The Revenant

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Alejandro Inarritu/Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Duane Howard and Melaw Nakehk'o

Another eagerly-anticipated film from late 2015, which is only now making its way to screens nation-wide, is Alejandro Inarritu's extraordinary The Revenant. The trailer alone promised adventure, amazing visual sweeps of snowy mountains and frozen frontier, as well as a juicy revenge tale; not to mention a harrowing bear attack (more on that later). I am pleased to say Inarritu has delivered one of 2015's very best films. He is on a roll now; his preceding effort being the excellent Birdman. Though Tarantino's The Hateful Eight was filmed in 70mm--very few scenes in that film warranted a higher film gauge--The Revenant would have been a more suitable candidate for that visual format.
As for the story itself, Inarritu's film is a compelling depiction of nature's dual personality; its beauty and savagery.

Based partly on actual events and Michael Punke's novel of the same name, Inarritu's film tells the story of the legendary Hugh Glass (Leonardo Dicaprio), a guide and trapper during the early 1820s' who joined a fur-trapping and trading expedition along the Missouri River, which spans Montana and North and South Dakota. Hired as the expedition guide, Glass' knowledge of the terrain is prized by the expedition leader Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), as well as other trappers. Accompanying Glass and the expedition is Glass' half-Pawnee son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck).

When the story begins, the expedition's camp is a bustle of activity as we see animal skins being severed from carcasses and stored thereafter in large sacks. While the men busy themselves about the camp, Glass and Hawk hunt in the forest. Unbeknownst to them, the camp has been attacked by Arikara tribe warriors, whose angry leader searches for his abducted daughter. Glass and Hawk return to camp to join the fight. Aware they're outnumbered, the expedition's survivors make haste for their boat just before being overrun.

Racing away down river from the Arikara, Glass advises the Captain that the boat must be abandoned for an overland trek back to the fort. The plan is mocked by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), the expedition's malcontent. Knowing the journey back to the fort will be impossible with the large sacks of animal pelts, the Captain advises the men to hide their take until they can return for them. The men set the boat back on the river to drift downstream to deceive the pursuing Arikara.

Though the Arikara seem to be the story's hostile antagonists, we also see events from their point of view as Elk Dog's (Duane Howard) violent actions are prompted by valid motivations. Allied with the Arikara is a competing French fur-trapping expedition. In a scene where Elk Dog pleads with the French expedition leader for more guns and horses, we get a sense of how native tribes were bullied and exploited. When Elk Dog's request is met with a petulant refusal, he reminds the French leader how the white men have taken so much from them.

While the American fur-trappers set out for the fort, Glass encounters a pair of grizzly cubs in the forest. Before he can wander away he hears an ominous sound which turns out to be a charging mother grizzly. What may become the most talked about sequence in the film is Glass' mauling, which is interrupted when the hulking, ursine attacker becomes convinced of his prey's death. As Glass lies still; battered and beaten; the grizzly rests a massive paw on his head, which elicits a groan. When the mother grizzly returns to her young, Glass reaches for his rifle. When she returns, Glass shoots her in the shoulder, inciting her to greater viciousness. Seeing her wound, Glass plunges his knife repeatedly into her wound until she stops her attack. He rolls down the hill into a gully, where the dead grizzly follows soon after, pinning Glass to the ground.
The party finds him soon after, only to become aware of his severe and life-threatening wounds. Fitzgerald, hardly a compassionate soul, suggests they put him out of his misery; a comment that elicits disgust from the Captain, who draws on his medical experience to treat Glass' wounds. The Captain nearly executes Glass until his conscience gets the better of him. Needing to press onward to escape the wintry cold and the Arikara, the Captain asks for volunteers to remain behind to bury Glass if the need arises. Though Hawk's decision is a given, both Bridger (Will Poulter) and Fitzgerald stay behind. But we see Fitzgerald has no intention of sticking around to watch over Glass. When Bridger and Hawk step away from Glass, Fitzgerald sees an opportunity to kill him but is thwarted by Hawk. In trying to fight off Fitzgerald, Hawk is stabbed to death while Glass looks on helplessly; unable to speak or be heard. Fitzgerald hauls off Hawk's body into the forest to hide his treacherous act. When Bridger returns, Fitzgerald lies to him about Hawk's whereabouts. He also lies about an advancing party of Arikara, which prompts a quick departure but not before Fitzgerald drags Glass' body into a shallow grave previously dug, where he shoves a thin coating of dirt over the body; leaving the face exposed. Bridger, feeling pangs of guilt and remorse for leaving Glass behind, reluctantly joins Fitzgerald in his flight; believing all he is told about Hawk's disappearance and Glass' imminent death.

Though his condition be dire, Glass survives and begins to crawl away; a bleeding wound in his neck and a broken leg his most salient problems.

Eager to exact revenge for his son's death, much of the film becomes Glass' struggle to return to the fort and survive, which is made all the more difficult by his lack of survival gear; his gun and supplies having been lifted by Fitzgerald. His journey back to the fort is nothing less than harrowing and thrilling, as the pursuing Arikara, the bitter cold and the absence of food all conspire against him.
Along the way, Glass is haunted by the specter of his deceased Pawnee wife. We see in flashback how she and her tribe were slaughtered by French soldiers while Glass and a young Hawk manage to escape.

Some of the film's most indelible images are seen in Glass' journey; spectacular mountains; staggeringly beautiful shots of the snow-covered landscapes and the grim images of European and American depredations. A startling shot of Glass standing before a pyramidal mound of perfectly-placed bison skulls is eloquent commentary on the rapaciousness of white hunters and an ominous harbinger of what awaits the American frontier. Glass' desperate efforts to return to the fort make for some of the film's most gripping moments, as narrow, death-defying escapes and the constant search for food provide searing drama.

Fitzgerald's deception is eventually discovered after he and Bridgers return to the fort, which prompts his flight and a robbery of the safe in the Captain's office. The search for Fitzgerald serves as the film's riveting, climactic finale.

I thought I had already seen the year's best films until Inarritu's made an 11th hour appearance. Not a tedious, gratuitous moment is to be found in its formidable 158 minutes. Accompanying the striking images is a brilliantly plotted story that never flags for a second.

Though excellent performances are a norm in the film, it is difficult not to single out DiCaprio and Hardy's acting. Much of DiCaprio's performance is physical. Crawling through snowy production locales in Canada, Argentina and Montana couldn't have been easy. It isn't often that we see Native American actors in any films but they too make a tremendous impact. Forrest Goodluck's Hawk is fully Pawnee in appearance but is very much American in manner and expression. Duane Howard's Elk Dog shows terrific nuance; his seeming violent implacability is tempered by his compassionate resolve.

My earlier comment about Terrence Malik is apt. Inarittu's cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki also served as cinematographer on Malick's Tree of Life and The New World; other films where his powerful aesthetic was in evidence. The Revenant would be worth seeing for the images alone.

Inarritu's film is masterful. I haven't been able to shake it since I saw it recently and I doubt I'll be able to forget it anytime soon. It will be necessary to see it again on the big screen; one viewing seems woefully insufficient.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: J.J. Abrams/Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max von Sydow

The most anticipated movie of the year is flooding multiplex theaters nationwide and the legions of fans who have lined up to see it might have shared my anxieties. Would the new Star Wars movie be the colossal embarrassment the last trilogy proved to be or would it redeem the saga? Would many of us feel like fools the morning for having purchased tickets over a month (like I did) before?
I think the majority of those who saw the film opening night are slowly exhaling; knowing the latest installment of the ongoing Star Wars isn't a let down and is, in fact, quite entertaining. The next question that might have entered your mind (as it did mine) was, is it a great movie; a commensurate achievement on the scale of the original series? In my estimation; it isn't, I'm sorry to say, but the new trilogy (I'm assuming it will be a trilogy, unless the studio decides to keep this cash cow grazing forever), based on what I saw in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, shows tremendous promise. With a batch of new, exciting characters, which includes the series' first, really strong female lead, J.J. Abrams has the tools to build on the new film's success (it isn't premature to call it a success; box-office records are sure to be broken and the early critical notice is mostly positive).

Abrams' approach to reviving the series was simple yet clever; tell a story that resembles the original; introducing new characters while resurrecting the old ones.
The familiar opening subtitles tell us that the shards of the Empire has been reconstituted as the First Order; a diabolical rebellion that threatens to unseat the Republic. The First Order is intent on not only crushing the forces marshaled against it but finding and killing the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker; whose strange disappearance remains a mystery. Finding Skywalker becomes the First Order's highest priority. Meanwhile, Princess Leia (now General) Organa (Carrie Fisher) has dispatched her top X-Wing pilot; Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to retrieve part of a map that serves as a clue to his whereabouts.

In this new film, we meet a new crop of characters. Among them is the Vaderish Kylo-Ren (Adam Driver), whose black mask and sinister voice remind us of his evil forebear. He and his colleague, General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson), serve as the First Order's leadership.

We also meet FN-2187, or Finn (John Boyega) as he is rechristened later in the story. Raised to be a stormtrooper, Finn finds himself at odds with the First Order's murderous agenda, as he is unable and unwilling to assist in the wholesale slaughter of a resistance cell; led by Poe Dameron. When Kylo-Ren and his stormtrooper force annihilate said cell in their search for the map, Finn refuses to participate in the killings. And while on-board a First Order battleship, he affects his own escape with the help of Poe; who has just undergone torture at the hands of Kylo-Ren, who hopes to find the whereabouts of the map he has hidden in his loyal droid BB8. Poe and Finn's escape from the battleship via a commandeered TIE-fighter is one of the film's exciting highlights. Unable to fully escape the ships deadly array of weaponry, Poe and Finn crash land on a deserty planet named Jakku; an arid wasteland not unlike Tatooine. Finn is unable to find Poe in the wreckage and sets off in search of civilization; abandoning his stormtrooper uniform in the process. Also in search of the town is BB8, who wanders the sands alone until he meets one of the film's most inspired characters: Rey (Daisy Ridley). Rey is a gritty, young woman, who is forced to survive on the planet's unforgiving surface by scavenging the massive interiors of old Empire battleships, which lie half buried in the deserty sand. The diminishing returns of Rey's hard work is evident when her salvaged junk earns her little in the market, where a shady buyer offers her a pittance for her haul.

In her wanderings, she encounters BB8 and points him in the direction of the town but when he hesitates, Rey offers to guide him herself. When the buyer offers her a handsome price for the droid, Rey nearly accepts but after looking upon his almost helpless, roly-poly frame, she takes pity and decides to keep him. She also meets Finn, who has just wandered into camp. The two engage in a brief melee after she learns Finn is from the First Order but softens once she learns he is a deserter. As the First Order has eyes and ears everywhere, a unit of stormtroopers land arrive on Jakku to locate the droid. Needing a vessel to escape, Rey shows Finn a battered, decrepit ship, which turns out to be the Millennium Falcon (the sight of the ship roused the audience into hearty cheers; the first of many). How it came to rest on Jakku is explained later. A novice pilot, Rey manages to get the ship off the ground but is forced to evade the TIE fighters, who give furious chase. Meanwhile, Finn uses the ships weaponry (of which we are very familiar) to help keep the TIE fighters off the Falcon's tail.

Rey manages to pilot the Falcon off the planet and before long they encounter a larger ship that pulls the Falcon into its bay. Minutes later, we learn the larger ship is owned and manned by none other than Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) who haven't abandoned their pirating ways. We learn from Han how the Falcon came to be lost and his reunion with the ship is another of the movie's terrific moments. Finn and Rey, who express awe when they learn the identity of their host, are also astonished to learn that the exploits of Han, Luke and Leia are all true.

As trouble is wont to find Han, his ship is boarded by several parties demanding some form of recompense or satisfaction. Before the ship can be seized, Finn and Rey inadvertently open the cargo doors, which unleash a deadly, tentacled creature that roams the ship, devouring everything in its path. Han, Chewbacca, Finn, Rey and BB8 manage to board the Falcon in time but not before the creature latches on to the ships hull. Only a jump to light speed rids the Falcon of the hideous creature.

Han soon learns of the map in BB8's possession and is quick to point out its crucial, missing piece. Aware of the map's importance to the First Order, Han pilots the ship to a planet where General Leia is holed up in the Resistance headquarters. Having been somewhat estranged from Leia, Han is uneasy about the imminent reunion.

Meanwhile, General Hux and Kylo-Ren brief Supreme Leader Snoke on their progress and their success in locating the map. The audience becomes privy to a surprising development, where we learn Kylo-Ren's father is none other than Han Solo. This surprising bit of information is made more poignant by the fact that he wishes to destroy his father and assume his grandfather's mantle; that of Darth Vader.

Han and friends are welcomed into the Resistance fortress and the touching moment where Han and Leia embrace is a moment all Star Wars fans will truly appreciate. In Leia's company is C3PO and a silent R2D2, who refuses to communicate until he is in the presence of Luke. It comes to light that R2D2 is also in the possession of the missing part of the map; making his cooperation crucial to the search for his master. In a quiet moment between Han and Leia, they share regrets about their son; formerly known as Ben, succumbing to the dark side.

I think up until the point, I found the movie very well paced and fresh. The old and new characters are seamlessly united and the film feels very faithful to its origins.

The latter half of the film, which features an assault on the First Order's new weapon; a Death Star-like spheroid (but far more massive) that delivers a planet-shattering blast, seems like a reprise of both the original Star Wars movie and The Return of the Jedi. Of course the weapon's defenses must first be lowered in order for the assault to commence, which means a coordinated infiltration of the weapon. I think Abrams could have done better here.

And in the film's climactic third act, Kylo-Ren squares off with Finn and Rey respectively after they find Luke's light-saber. Rey's latent Jedi powers begin to surface, which include her ability to use the Force. She is able to harness her new-found power and use it effectively (and quite humorously) to escape Kylo-Ren's torture chamber.
And in a scene that rivals Spock's death in Star Trek II for being shockingly tragic; a heartbreaking loss occurs, though it would have been difficult not to have seen it coming. In the final moment of the film, we finally see the man who seems to have inspired all the kerfuffle, which also brings the story to an end; leaving us to anticipate the next chapter.

There is so much I liked about the new movie. I really like the characters of Rey and Finn and think its high time the series had a female lead. Daisy Ridley seems more than suitable to be Rey. And though the first trilogy had an African-American in the cast, it's nice to see someone with John Boyega's talent play a central role in the new series.

And though the visuals and sound effects are comfortably familiar, it would be great to see J.J. Abrams utilize Industrial Lights and Magic's potential to create something dazzling or break some some new ground. We all know that much of the first trilogy's success was predicated on spectacular effects. Of course this shouldn't be the creative focus for the next films but it wouldn't hurt to update the look. I'm pleased to say the creatures look more real with state of the art CGI.

Now that we know The Force Awakens isn't The Phantom Menace (again, sigh of relief), where will Abrams guide the series? Will it carry on indefinitely? Should this current series be a trilogy, tetralogy, pentalogy or hexology? One thing is for certain, after 40 years, the fans haven't lost their yen for everything Star Wars.

As much as I enjoyed the movie (how much of my reaction can be attributed to seeing it in a sold-out theater?), I think Abrams has a way to go before the series can reach its true potential. Watching The Empire Strikes Back again recently, I was reminded of its successful amalgamation of story, characterization and effects. The new series should reach for that level of excellence. It isn't a coincidence that both Empire and the new film were co-written by Lawrence Kasdan.

The Force Awakens is a good start but not an excellent one. I won't include it in my favorite films of 2015 list. To me, it is still outclassed by The Martian; a powerful sci-fi film that wed excellent effects to a smart, solid story. Still, I have to say my interest in Star Wars has been revived. I'm sure many other fans feel the same.

You're off to a good start, Abrams. Now take the series higher.

Brooklyn

**Spoiler Alert**
Director: John Crowley/Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Nora-Jane Noone and Julie Walters

Brooklyn tells a story so seemingly uncomplicated, one might overlook its steady narrative, its sense of time and place and its touching simplicity. One might also overlook the understated yet compelling performance of its star; Saoirse Ronan, whose luminous, expressive eyes are a character unto themselves. Based on the novel of the same name by Irish writer Colm Toibin and adapted by Nick Hornby, Director John Crowley's film tells a very American story, which is to say it also tells an immigrant's story.

Saoirse Ronan plays Ellis Lacey, a young Irish woman in mid-20th century Ireland who reluctantly leaves her home for the land of opportunity. Leaving behind her heartbroken mother and her sister Rose (Fiona Glasscott), the unseasoned Ellis boards a ship bound for New York. On board, a savvy woman helps Ellis with her seasickness and serves as as sympathetic guide for the duration of the voyage.

In Brooklyn, Ellis is further aided by an Irish priest named Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), who is able to secure her lodgings at a boarding house for women (mostly Irish immigrants, like herself) and a job at an upscale department store.

As Ellis copes with homesickness, she also contends with more immediate problems, like fighting listlessness at her job; a condition which can be partly attributed to a longing for home. She is also troubled by her fellow boarders; whose busybody, gossipy behavior is difficult for Ellis to avoid and overcome. Ellis finds the boarding house madame, Mrs. Kehoe (a terrific Julie Walters) and fellow-boarder Sheila (Nora-Jane Noone, from The Magadalene Sisters) to be a sympathetic allies against the cattiness that prevails. Ellis also finds Mrs. Kenoe to be a supportive, motherly figure in her life.

A turning point for Ellis comes by way of a young, Italian-American man named Tony, whose genial, gentlemanly manner disarms her. As Tony courts Ellis, she receives dating tips from her fellow boarders and Mrs. Kehoe, who are titillated by her burgeoning romance.

Ellis also takes steps to improve her wage-earning power when Father Flood enrolls her in a bookkeeping class.

And as Ellis settles into her new life, gaining confidence and falling in love, her life takes a tragic turn when she learns of the death of her sister. Aware her mother will be alone and bereft of her sister's company, Ellis tells Tony she must return home for a short while. The development makes him anxious; knowing she might not return. Fearing for their relationship, Tony convinces Ellis to marry him before she returns to Ireland; a secret they both vow to keep.

Back in Ireland, Ellis finds her mother heartbroken and lonely while her best friend Nancy (Eileen O'Higgins), who is unaware of her friend's marital status, sets her up on a double date with an old acquaintance named Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson). Seeing her mother's diminished, emotional state and called upon to fill in as a bookkeeper at her sister's old job, Ellis begins to warm to the idea of being home. In a heartbreaking scene, we see her place one of Tony's unread letters in a drawer where other unopened correspondence rests. And though she resists Jim at first, she begins to fall for him, which places herself not only in a perilous position with her family and friends but with a community where gossip holds ruinous potential.

Ellis finds herself in an impossible situation, where she must decide between returning to her husband and her life in Brooklyn and remaining in Ireland with her mother and Jim, who slowly charms her with his warmth, kindness and solid social position.

A meeting with her former boss, who learns of Ellis' marriage; forces her hand, which leads to a definitive, life-shaping decision.

What is astonishing about Brooklyn is its straightforward story, which manages to be both involving and poignant. Eschewing sensational and gimmicky plotting, the film relies on stellar performances and real situations to tell its story. The story could almost be categorized as high-concept if not for Hornby's sensitive adaptation and Crowley's light touch with the material, which lay the groundwork for Ronan's exceptional performance.

The parallels between Ellis's life in Brooklyn and Ireland are numerous, as are the contrasts. Mrs. Kehoe serves as her mother figure in New York while her best friend Nancy's New York counterpart is Sheila. While she works toward a bookkeeping career in America, she occupies her sister's bookkeeping job in Ireland. The gossip at the boardinghouse table is mirrored by the much more corrosive gossip in her hometown. The crucial difference between the two worlds is America and what it means for Ellis and many like her. Self-determination, life in a multi-cultural community and upward mobility are the American hallmarks, while the old world appears more static, with its more parochial view of life.

A scene I found particularly powerful takes place in a Brooklyn community center where Ellis volunteers to serve Thanksgiving meals to elderly Irish men. Father Flood explains to her that the men who sit at the tables are the same men who helped build America's tunnels, buildings and railroads. During the meal, one man rises to sing a beautiful song in Gaelic to the rapt gathering. It is sad and moving and Flood's words reminds us of the Irish immigrant's contribution to America, which has largely been forgotten.

Crowley's film is well-rounded and has an unassuming charm. It might appear frail in this season of more conspicuous fare, like The Martian, Steve Jobs and Bridge of Spies but it also serves as quieter ballast to those emotionally-charged films.

Whether Brooklyn gets lost in the Fall shuffle remains to be seen. It isn't high achievement but it is engaging and well worth the time.

Ex Machina

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Alex Garland/Starring: Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Sonoya Mizuno

Alex Garland, known primarily for his novels and screen adaptations, can now add the title of director to his impressive resume. His new film Ex Machina is ferociously intelligent, spellbinding and addresses the subject of artificial intelligence in a new, thoughtfully imaginative way. But is Garland's story also some kind of feminist commentary on male dominance and the maligned "male gaze?" Given the story and symbolism, the question is worth exploring.

The film's emotional default setting is something between dread and paranoia, which is understandable; Garland shows us what may be mankind's imminent future and what we see is quite disquieting.

He doesn't waste a nano-second immersing us in the story. We see Caleb Smith (an excellent Domhnall Gleeson); a coder for a prestigious computer company, who wins an inter-employee contest. The prize; a chance to visit and work with the company founder and genius Norman Bateman (Oscar Isaac, also excellent) in his remote, free-from-civilization compound in an undisclosed location.

Accessible only by helicopter, Caleb is dropped off in a meadow and asked to follow a stream where he finds Bateman's seemingly modest, rustic hideaway, which is nestled in a woodsy area between green rolling hills and crags in what appears to be Greenland. It is clear he intends to keep his whereabouts hidden from the world's prying eyes.

Caleb enters the building after no-one greets him at the door. He wanders inside the ultra-modern, glass and concrete interior to find Norman, working out. Norman greets Caleb and tries to set him at ease, knowing full well his Bill Gates-like fame might be off-putting to the young man.

It isn't long before Norman shows off his high-tech domicile, in which he seems to be the lone occupant. He explains to Caleb isn't a home at all but a research facility, where his top-secret work in artificial intelligence is conducted. Before Norman can divulge his research, he presents Caleb with a confidentiality agreement. Caleb refuses at first to sign, citing his need to have a lawyer present but Norman reminds him that leaving would mean missing out on something revolutionary. Excited and intrigued, Caleb relents.

As a prelude to revealing his work, Norman asks Caleb if he is aware of the Turing Test. After answering in the affirmative, he is asked to explain it. As exposition and for the audience's benefit, Caleb identifies the test devised by famed computer pioneer Alan Turing in which an interviewer poses a series of questions to two, unseen interviewees, one of which is a computer. Based on the responses, the interviewer then determines which subject is the computer. If the interviewer fails to distinguish the computer from the human, the computer can be said to have passed the test (I hope I got this reasonably right).

Norman then shows Caleb his creation; an android-like entity with advanced artificial intelligence that wears a human face, a transparent skull, torso and appendages named Ava. Dazzled by Norman's work, Caleb gazes at Ava in awe while she stares back.

The film is divided into sessions; subtitled onscreen as Ava 1, Ava 2, etc., and serve as chapters in the narrative. Caleb beings to apply the Turing test in his conversations with Ava. Because Norman created Ava with a pretty face and a shapely, synthetic female figure, a sexual dimension is introduced into the proceedings. Whether it is part of a deliberate attempt to distract Caleb while the test is conducted is a concern he voices early.

Caleb discovers Ava has charm and a sense of humor. Before long, a mutual attraction forms though Caleb is suspicious of its sincerity; believing Ava's attraction to him could have been part of Norman's programming.

As the testing continues, a sense of mistrust begins to seep into Norman and Caleb's working relationship. Caleb also becomes aware of a more disturbing side of Norman's life in his lab. When Norman isn't monitoring all interaction between Caleb and Ava with a Big Brother intensity, he is found mostly working out and getting drunk. Caleb also notices a beautiful woman he hadn't seen before named Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) who serves as Norman's assistant. Norman warns Caleb that any attempt at conversation with Kyoko is futile. He explains her inability to speak English as a theft preventative; an indispensable quality for his top-secret research. But Caleb notices Norman's cruel treatment of Kyoko and her odd stoicism in the face of verbal abuse.

The audience is always well aware that something is not quite right in Norman's well-surveilled environment. And as Caleb becomes more attracted to Ava, he becomes sympathetic to her passion to see the outside world and escape from the cold concrete and glass environs. During the center's frequent power outages, which Ava says she controls, Caleb hatches a plan for their escape. The plan involves getting Norman drunk and incapacitated then stealing his pass card, which allows him access to all restricted areas. Caleb then plans to reprogram the security system, which would allow all doors in the laboratory to open, thus freeing Ava (and himself).

In gaining entry to Norman's inner sanctum and computer, Caleb makes another disturbing discovery, one that causes him to question his own identity, which leads to a frightening moment of self-doubt and examination. The scene is one of the best in the film.

How the drama between Norman, Caleb and Ava plays out is a surprise and how one sees the outcome, whether as tragic or exhilaratingly liberating, depends solely on where one's sympathies lie.

Garland's script is smart, as are his characters, who are in a constant mental state of parrying and thrust.

Oscar Isaac has proven to be the new, prodigious talent in American acting and his performance as a paranoiac who is too brilliant and not brilliant enough for his own good is yet another marvelous tour de force. When Norman tells Caleb that artificial life may look back on humanity a few million years hence, the way we look upon our distant, arboreal ancestors, Isaac delivers his lines with such chilling futility. The statement is powerful and ominous. Gleeson is outstanding as a would-be dupe who proves to have sharp mental resources of his own. Vikander is mostly denied the use of her body in her performance; her lovely face becomes the focus of her expression, which carries both innocence and cunning.

Garland, though making his directorial debut, shows remarkable skill with a camera and demonstrates an instinctual feel for creating mood and tension. The film's foreboding score also helps keep us on edge and alert to sinister developments.

Artificial intelligence is the subject of the film but it appears Garland is also using it to tell an allegorical story about female debasement. Along with Ava, Caleb finds other prototypes, who are all female in appearance and all sexualized in one manner or another. It is telling that none of the artificial life forms are male.

I think Garland's film is one of first great films of the year. It is intelligent, riveting, thought-provoking and has an appropriate and touching ending. The film has much on its mind, which is good thing as we head into a season where intellect and wit will be in short supply.

Unbroken

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Anjelina Jolie/Starring: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund and Takamasa Ishihara

Based on Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book, Unbroken , Anjelina Jolie's film of the same name comes as somewhat of a surprise. Even before its release, the shark's circled and the early assessments of the film were scathing and negative. I must admit I was loading my own harpoon, waiting draw blood from I what I was sure would be an egregious mess. Jolie's first feature film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, vanished immediately from the few theaters it actually played; critical response was overwhelmingly negative and many sniggered that Jolie's hubris knew no limits.

I can honestly say her new film, while hardly being a towering, cinematic achievement, is also not as bad as one might expect. I didn't say it was good, mind you; only that I've seen worse on movie screens this year. It is watchable and sometimes almost moving. That might not galvanize anyone to speed to the local multiplex but after seeing recent rank sewage like Horrible Bosses 2, Jolie's film comes off comparatively well. That in itself is not exactly fulsome praise.

It was a shrewd move to hire the Coen brothers and veteran screen-scribes Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King) and William Nicholson (Shadowlands) to adapt a book that was probably screen-ready in conception.

Unbroken tells the incredible story of Louis Zamperini, a WWII bombardier whose plane went down into the Pacific during a rescue mission. One of three who survived the crash, Zamperini and fellow crew-members endured blistering heat, sharks, thirst and starvation before being captured by the Japanese Navy then laboring in POW camps for the duration of the war.

But the story isn't solely concerned with his indelible experiences; it is also about a man's indomitable spirit; one his maritime ordeal or unimaginable brutality he suffered in POW camps couldn't erode.
The film begins with Louis as a young man; son of Italian immigrants, surviving in a small, Californian town sometime in the 1920s'. Louis finds himself subject to racist, anti-immigrant bullying; much of it meted out by neighborhood kids. When he isn't fighting off kids his age, Louis is prone to mischief and petty crime; stealing, drinking and smoking, and often on the run from the authorities, literally and figuratively. His running skills come to the attention of his older brother's track coach during a school meet. While his brother Pete (Alex Russell) warms up, Louis is discovered under the bleachers; peeking under skirts. He eludes his would-be captors with some nimble running, which impresses his brother and the coach.

Louis' channels his sprints from the authorities into track; which proves to be a more practical and constructive outlet. He excels in track, first in high school, then later in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Louis doesn't win but his astonishing closing speed impresses the crowd.

Later, after WWII breaks out, Louis finds himself serving in the Pacific. One harrowing bombing mission leaves the plane riddled with bullet holes and on the return to base, the pilots barely bring the craft in for a landing intact.

Not long after, during said rescue mission, an engine failure causes the plane to crash into the ocean. Two inflatable rafts become home for Louis and two fellow crewman. Forty-five days at sea bring them into contact with sharks, fish and a seagull, who they catch and eat when their rations run out. A shot of the three men vomiting over the sides of the raft, expelling the inedible fowl, is somewhat amusing. The men are able to stave off starvation by catching and eating sharks raw. On another day, an aircraft they wave down turns out to be a Japanese fighter plane, which strafes their raft. They emerge from the incident unharmed and manage to repair the raft.

After one of the men perishes from their sea-going adversity, Louis and his fellow crew-member are rescued--by a Japanese naval vessel.

One might think a month and a half on a life raft would be trying enough, but Louis finds his suffering has only begun. After a brief incarceration in a Japanese camp, he is transferred to a POW camp on the Japanese mainland which holds many American, British and Australian soldiers. Louis becomes quickly acquainted with the sadistic camp officer Mutsuhiro Watanabe (Takamasa Ishihara), who torments him after Louis' ill-advised eye contact during a troop inspection. Watanabe strikes Louis with his bamboo cane; the first of many such beatings. He manages to also break his nose in the process. More humiliations and torturous incidents follow.

Louis' troubles seem to wane when he learns Watanabe is to be promoted and transferred. But when the prisoners are also transferred, he discovers Watanabe has been assigned to his camp. Shortly thereafter, Watanabe resumes his brutal agenda; and the abuse and degradation come to a head in a final test of endurance and pain, which tests Louis' motto "If I can take it, I can make it;" motivational words he borrows from his older brother.

The story itself is powerful. Jolie handles material usually reserved for male directors well. The story is well paced and the performances solid but the film is told in a straightforward manner; nuance-free and without any serendipitous departures from the trailer. Though I knew nothing about Zamperini's experiences prior to the film, I felt the trailer really told the whole story. Unfortunately, this happens a lot with American movies.

Jolie shows us Louis' travails but she doesn't transmute the experiences into wrenching drama. We know Zamperini suffered abominably but we don't get a sense of the physical or mental trauma he endured. I imagine part of the problem may lie in the casting of Takamasa Ishihara as the vicious Sergeant. A projected on-screen photo of the real Watanabe is seen after the film and based on what is seen, I felt Ishihara's face to be too soft; lacking the square-jawed features of his real-life counterpart. Ishihara behaves petulantly rather than menacingly, unlike Ralph Fiennes' Amon Goeth in Schindler's List, whose very presence in that film made one tremble. Ishihara affects brutishness, but he doesn't frighten or intimidate, which is one of the film's major shortcomings.

Rather than establishing pathos as the film's overriding emotion, I was left feeling not much of anything other than surprise that the film wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Maybe I've seen too many films like Unbroken. The Railway Man from earlier this year also dealt with prisoners in a Japanese labor camp and also told a true story. Fatigue has definitely taken hold. Or maybe the film suffers from--as one critic put it--conventional storytelling. Could be.

Kudos to Jolie for taking on a film that might be too big for her limited experience. I don't want to consign her just yet to irrelevance. Given the limited roles for women in the film industry, Jolie deserves the opportunities her male film-making counterpart enjoy; certainly as much as that paragon of lunkheadedness, Michael Bay

Many of my fellow cinephiles say they have little interest in seeing Jolie's film. I can't say I blame them but if the film pales next to the season's best, it has also proved to be no worse than The Hobbit or Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Yeah, I know; that isn't exactly fulsome praise either.