First Reformed was always going to be a divisive film, too religious for some and not enough for others, but it is most definitely a contemplative film that seems to fit well with the world we live in. Ethan Hawke portrays Toller, a priest of a small church facing a crisis of faith. He doesn’t take care of himself, drinking too much and ignoring signs of something grossly wrong with his body (blood in his urine). Outwardly he is a good reverend to his small flock, encouraging members and doing and saying everything he is supposed to, but he himself has not prayed to God for years. When a member comes to him for help about her emotionally lost husband, who worries about the future of our planet due to global warming, Toller is unable to help, and the husband kills himself. Toller then gets wrapped up in the cause as well. He is faced with a crossroads, unable to answer questions about humanity’s increasingly bleak looking future. As many people of faith do, he finds it harder and harder to place those worries in God’s hands. You hope for Toller to find his faith again, but whether he does or not is left up for interpretation. The ending is very enigmatic, but maybe not so much when you remember that the surviving, pregnant widow’s name is Mary after all. A well acted, well directed film (by the great Paul Schrader), this film, like faith, doesn’t provide all the answers, so don’t watch it if you want a neat, tidy ending wrapped up in a bow for you.
Isle of Dogs is the newest from quirky director Wes Anderson, and his style is evident from the opening scenes. It follows a near-future time in Japan when dogs have been outlawed due to a “dog flu” outbreak, and sentenced to “trash island” where they scrounge for scraps. The mayor has made it his mission to wipe dogs out, but he is opposed by his ward Atari, who misses his dog Spots. Atari runs away to trash island to find Spots, and is there aided by a team of lost dogs led by a life-long stray, Chief. Lots of eccentric Anderson-style humor, but a lot of heart as well, with not-so-subtle political themes about the dangers of a leader ruling on a platform based on fear-mongering. Something we should all remember.
I’ve been wanting to see The Darkest Minds since the first preview I saw, and still wanted to despite all the really terrible reviews. I should have listened. It is made up of terrible acting, worse dialogue, and a plot with more holes than substance. In a near-future time when 90% of the world’s children have died from a mysterious sudden illness, and the remaining 10% have developed varying levels of supernatural abilities, the living kids have been rounded up and put in camps. Those that escape try to find ways to survive. Sounds intriguing for sure, but unfortunately the filmmakers on this one screwed it up worse than imaginable. It plays out like a bad young adult novel, or a rough B-movie with a big budget. Some moments are worse than eye-rollingly bad, such as when our group of teens, on the run for their lives, manage to find time to stop at a deserted mall to shop. Don’t do what I did: follow the advice of others and avoid this one.
The Seagull is a period drama based on a play by Anton Chekhov, and takes place on an estate in Russia in the early 20th century. It features an all star cast of Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, Elizabeth Moss, Corey Stoll, and Brian Dennehy, among others. Irina is a famous but aging actress, very full of herself. Her son Constantine is an aspiring writer, but writes very esoterically. Irine’s boyfriend Boris is a famous writer but walks around with self doubt, and he is smitten by the young and beautiful Nina, who is in love with Constantine. There are plenty of other love triangles going on around the estate, but everyone seems to be in love with the wrong person. With this cast, you can expect strong acting and there is that, and the sets are gorgeous, but the film feels a little trite. Early in the film, Constantine is discussing with Nina his lack of appreciation for the current state of theater, since the plots are thin and spoon-fed to the audience, and then the film proceeds to beat the viewer on the head with a very linear and direct story. It feels like it could have been so much better, but I still overall enjoyed it. It glorifies youth and new ideas, and it is the older generation that are spiteful and self absorbed.
Mission Impossible: Fallout is the newest adventure for Ethan Hunt and his crew, and is close to a direct sequel to the previous film in the franchise. This time they are tasked with stopping a maniac (returning villain Solomon Lane, played by Sean Harris) from setting off three nuclear weapons simultaneously, in an effort to bring down the “world order” in a conspiracy theory sort of way. Tom Cruise is joined by franchise regulars Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg, along with Rebecca Ferguson returning from the previous film, and newcomer Henry Cavill, who plays a badass assassin. It brings the same great action and intrigue that you’ve come to expect. The who’s-side-are-you-on subplot that is a staple of the spy thriller genre plays out well, and there are enough surprises to keep even genre regulars enthralled. The action sequences are unparalleled, truly fantastic scenes from hand-to-hand fights to car chases to helicopter battles. Quite possibly the most thrilling MI film to date.
Jons Movie Takes 