about the rape and killing of her daughter Angela (Kathryn Newton). There have been no real leads or suspects for more than nine months and Mildred’s depression is not subsiding.

To bring attention to the lack of progress on solving the case, Mildred buys advertising on three billboards down the road from her home and near were her daughter’s remains were found. On the billboards, she calls out the police chief specifically as to why nothing has happened on the case.

Of course, Willoughby is upset at the publicity and failure to resolve this case, but he’s also struggling with pancreatic cancer and will be dead soon. His second in command Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell) is bigoted, racist, and basically dumb. As Dixon gets involved in the case he manages to create havoc and is incredibly insensitive towards most everyone.

What invited me to stay engaged with the film was the hard edge of each of the characters: Mildred’s pain. Willoughby’s difficulties as his cancer begins to win. Mildred’s son Robbie (Lucas Hedges) and his dealing with his own sadness and the embarrassment his mom is causing. Dixon’s insensitivity towards everyone. Just about everyone in the cast has a defined view of the world and it represents everyone in every town.

What didn’t work for me, was the conclusion. I don’t mind films that only lead one to create their own ending, however this film either had too much information (no DNA evidence) or too little information to have the drive-away scene in the end. It fell flat to me.

McDormand was very strong in this role. It fit her well. Harrelson was very good as the police chief facing his failure with this case and that he was dying and wanted to leave on his own terms. Rockwell was almost overwhelming. I certainly didn’t like his character through ninety-five percent of the film, which was the point. Hedges was good as the moody son who is dealing with pain and embarrassment. Peter Dinklage (playing townsman James) was excellent. His wit and charm showed through. Caleb Landry Jones (as Red Welby the owner of the advertising billboards) was sublime. His willingness to make a deal and stand up to public pressure was wonderful. John Hawkes (as Charlie, Mildred’s ex-husband) was good. Samara Weaving (as Penelope, Charlie’s new young girlfriend) was amazing as the out of touch and not-so-smart girl who wants to be accepted. Martin McDonagh wrote and directed this film. A lot of the writing was crisp and to the point which I admired but I thought the story was slightly convoluted and unsatisfying at the end.

Overall:  This film was entertaining but not quite complete.

Last Flag Flying

First Hit: This film may start out to mean more to "boomers" and veterans than other people, but it wonderfully explores a lot of topics and emotions.

We join two old veteran friends, Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell) getting drunk in Sal’s bar. This scene sets up who they are perfectly. Doc is quiet, of heavy mind and Sal is full of quips, pointed sarcasm and likes to drink, a lot.

They became friends when they met fighting together in the Vietnam war. But as many vets know, sometimes when thrust together in crisis, the bond that is created crosses time. In the early bar scene, who they are, what they were, and the commitment to the bond is brought to light by how easily Sal leaves his bar by turning over the keys to someone else and goes out on an unannounced road trip with his friend Doc.

The trip is to a church where Reverend Richard Muller (Laurence Fishburne) is preaching. The moment Sal and Doc walk in, Sal bursts into a broad grin. Their third friend from Vietnam is now a preacher. Sal is beside himself at the change in “Muller the Mauler.” According to Sal, Muller was one of the most raucous men he knew and hung out with. Now a preacher? Sal cannot believe it.

Muller is reticent about meeting his old buddies because he’s now a man of God and to meet again the guys because of their history. They knew him as a man who did a lot of non-Christian things. And them knowing this is tough. The reason for Doc bringing these guys together is because he wants these men help him honor his son whom was a Marine and was just killed in Iraq.

After some funny dinner and desert scenes, Muller agrees to join Sal on Docs mission to honor his son. The body is coming to Dover AFB and will be buried, with honors, at Arlington. Sal is told his son was a hero and died protecting his men. However, as the story unfolds the men discover that the boy was shot in the back of the head when he was buying a soft drink for his buddies.

They learn this from Larry’s sons best Marine friend, Washington (J. Quinton Johnson) who accompanied the body back home. When Doc learns about how the government lied about his boy’s death, he doesn’t want him buried at Arlington but wants to take him home to New Hampshire.

This decision brings on a whole host of arguments, agreements, and an uncovering of the depth of the men's friendship, Washington’s friendship with Doc’s son, how the government lies, and the importance of truth.

The film shows these discoveries while they eat together, drive together, sit on the train together and buy cell phones together. One of the most fun scenes, showing the depth of each character, is when the four of them are sitting in the luggage car of the train next to the coffin. The dialogue was sublime, real and on target for each of the characters.

This film is about friendship and how it surpasses time. It is about how men become brothers. It is about how the government will lie to parents of dead soldiers. It is about honor. It is about truth. The sets and scenes were exquisitely created and it kept the audience’s attention through each segment.

Cranston was killer. His quips, jabs, self-effacing comments, and drive created a character worth watching. I kept wondering what would come out of his mouth next. Carell was perfect as the quiet one who spoke loudly with his trust in his fellow vets. The breadth of emotions, partially bottled up by the role, was perfectly expressed. Fishburne was outstanding. His voice perfect for being a holier than thou voice as a preacher, then switching to his foul mouth Marine voice was perfect. Johnson was amazing as the Doc’s sons best friend. While lying on Doc’s couch looking up at pictures of his lost friend and the family was so touching. Yul Vazquez as Colonel Wilits was great. He exemplified the role of holding on to the governments pride of service. Richard Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan wrote a fabulous screenplay. Under Linklater’s direction this film was amazingly full-bodied and pointed. Its focus on the characters and how they unfolded through the film was spot-on perfect.

Overall:  This is a very full-bodied film and embraces both life and death equally.

Lady Bird

First Hit:  A superb film because of the acting and the embracing of learning how to love, hometown, family, and oneself.

Thus far, in her short actor’s life, Saoirse Ronan has been the best young actress I’ve seen on film. Regardless of the type of role; as Briony Tallis in Atonement (young girl who changes the lives of several people), Hanna in Hanna (full on action), Agatha in The Grand Budapest Hotel  (surrealist comedy), Eilis in Brooklyn (Irish immigrant) for which I believed she had the best performance of 2015, and now as a young coming of age girl in Sacramento. She's had about 20 roles and her impact is astonishing.

Here, she’s named herself “Lady Bird” as her given name because, as she explains, "it is her given name because she gave it to herself." Her real name is Christine McPherson. Yes, she’s a kooky young high schooler who has a pressed relationship with her mom, Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf). There is a scene in a store where they are buying Lady Bird a dress for a special event and they are arguing. Back and forth and on and on, then mom grabs a dress from the rack and holds it up, and Lady Bird just switches to loving her mom and the dress in a heartbeat.

Her mom is always worried about money and uses passive aggressive behavior to try to control and demean Lady Bird. Her father Larry (Tracy Letts) is a quiet and kind man who has a great relationship with Lady Bird and works hard at keeping the peace in the family.

We follow Lady Bird’s antics in class, her relationship with her best friend Julie Steffans (Beanie Feldstein), her first real boyfriend Danny O’Neill (Lucas Hedges), her second boyfriend, cool band guy, Kyle Scheible (Timothee Chalamet) and an attempt to have a friendship with the coolest girl at school Jenna Walton (Odeya Rush).

We watch her bamboozle her teachers and Sister Sarah Joan (Lois Smith) whom she tricks at one point. Lady Bird lies a lot. She tells whoppers and small white lies.

The sets in Sacramento, the bridge, river, Tower tower (was once the home of Tower Records) and the various neighborhoods of fine elegant homes and small track homes wonderfully registered on film. Each of them shot beautifully and lovingly.

I laughed out-loud many times and I cried in the many touching moments, especially when Lady Bird, in New York, calls her mom to tell her that her daughter, Christine, loves her.

Ronan is superb. She makes the part come alive, fully believable and does it effortlessly. Metcalf was extraordinary as the mother. When she delivers the line, my mother was an abusive alcoholic, it’s perfect. It sets up a nugget to her behavior for the whole film. Letts is absolutely a wonder. His soft caring and, at times, enabling tone was based on sweet intent. Chalamet is oddly familiar as the brooding boy who attracts people with mood more than substance. Hedges is fantastic as the guy everyone likes who is hiding a secret. The scene talking to Lady Bird when he breaks down and cries is powerful. Feldstein is outstanding as the friend who gets shunned and then embraced again. Rush is great as the cool rich girl, she plays it well. Smith is excellent as the nun who cares about the kids and takes being pranked amusingly. Greta Gerwig wrote and directed this film. It was a fantastic effort and filled with a sense that this film was written from both her heart and experience.

Overall:  I fully enjoyed this well-crafted film.