As a High-School Senior, a Young Woman Tries to Break Out

Saoirse Ronan (left) and Laurie Metcalf in "Lady Bird"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

High school can be one of the most fun times of anyone’s life.  But, it can also come with several difficulties, like trying to fit in, finding yourself, and deciding what you’re going to do once you graduate.  When depicting high school in film, there are a wealth of stories you can extract from this topic, as the late filmmaker John Hughes exemplified in the ‘80s.

Indie-actress Greta Gerwig now makes her solo directorial debut with her semi-autobiographical comedy-drama, “Lady Bird,” which she also wrote, bringing to life a high-school movie that’s every bit as funny as it’s emotional, despite a premise that’s a little familiar.

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a senior at a Catholic high-school in Sacramento.  She longs to leave her hometown and head to the east coast to attend college.  At home, she always argues with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), while her father (Tracey Letts) faces the possibility of unemployment.  During Christine’s tumultuous time at home and in school, she’ll do what she can to get through the hardships and forge her own path.

Saoirse Ronan provides one of the best performances of her career.  Although her character isn’t always appreciative of what her parents try to do for her to help her succeed, Ronan portrays Christine in a way that doesn’t make her annoyingly bratty, but rather a girl on the verge of adulthood who’s trying to get through life’s challenges and make a future for herself after graduation.  It’s a genuine portrayal of an adolescent experiencing one of the most significant in her life, complete with the laughs, tears, and anxieties, and Ronan’s performance will help any viewer relate to her journey in some way or another.

Laurie Metcalf is superb as Christine’s hardworking and dedicated mother.  She’s a parent who seems to be at the end of her rope because of her daughter’s behavior, but she still does whatever she can to make sure that her family has the best life possible, despite their economic standing.  Even if Christine doesn’t always reciprocate the affection that her mother provides her, Metcalf still makes sure that her character shows or hints at the unconditional love she has for her daughter.

In terms of the high-school supporting characters, Beanie Feldstein and Lucas Hedges give heartfelt performances as Christine’s best friend and drama-club crush, respectively.  However, Odeya Rush and Timothée Chalamet’s roles as a popular girl and wannabe rock musician are not much more than one-dimensional high-school archetypes, despite decent performances.

While Gerwig’s screenplay follows some similar beats you can find in other high-school/coming-of-age films, it has enough that’s different to help make it stand out from all of those other movies.  The story is a seamless blend of a witty high-school narrative and an emotional family-drama, resulting in a detailed look at what Christine experiences at school and home.

As a director, Gerwig’s able to make transitions between the humorous and dramatic scenes without it feeling too jarring, instead making it an authentic examination of a high-school student who’s coming into her own as an adult.  Gerwig’s able to capture everything that a person is likely to think and feel during this time in their life, and her personal connection to the events of the film is visible in every scene.

High school is a turning point for anyone, and “Lady Bird” uses those defining moments to put on a celebration about finding oneself and exploring the possibilities of what your future may hold.

Final grade: B+

Hollywood Outsiders Achieve Fame Through a Cinematic Calamity

Dave Franco (left) and James Franco in
"The Disaster Artist"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In 2003, a film called “The Room” was unleashed upon the world.  Written, directed, and produced by Tommy Wiseau (who also stared in it), constructed a “romantic drama” about Johnny (Wiseau) and his fiancé, Lisa (Juliette Danielle) who live a happy life.  She soon begins cheating on Johnny with his best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero), which jeopardizes her and Johnny’s relationship.  What Wiseau gave us was a film that was one of the best so-bad-it’s-good movies ever, developing a huge cult following and spawning countless midnight screenings for fans.  It’s one of those movie where, as you’re watching it, you keep thinking to yourself that there isn’t anyway that a movie like this could exist, which soon leads you to question your reality and sanity.

Ten years later, Sestero and journalist Tom Bissell (who wrote about “The Room” in the August 2010 issue of “Harper’s Magazine”) released “The Disaster Artist,” a memoir about the making of the film.  What the duo gives readers is a hilarious and surprisingly emotional account of what went into making one of the worst movies ever made.

Now, James Franco directs and stars in this comedy-drama, bringing the bonkers, see-it-to-believe-it true story to the big screen.  While it doesn’t go quite as in-depth as the source material, there’s still a fun time to be had while watching Wiseau’s “success” unfold.

In 1998, aspiring actor Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) meets Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in a drama class in San Francisco.  After becoming friends, they decide to move to Los Angeles to break into show business.  Following several unsuccessful auditions, Tommy decides to make his own movie with Greg.  What results is the oddest underdog story in Hollywood history.

Watching James Franco portray Tommy Wiseau is one of the great joys you’ll have at the movies this season.  He delivers a phenomenal performance and masters Wiseau’s unidentifiable accent and strange behavior.  If you’ve seen “The Room” or Wiseau doing interviews, you know how there isn’t another person like him on Earth, so strange and otherworldly is his presence.  It’s a personality that requires considerable talent to pull off, and Franco succeeds.  But, despite it being a mostly humorous performance, Franco is able to dig into the dramatic side of his character and show Wiseau’s need for acceptance in a society that continues to shut him out, and you can’t help but feel sorry for him because of how persistent he is in trying to become a star.

Although James Franco looks more like Tommy than Dave Franco does Greg, having these brothers portray them benefits the relationship between the two characters because the natural sibling bond of the Francos brings the friendship of their characters to realization on screen.  Their chemistry is effortless, and this strong connection helps to elevate the more-dramatic scenes between these characters, showing us the toll that their friendship begins to have on them.

While the supporting cast does fine with their roles, one of the most memorable is Zac Efron as Dan Janjigian, who plays drug-dealer Chris-R in “The Room.”  What’s funny about the casting of “The Room” is how Janjigian wasn’t even pursuing an acting career, but was recommended for the part by his roommate (also named Dan), who was originally supposed to play Mark.  Janjigian ended up giving the best performance in “The Room,” and he only had one scene.  That intensity he brought to the role (which was much more than “The Room” deserved) is displayed by Efron as his character tries to pump himself up for his scene, and it becomes one of the most memorable in the film.

The screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber would have benefitted from being about half an hour longer to show more of the bonkers on-set mishaps of the troubled production and a few scenes that deepen the relationship between Tommy and Greg (I would have sat through a three-hour version of this movie).  However, what we do get to see is enjoyable enough to make this a serviceable adaptation.

One of the most fascinating aspects of “The Disaster Artist” is some films with which it shares some comparisons.  There’s a bit of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” in it, with Tommy and Greg being akin to Matt Damon’s Tom Ripley and Jude Law’s Dickie Greenleaf, respectively.  There are also some likenesses to “Sunset Boulevard,” with Tommy sharing the qualities of Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond, someone who’ll stop at nothing to be in front of the film cameras.  Sestero and Bissell begin each chapter of the book with quotes from these two movies, so if you’ve seen either of these films, your experience watching “The Disaster Artist” will be a little richer.  However, the movie to which “The Disaster Artist” is a soulmate is Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood,” part of which chronicles the infamous director as he makes “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” another film that’s considered to be one of the worst ever made.

It’s appropriate to have James Franco star and direct “The Disaster Artist,” seeing as Wiseau did the same for “The Room.”  By having Franco do this, it’s evident that he has a love for this story and wants to capture not only the spirit of the source material, but the spirit of how it must have felt on set, given how Franco directed “The Disaster Artist” in character as Tommy.  Through Franco’s commitment, you can sense that he wants to bring us as much of the book’s zaniness as he can.

As a director, Franco uses cinematography from Brandon Trost that employs a documentary style of filmmaking in the portions of the movie that take place on the set of “The Room.”  With this, we get a strong behind-the-scenes feel when watching these sequences play out, and you feel the same level of delightful absurdity that you experience while viewing “The Room.”

Although Wiseau didn’t have any creative talent, what makes this movie a joy to watch is that we see how his passion for acting and filmmaking helped him achieve his dream of being discovered.  In the end, “The Disaster Artist” is a weirdly inspirational story because of how Wiseau defied all of the odds to bring his vision to life, no matter how misguided it might have been.

Final grade: B+

A Religion on the Verge of Revision

Margaret Qualley in "Novitiate"

Change is something to which we all react differently.  Some accept it and others resist it.  It can be difficult to be asked to give up the way things were in order to make way for something new, which is something that’s viewed from a religious perspective in Margaret Betts’ new drama, “Novitiate.”  With strong performances from the film’s cast, we’re given a deep approach into how these changes impacted those whose beliefs were their lives.

In 1964, 17-year-old Cathleen Harris (Margaret Qualley), decides to leave her home and live in a convent to become a nun.  Devout in her newfound faith, she works through the rigorous process to achieve her calling.  All of this is done under the watchful eye of Reverend Mother Marie St. Clair (Melissa Leo), who’s grappling with the Second Vatican Council, which is proposing reforms in the church that the Reverend Mother fears will upend the way of life for which she and other nuns have worked to reach.

What elevates Margaret Qualley’s performance is that her character isn’t someone who’s an overly impassioned individual, but someone who, despite feeling introverted, is dedicated to her calling, enough to leave everything and everyone she loves behind in order to become what she wants.  Later in the film, Qualley succeeds in conveying her character’s sense of conflict when Cathleen’s pulled between the new leniency of the church and personal matters that she doesn’t think fit with her new lifestyle, even with the reforms.  This film is one of those instances where the performance doesn’t have many scenes of “big acting,” but is instead made up of mostly subdued moments that hold their own power because of Qualley’s ability to display her character’s pensive, innocent nature.

For Melissa Leo, it’s wonderful that she has been given another meaty role, seeing as it’s been almost seven years after she won her Oscar for “The Fighter.”  Leo’s performance provides a level of force that makes her character’s anxiety-producing, student-instructor interactions on level with that of J.K. Simmons’ verbally abusive jazz conductor  in “Whiplash.”  Her character is equal parts intimidating because of her ironclad devotion to her standards of the sisterhood, but also sympathetic in that she feels like she’s losing her grasp on something that has given meaning to her life.  These two traits fit together because we understand that she’s as strict as she is because she wants to maintain the proper behavior of the nuns as a way to combat the changes she doesn’t want, a desperation in her character that soon makes us feel more for her than fear her.

Dianna Agron is wonderful in her role as Sister Mary Grace, a young nun whose compassion acts as a haven for the young girls from the reverend mother.  Whenever she’s on screen, her presence provides a sense of calm and relief as we’re temporarily taken out of the Reverend Mother’s sight.  But, her character is more than that because she’s just as conflicted as Qualley and Leo, in that she wants to be at the convent to guide the postulants, but is having difficulties remaining loyal to the institution because of its rules and restrictions.

The rest of the supporting cast that portrays the postulants does a stellar job at exhibiting the mental and emotional hardships that come with their process, calling into question of whether or not it’s worth it to give up all that they have in order to live a life that’s shut away from everything else.  One of the standouts in this group of postulants is Morgan Saylor, who plays Sister Evelyn, whose most memorable moments come in a sequence where the Reverend Mother has the postulants sit around her and reveal what they believe to be their individual flaws that are holding them back from being the nuns they’re trying to be.

The screenplay by Betts offers a fascinating look into how this religious institution functions and the turning point that they’re experiencing.  Throughout the narrative, Betts provides equal focus on both the reforms that the convent is facing and how it operates as it provides the education that the postulants need to become nuns, all of which gives us a view into a world closed off from everything else.

As a director, Betts provides an abundance of tension in the scenes where the postulants are in the presence of the Reverend Mother, while also displaying considerable emotional power in the moments where Cathleen and the Reverend Mother must reevaluate their lives in the face of major changes.  These aspects help make “Novitiate” a layered examination of traditional, religious practices and how they were adjusted for the twentieth century.

Final grade: A

Finding an Escape in the Spirit of Adventure

Willem Dafoe and Brooklynn Prince in
"The Florida Project"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

One of the many powers of film is that it can transport you to places that are unfamiliar to you, but could feel closer than you think.  Different people and cultures are all around us, and to see them on screen can give you a look into these communities and provide you with the feeling of visiting a whole other world.

Director Sean Baker accomplishes this with his latest drama, “The Florida Project.”  Filmed with almost all unprofessional actors and using a day-in-the-life narrative for its characters, Baker delivers one of the most affecting movies of the year. 

In Kissimmee, Florida, six-year-old Moonie (Brooklynn Prince) lives with her mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), in a motel that’s run by a kind manager, Bobby Hicks (Willem Dafoe).  During the day, Moonie spends her time exploring the city with her friends, Jancey (Valeria Cotto) and Scooty (Christopher Rivera), while Halley struggles to keep her and Moonie’s life afloat.

Brooklynn Prince is one of the most astounding discoveries in film this year.  She’s able to hold her own amongst the older actors and exhibits a great deal of confidence as a young actress.  She captures the innocence and live-life-to-the-fullest persona we have all felt as children, and to see her interacting with her environment shows her character’s strong imaginative spirit, a girl making the best of a bad situation.  But, the peak of her performance comes in her final scene, which is the most emotional in the film, and it’s one that elevates her work to rank among the best big-screen debuts of any child actor in recent years.

Although Bria Vinaite’s character is an occasionally infuriating person, being both immature and neglectful, we also see her trying to provide for her daughter, which helps us to feel for her.  Vinaite’s role is the epitome of a love-hate relationship, as we sympathize with her as she tries to give Moonie as good of a life as possible, but also dislike her behavior when she reverts back to her less-than-reputable and childish behavior.  In all, it’s a heartbreaking performance that promises great things for Vinaite’s career.

Willem Dafoe’s performance reminds me of those given last year by Michelle Williams and Nicole Kidman in “Manchester by the Sea” and “Lion,” respectively, in that, even though they’re established actors, their performances are modest, not showy.  In the case of Dafoe, he’s understated to the point where he fits in with the unprofessional actors and doesn’t call attention to himself, but he’s still allowed to display his acting powers in smaller ways that are still effective.  His performance is of someone who’s sort of a father figure to Moonie and Halley, offering help whenever he can to make sure they stay on the right path.

The screenplay by Baker and Chris Bergoch doesn’t have a typical three-act structure, but is instead more of a series of vignettes that shows how the characters go about their lives on a daily basis.  By telling the story in such a manner, the film provides a greater sense of realism because it’s not the type of movie that has to follow a traditional storytelling format, but instead just takes you from one day to the next as it shows you what Mooney, Halley, and the other characters experience in this lifestyle.

Throughout the film, Baker and Bergoch invite comparisons between Moonie’s hometown and Disney World, as she doesn’t live too far away from the .  The motels and other tourist attractions around Moonie’s motel almost create her and her friends’ own version of Disney World, as her motel is called the Magic Castle (a stand-in for the Magic Kingdom), the Futureland Motel (a stand-in for Epcot’s Future World).  And then we have Moonie taking Jancey on a safari to see a herd of cows (the Animal Kingdom), and when they relax under a giant tree (the Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life).  By doing this, the screenwriters juxtapose Disney World with the outside world that people don’t normally consider or see when they visit the theme park, despite that lifestyle being in the park’s own backyard.

Because Baker uses a cast of mostly unprofessional actors, this aspect adds to the authentic portrait of this piece of American life, as he follows his subjects like a documentarian. This is exemplified in the scenes where Halley takes Moonie to upscale hotels, where they stand outside to sell perfume to passersby.  Most of the time in these scenes, he films the mother and daughter from afar, like an explorer observing a species in the wild.

“The Florida Project” is one of those movies that will stick in your mind after you leave the theater because there isn’t anything else quite like it that has come out this year.  It’s a tribute to childhood and how the optimism at such a stage in a person’s existence can help them see their life as being a little brighter than it may be at the moment.  It’s an optimism we’ve all needed when we were younger, knowing that, in those moments, were when we were most invincible.

Final grade: A

For a Tough, Midwestern Mother, Words and Actions are Equally Powerful

Frances McDormand in "Three Billboards Outside
Ebbing, Missouri"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Balancing drama and humor in a film can be tricky territory in which to traverse.  If one overshadows the other, you risk losing the viewer because they won’t be sure what you’re trying to accomplish.  It takes a talented filmmaker to be able to make audiences laugh at one moment, and then gasp at the flip of a dime, all without making it feel like the director is trying too hard.  Martin McDonagh is one such individual who has accomplished this before in his films “Seven Psychopaths” and “In Bruges.”

He now brings his signature dark humor to the screen once again in his comedy-drama, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”  Although this film deals with rough subject matter, he manages to show some black wit throughout the story, all with his usual mix of distinctive characters and memorable dialogue.

It’s been seven months since Mildred Hayes’ (Frances McDormand) daughter, Angela (Kathryn Newton), was murdered.  Since then, the police have given up the case, due to the lack of leads.  Mildred soon takes matters into her own hands and rents out three billboards outside of town that speak a message to Sheriff Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson).  He soon develops a newfound dedication to finding Angela’s killer, all while Mildred continues her own approach to solving the case.

Frances McDormand’s character is like the antithesis of her role as police chief Marge Gunderson in 1996’s “Fargo,” who was someone who made sure that justice was served; but in this case, McDormand inhabits someone who does so by using methods that are much more radical (the fact that the names of the two characters are similar should elicit a chuckle).  She brings a fiercely funny performance that revels in her character’s abrasive personality and coarse dialogue, but it’s one that never forgets about the grit and determination that Margaret exemplifies when trying to catch her daughter’s murderer.  Actually, some of McDormand’s best scenes are the ones that are more contemplative, particularly in a touching sequence where her character plants flowers underneath the billboards.

Although Woody Harrelson’s character can have a tough persona, he manages to make his character more than just a gruff sheriff.  Harrelson’s not only witty, but he also brings emotional depth to his work when it’s time for his character to face challenging decisions.  Willoughby has a much more dramatic arc than is expected, portraying a law enforcer who must help a mother seek justice, as well as a father and husband who must focus on his own issues that hit much closer to home.

Sam Rockwell provides one of his best performances as a prejudicial police officer, but just like Harrelson’s work in the film, you get a couple of more layers than you anticipate.  He may seem like a dimwitted individual, but Rockwell portrays his character in such a way where you see that’s he’s trying to be more of big shot in order to impress his fellow officers and higher-ups, pretty much to the point where you feel sorry for him.  All of this helps to make his journey in the second half of the film all the more compelling.  I would reveal more about his character, but it would spoil the places in which Rockwell’s role brings him.

McDonagh’s screenplay does well in exploring the theme of the supposed quiet nature of small-town America and the dangers that may lurk underneath.  Having the story take place in Ebbing is a clever move because the name itself explains exactly what the town is doing, experiencing a fading of the notion that this is a typical rural town where one can’t imagine anything bad happening.   To help expand upon the sense of something withering away, McDonagh uses a recurring motif of fire, utilizing it to show the waning facade of the small-town quaintness and exposing the town for what it may truly be.  On the wittier side of this rural illusion, McDonagh has Margaret working in a store called “Southern Charms,” a trait that’s hilariously missing from her character.

What McDonagh also does with his narrative is subvert expectations as to how the film will play out.  He doesn’t make this a typical police procedural or whodunit, but instead uses the story as a way to examine Margaret’s more-extreme actions.  You sympathize with her because of her loss, but you may also question the steps she takes to find the justice for which she’s looking.

While mixing sometimes-startling violence with dark humor, McDonagh continues to exhibit his ability to find comedy in the unlikeliest of places.  Despite making us laugh from time to time during the film, he remains in-tune with Margaret’s plight and the pain she’s feeling.  And in regard to the crumbing of the town’s false appearances to show what’s beneath, McDonagh strengthens that notion with the use of McDormand’s comical and dramatic sensibilities, with the former appearing the most, only to vanish at times to show the depths of what’s going through Margaret’s mind.  In the end, McDonagh gives us more than the narrative’s initial mystery, and the movie is so much better because of it.

Final grade: A

Reconnecting in the Midst of Loss

From left: Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, and Laurence Fishburne
in "Last Flag Flying"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Richard Linklater is a filmmaker who excels in coming-of-age stories, as he’s displayed with movies such as “Dazed and Confused,” “Boyhood,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” and his “Before” trilogy.  Because these films focus on people growing up at different stages in their lives, Linklater shows that you can come of age at any age.

He sticks with the same concept for his latest film, “Last Flag Flying,” which finds Linklater shifting into a different kind of dramatic territory.  As with a lot of his work, this movie soars on the talents of its cast and timeless themes, providing a rich opportunity for moviegoers to connect with the story at hand.

In December 2003, Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell), receives word that his son has been killed in Iraq.  He then sets out to reunite with his friends and fellow Vietnam veterans, Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), to accompany him to Arlington Cemetery for the funeral.  In a quick change of plans, Larry decides to bring his son back to his hometown to be buried, and as the three friends travel back to Larry’s home for the service, they take the time to reconnect and come to terms with their past.

Linklater is a master at assembling casts that have a natural chemistry, almost to the point where he doesn’t even have to do any directing and can just let the cast do what they have to do.  Carell, who impressed us with his fiercely dramatic turn in 2014’s “Foxcatcher,” delivers another performance that shows the acting depth of which he’s capable outside of comedies.  It’s an introverted performance that captures the deep level of loss he feels and the sadness that’s running through him, but also lets us see the happiness he feels when in the company of his close friends.  Cranston, who’s meant to be the funny man of the trio, delivers the right amount of comedy to help us see the lighthearted moments between him and his friends.  His humor may be a tad jarring at first because of the story’s emotional scenario, but he never lets it undermine the seriousness of Larry’s loss.  And Fishburne is wonderful as a man who has left his past behind him, but does what’s right and stands by Larry as he goes through a tragic time, making this performance his finest of the past few years.

Cicily Tyson, who plays the mother of a deceased Marine who served with the main trio, delivers an understated, yet impactful performance in a five-minute sequence during the film’s last half hour.  I won’t give anymore details, but I will say it’s one of the film’s best scenes.  

The screenplay by Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan, which is based on the latter’s 2005 novel, takes a bit of time to smooth out the transitions between the dramatic and humorous moments, but it doesn’t take long for it to find its footing.  

The plot of the film mostly revolves around the main characters reuniting and catching up, so the overall story isn’t so much a traditional plot structure as it is like time you’re spending with old friends, reminiscing about the moments that were shared years ago and what has happened during your time apart.  That’s why the audiences can become attached to them, because at certain points in the film, you can look at this trio and picture similar times you’ve had with your friends.  This is Linklater's filmmaking power, to make his viewers recall their own experiences, a skill that makes him one of the best American directors working today.    

What could have been an overly sentimental military-drama is instead a movie that skillfully deals with themes such as reconnection, regrets, and loss, all of which are handled with the high level of care and detail that we have come to expect from a director who excels in such relatable topics.  Just as with many of Linklater’s other films, he allows scenes to unfold at a deliberate pace without making the film feel slow, which lets us sit back and be absorbed in the opportunity to get to know his characters. 

You can always rely on Linklater to tackle the challenges of life and remain grounded in his approach, rather than making it schmaltzy for the sake of eliciting a cheap emotional response.  The feelings you go through while watching one of his movies are earned because, whether Linklater’s characters are older, younger, or the same age as you, you’ve probably had experiences that are similar to the ones that are lived by those characters.  In the end, Linklater doesn’t just want to make a good movie; he wants to put a bit of your life on screen.

Final grade: A-

A Neon-Bright and Futuristic Los Angeles That Still Holds Many Secrets

Ryan Gosling in "Blade Runner 2049"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In 1982, director Ridley Scott brought Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” to the big screen with the movie “Blade Runner,” which followed the story of an ex-LAPD Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who’s brought back into duty to hunt down a group of replicants, synthetic humans who are bioengineered to work on off-world colonies.  This sci-fi detective-noir has become one of the most notable films of the ‘80s and boats an ambiguous ending that has caused many debates.  

35 years later, we now go back to the vision of Los Angeles that Scott crafted in '82.  Although waiting so long between sequels can be a gamble, director Denis Villeneuve continues his filmmaking winning streak by giving us a sequel that tops the original and is one of the best movies of the year.

30 years after the events of the first film, a Blade Runner named K (Ryan Gosling) travels to the home of a replicant to “retire” him.  After the job is done, he makes a discovery that could change the future for both humans and replicants.  I would say more, but it’s best to go into the movie knowing as little as possible.

It’s a little difficult to get too in-depth about Ryan Gosling’s performance because of spoilers, but I will say it doesn’t take long for him to get us caught up in his journey.  This is a lonely world for his character, and he makes us feel every bit of the isolation he feels.  Throughout the film, there are some scenes that don’t have much dialogue, so Gosling must rely on his facial expressions to keep us involved in the emotions of his task.  It’s in these moments where the acting, visuals, and music all come together to provide us with a sense of the character’s thoughts and feelings, which makes these scenes some of the most contemplative in the film and give us a view into the thoughts of his character. 

Just like with Gosling, I can’t say much about Harrison Ford’s performance without giving away plot details.  But, I will say that, just as what happened when he returned as Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” almost two years ago, his reemergence as Rick Deckard makes it feel like he never left the role.

There are also some memorable supporting performances, such as Jared Leto as a manufacturer of replicants, Ana de Armas as a kindhearted hologram, and Sylvia Hoeks as a deadly replicant who’s determined to use K’s discovery to meet her dangerous goals.

One of the main reasons to see this in a theater is because of the unforgettable and mind-melting cinematography by Roger Deakins, who also lensed Villeneuve’s “Sicario” and “Prisoners.”  Never has a congested and downtrodden cityscape look so gorgeous, and right from the beginning, you don’t even want to blink because each shot is a work of art, meshing sci-fi dystopian imagery with nourish qualities, all of which does justice to what cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth did for the original film.  Deakins brings some of the most memorable shots of the year, showing a talent for finding beauty in the bleak and proving to be one of today’s most prolific cinematographers.

The screenplay by Michael Green and Hampton Fancher (the latter of whom cowrote the first film with David Peoples) sets up the film’s main mystery just about 10 minutes in, and then from there, it’s a carefully unravelled plot that demands your attention.  As the narrative unfolds, Fancher and Green fill the story with memorable new characters and settings, taking full advantage of the film’s epic scale.  Just like the first “Blade Runner,” this sequel is one of those films where, even if you understand it the first time around, you want to see it again because you know there are little things that you might have missed along the way, and I can’t wait to experience this movie again. 

Although a couple of the reveals in the plot are rather predictable as soon as the pieces are set up, you're still invested in the story because of how committed the movie is in its world-building and reaching the end of the puzzle.  

As with Villeneuve’s other films, he crafts a perfect blend of acting, story, and visuals.  While the film has some thrilling action set-pieces, it’s the quieter scenes that drive the movie. He allows for scenes to take their time so the images can sink into our minds, all while giving us a chance to think about what’s happening and ponder to what everything may be leading.  

Throughout the film, Villeneuve manages to bring us both the sense of wonder of “Arrival” and the grimness of “Sicario” and “Prisoners,” and while you may think that these two characteristics wouldn’t quite go hand in hand, Villeneuve makes it happen.  

With “Blade Runner 2049,” Villeneuve delivers another sci-fi masterpiece that’s one of the most engrossing experiences you’ll have at the movies this year and a true gift to have your eyes behold. 

Final Grade: A-