Rush to see Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl in "Rush."

DVD and Streaming Review: “Rush”

Director Ron Howard’s “Rush” is a movie without a plot. There is no story an audience can follow. Instead it is a character study. “Rush” is about the rivalry between two of the best Formula One racers of their day. Both racers, James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), were outstanding drivers but at polar ends of their approaches to driving and life. Mr. Howard has made a fascinating film about two interesting characters who disliked each other but also owed their success to one another.

               Hunt and Lauda first notice each other in a Formula Three race which is the lower division for Formula One. Their differences become apparent immediately when Hunt cuts through the pant forcing Lauda to spin out. Hunt wins the race. Lauda is not amused. A rivalry is born. Lauda is consumed with meticulous details concerning the track and car. He prepares himself both mentally and physically, priding himself on racing within the rules. Hunt relies solely on his skill. His life off the track is consumed with hard and fun living. But on the track, if the car is up to it, he has the talent to take it to victory.

               “Rush’s” focus is on the 1976 Formula One racing season. The film has a lot of jargon concerning Formula One racing but that shouldn’t put non-aficionados off. Mr. Howard and his editors, Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill, do a nice job of keeping our minds off the technical aspects and our eyes on the racing excitement. The shots of the two drivers racing are exciting. Mr. Howard has found a way to film race scenes that can keep an audience interested. But the key to the excitement is knowing the two drivers.

              

The casting of both Mr. Hemsworth and Mr. Bruhl is spot on. Mr. Hemsworth is known more for the Marvel comic book hero Thor but he is also a lot of fun as a delinquent mortal. He is amusing, publicizing his chiseled physique while over inundating himself with the goodies at his disposal from winning Formula One races. Mr. Bruhl has the tougher job. He comes across as the stern Austrian without a sense of humor. Lauda is focused on winning and only winning and Mr. Bruhl conveys that. But Mr. Bruhl also gives hints of loneliness and sensitivity. That appeal makes his romance with his future wife, Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara) so interesting. That shy playfulness is missing from Hunt’s courtship of his wife, Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde). Their relationship consists of attraction with carnal lust that leads to nuptials. But the romancing is just another way to show their differences. What makes the movie interesting is the relationship between the two men. They butt heads but the rapport between the two actors make the conflicts wonderful to watch.

               “Rush” is Mr. Howard’s best directorial effort. He has discarded anything concerning the men’s relationships that might make the movie drag. He has succeeded in the difficult task of showing the admiration these two men had for each other without making it a sentimental soap opera. Technically, Mr. Howard and his cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle (“127 Hours,” “Slumdog Millionaire”), give the film an off-color look that intensifies the desperation each driver develops to beat the other. We get a sense of the exhaust noise, the gravel on the track and the elements that might make or break a race. And Mr. Howard does what all directors should do when actors are at the height of their game and that is to show them together, working off of each other, getting to tell the audience who their characters are while moving the story forward.

 

Directed by Ron Howard; written by Peter Morgan; director of photography, Anthony Dod Mantle; edited by Dan Hanley and Mike Hill; music by Hans Zimmer; production design by Mark Digby; costumes by Julian Day; produced by Mr. Howard, Mr. Morgan, Andrew Eaton, Eric Fellner, Brian Oliver and Brian Grazer; released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 2 hours 3 minutes.

WITH: Chris Hemsworth (James Hunt), Daniel Brühl (Niki Lauda), Olivia Wilde (Suzy Miller), Alexandra Maria Lara (Marlene Lauda), Pierfrancesco Favino (Clay Regazzoni) and Natalie Dormer (Nurse Gemma).

Felicity Jones' talent not invisible in "The Invisible Woman."

Movie Review: “The Invisible Woman”

Director Ralph Fiennes’ “The Invisible Woman” is much more than the story of Charles Dickens’ affair with his mistress, Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones). It is an examination of the mores and pecking order of English society in the nineteenth century. It was a time when men ruled and women had little say in the social fabric. Traditions kept people in check. It was a time that cultivated loveless marriages and snuffed out passionate affairs. Under these conditions “The Invisible Woman” makes for an entertaining and compelling film.

               Charles Dickens (Mr. Fiennes), the great English author, is touring the country, directing his friend Wilkie Collins’ (Tom Hollander) play. At a rehearsal, in Manchester, he meets the Ternan sisters- aspiring actresses managed by their mother, Frances Ternan (Kristen Scott Thomas). Dickens falls for the younger sister, Nelly, and they begin a clandestine affair. The affair is a dangerous game, especially for Nelly. Women’s careers – the little opportunity they were allowed – and the chance of starting their own families relied on sound reputations. If a woman carried even a hint of scandal she was ostracized from society. It is a dangerous affair conducted under the noses of Victorian conventions.

               Ms. Jones is at the heart of “The Invisible Woman.” She has the difficult task of portraying Nelly at three different stages of her character’s life. Nelly is an intelligent girl and Ms. Jones conveys that. The young Nelly’s intelligence hasn’t had the experience that would allow her to read the danger signals of her era. Nelly has a teenage girl’s fascination toward the legendary writer but is also aware that he has a wife and family. At first she struggles and fights her attraction for the good of Dickens’ family. But Ms. Jones takes a scene with Dickens, who she tries to break away from, and shows us the point where Nelly takes a step into womanhood.  Dickens convinces her to carry on with the affair and she agrees, at the stage of her life when she is fully aware of the consequences. It is at that stage Ms. Jones transforms Nelly from an innocent girl into a woman who knows her love may cost her dearly if she’s discovered. And the third stage is the woman with the past and experience; who has the knowledge of life and loss. Ms. Jones has crafted one of the most complex and genuine characters in the movies.

              

Mr. Fiennes is what he is in anything he does: wonderful. He has an advantage playing Dickens. Setting a movie in Victorian England gives the screenwriter, Abi Morgan (“The Iron Lady,” “Shame”), a nice opportunity to give her characters poetic verses to recite that don’t bring into question their validity. Combining both Mr. Fiennes’ skill and the poetry of the words and it is an entertaining portrait of the author. As a director Mr. Fiennes has done a nice job of telling the story of this affair with all of the emotion it requires without throwing it in the face of the audience. A particular scene that tells of the choppy waters they are swimming in is when Nelly wants to break off the affair because of what it will do to Dickens’ wife. He stops her as she ascends the stoop of her house. They are both emotional, Dickens more so, when they are interrupted by a patrolling constable. Without hesitation the constable asks Dickens (he doesn’t recognize the great writer since he doesn’t address him by name) if the woman is disturbing him. The scene sets the tone for the dangers that Nelly faces. Mr. Fiennes does that throughout the movie – setting a mood that allows the viewer to understand all the consequences for every character’s actions.

               “The Invisible Woman,” based on the book by Claire Tomalin, is a love story. Any good love story is full of perilous traps for its lovers. This is what makes for a wonderful movie. Any romance has its obstacles but “The Invisible Woman” shows how difficult it is for true love to burn brightly and the risks involved in capturing the flame during its time. But no matter how difficult the affair for the lovers, it is a wonderful story to behold.

Directed by Ralph Fiennes; written by Abi Morgan, based on the book by Claire Tomalin; director of photography, Rob Hardy; edited by Nicolas Gaster; production design by Maria Djurkovic; costumes by Michael O’Connor; produced by Gabrielle Tana; released by Sony Pictures Classics. Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes.

WITH: Ralph Fiennes (Charles Dickens), Felicity Jones (Nelly Ternan), Kristin Scott Thomas (Mrs. Ternan), Tom Hollander (Wilkie Collins), Joanna Scanlan (Catherine Dickens), Perdita Weeks (Maria Ternan), Amanda Hale (Fanny Ternan), Tom Burke (George Wharton Robinson), John Kavanagh (William Benham) and Michael Marcus (Charley Dickens).

Bruce Dern leads us to the promised land in "Nebraska."

Movie Review: “Nebraska”

              

Director Alexander Payne has followed up his award winning film, “The Descendants,” with a road movie titled “Nebraska.” As in all his films, Mr. Payne shows us what happens to ordinary people when they decide to break out of their mundane lives in search of purpose. “Nebraska” follows the exploits of Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) who, after receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail claiming he’s won a million dollars, decides to collect. His journey disrupts the whole Grant clan and in doing so allows Mr. Payne to shine a light on a part of the country – and the people who inhabit it – that very few movies do.

               Woody, when we first see him, is walking along a Billings, Montana highway in the middle of winter. He looks like he’s off his rocker. A highway patrolman picks him up and returns him home. The cause for his antics is the sweepstakes letter which he ignores or just doesn’t believe the fact it’s possible that the claim could be misleading. Or it could be, like the beginning of this movie, his life was sparse and decides to interject it with something out of the ordinary. His family thinks he’s nuts. But Woody’s relentlessness wears on his younger son, David (Will Forte), who decides to fulfill his father’s whim and drive him across three states to Lincoln, Nebraska, to show him that the whole thing is a scam. Before they arrive, however, they stop along the way, including at Woody’s boyhood town of Hawthorne, Nebraska.

               The road trip is where the story begins to show some spark. David tries to connect with his father but Woody, being from that generation that doesn’t open up, makes it a rough chore. When we see Woody with his family of siblings we begin to suspect that he isn’t crazy at all; moping and silence seem to be an inherited trait. David is joined by his mother, Kate (June Squibb) and older brother, Ross (Bob Odenkirk) to dissuade Woody from his adventure. It’s when Kate hits town that the movie heats up. Not one for introspective pauses or polite conversation, she causes a bit of a scandal by calling it the way she sees things. She has no qualms about revealing negative qualities about anybody, family, saint or otherwise. Kate may be the motivation for Woody’s trek across the Midwest, during the winter, in pursuit of fool’s gold. The family bicker over Woody’s actions until they have to defend themselves from old friends and extended family who ask for some portion of the money to pay back favors that may or may not exist.

              

“Nebraska” is a rare movie where its main character doesn’t grow or become wiser by the final credits. Mr. Dern is on key as a determined man seeking a prize, or some validation, no matter what obstacles lay in front of him. The first thought is that he may be senile but as the movie reflects on his life it just might be the one time he does something for himself. It’s an interesting performance. The note is the same from the first images of Woody to the end. What changes is our perception of him.

               Mr. Forte’s acting improves throughout the movie. While they’re still in Billings, Mr. Forte seems to be acting in a student film. He is a little too showy with his emotions and doesn’t seem to really feel them. It becomes a distraction. By the end, whether I got used to it or he started getting more comfortable with his performance, it turned natural. Or maybe Ms. Squibb is such a firecracker during her screen time that everybody else’s performance doesn’t get a chance to get off the ground.

               The real treat in “Nebraska,” however, is watching the performance of Stacy Keach as Ed Pegram. Ed is the bully from the old neighborhood who hasn’t changed much over the years. He isn’t life threatening but he is an ugly disruption of daily life. Mr. Keach is so smooth as this weasel that you can see how he holds the locals’ loyalty at the local watering hole while knowing he would betray anyone of them at the drop of a hat. The most exciting scenes are when Mr. Dern and Mr. Keach, two old veterans, work their skills off each other. The writing of the scenes also work with these characters since one of them is trying to connive the other out of something that doesn’t exist.

               Mr. Payne gives “Nebraska” an old world feel by shooting it in black and white. The choice is appropriate since we are visiting with characters whose time has come and gone. By the look of the towns Woody and David pass through it isn’t hard to imagine that they looked and felt the same way decades ago. It’s also a mentality of small town U.S.A that dominates the people of these towns that might have pushed Woody toward his adventure. But Woody gets his prize in the end and so do we in this wonderful look at another part of the country rarely seen.

Directed by Alexander Payne; written by Bob Nelson; director of photography, Phedon Papamichael; edited by Kevin Tent; production design by Dennis Washington; produced by Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa; released by Paramount Vantage. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes.

WITH: Bruce Dern (Woody Grant), Will Forte (David Grant), June Squibb (Kate Grant), Bob Odenkirk (Ross Grant) and Stacy Keach (Ed Pegram).