2016 Films: #23. Anthropoid

This was an iTunes rental for my trip to Pomona (LAX) on November 11th. After browsing around and looking for a title, I came across this picture. It stars Cillian Murphy and it's a WWII thriller, so I pulled the trigger. The film was written and

The film takes place in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi occupation of WWII. Czech exiles (Murphy and Jamie Dornan) are parachuted into their occupied homeland with the task of assassinating Reinhard Heydrich, the head of the Nazi occupation forces in Czechoslovakia (not a nice man for sure, click on the link if you think I'm lying). After a few missteps they make their way to Prague and link up the the resistance movement. The exiles try to mingle while carrying out surveillance and planning the mission. Some of the problems they run into are falling in love and the hesitancy of the resistance leadership about completing the mission for fear of Nazi reprisals.

Eventually the order is confirmed and the mission is a go. The mission doesn't go as planned and it quickly turns into a sh*t show. They manage to wound Heydrich (he succumbs to his wounds shortly after) and flee but the Nazi's are none to happy with the attempt and brutally crack down on the citizenry. After some murder ad torture, the Nazis find out where the exiles are hiding, hunt them down and trap them in the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The exiles put up a valiant effort but it's only a matter of time.

This isn't the first film about the very real Operation Anthropoid but it is the first English speaking film. American audiences don't always get to see a film like this because it doesn't involve American soldiers fighting a large WWII battle or the subject matter isn't a pet project of a well-known directer but that doesn't make the film any less important from a historical context. Solid performances by a good cast. Writer/director Sean Ellis does a fine job with the pacing and the tension. The film received a lukewarm 65% Rotten Tomatoes rating but I think it might be a little better than that. There wasn't much I didn't like about this picture. I don't know if this film has the lasting power of other WWII thrillers like Eye of the Needle or Army of Shadows but that shouldn't detract from the film's merits. It's a good film. Some people may like and some people may not. I enjoyed the film.

2016 Films: #22. Moonlight

November 20th in Chicago, IL. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, the film is broken off in three parts to tell the story of Chiron from elementary school through early adulthood. Part one deals with Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert) as a shy and meek elementary schooler. He is nicknamed "Little" for his size and quiet demeanor. He lives with his mother (brilliantly played by Naomie Harris) and lives a tough life to say the least. He's bullied and his mom isn't around but he's befriended by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer, who eventually looks after him and gives him a much needed male influence in his life. "Little's" only real friend is Kevin (Jaden Piner) and the two form a nice friendship. His mom is a bit of an absentee parent so he tends to seek solace with Juan and Theresa (Janelle Monáe).

Part II deals with Chiron (now played by Ashton Sanders) as a high school student. His home life is still bad, Juan is dead but he still hangs out with Theresa. Kevin is still his only friend. Chiron is targeted by a bully for being meek and possibly gay. Chiron has a sexual awakening with Kevin, his only friend, but the bully gets Kevin to beat Chiron up. It was a distressing scene to watch considering Kevin is Chiron's only friend in school. No one else gives him the time of day. The segment ends with Chiron getting arrested after taking out the bully (because they always catch the retaliatory act, rarely the instigation).

Part III is about Chiron's (Trevante Rhodes) life after incarceration. Now known as "Black," Chiron is now a drug dealer along the lines of Juan. He lives outside Atlanta and emulates Juan. He gets frequent calls from his mother, she's trying to reconcile, but also gets a call from Kevin. Kevin works at diner in Miami after a stint in jail. Chiron travels to Miami and reconciles with his mother and visits Kevin at the diner.

Normally this isn't a picture I'd go to the theatre to see but I am very glad I did because people need to see films out of their norm. This film doesn't have an end, it is an on-going story. Kevin apologizes to Chiron and the hang out together but who knows what happens after that. Life goes on. For me, Jenkins painted a picture of bleakness that probably affects an untold amount of kids all over America. There's a realism to the film that doesn't always see the light of day. The performances were excellent all around. Moonlight is a really good film that is worth watching. The film packs a lot into it's 111 minute run time but I was never bored. The subject matter may not be for everyone but if you have an open mind then check it out.

2016 Films: #21 The Ones Below

This was an OnDemand purchase of a British film that saw a May 27th U.S. release. This film received a 72% Rotten Tomatoes rating and is the story about 2 couples sharing a 2 family home. Both women are expecting but all is not quite what it seems. Kate and Justin live upstairs with Jon and Theresa live downstairs. Kate and Justin are expecting their first baby and come to find out that Theresa and Jon are also expecting. Weird huh? After a few social missteps, the two couples become friendly. Eventually Kate gives birth to a healthy baby boy and things start to get a little weird. Kate starts to slowly lose it and begins to doubt Jon and Theresa but she can't seem to convince anyone else. Without giving too much away, things don't turn out well for Kate and Justin.

I m a big fan of films where a protagonist descends into madness and The Ones Below doesn't disappoint. Clémence Poésy is very good as Kate. She seems like any ordinary, young affluent new mother who slowly goes off the deep end. Laura Birn is delightfully evil as Theresa. She starts off normal but slowly gets a little creepier each time she interacts with Kate. David Farr directed and wrote the screenplay. He does a nice job of slowly (but not too slow) ratcheting up the tension. Keep on eye on Farr to see what else he don because this was a good film. Most films these days pretty much tell you what's going to happen in the film. Not the case here. Solid acting, good pacing and all around solid thriller. Worth a look.

2016 Films: #20. Amanda Knox

Netflix viewing on October 1st in Chicago, IL. Over the last couple of years Netflix has come up with really good original content. This is just another source of new features. So it counts.

The film tells the story of the murder of Meredith Kercher, a British exchange student from the University of Leeds attending school in Perugia, Italy, and the subsequent investigation, trials and media coverage of the murder. To say that this was a sensationalist trial is quite the understatement. From the get go, this was a media circus and things broke down from there. Admittedly, I don't remember much from this except the basics (I was driving a truck for a mobile marketing firm so my television watching was relegated to Simpsons and Seinfeld reruns as they were always easy to find no matter where you were), Ms. Knox was an American exchange student living with Kercher and she was on trial for her murder.

This case took 8 years to conclude. Knox (and her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito) were found guilty of the murder in 2009. The conviction was overturned on appeal in 2011 and Knox returned home to Seattle. In 2013, Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation set aside the appeals decision and would find Knox and Sollecito guilty in 2014. In 2015, the same Supreme Court of Cassation that found her guilty a year earlier, ruled that the case had no foundation and both were finally acquitted. Quite a ride.

 The film centers on the media coverage of the case and the rush to judgement by law enforcement. Law Enforcement appears to have ignored certain facts and then just tried to get the murder to fit their narrative (a global police phenomenon) of the crime. The owner of the pub where Knox worked was implicated early by a vague text that he sent to Knox and his life was probably ruined (the film didn't really follow up too much on the poor guy) by the investigation. It was clear to me that neither Knox nor her boyfriend had any real motive (cui bono? "Those who benefit" in Latin. I think its a phrase Alec Baldwin uses in The Departed when discussing a murder with Matt Damon, to which Damon replies, "cui who gives a f*ck!"). Police then made up the lovers triangle that had no foundation. The evidence pointed in a few directions but law enforcement settled on Knox and Sollecito and eventually a 3rd person, Rudy Geude (who admitted to being at the scene, changed his story about Knox being at the scene and was convicted of the murder prior to the Knox trial).

The real villains here were the media. They painted a picture that was hard t turn away from, printing whatever the felt would sell the most of get the most ratings and of course not taking any responsibility. One of the journalists who covered the murder said something along the lines of "everyone was doing it." Nothing like a little journalistic integrity. It seemed that everyone wanted Knox to be guilty. Why? It was the better story. I felt bad for Kercher's family. They were being told that Knox was guilty by law enforcement and the media. How are they supposed to feel? Their 8 year journey had to just as gut wrenching as Knox's.

If you're into true crime documentaries, then this is a good watch. It's not as in depth as Making a Murder but it's no less satisfying.