Battle of the 'Sexes

“Battle of the Sexes” was written by  Simon Beaufoy  and co-directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton   The film stars Emma Stone as Billy Jean King and  Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs and culminates in the famous tennis match between the two in the year 1973. Sometimes low expectations for a slightly better than average film can make viewing it even more enjoyable than it otherwise might be and for me, at least, this movie is no exception. Filled with interesting information and facts involving the personal lives of each of these two players, the viewer sees more than just a male chauvinist Riggs and a dedicated advocate for women’s rights in the person of Ms. King. The story of each of the principals is made even more meaningful by the fine acting of Ms. Stone and Mr. Carell who play their parts with a sense of honesty and credibility and make this film a lot more than simply a tale about a hyped tennis match. I give the film 3 stars and urge the viewer to take advantage (pun intended) of this pleasant viewing experience.

Mother

“Mother” was written and directed by Darren Aronofsky so at least we can lay the blame on only one individual for one of the worst pictures I have had the misfortune of viewing in many years. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer, this film isn’t worthy of the time it takes to write this review except that, by giving an honest summary of it, others will hopefully be dissuaded from going to see it and that I will consider my good deed for the week. It’s difficult to characterize this movie without using such adjectives as insane, unrealistic, absurd and mostly containing acts of extreme overkill and violence. Much like some pseudo-intellectuals, there may be some misguided folks who will see allegories and analogies to life in this cinematic disaster but for this viewer, at least, I saw nothing more than ridiculous manifestations of poor writing and directing with supposed horror scenes so bad that, instead of being fear provoking, made them almost laughable. It would have been funnier had I not wasted an evening watching the movie instead of some bad television at home. I give this poorly executed effort by Mr. Aronofsky a one star rating, and that goes solely to Ms. Lawrence’s efforts on the film’s behalf. Simply stated this is the “Mother" of bad movies and deserves a strong boycott of this insult to the viewing audience.

Wind River

“Wind River” was written and directed by Taylor Sheridan and stars Jeremy Renner, a miscast Elizabeth Olsen and the ever reliable Graham Greene. This is basically a murder/rape mystery played out in the wintry climate of an Indian reservation in Wyoming. The film is shallow in terms of the depth of its characters and relies much upon careful and intense following of the dialogue to try to piece together what has previously occurred in the lives of its main characters and the events that led up to the criminal investigation. Since the credits on the film appear at its end, I guessed correctly that it had been written and directed by the same person who, unfortunately, didn’t satisfactorily fulfill either role.  Even though it cites 1 hour and 47 minutes of playing time, the film seemed much longer so I suggest lots of coffee before viewing it. I give the film 2 stars and, on second thought, suggest that the coffee should be imbibed without ever going to see the movie.

Good Time

“Good Time" was written by Ronald Bronstein and Joshua Safdie and was directed by Mr Safdie and his brother, Ben. Ben Safdie also stars in the film with Robert Pattinson and, in a much lesser role, Jennifer Jason Leigh. This an amateurish, poorly written and frankly quite boring film about one brother’s attempt to get the other out of jail after a botched bank robbery. ‘The film, like the robbery, is poorly executed, coordinated and directed. Never has a film’s title more inaccurately described the theatrical experience  tor the last thing the viewer will have is a ‘good time”. I give the film 1 star because the creators had good intentions but ended up with a terrible result. What is most surprising, and, in fact, scary, is that so many well thought of professional critics really loved this film. It was based on their reviews that I went to see the movie which once again proves that getting paid for what you do or write doesn't mean you are good at it or deserve the sums you are paid.

Columbus

“Columbus” is a film written and directed by its one named creator,  Ogonada.  This is his directorial debut and unfortunately for him and his audience, is a totally non-auspicious entry into the theatrical genre. Aided and abetted in this visual felony are actors John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson, with minimal participation by Parker Posey and Rory Culkin. The film takes place in Columbus, Indiana where many architectural feats have been accomplished and this serves as the basis for the common interest and attempted chemistry between its two co-stars. Although what well may have started out to be an effort to intellectualize and compare the world of architecture and life, the film fails miserably in that regard and becomes one of the most boring and tedious “entertainment” experiences this viewer can remember. As one member of the audience correctly put it: “It was like watching grass grow”. Mr. Cho manifests almost no emotion or credibility in the role he portrays in stark contrast to the performance of Ms. Richardson who is a delight to watch. Unfortunately, seeing her in the film is like listening to a fine singer performing a bad song. This is not a good film and one that I sincerely urge the potential viewer to avoid unless, of course, insomnia compels one to go to the theater for his or her much needed sleep. I give the film  one star and that goes solely to Ms. Richardson who hopefully will find better vehicles to expose her obvious talent.

Dunkirk

“Dunkirk” is a film written and directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Kenneth Branaugh and Tom Hardy and a cast of thousands, or hundreds, depending on how much you take into account the Computer Generated Imagery's special effects. As most WWII buffs know, and certainly all Britishers, “Dunkirk” is the story of how scores of private British small boat owners  traveled across the English Channel to rescue many of the British and French soldiers who  were left stranded on this infamous  French beach. This is indeed one of the most inspiring stories to come out of the war and yet, to my disappointment, the film manifests no heart or soul. Although there are plenty of dogfights in the air and strafings on the ground, the film dedicates most of its footage to one particular boat owner and three Spitfire pilots with confusing battle scenes filling the rest of the screen. Instead of the epic and awesome story that it attempts to convey, it is grossly lacking in depth and  although Mr. Nolan receives a credit as the writer, there are probably more words written in this review than spoken in the entire film. Perhaps, by anticipating that the film would live up to the great story it tries to tell, my unrealized expectations created the letdown I felt after I left the theater. I give this film 2 stars and suggest that a better writer and director could have gotten to the truly great story that Mr. Nolan unfortunately left stranded somewhere on the French shore.

Baby Driver

“Baby Driver” is the brainchild of writer/director Edgar Wright who brings us this action packed adventure involving bank heists and getaway chases that would make the producers of “Bullitt” and “The French Connection” gasp in awe. The film stars Ansel Elgort In the title role as the young man forced to drive getaway cars for a group consisting of characters played by Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Eliza Gonzalez, Lily James and James Foxx. Fast paced with the director’s foot constantly on the pedal, the film has a few dramatic moments and a simple story but, more than anything, the real star or stars (depending on what car is being used) are the vehicles speeding across the screen. Mr. Elgort is wonderfully cast as the main character of the film and draws the audience into his plight and circumstance with easy identification. Mr. Hamm, alas, is apparently faced with the George/Jason Alexander syndrome for he is not really believable as a punk hold up guy and seems better suited to be behind the desk in an office on the Mad Men set. I give the film 3 stars because, more than anything, it is an easy and enjoyable theatrical experience.