Collateral Beauty is manipulative and sappy with fortune cookie wisdom, but still got me to cry

Movie Title:  Collateral Beauty

Grade:  B+

Rating: PG-13, 94 minutes

In a Nutshell: I really love two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith and I was so excited to see this film after the trailer practically had me in tears.   SPOILER:  The trailer is a bit deceiving.  The film isn’t quite what you think it’s going to be.

For that and other reasons, a lot of film critics are ripping this emotional drama to shreds, stating that it’s manipulative and overly sappy with fortune cookie wisdom.  Well, I agree that it may be all of those things, but I also think they’re missing an opportunity to reflect inward and learn some of the life lessons this insightful film attempts to teach us.

What would you say if you could talk to Time, Death, and Love?  An even more interesting question is what would they say to you?

Uplifting theme: 

• ‘Just be sure to notice the collateral beauty.  It is the profound connection to everything.” – Madeline (Naomie Harris)
• “What is your why?” – Howard (Will Smith)
• “We’re here to connect.  Life is about people.” – Howard
• “We don’t get to choose who we love and who loves us back.” – Whit (Edward Norton)
• “Tomorrow’s not promised.” – Howard
• “Your children don’t have to come from you; they come through you.” – Time

Things I liked:

• The performances are really great.  I love the entire cast.
• Will Smith digs deep for his performance that only a father in real life could do.  Did you know he has won 4 Grammy Awards?  He has been nominated for 5 Golden Globe Awards and 2 Academy Awards, but he hasn’t won those big boys yet. Surprising, right?  Everyone loves him.  He should have won an Oscar for The Pursuit Of Happyness.  His performance in Concussion was outstanding, but he lost to Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant, which I can’t disagree with.  I mean, DiCaprio practically blew himself up, ate a live fish, and got beat to a pulp, for heaven's sake!
• Academy Award winner Helen Mirren is a national treasure.  I adore her. She just looked stunning in those blue feathers. She had some great lines and provided some depth and comic relief.  I love her in everything.

• There is an interesting Domino metaphor.
• It cracked me up that Howard’s friends hired a private investigator who they said looked like a “Mormon grandmother.”  Well, I’m a Mormon and can tell you that not all Mormon grandmothers look like that, but she really did.  Ha ha
• I’ve been to New York City twice before, but never during the Christmas season.  It looks so magical in December.
• Brigitte mentioned the movie Gaslight   Have you seen it?  I haven't either.  I'm going to have to add that one to my list. 
• Madeline tells Howard that 79% of couples divorce after losing a child.  According to a recent study by at Montana State University-Billings, that’s pretty accurate, sadly.
• There’s a twist.  I love twists.  Well actually, it’s more of an unveiling.  Still, it worked for me and drew out the expected tears that director David Frankel had intended.
• If you're looking for a therapeutic film about losing a loved one, adult or child, I highly recommend A Monster Calls, which is also currently in theaters.

Things I didn’t like:

• Would you want such manipulative friends who go to such great lengths to prove that you’re crazy?
• We never really get to see a happy Will Smith with his daughter, so we feel less invested in them than if there had been some happy flashbacks or something.
• Well, yeah…it’s manipulative on every level.  Some people don’t mind that.
• We saw a softer side of Michael Pena as Simon.  His story line seemed extra contrived just so Death could make a point about something (although her point was a good one.)
• This incredibly talented ensemble’s talent was appreciated and enjoy, but mostly under-utilized.

Interesting lines:

• “We long for love, we wish we had more time, we fear death.” = Howard
• “This doesn’t feel right.” – Claire (Kate Winslet)

“I know, but when everything starts with a 6 year old dying, nothing is gonna feel right.” - Simon (Michael Pena)

• “Life is found when you shed your skin…..OR Shed your skin; find your life.” = Amy
• “I’m trying to fix my mind.”  Howard

“You lost a child, Howard.  It’ll never be fixed.” – Madeline

Profound lines about Love:

• “I realize that I wasn’t feeling love.  I was becoming love.” – Whit
• “I am the only why.  Please don’t try to live without me.” – Love
• “I’m the fabric of life.” – Love
• “I was there in her love, but I’m still here in your pain.” - Love
• “I’m love…the very fabric of life.” – Love  
• “Love is the reason for everything.” – Love

Profound lines about Death:

• “Nothing’s ever really dead if you look at it right.” – Brigitte
• “Death is so much more vital than time. Death gives time its value.” – Death
• “You’re dying?” – Death

“Everyone’s dying.” – Simon

• “You lived right, my friend, but you’re not dying right.” –  

Profound lines about Time:

• “I’m abundant.  I’m a gift.” – Time

Funny lines:

• “I have depth.  We’ve discussed this.” – Whit
• “The word you’re looking for is philanderer, not philanthropist.  They have a slightly different meaning.” – Whit
• “I thought you can’t afford therapy anymore.” – Claire

“I can’t.  It’s my Uber driver.” – Whit

Tips for parents: 

• Talk of sex, cancer, death.
• 1 F-bomb and some other profanity.
• Children may be bored with this “talking” movie and certainly won't appreciate any of its profound truths, unless they have been through their own dark challenges.

Arrival will tickle your brain and warm your heart

Movie Title:  Arrival

Grade:  A

Rating:   PG-13, 116 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Earning 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this intelligent sci-fi thriller features an outstanding performance from Amy Adams that already has garnered Oscar buzz.  This fascinating film will tickle your brain and warm your heart.

I didn’t want to post my review right after I saw it, because I wanted it to percolate in my head and process it for a while first.  The more I thought about it, the more I loved it.   It’s hard to write a review without giving too much away, so I apologize for the spoiler alerts below.  It’s better to see the movie “blind”, so to speak, so that you get to experience the unfolding of the story.  

"Arriving" at the end of the movie and understanding it is a satisfying journey when you have to work it out in your own mind.

You know a movie has done its job when the audience claps and then slowly walks out of the theater, as they try to contemplate what they have just experienced.  That’s what happened when I sat in a packed theater Friday night.  I can’t wait for you to see it and read your comments!

Uplifting theme: 

• “Language is complicated and messy and sometimes it can be both.” – Dr. Louise Banks
• This is less about aliens and science fiction, but instead, more about humanity and working together.
• “If you could see your whole life start to finish, would you change things?” – Dr. Louise Banks    I loved the movie City of Angels and how, despite life being hard and even heart-breaking at times, it’s still worth living….every minute.

Things I liked:

• Director Denis Villeneuve usually makes violent, profanity-laced Rated R movies like Sicario and Prisoners, so I was happy to see him offer something else more family-friendly and cerebral. 
• The cinematography is fantastic.  One of the best takes is when we first see the alien spacecraft in a field in Montana with fog drifting over the ridge.  Gorgeous. The camera rolls in almost a 360 degree span that is absolutely stunning.
• It reminded me a little bit of the movie  Signs , which I loved, because of the lingering uneasiness that lasts throughout the entire movie.  The tension is handled very well.  It also reminded me of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and Contact, because of the lessons we learn about humanity and our connection to the universe.
• I loved the no-gravity chamber inside the spaceship, especially when the people inside could look far down below at the people walking around.  Super cool. 
• I’m such a nerd that when Dr. Banks’ lecture on the Portuguese language was interrupted, I was disappointed that I didn’t get to hear it.   Ha ha 
• We’ve never seen aliens like this before.  We’ve never seen a spaceship like this before.  We’ve never seen a written language like this before.  Three cheers for creative writers!
• I was mesmerized with how the spaceships left the atmosphere….soooo cool. 
• Did you catch Louise’s earrings at the fancy event when she was talking to General Shang of China (played by Tzi Ma)?  If you look closely, you’ll also see that same image repeated on her daughter’s notebook.  Pay attention to other places you see a bird in a cage too.
• There is a little bit of humor, which audiences always appreciate.
• SPOILER ALERT.  As a university professor who teaches English, I LOVE that the film revolved around language and trying to communicate with the aliens, yet was really about how we humans communicate with each other.  Amy Adams’ character (also a college professor) wrote, “Language is the cornerstone of civilization.”  The gift that the aliens brought was perfect. An intriguing idea in the movie is that language shapes the way we think more than the way we think shapes our language.
• HUGE SPOILER ALERT!!!!   I LOVED the way that time was used in the movie.  Because we’re human, we view time as linear.  That simple fact makes us believe that what we’re seeing at the beginning of the movie is the beginning of the story.  The movie folds over on itself, just as the language of the aliens does.  Once Louise realizes that, we also realize what is happening in the story.  Very cool.
• Did you notice that the release date was 11/11?  Another palindrome in the movie...

Things I didn’t like:

• Some viewers have complained about the slow pace, but I didn’t mind, because it gave my brain a chance to consider all of the different story angles and messages.
• Each encounter with the aliens cut off too soon.  I wanted them to last longer.
• Jeremy Renner delivers a good performance.  Unfortunately, his character doesn’t contribute much and he admits that they wouldn’t be anywhere without Louise.  He figures out one thing without her and he makes a really strange decision in the end that I didn’t like. 
• What was the deal with Forest Whitaker’s weird accent?
• There is a lot of quiet mumbling, making it often difficult to understand what people are saying.
• Sometimes things were out of focus, which was annoying.  I recognize that was an artistic choice, forcing us to focus on a specific thing, but sometimes it just annoyed me; I wanted to see everything!

Interesting lines:

• “If all I ever gave you was a hammer…” – Louise

“Every answer is a nail.” – Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker)

• “Memory is a strange thing.  It doesn’t work like I used to think.  We are bound by time, by its order…” – Louise
• “There are days that define your story beyond your life.” - Louise

Funny lines:

• “You made quick work of those insurgent videos.” – Colonel Weber

“You made quick work of those insurgents.” – Louise

• “When was the last time you did something stressful?” – Army doctor

“Does this count?  Just saying…” – Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner)

• “Yeah.  That just happened.” – Ian Donnelly
• “Trust me.  You can understand communication and still end up single.” - Louise

Tips for parents: 

• Kids will think the aliens are cool, not too scary.
• Yay for science and math!  
• There are some subtitles your kids will need to read or have read to them.
• The one and only person who dropped an F-bomb happened to be an Avenger…Jeremy Renner. 
• The movie is based on a short story by Ted Chiang  

The Age of Adaline moves slower than her years

Movie:   The Age of Adaline

PG-13, 1 hour 49 minutes

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell:   So, staying young and gorgeous forever is a problem?  It's hard to feel very sorry for the protagonist in this story. I suppose this movie is about every woman's true fantasy: to stay 29 forever while man after man falls in love with you. It’s kind of embarrassing how predictable chick flicks can be.  Still, we women love them.

Uplifting Theme:

* Don't just live each day, but live your life.  

* Create the life you really want to live.

* Life passes by quickly; enjoy every minute.

Things I liked:

·         First of all, Gossip Girl star Blake Lively is gorgeous.  Did you know she’s married to the handsome Ryan Reynolds?  This age-less  movie doesn’t have the charm that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had, but it was still fun to just watch Blake Lively do anything.

·         The narrator gives a quasi-scientific explanation of why Adaline survived the car crash.  It's related in such a serious, magical tone, but it is mostly amusing to see how the writers decided to try to make the story believable.

·         Ah, Harrison Ford.  I love pretty much anything he’s in.  This film takes a better, dramatic turn when he shows up in it.

·         I’m glad to see that Adaline spent some of her many years learning languages.  It’s fun to imagine having that much time to develop talents, skills, and knowledge.  
*    There is some humor, but not enough to include my regular section entitled "Funny Lines".

Things I didn’t like:

·         I’ve always thought one of the worst ways to die would be to crash into a cold lake.  Of course, if that resulted in my looking like Blake Lively and never dying, I wouldn’t be so afraid of it.

·         The movie is pretty slow-moving…kind of like Adaline's aging.

·         Blake's  surname seems ironic, given her almost stone-faced performance.  (Beautiful stone though)
*    There could have been so much more depth to Adaline because of all her life experiences, but we only get to see an evolving wardrobe and hairstyles, mixed with a little sadness and cynicism.
*    SPOILER ALERT: I'm imagining the future, awkward family dinner conversations as the movie ends...

Interesting lines:

·         “It’s better this way.” – Adeline

“No, it’s not.” – Ellis  (the scruffy Michiel Huisman)

·         “Tell me something I can hold on to forever and ever and not let go.” – Adeline

“Let go.” – Ellis

·         “If I had your looks and energy, I’d fall in love tomorrow!” – Flemming (the lovely Ellen Burstyn)

·         “She was an amazing woman.” – William

“It runs in the family.” – Ellis

Tips for Parents:  
* There is a pre-marital sexual encounter.
* You get to see Michiel Huisman shirtless.  Oh....clears throat...there is a scene where an actor isn't wearing a shirt.
* Teenage girls will think the film is romantic, but young children will be pretty bored.

If you love time-travel themes in movies like I do, you'll probably like these movies too:


    

Can't get enough of Blake Lively?  See her in:

The Theory of Everything introduces a new Stephen Hawking to the universe

Movie: Theory of Everything

PG-13, 2 hours 3 minutes

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell:  The movie illustrates the romantic spark between the leads, as well as Stephen’s search for the spark that started the universe.   It explores the struggle between body and soul and expands your own world of thinking.  Movie critic Tom Long from the Detroit News said it best: “It’s a brainy bio that exerts a gravitational pull on the heartstrings.” 

How fascinating that a young man who was only given two years to live has spent his entire lifetime trying to prove the theory of time.  He said “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to prove with a singular equation that time had a beginning?  Wouldn’t that be nice?  One simple, elegant equation that explained everything.  Only time, whatever that may be, will tell.”   Isn’t it wonderful that he has defeated that short death sentence to live to an astounding age of 72?  He’s still going strong and who knows how much longer he’ll live and what he’ll discover.  Only time will tell.

Uplifting Theme: “There should be no boundaries to human endeavor.  However bad life may seem, while there is life, there is hope.”  - Stephen Hawking

Things I loved:

·         Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables (2012) ) is simply incredible as Stephen  Hawking.  Oscar-worth in my opinion.  Felicity Jones (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ) as Jane Wilde is lovely and an equal match in her starring role.

·         I loved the ending of the movie that showed, appropriately, their story going back in time and how quickly time really does fly.

·         I’m so impressed with the courage and strength that both Stephen and Jane have demonstrated all of their lives.  Shame on me for ever feeling sorry for myself or complaining about anything.

·         I loved the friendship and support that Stephen’s college buddies and professors extended to him for so many years.

·         I thought the film did a good job showing Stephen’s sense of humor.  His intellect, humor, and human passions were never affected by his disease.

*    I love that the movie poster is turned sideways, just like Stephen Hawking has done to various theories of physics and science.

      I admire how Jane waited patiently for Stephen to work out in his own mind and time how he felt about God.  She should have been knighted by the Queen for her many years of sacrifice and service to Stephen.  

Things I didn’t like:

·         It’s a bit slow-moving for some and young children will be extremely bored.

·       SPOILER ALERT:   Isn't it interesting that you can have an affair without acting on it physically?   

Interesting lines:

·         “This is not going to be a fight, Jane.  This is going to be a heavy defeat for all of us.” – Stephen’s father

Funny lines:

·         “I’m a Cosmologist.”  – Stephen Hawking, introducing himself to Jane

“What’s that?” – Jane

“It’s a kind of religion for intelligent atheists.” – Stephen

·         “You haven’t said why you don’t believe in God.” – Jane

“A physicist can’t allow his calculations to be muddled by his belief in a supernatural creator.” – Stephen

“Sounds less of an argument against God than against physicists.” – Jane

·         “I love you.” – Jane

“That’s a false conclusion.” – Stephen

·         “Now, I’d like to make a suggestion.  It might sound a bit unusual, but I’ve seen it work  wonders.  I think that you should consider joining the church choir.” – Jane’s mother to her daughter when Jane was having a tough time handling everything.

“Mum, I think that’s possibly the most English thing anyone has ever said.” – Jane

·         “So I said I have long been looking for a model of the universe.  I finally found her.” – Stephen  

Tips for Parents: 

·         Teens who loved The Fault in Our Stars and who are interested in learning about the mysterious Stephen Hawking they’ve always known to be in a wheelchair should enjoy this.

·         Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will enjoy seeing some familiar actors in this flick.

·         Young men should be inspired by the science geek who is persistent enough to get the pretty girl.

·         Stephen Hawking, apparently, subscribes to Penthouse magazine.

·         This could be a quick start to an interesting conversation with your kids about Quantum Theory and general relativity.  Here are some fascinating questions to discuss that Stephen asked:

-          What is the nature of time?

-          Will it ever come to an end?

-          Can we go back in time?

To learn more about their story, check out the following: