"A United Kingdom" is first and foremost a love story although there is also a social agenda. Like Loving, it's about how affection between a man and a woman of different races affects not only their immediate social circles but has ripples that impact history. Director Amma Asante never sacrifices her narrative in favor of sermonizing, but it's clear how she feels about the attitudes of the British. Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), the Prince of Bechuanaland, is in London attending school in 1947 when he meets Ruth Wilson (Rosamund Pike). Their romance turns into an international issue when he asks her to marry him and she accepts. They face resistance from everyone, from her father disowning her to Seretse's uncle, the current regent (Vusi Cunene), refusing to accept a white woman as his queen. British government representative Alistair Canning (Jack Davenport) warns that South Africa won't be pleased. (At the time, England wanted to keep South Africa, the most prominent power in Africa, happy.) Despite misgivings, Seretse and Ruth marry then travel to his home, where he must stand before a tribal council and plead his case. The council backs him and affirms his kingship but this causes a break between Seretse and his uncle, allowing the British government to interfere.
Because this is an underdog overcoming adversity, which history has already determined he did, Seretse triumph in the end is quite satisfying. But his journey to victory is a hard one as he fights not only local powers, but those at the pinnacle of British power, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who reneges on a promise made to Seretse. David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, who portray their characters as human beings rather than the historical icons they have become, is the strength of the movie. "A United Kingdom" is a touching and meaningful story, one that everyone should see.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
The Space Between Us - 2 smiles
"The Space Between Us" takes an interesting premise, an Earth-conceived child born on Mars, and focus on just about everything else, essentially turning it into a road movie. The Martian has set a high bar for movies set on or about Mars and this one doesn't come close to being as good. For one, it's in a hurry to get the main character, 16-year-old Gardiner Elliott ) Asa Butterfield off Mars so there's very little Mars in the story, other than the lower gravity on Mars creates health problems for Gardiner when he gets to Earth. Because Gardiner lost his mother at birth, he's anxious to know who his father is, hence his desire to come to Earth. Plus he's established a pen-pal-type relationship via video conference with Tulsa (Britt Robertson), a tough, savvy loner.
The writers didn't even try to incorporate science into their script because all of those video conferences showed no time differential between Earth and Mars; it was instant communication. And as The Martian revealed, science can only make a good script all the better. But it seems no one was interested in being even close to realistic. The performances of leads Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson are solid, but there's so much happening with the story you're not sure if the focus is romance, Gardiner's search for his father, or the danger he's put himself in by escaping those who monitor his health. "The Space Between Us" has everything but the kitchen sink, but, unfortunately, that doesn't make for a satisfying movie.
The writers didn't even try to incorporate science into their script because all of those video conferences showed no time differential between Earth and Mars; it was instant communication. And as The Martian revealed, science can only make a good script all the better. But it seems no one was interested in being even close to realistic. The performances of leads Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson are solid, but there's so much happening with the story you're not sure if the focus is romance, Gardiner's search for his father, or the danger he's put himself in by escaping those who monitor his health. "The Space Between Us" has everything but the kitchen sink, but, unfortunately, that doesn't make for a satisfying movie.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
The Founder - 3 smiles
"The Founder," which chronicles the takeover and elevation of McDonald's by Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), is mainly a character study although it also illustrates how vision of the bigger picture can result in the innocent getting hurt. Director John Lee Hancock, working from a script by Robert Siegel, neither lionizes nor demonizes Kroc, revealing all facets of his personality, the laudable, the mundane and the desirable. Kroc was a self-made man who came into his fortune through a combination of good luck, hard work and ruthless persistence. He was a force that didn't let anyone or anything get in his way, including the two naive brothers who entered into a partnership with him to franchise their innovative restaurant.
Today, no one thinks of McDonald's as offering 'good' fast food. But in the beginning, it was viewed as a restaurant and its creators cared about the quality of the hamburgers, fries and shakes they were selling. Their goal was to offer their customers a tasty meal at a cheap price with less than a 30-second wait between ordering and pickup. It was a concept that revolutionized the food industry and whose reverberations are still being felt today. We see what the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) were striving for, but Kroc was more about growing the business than nurturing it. And we see his dark side: he tosses aside his wife, turns against his partners (eventually bilking them out of hundreds of millions of dollars) and steals the spouse of hone of his investors. Kroc is pure ambition. Nonetheless, "The Founder" is certainly worth seeing and you probably won't think of McDonald's in quite the same way.
Today, no one thinks of McDonald's as offering 'good' fast food. But in the beginning, it was viewed as a restaurant and its creators cared about the quality of the hamburgers, fries and shakes they were selling. Their goal was to offer their customers a tasty meal at a cheap price with less than a 30-second wait between ordering and pickup. It was a concept that revolutionized the food industry and whose reverberations are still being felt today. We see what the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) were striving for, but Kroc was more about growing the business than nurturing it. And we see his dark side: he tosses aside his wife, turns against his partners (eventually bilking them out of hundreds of millions of dollars) and steals the spouse of hone of his investors. Kroc is pure ambition. Nonetheless, "The Founder" is certainly worth seeing and you probably won't think of McDonald's in quite the same way.
Gold - 1 1/2 smiles
Inspired by true events, "Gold," starring Matthew McConaughey, is a familiar tale of avarice, naivete and betrayal so nothing in the story is hard to swallow. Maybe because this, the movie is just more of the same. In 1993, Canadian mining company Bre-X bought a site in Indonesia and 2 1/2 years later, the company announced the discovery of a major gold deposit (which as subsequently 'verified' by experts). Bre-X's stock soared, eventually escalating to more than its original value. However, in 1997, the gold samples were identified as fraudulent and the company collapsed.
McConaughey turns in a high energy performance, but his character, Kenny Wells, is not a likable character. Kenny treats his gold mine discovery and the money that follows as his own personal checking account, rejecting moderation and never asking the important questions. So his ultimate downfall registers as just a 'huh.'
McConaughey turns in a high energy performance, but his character, Kenny Wells, is not a likable character. Kenny treats his gold mine discovery and the money that follows as his own personal checking account, rejecting moderation and never asking the important questions. So his ultimate downfall registers as just a 'huh.'
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Hidden Figures - 4 smiles
"Hidden Figures" is an old-fashioned inspirational tale about a little known story, illustrating the racism and sexism that permeated all facets of American culture during the middle of the 20th century and highlighting the triumphs of three African American women as they assist NASA in getting its space program off the ground. Kathrine (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy (Octavia Spencer) and Mary (Janelle Monae) are best friends who work as 'computers' in NASA's pre-electronic era. The racially segregated computers are women who perform the menial computations that allow the male engineers and scientists to plot orbits and determine safety margins for rocket launches. Katherine and Mary are selected to work directly with the men while Dorothy supervises the black computer room without the title and pay that should go along with her job. Working on a team designing heat shields for capsules, Mary determines that she has an aptitude for engineering and, despite obstacles based on both her sex and race, she pushes forward to gain the degree that requires a court challenge of segregation laws. Meanwhile, Katherine's skills as a mathematician get her noticed by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), the director of the Space Task Group, who gives her increasingly important tasks as the Friendship 7 (John Glenn's Earth orbit) mission approaches.
Director Theodore Melfi has assembled a strong cast, led by Oscar and multi-Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson, Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner, multi-Emmy winner Jim Parsons (in a straight role) and multi-Golden Globe nominee Kirsten Dunst. Recording artist Janelle Monae gives a solid performance in one of her first dramatic roles (she's also in Moonlight). Henson is the heart of the movie while Costner demonstrates that maturity has added layers to his acting effectiveness. "Hidden Figures" proves that determination and talent can triumph over an unfair and repressive system, something that resonates today. This is a must see.
Director Theodore Melfi has assembled a strong cast, led by Oscar and multi-Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson, Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner, multi-Emmy winner Jim Parsons (in a straight role) and multi-Golden Globe nominee Kirsten Dunst. Recording artist Janelle Monae gives a solid performance in one of her first dramatic roles (she's also in Moonlight). Henson is the heart of the movie while Costner demonstrates that maturity has added layers to his acting effectiveness. "Hidden Figures" proves that determination and talent can triumph over an unfair and repressive system, something that resonates today. This is a must see.
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