"Allied"

Futuristic director Robert Zemeckis ("The Walk") goes old-fashioned with espionage, romance and Casablanca in "Allied."

In 1942, Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan (Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") quietly parachutes into a Moroccan desert.  He is quickly met by a driver, who takes him into town.

At a glitzy party in Casablanca, he locks eyes and lips with a stunning woman, a French resistance fighter, Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard; "The Dark Knight Rises," "Inception"). Cottilard radiates warmth and mystery.  Meeting for the first time, they pull the wool over everyone's eyes as a married couple.

Ever the perfectionist, Marianne goes through the cover story down to the last detail.  His French accent, the tailored clothes, their rooftop rendevouz.  Although the facade may have melted as the two watch the sun rise over sand dunes.

Back to business, their mission is to attain an invitation to an event where a Nazi ambassador will be attending.  They will take him out there.  A ticking clock counts down to a diversion, the duo executes the assassination with precision and make their exit.

Falling in love, Max and Marianne move to London, get married and have a baby daughter.   It's domestic bliss until Max is notified by his superiors that Marianne might be a German spy.  He is forced to follow a simple plan that will flush out his wife.  And if she is proven to be a traitor, he would be tasked to kill her himself, otherwise, he would be charged for treason.

When feelings are involved though, nothing is simple.  Marianne's words could be seen as perceptive or suspect.  Max refuses to believe that Marianne is not who she says she is and goes to great length outside of the official channel to prove her innocence.  It's a conflict between duty to his country and love for his family.

"Allied" plays like a beautiful montage with sumptuous sets, luxe lighting, impeccable costumes and glamorous stars.  Even the nighttime air raid has a movie look.  There are suspenseful moments for sure, but as a whole, it doesn't grab you as emotionally as it should be.  It does get more real towards the end and it ends on a poignant note.

"Allied" is a glossy spies-in-love war drama, old-Hollywood style.

http://www.sdentertainer.com/movies/movie-review-allied/

DVD: http://tinyurl.com/allieddvd

Blu-ray: http://tinyurl.com/alliedbluray

Video: http://tinyurl.com/alliedvideo

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"Arrival"

"Arrival" arrives in theaters as an alien kind of movie, but the Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi is anything but.  For sure, it's got aliens.  But other than their presence, it's not about them... It's really a story about us.

"Arrival" joins the league of cerebral sci-fi films in the last few years - "Gravity" (2013) "Interstellar" (2014) and "The Martian" (2015) - exploring existential themes, carried by strong central characters, graceful cinematography, otherworldly scores, excellent production and sound designs.

A dozen alien spaceships have descended on various locations around the world.  Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams, "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," "American Hustle," "Leap Year") is an expert linguist recruited by Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) to help decode the language of aliens for the spacecraft landing in Montana.  Working alongside her is a theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner, "Captain America: Civil War," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation").

The first visual of the spaceship is quietly striking.  Shaped like half of an egg, a massive monolith comes to view, hovering low above the plain field of Montana, surrounded by fogs.  Suited up in hazmat suits, the crew climbs up an entry point at the base of the shell, gets propelled by gravity, eerily inching closer to the glass panel that separates the creatures from the humans.  The aura is foreboding.

The octopus-like creatures, often shrouded in haze, are later called heptapod and they communicate through a series of circular inkblots.  While government officials demand answers - who  they are who they are, what they are doing, what their purpose on earth is - there's no shortcut to get there.  It's mostly up to Louise to first initiate contact in a way that hopefully is universal to interpret and decipher the rest of the swirly symbols.

To make matters urgent, average Americans and other countries have grown restless.  What started as a collaboration among nations, primarily data-sharing, has evolved into widespread fear and unrest, particularly after something gets lost in translation.  Communication breaks down.  A herd mentality follows and global war is now impending.  The foreign language lesson method is deemed too slow.  Governments want the extraterrestrial objects blown out of the skies.

These scenes are intertwined with Louise having vivid images in her head during the day and in her dreams.  Memories of the past, visions of the future.  Fragments of her tender relationship with her daughter; her birth, childhood and death.  Adams' emotive performance shows in Louise's softness and steely resolve, realization and acceptance of what is.  Her life may not be what you think it is.

Language is the basis of civilization.  It's how we understand and communicate with the world around us.  And therefore, our brain is wired to comprehend certain elements of life in definite ways, such as the notion of time.  However, since we may not be alone in this universe, our understanding may not necessarily be-all and end-all.

You could even extrapolate the message that it would behoove us to keep an open mind, observe, listen, learn to seek meaning and understanding, including a principle or practice that may differ from our normal perception, and do our best to communicate with one another.

The ingenuity of the film lies in the overarching premise, pieces that come in the form of the past, present and future that connect a life story to the overall theme, and without your realizing that you've been offered smattering clues about what is transpiring. You're riding this journey with Louise and you'll be awakened along with her towards the denouement.  

An enlightening tale about the human mind, communication and perception, "Arrival" is thoughtful and thought-provoking.

http://www.sdentertainer.com/movies/movie-review-arrival/

Video: http://tinyurl.com/arrivalvideo
DVD: http://tinyurl.com/arrivaldvd
Book: http://tinyurl.com/arrivalbook

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"Doctor Strange"

Superhero meets sorcery.

This year's Marvel's supremacy streak doesn't end with "Captain America: Civil War."  It's got trick up its sleeves with "Doctor Strange," an origin story venturing into a whole other universe.

Dr.  Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game") is a brilliant  neurosurgeon. Self-centered and an all-around jerk, he doesn't have any qualms about rejecting medical cases that do not earn him fame or treating people with neglect and disrespect, including his colleague and former flame, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams; "Spotlight," "Sherlock Holmes").

The haughty doctor's glorious career ends when he suffers nerve damage on his hands from a car wreck.  Luckily, when Western treatments fail him, he finds a former paraplegic, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), who is miraculously up and running again.  Pressed for answers, the man reveals his secret.  He took a trip to Kamar-Taj, Nepal, where he claimed he learned spiritual knowledge to elevate his mind and deepen his spirit, which ultimately healed his body.

It's a rough start for Dr. Strange in Kathmandu, a starting point to get to Kamar-Taj.  Upon encountering a mysterious warrior, Mordo (Chiwetel Eljofor), he discovers the existence of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton, "Hail, Caesar!"), the guru of mystical and martial arts, along with her pupils.

A man of science, Dr.  Strange was initially dismissive of the Ancient One's esoteric principles.  He quickly changes his mind after experiencing an out-of-body experience into an astral plane and infinite multiverse.

Earth is just one of the never-ending dimensions.  And as it turns out, its survival is under the threats of otherworldly forces, partly in the form of a former student of the sorceress supreme, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), and his acolytes.  The Avengers may have saved the world, but the world needs more than its grounded superheroes.

While Dr. Strange's transformative journey may have felt too rapid, Cumberbatch credibly carries a regal air and mystical power with his presence, in his olden costume and sentient cloak.  The cloak, Cloak of Levitation, is a relic that has chosen him to be the wearer, which leads to some interesting scenes.  Dr. Strange magically transforms from a beginner into a master sorcerer; from forming a glowing weapon with his disfigured hands to floating from one dimension portal to another, casting spells and manipulating energy, space and time.

Kaecilius' motive for doing what he does is surprisingly not a typical power grab.  Backed into a corner, Dr. Strange violates the natural law of time in order to gain the upper hand and selflessly preserve humanity.  Everything is not in the clear, however.  A character insinuates a price that humans may have to pay in the future.  There's an inherent order of things, including life and death, and they balance humanity.

It's a visually impressive spectacle.  Reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Inception," skyscrapers, walls and floors are twisting, turning, shifting, shaping, folding and collapsing.  Ruins rebuilt.  The parallel realms  are a kaleidoscope of colors, fire, light and darkness.

Stay tuned for the post credits.  The first is a delight, pretty much securing a place for Dr. Strange to meet the Avengers.  The second one gives a glimpse of Doctor Strange's real adversary in the to-be-scheduled next installment.

Blending fantasy and magic with the tried-and-true Marvel's formula of superhero action and humor, "Doctor Strange" is a fresh, entrancing entrance into the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

http://www.sdentertainer.com/movies/movie-review-doctor-strange/

Video: http://tinyurl.com/doctorstrangevideo

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Upcoming Movies: December 2016

[Originally posted on 12/01/16]

December 2
"Jackie" - Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.

December 9
"La La Land" (http://www.lalaland.movie/) - A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.

"Miss Sloane" - The most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C., known for her cunning and track record of success, has always done whatever is required to win.  But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds that winning may come at too high a price.

December 16
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" (http://www.starwars.com/rogue-one/) - The Rebellion makes a risky move to steal the plans to the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.

"Collateral Beauty" (http://collateralbeauty-movie.com/) - Retreating from life after a tragedy, a man questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.

December 23
"Passengers" (http://www.passengersmovie.com/) - A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. Two passengers are awakened 90 years early.

"Assassin's Creed" (http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/assassins-creed) - When a man explores the memories of his ancestor and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers that he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.

"Sing" (http://www.singmovie.com/) - A koala has one final chance to restore his theater to its former glory by producing the world's greatest singing competition.

December 30
"Live by Night" (http://www.livebynight.movie/) - A story set in the Prohibition Era and centered around a group of individuals and their dealings in the world of organized crime.

"Fences" (http://www.fencesmovie.com/) - An African-American father struggles with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life.

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