Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)

Directed by Doug Liman

Written by Simon Kinberg 

Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn and Kerry Washington 

     Well, this is it right here folks- the movie that ended Brad and Jen. That fact alone is the reason I wanted to hate this movie, but the chemistry that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie share on-screen, is undeniably great. Their chemistry is why an action movie of this nature works so well. If it were any other actors trying to balance the light humor with all the intense action in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the results could have been disastrous. Lucky for us this duo graced us with their onscreen companionship which resulted in this superb action flick. 

     Pitt and Jolie play John and Jane Smith, which are assumably not their real names considering the nature of their assassin careers. The two meet in Bogota, Columbia; and by the time the movie sets in on their suburban life, they are about 5 or 6 years deep in marriage. They float along in this normal routine in the suburbs, with Jane having dinner ready for John when he gets home from work everyday. What they both are keeping from each other is the fact that they're skilled assassins. John keeps his guns and money under the shed, Jane keeps her knives and other weapons of torture, in a tray that slides up from the stove. The story begins with introducing us to their marriage problems, as they attend therapy together. 

     However, things get interesting for the killer couple as their competing agencies start to hunt the same mysterious target- thus leading them both out to the dessert where they are left hunting each other. Now commences the sticky situation of them both knowing each other is an assassin, but neither of them can tell the other or they'd have to kill one another. Your typical dilemma in any marriage, right? This now leads them to the difficult decision of either killing each other, or teaming up to save their lives. 

     The following action after this revelation is fun to watch. The fight scenes are intense, the necessary car chase scene isn't cliche. Sure, its not the best action/romance movie that has ever hit the big screens- but Pitt and Jolie make this fun to watch. They're not awkward on screen together at all. They could have been seen as out of synch, but their on and off screen chemistry made these characters real. To be honest, Jolie is so sexy in this movie between posing as a dominatrix and snapping someones neck, and firing huge guns- I can see how Brad fell for her. Sorry Jen! The shared smirks between the couple felt so real, I feel like they both could actually be secret assassins. They fit well into these roles and made for a great movie for this sometimes hard to watch genre. 

I give Mr. and Mrs. Smith a...

7/10

Manchester By The Sea (2016)

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Written by Kenneth Lonergan 

Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges and Kyle Chandler 

     A dark film brought to us by the minds of Matt Damon and John Krasinski (yeah, you heard right- Jim from The Office) and written and directed by Oscar nominated, Kenneth Lonergan. Manchester By The Sea is a film that tells the story of a good man who is now wallowed in grief and a completely different person than his former self. 

     Lee (Casey Affleck) is an un-social janitor/handyman in Quincy- who floats through his work days with no emotion until the night when he can get to the bar and drink, with an extreme lack of social skills. Lee's monotonous routine is disrupted when he receives a call from the hospital of his former "home," Manchester. His older brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler) is in the hospital again because of his diagnosed congestive heart disorder- but may not make it this time. Lee makes the 90- minute drive up there, just to discover he was too late. He is left to take on the responsibility of planning his brother's funeral, and taking care of his 16 year old son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Lee soon is informed of the startling news that Joe has named him the guardian of Patrick. He is now forced to make some big life decisions as to wether to uproot Patrick from his life and move to Boston- or to reluctantly return to Manchester- a town with some disturbing memories for Lee.
     Through some flashbacks throughout the film, we soon learn this isn't just about Lee becoming the legal guardian of Patrick. Lee has an ex-wife, Randi (Michelle Williams) and a past life in Manchester- which makes it extremely difficult for him to return without some bad past memories. To talk about the flashbacks in detail would be major spoilers, but I will say I wish there were more flashbacks to further tell the story behind Lee's now un-social, depressive state.
     If having spot-on New England accents is the reason to dole out Academy Award's to this cast- then I expect to see all nominees (Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges) standing at the podium award night. I was hoping to get more emotion from the cast, especially Affleck- but I suppose that is the reason their performances were so real. Affleck's character experiences so much loss throughout his life that by the time his brother passes, he is suppressing some major emotion. I was kind of hoping for a big emotional scene where he finally has a breakdown of some sort. He did punch a window at one point- I guess that was it? Affleck does a pretty good job at playing an extremely one-dimensional character. Lee is a man of not many words, holding in a lot of despair and Affleck embodies that. Michelle Williams role was very limited which I was disappointed about. She did bring some strong emotion to the film, however. Newcomer, Lucas Hedges was key to the movie; bringing a lot of typical teenage angst and drama (like having two girlfriends) which leavened the very dark manner of the film. He is well deserving of his best supporting actor nomination at this year's Academy Awards.
     The appeal of a dark, depressing movie like Manchester By The Sea is limited; so I can see why it was released so close to award season. The slow-pace nature of this film will not appeal to many who seek more cinematic, adrenaline filled, gleeful movies. If you're seeking a movie with deeper experiences, this is for you.

I give Manchester By The Sea a...

6/10

Moonlight (2016)

Directed by Barry Jenkins 

Written by Barry Jenkins (screenplay) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (story)

Starring Mahershala Ali,  Naomie Harris and Janelle Monae

     A timeless story of self discovery-which follows the same character from childhood to adulthood. Moonlight is a cruel but honest story that in large, is a story of a gay black man. Broken down into thee parts though- this is a story of how this character overcomes many things, along with his sexuality. Chiron battles poverty, overcoming social boundaries, his drug addict mother, and love. Barry Jenkins brings us an episodic tale which allows us to see the character's struggles as he grows up, and how he learns from them. 

     The first part of Moonlight is named "Little," which introduces us to elementary school Chiron (Alex Hibbert) and we really start to gain a perspective on his personality that sticks with him through all three parts. Young Chiron is shy and tormented by the other boys at school. He really only seeks comfort with one other kid, Kevin (Jaden Piner). With a parental gap at home, the young boy starts to become attached to drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae). 

     The bullying Chiron faced as a child progresses in the second part while he's now a teenager (now played by Ashton Sanders) in high school. Kevin (now played by Jharrel Jerome) still remains his only friend, his mother began a relationship with crack, and Juan is dead. A lot changes for the naive boy in this middle part. Chiron's questioning of his sexuality only heightens after a passionate experience on the beach with his friend Kevin- which eventually leads to a violent bullying experience at school. By the time we enter the third part of the film, we see Chiron's totally re-branded himself. He takes on this "hood" persona, wearing grills and becoming a bulky drug dealer in Atlanta now known as, "Black" (now played by Trevante Rhodes). On a lighter note, we get to see a reunion between Kevin (Andre Holland) and Chiron in the end. 

     The ensemble cast is the reason for the film's greatness- especially the three actors who portrayed Chiron. I was sad to see Mahershala Ali's supporting role was so short-lived. My favorite performance definitely came from Naomie Harris though. She had some riveting, serious scenes showing the negative impacts of crack on family members- specifically on her son. The cast had lots of newcomers that all attributed to the storytelling in their own way. 

     The film covers many serious topics including poverty, bullying and coming to terms with ones sexuality. Chiron's specific upbringing and habitat may be unfamiliar to some, but the adversities he is forced to overcome are universal. I really liked that the film was broken up into three episodes. Even though I wasn't crazy about the ending of the film, I still left feeling satisfied that I was told a heroic story of self discovery. 

I give Moonlight a...

7/10

Monster (2003)

Directed by Patty Jenkins

Written by Patty Jenkins 

Starring Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, and Bruce Dern 

     Patty Jenkins brings us a dark and chilling film based on the real life of Daytona Beach prostitute turned serial killer, Aileen Wournos (Charlize Theron), who murdered seven men in 1989. Going into this film I was very hesitant considering Jenkins really had no past track record. Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci both never had any memorable past roles either that drove me to watch this film. However, after seeing Theron play this haunting character I will always be a fan of hers. 

     Set in Daytona Beach, Florida where real life Wournos commit her murders, the film starts with the prostitute on the verge of putting a gun to her head under a highway over pass. Then she meets Selby (Christina Ricci) at a gay bar, who I assume resembles Aileen's real life girlfriend Tyria Moore. After the initial denial of Selby by calling her some vulgar terms used towards lesbian women, Aileen who is looking for any form of affection for her barren life, eventually becomes very taken with timid Selby, who is living with family friends because her father kicked her out. Aileen murders her first "john" after he beats her, ties her up and tries to rape her. From that point, what we're thought to believe is a "cute" lesbian relationship (based on the roller skating scene) turns into Selby enabling Aileen's sudden erratic behavior. The first murder seems justified, as her life threatening predicament left her with no other option but to shoot the man in self-defense. However, from there everything goes down hill very fast as each of the next victims become progressively more innocent, leading up to her last murder which was a case of the man being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person (Aileen). 

     Jenkins presents Aileen in a very interesting way as we neither sympathize or empathize with her. She leads us to understand why Aileen committed all these murders time and time again, not why we should acquit any of our previous beliefs of Wournos being a "monster". Jenkins does present us with this unconventional "love" story between Selby and Aileen as a way to further display why Aileen commits these murders, not in an attempt to humanize her and justify her actions. 

     By far the best thing about this film was Charlize Theron's depiction of the real-life serial killer. Theron's transformation from glamorous to homely is quite astounding. While most of the credit goes to the make-up team, Theron still deserves appraisal as she gained over twenty pounds and let her body flab and sag in some unflattering places. She didn't just become "ugly" on the outside to play this role. She perfectly adopts the mannerisms and dialect of the Daytona Beach prostitute that blows all the fellow 2003 oscar nominees out of the water. Theron delivers an unforgettable character that is probably the best of her career so far. Monster is an eerie drama film that is no way like any other "monster" or "slasher" horror movie. It is real. It is scary. 

I give Monster an...

7/10

The Martian (2015)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Drew Goddard (screenplay) and Andy Weir (novel)

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig

      A gripping sci-fi story brought to the big screen by writer, Drew Goddard and adapted by novelist, Andy Weir, The Martian will leave you at the edge of your seat, mentally and audibly cheering at every small victory that gets astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) one step closer to getting home. Directed by the exquisitely aged mind that brought us other science fiction films such as Alien (1979), this film has a refreshing splash of comedy thrown throughout to leaven the sometimes confusing dialogue filled with lots of astro physics and chemistry. However this film did have me bragging to my friends after that I know how many Earth days equals a Mars sol. 

     Set in the near future, Mark Watney and his fellow Hermes crew members lead by Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), are on a routine walk when a storm strikes the dry planet and sends the crew in a frenzy as they hustle to get back to their ship. The impending situation leaves the crew with no other choice but to evacuate, but while doing so Watney is struck by flying debris and left stranded on Mars while the rest of the Hermes crew presumes him as dead. Talk about some bad luck. Mark wakes impaled by a metal rod and still on Mars. With enough food rations to last him about a month, and stuck in a small life habitat not meant to keep humans alive for very long, his death seems imminent. With the tireless efforts of NASA and Watney's own brilliance, he perseveres and we witness humanity unify as we "bring him home."

     Brilliantly casted, the real beauty behind The Martian lies behind the importance and fluidity that every cast member brings to this storyline. There is no evil NASA scientist secretly plotting against Wateny's heroic return to Earth. Everyone in this film comes together and is genuinely sincere over the efforts to send this astronaut home, and their acting performances show this. Damon's role scored him an Oscar nomination for best lead actor and won him a golden globe. Matt Damon brings a very personable character to the screen that we all cant help but relate to and root for. He doesn't have some sob story of his wife and kids that he needs to get back home to. He's just a man who was doing what he loves and suffered a terrible accident that no one could've predicted. He bring's a very astonishing level of intelligence matched with a dry sense of humor that makes this one of my favorite roles that Matt Damon has played. 

    Aside from Damon, this movie brings us a cluster of strong supporting cast members riddled with Oscar nominees and winners. Jessica Chastain has always and will always be one of my favorite actresses after her roles in The Help (2011) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), so seeing her play this intellectual commander of the Hermes ship that had a manned mission on Mars was so different than her other roles but she did a stellar job. You can really feel guilt for leaving Mark behind but admire and believe her conviction in getting him back. The rest of the Hermes crew (Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, and Aksel Hennie) all contribute to the collective greatness of this film. The most prominent NASA crew member was Vincent Kapoor played by the growingly talented Chiwetel Ejiofor. Ejiofor's character, along with Kristen Wiig's character, give us faith that everyone on ground control is doing everything in their power to help Watney. Donald Glover plays astrophysicist Rich Purnell and brings some comical moments to the film. 

     Screenplay writer Drew Goddard beautifully made a film that could've been 142 minutes of confusing science diction and boring scenes that tend to drag on, into something that is brimming with humor and really appeals to a wide audience. I left the film shocked that over 2 hours had passed because every minute had me intrigued. I especially enjoyed the music in the film and found myself downloading lots of old songs that The Martian re-surfaced (Like David Bowie's "Starman"). With a cast that is out of this world (had to throw at least one space pun in there), tremendous visuals, and an unforgettable storyline, The Martian will undoubtedly be deemed a Science Fiction classic. 

I give The Martian an...

8/10