Quick takes on 5 films

The more-than-a-mouthful movie titled Norman: the Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer is a great drama showcasing the oft-overlooked Richard Gere. Gere has been on a tear doing some quite good, but easily overlooked, independent films of late, ones that showcase his talents much better than the big blockbusters he used to do in the ’90s and ’00s. This one is about a Jewish “businessman” who is mostly all talk and little action. He likes to act like a big shot and pretend he has connections to the rich and powerful. However, his talk gets him in trouble when one of his acquaintances actually does become a big shot, and Gere’s character can no longer juggle his obligations. For most of the film, you don’t know whether to cheer or jeer at him, but that conflict resolves by the end, and mostly because Gere is absolutely fantastic in this role.

I finally got around to watching Wonder Woman, even though I’ve actually been looking forward to it for awhile. For all the hype it got, I was pretty excited, and it did not disappoint. It is basically an origin story telling of how Wonder Woman grew up and her first big adventure. Gal Gadot received a lot of accolades as the title character, and all well deserved. She is charming, funny, and energetic as the superhero lead. I actually liked all three of the previous DC series films (even though they received middling reviews), but this one is clearly the best so far, and I’m hopeful that future films can stay at the same bar.

Frantz is a beautifully written movie, within the backdrop of the effects of war on all involved. Following World War I, a young French man, Adrien, visits the grave of a German soldier, Frantz, where he meets Frantz’s betrothed, Anna. Adrien is derided in the German countryside by people who lost many sons to the French army during the war, however, Anna befriends him and introduces him to Frantz’s parents, who also warm to him. Adrien tells them stories of meeting Frantz before the war and becoming friends. After sharing a secret with Anna, he returns to France. Frantz’s parents urge Anna to go to him, which she does, and in France it is now she who is eyed warily, with the French people also remembering the recent, painful war with Germany. Ultimately the film is about guilt and moving on from that hurt, on both national and personal fronts. A very well written and well acted film.

Assassin’s Creed is just a bad film. I’ve played a few of the games this film is based on, and enjoyed the early ones (they get a little too involved for this old man’s tastes later on), but the action in the games is thrilling. Sadly that is lost in the movie. They pull together a great cast involving Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, and Jeremy Irons, among others, to tell the story of the last living descendant of one of the secret Assassin organization’s greatest members, searching his family’s history for one of Earth’s greatest secrets. The plot however is heavily convoluted, and ultimately it gets far too bogged down in the minutia to make much sense. A 10 year old playing the game may enjoy the wild twists throughout the plot, but you’ll be left shaking your head.

The Mountain Between Us is a fairly engaging movie based on a book (though loosely so according to my wife, who had previously read it). Starring Idris Elba and Kate Winslet as a pair of strangers stranded on a mountain in the Rockies after their puddle jumper crashes, the film is about their survival over the ensuing weeks, trying make it out alive. Winslet and Elba once again show off their acting chops, and though the overall story is a bit weak, the duo are engaging on the screen. A good movie for a date night.