Maggie’s Plan (2016): A Change of Heart

Though she would prefer to fall in love, Maggie feels more ready to seek out parenthood more immediately. Identifying a local entrepreneur named Guy, she is completely prepared to use his material to become a mother. She did not predict finding John, a professor at The New College. She develops an infatuation with him and eventually falls in love, even though he was already married to another professor with quite the reputation. She finds her way into a new marriage, with their 3-year-old daughter fulfilling her dreams. As the relationship continues, she begins to regret her decision and believes that John may have been better off with his ex-wife.

Conflicting Personalities/Partnerships: Though John and Georgette may have seemed to be total opposites, their marriage may have worked better than outsiders believed. Maggie’s encounters with John appeared to fit with no complication, but she figured out that something was off after they got married. These conflicts are part of the unpredictability of love, as it seemed that they each changed their behaviors based on how they were paired off with each other. John, in particular, had personality changes based on the woman to which he was married. With Georgette, he took a more supportive role based on her drive as an academic. With Maggie, he became dependent and less passionate.

Plans versus Fate: One of Maggie’s biggest challenges was her need for control. While wanting a child is a natural element, seeking out science to speed up the process is less so. She set up her opportunity to conceive without a committed relationship, but started to fall in love with John and created conflicts within herself about what she wanted. When the marriage started to fail, she tried to take control again. While her plan to meddle with Georgette’s and John’s love lives may have worked out the way she wanted, she did not anticipate Guy showing back up.

Greta’s Quirky Life: Greta Gerwig seems to play a typical type of character in her films. She is extremely intelligent but also seems to play into a stereotype of being lost in what she wants out of love. This was mirrored in her other films like Frances Ha  and Mistress America. In some cases, her romance stories are flighty, quirky, and entertaining; while in others, her love stories are somewhat maddening through their extramarital themes.

Final Verdict: While her dialogue and thought process was entertaining, Maggie’s Plan is a bit of a mixed bag. The themes can be challenging since they highlight infidelity mixed with control issues. At the same time, it is intriguing to watch how the relationships develop through the process of falling in and out of love.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5

La La Land (2016): Here’s to the Fools Who Dream

An aspiring actress makes her way to Hollywood to live out every actress’s dream. Hitting up as many auditions as possible, she struggles to make a break into the industry. Wandering into a bar, she meets a pianist named Sebastian and then finally talks to him at a pool party. They start a romance, during which time he breaks it big with his music career while she continues to find an in with the movie industry. When a play catches the attention of a talent agent, the career paths for the couple starts to diverge in different directions, putting a strain on their relationship.

Dance Party: The film starts without any real focus on the main actors, giving viewers a taste of classic Hollywood dance numbers. It is a spectacle of dance and diversity on the highway. While this number was truly enjoyable, other moments in the film were a little less magical. The marquee dance between Stone and Gosling under the stars was entertaining but seemed a little less than stellar with the actors struggling not to look down at their feet. Still, this is the type of film that Hollywood eats up about itself.

Life Imagined: One of the interesting twists in this film happened near the end of the story, where the viewer gets to see a glimpse of another life. What if they had actually met and fell in love in the bar rather than through their competing careers? What if they were able to support each other through their successes?

Beautiful Transitions: Unlike The Artist, this film projected in bright colors and romantic scenes. The song City of Stars pops up throughout the film and helps to move the story and romance from one stage to the next. During Audition and Planetarium, the viewer is taken into whole new worlds of imagination.

Final Verdict: While the film is very enjoyable, the story was a little off-putting. Stone played a bit too much of a damsel while Gosling was a bit too standoffish. The acting, singing, and dancing was good but not award-worthy.

Dan’s Rating: 3.5/5

Moana (2016): The Ocean is Calling

Te Fiti, the island goddess, has long been missing. After having her heart stone stolen by the demigod Maui, a darkness spread over the ocean and began to engulf island after island. On a distant island many years later, Moana and her people live a secluded and safe life living off of the land and the surrounding seas. While she is destined to become the chief after her father retires, she feels a calling coming from the ocean. Even when she is about to accept her role on the island, Gramma Tala refuses to let her forget about her dreams. As the darkness creeps onto the island, she sees no other way save her people other than venturing out to find Maui and restore the heart stone to its rightful place.

Disney Scores with Song: If there is something that Disney continues to do extremely well, it is putting together an amazing and emotional score. They were certainly helped by the presence of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Among the best of the songs is How Far I’ll Go. The movie version is actually better than the Alessia Cara’s version, as Auli’i Cravalho performs the song beautifully. The Hawaiian themes are strong and provide a beat that you want to get up and dance to (or at least bob your head). Even Dwayne Johnson’s You’re Welcome combines humor and a solid beat that truly highlights his personality.

Having Fun with Itself: Disney films are certainly known themes and stereotypes in the development of their stories, but they also know how to throw easter eggs and levity to their films. One great example was the Kakamora whose faceprint was in the design of Baymax or how the entire sequence represented the villains in Mad Max. Maui has a line where he pokes at Moana for being a princess, as she wears a “dress” and is the chief’s daughter. Even as the hero, Moana has an animal sidekick and requires a male hero to assist her in staving off the darkness. The easter egg at the end with Tamatoa was a nice kick as well.

Reversing the Story of the Little Mermaid: Interestingly enough, there is a fun reversal in how this movie is both similar to and the opposite of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. While Ariel was a mermaid trying to find her way onto dry land, Moana wanted to escape the island to get out onto the open sea. Both fathers between the two films struggled with letting their daughters out of their homes, but one story was about searching for love while the other was about searching for life.

Final Verdict: While I spoke very little about the actual details of the film above, I want to say that it was one of the best animated features of the past few years. It has heart and positive themes for viewers to take away from the experience. If you are not singing one of the songs when you walk out of the theater, I would be surprised.

Dan’s Rating: 4.5/5

Eddie the Eagle (2016): Always Aim High

As a young boy, Eddie dreamed of being an Olympic athlete. He had been cursed with a weak knee but eventually was able to get strong enough to ditch his brace. He tried every summer sport he could attempt to no avail. After a moment of inspiration from his father, he decides to shoot for the winter games, specifically skiing. Though he initially makes the team, the committee chooses to let him go. Determined to find his way into the Olympics, he discovers that Britain has not had a ski jumper in decades. He travels to Germany to a famed practice facility and encounters a tough start to his training. Discovering that the groundskeeper is actually a former jumper, Eddie believes that he has found the inspiration to achieve his dream.

The Optimist Versus the Ego: Eddie and his coach, Bronson, were almost polar opposites when it came to their approach to the sport. With his never-give-up spirit, Eddie represented the true Olympic motto: the most important thing is not the victory but the struggle. He experienced more failure on his path to Calgary than success, but it never truly stopped him in his quest. For Bronson, his Olympic failure was one where he put himself above the sport. He was a natural talent but failed to allow himself to succeed until he met Eddie. It was optimism versus pessimism, but eventually, Eddie’s determination rubbed off on Bronson as a coach and led him to trying to turn his life around.

Triumph Over Resistance: While Eddie had the type of personality to never give up, there were plenty of people telling him to quit. Besides Bronson resisting Eddie’s charm, the most significant naysayer was Eddie’s father. Not wanting to waste time or money on what seemed to be hopeless dreams, his father consistently pushed Eddie to put an end to it and start working for him. Besides the negativity from home, Eddie also encountered the British Olympic committee’s strong resistance. While he qualified with his first 70-meter jump, the committee wanted to avoid people seeing him as a sideshow and raised the required distance. Even at the Olympics, the committee tried to keep him hidden even as the press and fans were attracted to his story.

Historic Achievements: Eddie may not have broken an Olympic record or even won a medal, but his achievements were still significantly memorable. Since the previous competitor participated in 1929, Britain had gone through a drought in the sports for almost 60 years. Eddie’s jump of 73.5 meters became the new British record for ski jumping. It did not matter that he scored last place for both the 70 meter and 90 meter jumps. It did not matter that the British committee was against him and many of the spectators and commentators thought he was a joke. The reality was that he achieved his dream of competing at an Olympic level.

Final Verdict: It would be easy to write this film off as a story of sports cliches and predictable outcomes (obviously as it is based on a true story), but Taron Egerton was so likable as the never-say-quit Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards. Hugh Jackman had a few moments of his own, but his struggle definitely took a backseat to Egerton’s performance.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5

Captain Fantastic (2016): Prepared for Everything Except the Outside World

Life for the Cash family is a little unlike most of the world around them. Ben and Leslie made a choice to take their children into the wilderness and live off of the grid. When Leslie becomes sick and requires greater medical attention, she returns home to her parents. Word eventually makes it back to Ben and the children that she has passed. Ben receives specific instructions from Leslie’s father not to attend the funeral, but he struggles with not being able to give a proper goodbye to his love. With the help and motivation from his children, they set out on a journey to crash the funeral and ensure to fulfill Leslie’s final wishes.

Off the Grid, Not Uncivilized: While the Cash family chose to live outside of conventional conditions, their family certainly had some examples to help any other family struggling to succeed. While Ben’s children followed his instructions and challenging physical and mental regime, he also encouraged their ability to think more critically and challenge his perspective if they had the words to do so. Both parents encouraged their children to be highly intellectual, honest, and critically-minded from a young age. This was best exemplified when staying with family on the way to the funeral, when Ben proved that his children were more knowledgeable about US politics than other children even several years older than his.

Clash of Families: The eccentric nature of the Cash family was not lost on his wife’s family. His father-in-law wanted nothing to do with him and even conspired to take the kids away, citing it was in their best interest to return to a more “normal” lifestyle. When they stayed with their extended family, the dinner conversation became a true battle, as Ben sugar-coated none of the details about his wife’s death or made any apologies for the knowledge and behavior of his children while Dave and Harper clearly tried to shelter their kids from the emotional challenges of the real world. Even within the Cash family, Rellian struggled to understand why the family had to behave so strangely compared to the rest of the world around them.

Heartfelt Roller Coaster: While it initially appeared that Ben was a relatively emotionless leader of his family with a greater focus on physical and mental growth than emotional intelligence, the level to which he cared for his family was always clear. Watching the children deal with the death of their mother to suicide was heartbreaking, with some experiencing strong sadness and Rellian experiencing strong blaming and anger. When confronted with a battle to keep his kids, Ben love for his children became even more clear. The filmmakers made the right choice picking a nontraditional song to turn into a life celebration ballad sung in a folksy way.

Final Verdict: Truly one of the best films of the year so far, Captain Fantastic included some of the best acting from child actors, a strong performance from Viggo Mortensen, and a deeply touching storyline that easily pulled at the heart strings. The children are endearing and the conflict between Ben and his extended family was intense. This is a must-see.

Dan’s Rating: 4.5/5

Suicide Squad (2016): Justice Has a Bad Side

In the wake of the death of Superman, fear of a future metahuman attack is rising. Amanda Waller, a secret government official, has devised a plan to pull together some of the worst villains to serve under her control as a safety measure against a potential future metahuman attack. At the head of the team are Harley Quinn and Deadshot, with Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, Killer Croc, Katana, and Slipknot in tow. Rick Flag, serving as the team leader, takes the squad into Midway, which has been overrun by a strange mutant presence at the control of the Enchantress and her brother Incubus. With the world ready to fall under the magical grip of the ancient old evil spirit, the squad is thrown into the fray with only their lives as motivation to follow out Waller directive.

Introductions Incomplete: This film felt like the plot was an afterthought in an attempt to get this band of villains on-screen together. The only three characters to have a real story told about them were Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and the combination of Flag and Enchantress. With Harley, the Joker was an important piece, but her devotion to him and her insanity stole the show from the entire rest of the cast (partially because Margot Robbie actually is a talented actress). For Deadshot, the motivation was very clear for his continued engagement in the fight, but it took away from the true essence of the squad with the multiple cutaways to his backstory and inner struggle. Flag and Enchantress were set up as a requirement for piecing together a rather weak story, but the rush of their storytelling pales in comparison to the rest of the team and DC’s continued attempt to do too much.

Bad Does Not Have to Equal Bad: It is less common for films to focus on the villains as the protagonists (somewhat an oxymoron) but this film had real promise. The idea of forcing villains to do good presented a story where morality, redemption, and the strength of evil could all play with one another. Instead, DC churned out another haphazard combination of scenes meant to wow the viewer with special effects while minimizing the attention to the depth of the character development or foundation for an epic set of stories. Independence Day was another “good” example of this, as they focused on nostalgia to sell tickets and confuse their viewers with awkward, frantic fight scenes. What was the squad even fighting in this film? What was the Enchantress turning people into? Why was the Joker even part of this film?

What is the Deal with the Joker: With all of the hype of this film, some of the biggest questions were why the Joker was even part of the story and why they hyped him up in the first place. Unfortunately, Jared Leto’s version of the joker paled in comparison even to the awkward Joker-like performance of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther in Batman v. Superman. Were they trying to make him a more mature version of the 90s cartoon version of the Joker? If so, they completely missed the mark. His scenes added little development to an already weak story, and his only real significant moment was his attempted rescue of Harley. At least his presence got Harley to say “puddin'” multiple times?

Final Verdict: DC Comics still has a long way to go to figure out how to develop a thoughtful, organized, tasteful, and balanced film. Their superheroes have so much potential, but only the original Superman series and the Dark Knight trilogy have provided promise for bringing the Justice League into existence. In the meantime, people will flock to these films (like me) to see the attempted imagining of these characters and stories hitting the big screen, but I am not holding my breath for them to figure it out anytime soon.

Dan’s Rating: 2.0/5

The Secret Life of Pets (2016): Ever Wonder…

Max and his owner have the best relationship. She fell in love with him from the moment she found him on the street. When she leaves the apartment, he waits all day for her to return. While they seem to be the perfect pair, she chooses one day to bring home another dog from the pound. Max and Duke have quite the rough start, as they both try to assert their dominance and fight for their master’s attention and love. While at the park, Duke sees a perfect opportunity to take out the competition, but his efforts leave them both lost in the big city and at the mercy of a gang go strays. Only Gidget and Max’s other friends can come to his rescue and return him home.

What Our Pets Really Do: The start of the film was more about the life of a pet when their owner is away. While Max was focused on his owner’s return, many of the pets indulged in human activities. Chloe preferred to skip her cat food for whatever she could find in the fridge. Leonard would immediately switch his classical music to heavy metal. Gidget remained focused on her unrequited love and would watch soap operas to feed her romantic nature. Buddy would give himself a massage using the mixer in the kitchen. All of these activities would go unnoticed by their owners, including the large gatherings in Leonard’s apartment.

The Underbelly and the Strays: Two significant groups of strays were highlighted in this film. The first were the alley cats living off of the scraps and trash of the humans. They lived above the surface, unlike their counterparts, but remained feral and hostile toward domestics. The strays of the sewers were a hodgepodge group of animals neglected by owners or saved from captivity. They had a grudge against the humans and were plotting to enact their revenge through the leadership of deranged bunny named Snowball.

Appreciation: One of the most significant themes of the story was the sense of appreciation. Max loved his relationship with Katie, but he never knew how good he had it until he met Duke. While the two continued to argue throughout much of the film, their conflict allowed Max to recognize that there was a greater world out there and other animals that deserved attention. Gidget was ready to give everything she had for Max, but he hardly ever even noticed her. As max goes on his adventure, he began to realize that there was much to appreciate about his life and the opportunity to share that happiness with others.

Final Verdict: This was one of Dreamwork’s better films. The pacing was a little off at times and much of the bookends of the movie were used as promotion material in the previews, but the comedy was definitely there and the characters were quite memorable. This was a great film and would be appropriate for kids of all ages.

Dan’s Rating: 3.5/5

Neighbors 2 (2016): Sorority Rising

Looking to move out of their university adjacent home to start a new life, Mac and Kelly Radner just got their realtor to confirm they were in escrow. While they do not completely understand what that means, they know they just need to get through 30 days until the deal is finalized. Unbeknownst to them, a group of young women feeling out of place at a sorority meeting and fraternity party decide to create their own version of a sorority. Their group would go beyond the rules and host parties. This development shocks the Radners, as they fail to convince the students to wait until they have moved on. Helping to fan the flames, Teddy Sanders uses the conflict with the sorority to enact some revenge from their encounters from when he was living next door.

Feminism…Sort of: One of the interesting themes of this film was the idea of breaking traditional gender roles and norms. Sororities are typically prevented from being able to engage in many party traditions that fraternities host, but this is more of an practice and guideline from the National Panhellenic Council. The idea seemed like an interesting angle to promote the premise of the film and touch on a real life social issue, but it was done with cheap humor, unfocused thinking from the characters, and a significant degree of law-breaking. This is a film, but there is more to the failure to positively promote this gender reversal…

Tired Gags and Attempted Shock Value: A movie with Seth Rogen is not typically one involving sophisticated humor, as evidenced by the first film of the series. One of the confusing elements of this film was its failure to distinguish a progression in its humor with the involvement of sorority and women’s issues. Instead, the comedy was more of a “insert women into traditional male role” scenario. For example, the scene where they threw bloody tampons at the house was simply disgusting and completely lacked comedic value. It also devalued the feminist message, even though there was a comparison held with juvenile practice of fraternity men throwing phallic items (with at least made Zac Efron chuckle).

Convenient Resolution: While there is technically still room for a potential sequel (please no), the film was able to find a happy conclusion that eliminated nearly all questions about the way the events of the film would affect the characters long-term. The Radner’s found a way to move on from the house where they were terrorized by Greek organizations. The women were able to validate their existence as a sorority and start a new trend in party-throwing sororities. Even Teddy was able to reconcile with his best friend and find purpose in his life as a wedding planner (transition?). The story was done but completely unsatisfying.

Final Verdict: Neighbors 2 had potential with the themes it attempted to promote but fell far short of being able to promote anything other than underdeveloped comedy and lackluster arguments for women’s rights. Dumbing down the characters to ensure the ability to create crude humor turned this film into just another failed attempt at a sequel.

Dan’s Rating: 1.5/5

The Lady in the Van (2015): A Mostly True Story

The people of Camden live a peaceful existence, with the exception of a somewhat unwelcome, transient neighbor. Miss Shepherd is a elderly woman who lives in her van and encroaches on her neighbors for the occasional food and use of their bathrooms. As she begins to clash with different residents in the community, she parks her van in front of a new home, claiming that she was destined to pick that location. Feeling somewhat sorry for the old woman, Alan Bennett begins to take care of her and even offers to let her park her van in his driveway when the street parking rules change. Curious about her existence and care, Alan begins to develop a friendship with Margaret and begins to understand her situation from a completely new angle.

Stunning Performance from Maggie Smith: Typically known for more distinguished roles, the character of Margaret Shepherd was anything but distinguished. Living in filth and squalor, her performance combined all of the fear, anger, and disconnect one would expect by a woman haunted by her past and losing touch with a life she once lived. While the film avoided displaying any of the nastier bits on the screen, there was a palpable hesitation and sadness for her condition. She truly appeared to be a woman lost but not fully searching for a reconnect back to her old life.

Not Altruistic but Still Commendable: The role of Alan Bennett is an interesting one. He was literally beside himself in conflict over his decisions to support Margaret’s condition. While other residents of Camden wanted to find a way to get her to move away from their community, Alan was intrigued by her situation and story. As an actor and writer, there was something about her story that drew him to search for more. Even though he turned her life into his own play, he went above and beyond what most would do for a homeless, old woman…even if part of his assistance was being too polite to convince her to move on.

Haunted by the Past: Margaret’s situation became more clear at the end of the film, but it started with the scene that set her life in motion toward her homelessness. Getting into an accident along a quiet, countryside road, she was frightened about being held responsible for the death of the other motorist. While she was not at fault based on his reckless driving, she still feared eventual arrest. Part of that fear came from a turbulent life involving her transition from musical prominence to attempting to become a nun to being committed to an institution by her brother. Feeling unsupported, it appeared easier for her to exist mostly on her own and take what she needs rather than let others believe she was accepting their help.

Final Verdict: This is a quirky one, headlined by a strong performance by Maggie Smith. Margaret’s condition appeared to be a bit confusing at first but quickly becomes a sad but heartwarming tale of loss, fear, and unlikely friendship. Alan and the rest of Camden may have been too polite to get rid of her, but viewers will be able to appreciate the story of the lady living in a van.

Dan’s Rating: 3.5/5

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016): The Taliban Shuffle

As a journalist covering low-level, low-interest stories and feeling a lack of excitement in her personal life, Kim Baker volunteers to take an assignment covering the war in Afghanistan. Unprepared for the change in quality of life, she befriends a few other journalists and begins to seek out stories covering the Afghani people. She takes risks to get stories to garner more attention, much to the displeasure of her military partner. Her efforts do not go unnoticed, as she gets a high-powered suitor and the consistent annoyance of a fellow journalist.

Self Exploration Through Unusual Travel: Kim’s decision to go to Afghanistan was an attempt to get out of a stagnant lifestyle. While she seemingly had a steady job and a loving boyfriend, she was looking for something more. It may not be common to take such a big life change or to go into dangerous environments to find oneself, but it was certainly more interesting than Eat, Pray, Love. Covering war could have been enough excitement, but she purposely took risks to get the better story, whether meeting with a dangerous political figure or sneaking into a religious rally.

Complicated Love Story: Built into the self-discovery was also a sense of searching for love. Kim looked to find adventure in Afghanistan but also was caught in a confusing array of relationships. Her boyfriend, Chris, was strained by the distance and time apart from each other, leading to his distancing from Kim. Spending time with other foreign correspondents led to a confusing connection with Iain. While she found him somewhat revolting at times, he also showed his compassionate side and had moments of care. In contrast, Ali Massoud Sadiq appeared extremely charming but his advances were clearly not an interest for Kim.

Unclear Consequences: While there were a number of mistakes and challenges that arose throughout her Afghanistan experience, one of the saddest ones related to her interview of one of the soldiers. The Marine admitted to the questioning of his purpose toward the war effort. While out trying to make a name for herself, the Marine was injured by an IED and returned back to the states. Feeling that she was responsible, she visited him after her tour was over, only to learn that she believed that she was at fault for the incident. Instead, it was other actions she took that were connected to injury and loss of life, but by the pure realities of war and not her direct actions.

Final Verdict: Tina Fey played a strong-willed reporter whose journey was more about self-discovery and purpose than it was about the war itself. There were discussions of cultural differences, political ideology, military involvement, and romantic entanglement, making for an entertaining, though maybe not as complex and worldly as it should assume to be.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5