Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The funny thing about an adult being the protagonist in a "Harry Potter" universe movie is: as the kids are always jaw-droppingly amazed by all of the outlandish creatures and magic, the adults tend to be pretty blasé about the proceedings. That’s “Newt” played by Eddie Redmayne, who is so unimpressed by all of the drama he’s causing in New York that’s he’s almost whispering his lines. That gives this “Harry Potter” chapter an almost droll, Doctor Who kind of vibe, which is still very British. Rowling packs her plays with plot, and the lingo of the universe which is very exclusive and hard for muggles like me to understand sometimes. And like all movies these days, this doesn’t end. It just sets up another movie. Big surprise. Nothing happens. But be that as it may, it’s still a perfectly light and entertaining fantasy, pitting a kind of hippie magical zookeeper against the forces of evil. Revelations will hopefully occur – eventually.

Elle

** RAPE SPOILERS **

Paul Verhoeven’s sexy rape thriller features lots of rape. There’s a few rapes, and then a couple more rapes. Isabelle Huppert is the actress who gets raped and then she turns the tables to start doing some rapes herself. She doesn’t seem to care a lot that she’s getting raped, and maybe that what interests Verhoeven in the subject of sexy, sexy rape. It’s not a BAD sexy, rape thriller, for what it is, I guess. It’s well-acted and unique, for a sexy rape thriller. But just so you know, you’re signed up for a lot of rape.  (Oh! Also: music by Anne Dudley.) 

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

An unfortunate case of “format overshadows function.” Ang Lee et al chose the brightest, deepest and most detailed 3D imaginable to tell a dull story about US soldiers getting way more credit than they want for fighting in the war in Iraq. Yes, the battle scenes and halftime football scenes make for some pretty cool footage in 12O frames per second. But that only represents about 10% of the movie. In the other scenes – rides in limos, arguments in sky-boxes, chatting in corridors, it feels like overkill. Intimate scenes are way, way over lit, and the acting feels stilted because the actors seem like they’re under a microscope. I could see how, for certain movies, this format would be amazing. But why this movie?? As for the story itself, there's not really a plot. It's a series of essays and vignettes that don't add up to much except for a vague theme -- a disturbing, conflicted, anti-war message. “Sorry you have PTSD kid, but if you don’t go back to Iraq, this cheerleader will think you’re a pussy. So, good luck!” If you see it, see it in a theater in the fancy, gimmicky format. This’ll be terrible on video.

Arrival

I’m always relieved when I sit down in a movie theater, the lights go down, and the aliens land. Alien parables always make poignant critiques of the human condition like war-mongering, environmental neglect, man’s inhumanity to man, etc. Arrival is analogous to the Tower of Babel, wherein an alien language is translated by different cultures, and of course, interpreted to reinforce their own fears and prejudices. But there’s one hero translator, Amy Adams, who trusts the E.T.s and listens with optimism and peace in her heart. Can she get entire cultures to listen before it’s too late?

Amy Adams is one of the best in the business. Her emotional journey is the spine of this movie, so it succeeds on an emotional level. There are some sci-fi time-jumps and alien razzle-dazzle that left the ending a little confusing for me. But I recognize: that’s not really the point. It’s about the interpreter being the hero. In the grimy, lie-filled era of Breitbart and Fox news, having a messenger who cares about the real truth can have global repercussions.

Doctor Strange

It’s kind of like The Matrix: A guy learns there are metaphysical netherworlds and he has to learn to navigate them. And the villain is determined to rule the world by dominating the metaphysical netherworlds. And then everybody fights.

Benedict Cumberbatch is really good here. He’s never reluctant or disbelieving of the metaphysical netherworlds, and gamely and humorously dives into them, at first for selfish reasons, but then for heroic ones. The visuals are fun and really trippy. The rules for metaphysical netherworlds are a bit fluid, as you can imagine, so creativity abounds.

More obviously than a lot of these comic book adaptations, this feels like an “act one.” The opening chapter. The odds aren’t greatly stacked against Doctor Strange and he has yet to be faced with tough choices. Danger will arrive in future episodes. (Stay for ALL of the end credits.) And you can’t really say this about a lot of movies these days: this must be seen in a theater. It won’t work on video.