Feb 23 2018

Annihilation

Biologist and former Army soldier Lena (Natalie Portman) finds herself thrust into a government coverup and investigation of an alien phenomenon. It would seem a shimmering “thing” is spreading out over the woods and coastline in a semi remote part of the country; inside that region the laws of nature somehow seem to be warped, re-written, and re-born. Now on a personal quest, Lena, and a team of other scientists including psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson) set out into the shimmer to reach its point of origin and investigate further, hopefully explaining the disappearance of all else who have entered.Written and Directed by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, this delve into the prismatic world of the unknown is a further solidification of Garland as one of the new greats of Sci-Fi. Carefully crafting plausibility via elements of religion, psychology, sociology and science, the feasibility of what transpires in Annihilation seems completely within reason and Garland successfully plants the seed of “what if?” this time to flourish into a beautiful nightmare, a truly inspired and inspiring take on a genre that often angles to the cheap and easy way out. Meanwhile, the ensemble, which also includes Oscar Isaac, Tuva Novotny, and Gina Rodriguez successfully sell the dream of this ornate illusion with just enough answers to keep us, the viewer, on the hook up to the bitter end, only to be filled with a thousand more questions with room for discussion. A think piece to keep you on edge, Annihilation is rated R.


Feb 23 2018

Game Night

Max and Annie (Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams) are a highly competitive but loving couple, so when successful and older brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), invites them over for a special Game Night at his abode the duo is out to win all the marbles, so to speak. For funsies the evening’s game happens to be a live action kidnap drama, whodunit. Trouble is, the live action is real, and Max and Annie find themselves caught up in a real life kidnaping mystery, solving the plot will require their wit, wisdom, a bit of dumb luck, and their friends. Can they win this one? For the Gipper, maybe? Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and Written by Mark Perez this goofy romp sets up a few good laughs and equally chair squirming winces to make for a flash round of cinematic escapism. And, while the overall plot isn’t terribly advanced, and humor points don’t create the laugh riot it could be, the charm is still there, the heartbeat is well enough to let this baby roam free. Furthermore, Bateman and McAdams on screen chemistry is infectious and the rest of the ensemble including Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunburry, Sharon Horgan, and Jesse Plemons make for equally awkward and enjoyable interplay, one could say they’re great fellow contestants in the game. A fun distraction if you’ve already exhausted all of your Oscar watch list, Game Night is rated R.