The Sound of Music

An ode to beauty, both musical and visual. From the very first shots this movie is gorgeous to look at, and impressive visuals fill the screen throughout, while the music and songs present a lovely tableau that provides delight and warmth throughout. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are splendid in their roles, as are the children, even if their transformations play a little too quick and easy (especially so with the Captain, who goes from hardass to softie in a relative blink). But that’s a quibble. Mostly, this story hits all the right notes, up to and including a touch of drama and derring-do at the climax. Even though it runs almost three hours this movie never drags; you stay engaged and entertained all the way to the end. No wonder this is perennially popular. You can do a lot worse than to include this one among your favorite things.

Knives Out

So this is what qualifies as reinvention these days? That’s a bit harsh, because I don’t want to imply that this is anything but a solid, entertaining bit of cinema. It is that. I’m simply noting that this work is not the world-changing item that some of the hype says it is. The movie really doesn’t need that hard sell; it stands on its own merits well enough. A large quantity of the credit for that accomplishment rests with the two principal performers: a sly, quirky and ultimately deep performance by Daniel Craig, who continues to fashion a low-key argument that he’s among the best actors working today; and a surprisingly powerful and dominant performance from Ana de Armas, who is the true star of this show and carries a great deal of the film’s weight with her. The rest of the ensemble offers quality supporting work with rarely a misstep, but it’s the efforts of the primary two who make this a movie over and above the ordinary. As I’ve stated previously, I’ve never been a particular mystery fan, so the machinations of the whodunnit plot really meant little to this viewer (though it didn’t seem to me that the solution to the puzzle was really anything all that clever). Mostly, the main contribution to the flick's quality—on top of the leads’ efforts—comes from the director’s sense of style, so score one for Rian Johnson, too. You don’t need to effuse into the ridiculous in order to find this a satisfying piece of cinema—and that shouldn’t be a mystery to anyone.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Ultimately, not a bad way to go out. And they knew it, too--this film is almost smothered in self-conscious recognition that this crew was on its last ride, and thus they wanted to make the most of it. Did they succeed? Well, to a certain extent, yes. This outing served as an appropriate wrap for the old cast, with enough quality work in the script and performances to overcome a certain amount of schmaltz, as well as some relatively annoying work from Christopher Plummer (whose character spews out Shakespeare quotes like he has some sort of literary Tourette's syndrome). In part, what happens here was constrained by the need to set up the continuation of the franchise (by this point the next-gen series had launched), plus there was a little too much playing to the base with knowing lines, cameos, and tropes. This is not a classic by any means, but it's hardly an embarrassment for a group of old pros, who might be missed more than they are if this and previous outings in the series did not exist. One could hardly begrudge them this valediction.

All the Money in the World

What to say about this movie? Is it a well-executed piece of cinema? Yes, I'd say so. Are the performances good? Sure--nothing standout, but most of the principals are believable in their roles (though Mark Wahlberg comes across a little flat). Does it present an intriguing story? No doubt; kidnappings tend to be interest grabbers. So what's the problem here? The most striking thing about this story about the wealthiest man in the world--in the history of the world, as the narrative points out--is that, at this moment in time, when concentrated wealth is very much a part of the current discussion, this story seems oddly out of any context (other than its timeframe of the early 1970s). There aren't many resonances with current people and events, even though the subject matter seems custom-built for exactly that sort of resonance. The moral may be that all billionaires are just greedy misers with no further redeeming value--but that seems a bit simplistic even for the standard, two-shade, good vs. evil medium that is studio cinema. Overall, this is hardly a bad movie--just nothing near what one might have thought it could be.

Syriana

Everybody's guilty. Including you. So seems to be the message of this work. It would be nice if there was story to go along with that sentiment. Remember, kids: a viewpoint does not a narrative make--and you know how I feel about narrative. As it stands, the food for thought goes hand in hand with the muddle of disparate plot threads. They do all weave together eventually, but from a film-making standpoint, clear expression of a central idea is lost (or at least suffers). Overall, a tough call--I know these are issues we should all be interested in, but you need to bring some keen interest and wide-ranging knowledge to play at this table. If you think you've got the intellectual grit for it, dive in. Otherwise, just go with a light comedy.