Preston Barta // Editor
Available Tuesday (Mar. 28) on Blu-ray and DVD:
Writer-director Mike Mills’ remarkable 2010 film BEGINNERS, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, was a comedy-drama loosely based on the filmmaker’s own father who came out of the closet in the later years of his life. Now, Mills directs his pen and camera at his mother’s story for another wonderfully wrought, fictionalized tale.
20TH CENTURY WOMEN
Rated R, 118 minutes.
Director: Mike Mills
Cast: Annette Bening, Lucas Jade Zumann, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig and Billy Crudup
20TH CENTURY WOMEN, like BEGINNERS, unfolds in the past tense. Through Mills’ inventive use of narration and imagery (pictures and archival footage), we observe a work of art that is a cross between innovative filmmaking and a profound video essay about a mother (Annette Bening) raising her sensitive teenage son (Lucas Jade Zumann) in 1979 California, a time of cultural change and rebellion.
Mills is an exceptional filmmaker who creates works built with genuine mood and feeling. Even without knowing it’s semi-autobiographical, viewers can clearly see it comes from an honest and personal place that could appeal to anyone — and not just those who connect with its central character, but people from all walks of life.
At times, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN is a crowd-pleaser, while at other times it’s not shy at tugging at your heartstrings to ignite the waterworks. It manages to hit all the beats of life in an enlightening fashion. Whether it’s discussions about how questioning one’s happiness is a shortcut to depression or having your heart broken to learn about the world, this is a flawless film that informs, educates and entertains.
Grade: A+
Extras: An audio commentary with Mills, a making-of and a featurette with its cast.
- Movie Review: ’20th CENTURY WOMEN’ – boys don’t cry (by Preston Barta)
Rated PG-13, 133 minutes.
Director: David Yates
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler and Colin Farrell
Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a magical creature zoologist who is expelled from Hogwarts (of Harry Potter fame), arrives in 1926 New York for personal business and research for his book. Newt finds himself wrapped up in a tangled plot, involving loose critters from his own briefcase, witch hunts and an immense threat to the magical community.
Like most franchise-starting vehicles, FANTASTIC BEASTS may try to accomplish too much in its two-hour run time (it wastes a lot of time with self-created problems, like Newt losing all his creatures before getting to the real plot). To be fair, on the other hand, it has many new characters to introduce, more mythology to establish and groundwork to lie down for the supposed next four installments.
Warts and all, FANTASTIC BEASTS warmly welcomes viewers back to its wonderful wizarding world and sets up much to look forward to in the years to come.
Grade: B
Extras: Returning to the wizarding universe with author and screenwriter J.K. Rowling, director David Yates (HARRY POTTER films 5-7) and producer David Heyman (Before Harry Potter: A New Era of Magic Begins!); several featurettes on the characters, creatures and production design; and 11 deleted scenes.
- Movie Review: ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM’ welcomes fans back to wizarding world (by Preston Barta)
- ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS’ fan event treats prologue and news of more installments (by Preston Barta)
SILENCE
Rated R, 160 minutes.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Issey Ogata and Yôsuke Kubozuka
Former altar boy Martin Scorsese’s admiration and appreciation of faith continues with his quiet but stunning Silence, based on the 1966 historical fiction novel by Japanese author Shusaku Endo. In 1640, two young Portuguese Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) set off on a dangerous quest to retrieve their mentor, Father Cristovao Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who has relented after years of violent persecution in Japan and publicly renounced his faith.
SILENCE provides an enlightening spiritual experience without ever overstepping its bounds or becoming preachy. Scorsese’s film is more than a simple tale of a divided land, for he gives us a harrowing glimpse into a fractured world. Much can be learned through its anguish and silence.
Grade: A-
Extras: I wish Scorsese included more bonus material with his releases, but I always hold onto the hope of a packed anniversary edition. For now, SILENCE includes one good-enough behind-the-scenes featurette about the journey to making the film.
WHY HIM?
Rated R, 111 minutes.
Director: John Hamburg
Cast: Zoey Deutch, James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Megan Mullally and Griffin Gluck
This goofy comedy takes some time to get into. At first, you may cringe a lot at its humor, which either pushes the envelope too far or is forced. But after the first act or so (as it runs a little too long), you may find yourself chuckling at its stupidity.
The story itself is pretty standard: A daughter (Zoey Deutch) brings her obscure, rich boyfriend (James Franco) home for the holidays to meet her folks (Bryan Cranston and Megan Mullally), and dad isn’t too happy about her choice.
Parents can relate to this concept because we want what’s best for our loved ones. Even though we’ve seen it in many movies before, it’s fun to watch this scenario escalate to an unreal level.
Grade: C
Extras: Gag reel, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary with John Hamburg (director/co-writer), Ian Helfer (co-writer) and William Kerr (editor) and more.
- Movie Review: ‘WHY HIM?’ – Why bother! (by Courtney Howard)
A MONSTER CALLS
Rated PG-13, 108 minutes.
Director: J.A. Bayona
Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Liam Neeson
Talk about a movie that shatters expectations with its striking visuals, emotional heft and magical tale of grief and loss. Director J.A. Bayona (the upcoming JURASSIC WORLD sequel) paints a vivid picture for audiences to escape from reality and get in touch with one’s self on a deeper level by way of one boy’s (Lewis MacDougall) plight to cope with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) terminal illness. Co-starring Sigourney Weaver and Toby Kebbell.
Grade: A-
Extras: A making-of, creating the tales within the film’s story, deleted scenes and more.
- Movie Review: ‘A MONSTER CALLS’ for honesty, offers valuable lessons (by Bill Graham)
PATRIOTS DAY
Rated R, 133 minutes.
Director: Peter Berg
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons, John Goodman and Kevin Bacon
Of all the docudramas filmmaker Peter Berg (DEEPWATER HORIZON, LONE SURVIVOR) has done with Mark Wahlberg, PATRIOTS DAY is easily his best and has the most reason for existing. Movies about modern tragedies are hard to make a case for because they’re so fresh in our memory. However, this story about 2013’s horrific Boston Marathon bombing provides a unique and tense perspective of the event. One line from the film sums up its power: “Two people took weeks to plan out hate, but love responded in an instant.”
Grade: B+
Extras: Boston Strong (true stories of courage vignettes), The Boston Bond (recounting the tale), The Real Patriots (the local heroes’ stories), remembering the tragedy with the film’s cast, and a two-part series of the actors meeting their real-life counterparts.
- Movie Review: ‘PATRIOTS DAY’ – life, love and hope (by Courtney Howard)
- Producers Scott Stuber, Hutch Parker and Michael Radutzky get to the authentic root of ‘PATRIOTS DAY’ (by Courtney Howard)
A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS
Rated PG-13, 99 minutes.
Director: Natalie Portman
Cast: Natalie Portman, Amir Tessler, Gilad Kahana, Tomer Kapon and Moni Moshonov
Natalie Portman’s love letter to Israel may be more dark than it is loving, but it’s a visceral experience and an amiable directorial debut for Portman. Based on the youth of celebrated Israeli writer Amos Oz, A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS is an intimate family drama set against the backdrop of a war-torn Jerusalem in post-World War II. Elevated by the elegant performances from Portman and newcomer Amir Tessler, the film overcomes its flaws and loose areas by homing in on the brass-bound bond between a mother and her child.
Grade: B-
Also available this week: ARSENAL, BLOW-UP (1966): The Criterion Collection, WISHMASTER Collection: 4-Film Set, and PLANET EARTH II.
