The Wonders is an Italian film, with a couple different subplots going on. It follows a rural family of beekeepers living a simple life. They struggle to get by and have none of the trappings of modern times. However, when a reality show competition comes to the area, offering prize money to the local family with the best product, their simple lifestyle is put at risk. At the same time, the eldest daughter, Gelsomina, is coming of age. She struggles with being the one everyone else relies upon to continue their hard life, with her desire to want to do and see more. Like a lot of foreign films, the dialogue (at least the translated, subtitled dialogue) can be a little hokey and over the top, but it is a heartfelt film and enjoyable.
Anomalisa is a throught provoking film in a different style. Written by the great Charlie Kaufman, it is a stop motion film, but this one isn’t for the kids. Michael Stone is due to give a speech at a seminar out of town, but on his walk from the plane through the airport to his hotel, we see that he perceives everyone around him the same way. All men and women have the same face and same voice, and they all annoy him. At the hotel, he finally hears a female voice down the hall, and he runs to find her. They spend the evening together, but what happens from here, I’d hate to give away. If you like Kaufman’s inspriring films, you’ll enjoy this one as well.
The Program tells the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong, played here by Ben Foster. Foster is great in the movie, and he obviously worked on getting down Lance’s mannerisms and faces; there are scenes where he (Ben) looks a lot like him! Having said that, the movie is sort of boring. It jams Lance’s full career from 1993 – 2011 (or so) in under two hours. Some parts feel rushed, and others you wish they’d have rushed further. I don’t know how accurate the film is, but Lance is portrayed as incredibly egotistic, and not all that secretive about his doping. By the time he is brought down, it is no surprise due to the sheer number of people aware of his cheating.
Race is a little better, but (unfortunately) is a little boring too. It tells of Jesse Owens’ rise and breakthrough at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. It should be a thrilling movie, and the final half hour or so does almost reach must-watch status, but the film as a whole is lacking. It is easy to root for Owens in an environment and time when he has to fight for everything, and the movie leans a little too heavy on that promise. It stars Stephan James as Owens and Jason Sudeikis as his Ohio State coach. James is fantastic, but Sudeikis still has a way to go to distance himself from the comedies and romantic-comedies he is known for.
The Wave is a Norwegian disaster movie, and a relatively good one. It takes place around a quiet mountain town in Norway. Kristian is a geologist who monitors for quakes in the mountain, at a waypost that is built to give early warning in case of an earthquake. A large avalanche can lead to a tsunami in the canyon, wiping out the town below. The first half of the movie is great, as little warning signs are popping up and Kristian is getting increasingly worried of impending disaster. When the calamity comes, the movie (for me) slows down a bit, as the tight suspense is replaced by more of a search-and-rescue kind of flick. Still very good and a rewarding film.
Jons Movie Takes 