Hacksaw Ridge

First Hit:  A very powerful and graphic film about a conscientious objector’s selflessness to save lives in a horrible battle.

This film is not easy to watch as many of the graphically violent scenes may make you cringe, close your eyes, or turn away from the screen as I did. Although the number of war torn bodies in this film was far greater than what I saw in Vietnam, the point wasn’t lost on me: “war is hell” as William T. Sherman in 1870 said and Director Mel Gibson wanted us to see. As he did in “Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto”, Gibson shows us man’s inhumanity to man.

Here he shows us Desmond Doss (Darcy Bryce and Andrew Garfield), whose belief in God, as a Seventh Day Adventist, won’t allow him to take another man’s life. We also see the lessons he learns from a difficult childhood. His father, Tom (Hugo Weaving), is an alcoholic which began with his own suffering from the loss of his childhood friends in WW I. The beatings his mother Bertha (Rachel Griffiths), brother Hal (Roman Guerriero and Nathaniel Buzolic) and he take, affected him deeply and as an audience member, were difficult to witness.

Because he has a sense of duty, despite the objections of his mother and father, he signs up to join the WWII effort as a medic Conscientious Objector in the US Army. Prior to his induction he meets Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer) whom he charms with his wholesome, caring and kind nature. She sees the depth of his integrity and they agree to marry on his first leave.

When his platoon Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) announces to the rest of his platoon that Desmond won’t be carrying a gun to protect his peers, they make him a pariah. He's beaten and disowned by his fellow soldiers and they even try to Court Martial him out of the Army.

Gibson painstakingly develops the backstory so that when Desmond enters the battle for Hacksaw Ridge the audience is ready for him to become the hero he became. As the first of only three Conscientious Objectors to receive the Medal of Honor, Desmond amazes his fellow soldiers. Alone he saves 75 wounded men by saying to himself and to his God, “give me the strength to save just one more”.

The battle itself is one of the most graphic you’ll ever witness and it is important to know this going in. For me it triggered huge sadness because of the memory of piling up dead Viet Cong soldiers after an all-night firefight.

Although this film is long at 2 hours and 11 minutes, the elongated battle scenes are extremely well orchestrated giving the audience a sequence of stories all tying together.

Garfield was spectacular and amazing in this performance. His embodiment of Doss was deeply heartfelt. I would predict that he may receive an Oscar nomination, along with a real chance to win. I’d definitely give him a vote. Weaving was powerful as the father who was gutted by his involvement in WWI along with how this, and his alcoholism, affected his life. The last scene where he reaches out to help his son was deeply heartfelt. Vaughn was in the best non-comedic role I’ve ever seen him in. In my view, this role brought a new dimension to his acting abilities. Bryce and Guerrieo were wonderful as the young Doss brothers. Palmer was fantastic as Desmond’s one true love. Griffiths was very good as Desmond’s suffering and faithful mother. Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan wrote a fantastic screenplay. This screenplay is Oscar worthy and the dialogue is amazing in its range. It contained humor, military order and strictness, romanticism, and spiritual beliefs all wrapped into one film effectively. Gibson, regardless of how you may think of him as a celebrity and person, his direction of this film is truly amazing. Like Spielberg, he knows how to craft scenes of war in a way that can make an audience feel the experience. He deserves to be given consideration for an Oscar as well. If you see this film, make sure you watch the short clips during the credits of the real Desmond and others who knew him.

Overall: Although this film can be hard to watch at times, it clearly makes a strong point about the power of one man living his truth.

Knight of Cups

First Hit:  An interesting, esoteric and ethereal film of a man reflecting on his place in the world through his relationships.

This film is not and will not be everyone’s cup of tea. In general it is about self-discovery, our purpose in this life, and understanding ourselves individually and collectively.

Those who value self-reflection and contemplating their own life as a way to see and better understand their current place and have patience for the film to unfold in its own way may like it.

One particular sequence early on with Ben Kingsley’s voice over states something like; it takes us so long to begin to see the depth of who we are because we spend most of our time responding to outside stimuli. During this sequence the images on the screen are of a young Rick (Christian Bale) on the beach with his family and in other settings.

The film is divided into 8 named sequences. Each, except the final section called Freedom, are named after Tarot cards, as is the name of the film. The "Knight of Cups" is the heart filled Knight in the Tarot deck. Although the Knight is on a horse (strength), because the horse is in a walking position, the Knight and the other representations on the card represent calmness and being ruled by the heart when important decisions are made.

Rick goes through the film in this etheric way, little outside emotion is seen, and each scene gives a view into his feelings. The people speaking to him fade in and out and one can begin to sense that Rick is Hollywood connected.

Each of these sections, which reflect the names of the cards are about the women he’s been with, his angry and lost brother Barry (Wes Bentley), his controlling, angry, and demanding father Joseph (Brian Dennehy) (their section is named “The Hangman”), and an immoral playboy Tonio (Antonio Banderas) (his section is named “The Hermit”).

My sense was that the latter was Rick’s own reflection of his playboy ways. The women are Della (Imogen Poots) whose section is “The Moon” and she is young and rebellious. The section called “Judgement” is played by his former wife, a physician, Nancy (Cate Blanchett). “The Tower” is played by Freida Pinto as a serene model named Helen. Teresa Palmer, as a spirited playful stripper named Karen is the section called “The High Priestess”. Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) is “Death”, the person Rick wronged. And finally, “Freedom”, an innocent Isabel (Isabel Lucas) who assists him in seeing ahead.

All of these stories are mixed and matched with life events, like robbery, heated arguments, disagreements, moments of bliss, and each of them lying on a backdrop of natural reflective scenes of Rick in the desert and on the beach at sunset.

Bale says little in the film, much of his thoughts and feelings are shared through visuals of him solitarily reflecting, with others but almost always on the edge of being disengaged, and the scenes outside himself, what he’s seeing. Because he had no physical script to work from, he was genuinely perfect for the role because of his ability to be silent yet communicative at the same time. Bentley is very strong as the angry, lost brother. Dennehy was perfect as the father. It was so nice to see him again. Poots was very good as Della. She clearly provided an edge to Rick’s life. Blanchett was very strong as his former physician wife. Her compassion to the people she worked on was amazing. Banderas was great as the playboy and during the A-List Hollywood party, he was like a kid in a candy store. Pinto was elegant in her role as a serene presence in Rick’s life. The model shoot was very realistic. Palmer was strong as the enticing playful stripper. Portman was extremely strong as a tortured married woman who both loved and felt wronged by Rick. Lucas was very good in representing a path forward. Terrence Malick wrote and directed this film. His strengths are getting creatively strong improvisational performances from his cast. The visual shots in the film are often arrestingly beautiful.

Overall:  As I said, this film isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it was mine.

Point Break

First Hit:  A couple great visuals do not make a film worth watching.

The two major surfing scenes were great (the waves not the acting in and around them being found and surfed) as was the wingsuit flight the actors take in the alps. Outside of these scenes, this film is poorly constructed with a dull tired script and tries to entice people with action.

But as George Lucas stated in a recent interview with Charlie Rose; you cannot make a good film by doing cool things and build a story around it.

A good film has a great story as its underpinnings and the cool things are only there to help tell the story. This film is full of cool things these guys do while attempting to complete the Osaki 8 which is suppose to be a way to reach enlightenment. Through this back ass wards way we are supposed to be tempted into being interested in a story about fighting crime.

The other part of the Osaki 8 is to create balance with the earth by giving back to it what was taken from it. What makes it even worse is that the latter part (balance) is a stupid premise because to do what they do, they will (and do) hurt others in the process, which cannot create balance.

The film tries to convince you that balance will be achieved by spilling a billion dollars floating down to earth in the Mexican jungle. If this last sentence is confusing – then go waste your time and see this film to understand what I mean. But don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. The Osaki 8 are challenges like: Emerging Force, Birth of Sky, Awakening Earth, etc.. These innocuous terms have been interpreted by the group to mean do something with enlightenment.

Like Birth of Sky was jumping from a plane and diving into the deepest hole in the earth while the balance comes from pushing a billion dollars out of the same plane they jumped from and letting all the money flutter to the ground. Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) once a renegade risk taker knows about this legend of the 8. But because of a risk he took with his best friend years before, he ends up working for the FBI. He’s given a mission to find out who robbed a slew of diamonds and gave them away and who dumped all the money from the plane.

The way the events take place leads Utah to believe it is being done by a group of guys trying to complete the Osaki 8. He infiltrates the group by risking a ride on 60 foot waves (Life of Water). The group thinks he may be up doing the 8 with them to it so they indoctrinate him into the group.

Through the group’s leader Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez), Utah meets Samsara (Teresa Palmer) Osaki’s widowed partner. If you haven’t noticed the references to spirituality; the writers used character names that are spiritual based. “Samsara” and “Bodhi” are both Sanskrit. Samsara is Sanskrit for the struggle and cycle of life and death (reincarnation) while Bodhi means understanding and enlightenment.

Then the writers used "Osaka 8” which is very analogous to Buddha’s 8-fold path to enlightenment term. Give me a break – this was a waste of time.

Bracey is a good looking young man and in this film that is about all he brought. Ramirez overacted as someone who drank too much of the Osaki Kool-Aid. Palmer was cute and flighty enough to be an embodiment of Samsara. Kurt Wimmer wrote a mindless screenplay and Ericson Core gets some kudos for some great action shots but that’s all.

Overall:  It is very sad that this film got made, except that the waves were really cool.

I Am Number Four

First Hit: The beginning was mediocre but it picked up quickly and became a very entertaining film.

In the first 10 minutes I thought this was going to be a waste of my time. I’m not sure about the initial sequences but they weren’t a good setup for the rest of the film.

However, the rest of this story worked out and only because the actors were good and they wanted the characters to be as real as possible. John (played by Alex Pettyfer), who is Number Four, is one of 9 aliens sent to earth by his planet to save their planet’s species.

His home planet was invaded by Mogodorians who destroyed his planet’s inhabitants. They are out to find and destroy the 9 who were sent to earth. Each of the 9 has a guardian who assists them from being found by the Mogodorians. Numbers One, Two, and Three are dead and now they are after Number Four.

He is discovered to be an alien by a couple of kids his own age as the Mogodorians are closing in to kill him. At the same time Number 6 (played by Teresa Palmer) comes on to the scene to assist in killing the Mogodorians who have found Number Four.

The ending leaves it possible for there to be multiple follow-up films.

Pettyfer made this film work for me because he came across as thoughtful and made his character as honest as he could. Palmer was fun. Dianna Agron played Sarah an earthling John falls in love with. She was very good and held her own in keeping this film as solid as possible. Callan McAuliffe was wonderful as the odd earthling boy who figured out something was odd about John. Timothy Olyphant was good as John’s protector. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar wrote a really good screen play except for the initial 10 – 15 minutes. D.J. Caruso directed this sci-fi fantasy in a clear story like way.

Overall: I was surprised by how this film grew on me.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

First Hit: The story isn’t terribly new nor is the dialogue particularly interesting but it has its charm.

The name of the film brings up fantasies of the enormously beautiful and powerful 1940’s film "Fantasia" by Walt Disney.

I didn’t sleep for days after watching "Fantasia" because of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment where Mickey gets in trouble with the magic broom. Those brooms popping out of nowhere and multiplying as Mickey tried to stop them with his hatchet is unforgettable.

Alas, here we are with Nicolas Cage as Balthazar Blake a man who is a direct apprentice of Merlin. He is here to find the next in line to Merlin’s throne and the person who will keep the evil wizards, who are stuck in a Russian doll, from coming back to life and destroying the world.

Balthazar finds Dave (played by Jay Baruchel) who fits the bill when the special ring left by Merlin fits him. Being skeptical, Dave finds Balthazar a bit eccentric but soon learns that he’s on to something big.

The film takes us through Dave’s disbelief, acceptance, promotion, and finally conquering the evil forces within himself and the ones trying to destroy the world. Much of the film is overdone, the dialogue trite, but there are nice and fun segments including a tip of the hat to Mickey’s magic broom sequence.

Cage is very dramatic adding fun and life to the character and the film. Baruchel is good enough to make his character work and geeky enough to be believable. Teresa Palmer as Becky Barnes is OK but I couldn’t buy her caring about Baruchel’s character. Alfred Molina as head evil apprentice, Maxim Horvath, full of life and fun to watch. His scenes are entertaining to say the least. Director Jon Turteltaub spent too much time giving Producer Jerry Bruckheimer big effects. I think there was a better film somewhere than what was produced.

Overall: This film is entertaining, has some nice, if not overdone, special effects, and keeps one minimally satisfied throughout its 109 minutes.