Quick takes on 5 films

Cake is exactly what I heard it to be. Starring Jennifer Aniston as a woman suffering from a pretty severe case of chronic pain, it features tremendous acting by her (maybe her best?) in a pretty lukewarm plot. We learn as the movie goes along that her pain is the result of a bad car accident, leaving her with scars all over her body and her young son dead. The emotional trauma from it has ruined her marriage and turned her into a pretty sour person. She spends the movie obsessing over another girl in her support group, who had just killed herself, while at the same time starting to let others in to her life again. Aniston is terrific, showing she can do much more than usual 2-dimensional characters she often portrays, but the movie is just ok. Worthy of a single viewing for Aniston alone.

Black Sea is a pretty awesome movie and a good change of pace for what I’ve been watching lately. It is a deep sea thriller, staring Jude Law as a salvage expert looking for old wrecks. He is approached about finding and recovering an old Nazi Germany U-boat, suposedly full of gold. Most of the film takes place in an old sub they were able to procure for the hunt, with rising tensions between the mix of British and Russian crew. When Law’s character announces everyone will be getting an equal share of the loot, one crewman prophetically says there will be problems when the crew realizes each person’s share gets bigger if a person or two dies along the way. Great, tense film with good surprises along the way, and a satifsfying, if somewhat predictable ending. A good nail-biter if you are in the mood or that!

Next up was a good family Disney film, McFarland USA. It showcases Kevin Costner in what he does best, a good sports film. This one is based on a true story, with Costner as Jim White, a teacher and coach in a small town in rural Texas. The population is nearly 100% hispanic, and White must adapt to a culture where his students do more than just go to school, with many of them working long hours before and after class to support their families. He starts a cross country team when he sees potential in a few students, and takes them from humble beginnings to success. A bit hokey at times, but a heart-warming film.

I really wanted to catch Mr Turner last year during my theater craze, but it saw very limited release in my area and I missed it. It is a historical semi-biography, based on the later life of 19th century English painter J.M.W. Turner, portrayed here by Timothy Spall. It is a fairly quiet film, no big plot twists or revelations, but it is extremely well done and Spall is incredible. He is an artist who is celebrated at the beginning, but after his father dies (which greatly affects his mood henceforth), he tries new techniques which diminish his reputation. He is very much a loner and brushes others off wherever he goes, and is consumed with art, going so far as to scoff at other painters if he feels their work is subpar. I think this is a film movie-lovers can adore, but I know many (such as my wife) would stop after 20 minutes, evidenced by 98% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes but only 57% by viewers.

Taken 3 continues Liam Neeson’s franchise as a badass taker-down of bad guys. However it does lack the surprises of the first film, and even had a less tense feel than the second. As long as they keep making money, I’m sure they’ll keep making them. This time Mills’ ex-wife has been killed, and he has been set up for the murder. The plot tries to get you to follow it down a couple “twists” that you see coming from the first 5 minutes, but the action sequences are still ok at least. I think even die-hard action film fans will find little to get too excited about in this one though.