Blade Runner 2049

A newer, legal model cyborg (Ryan Gosling), working as a Blade Runner for the LAPD, continues hunting and "retiring" older models and, after dispatching his latest target, discovers the remains of a female replicant with signs she gave birth some thirty years prior. Charged with eradicating the child, his quest leads him on an existential journey and into the path of an old, retired member of his profession (Harrison Ford) who had some connection to the case. While it is difficult for a sequel to tell a compelling story in its own right. Blade Runner 2049 not only does that, but resonates emotionally even more so than the original and made with the kinds of stunning visuals (courtesy of Roger Deakins) and incredible sound that have come to typify director Denis Villeneuve's work, even if the story remains somewhat baffling and impenetrable. Gosling is well cast in his role, Ford feels right at home, and Jared Leto has a great bit part as the megalomaniacal chairman of the new replicant production company.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Arrival

As a series of anomalous spacecrafts land in unusual locations around the globe without making their intentions clear, a melancholic linguist (Amy Adams) is drafted by a high ranking military official (Forrest Whitaker) to work alongside a scientist (Jeremy Renner) to determine the visitors' purpose before the world leaders commence an interplanetary war. Made with clear craftsmanship and transparent political undertones, Arrival quickly goes from involving to dull and redundant before arriving at a half-baked resolution that seems like it was taken out of the playbook of every popular sci-fi flick of the last twenty years. Denis Vileneuve, the film's talented and distinctive director, proves that his slow-burn style is not suited to every project and Adams' moody and detached performance has been met with glaring overpraise.

** out of ****

Sicario

After witnessing the latest cartel horror house as part of an FBI tactical team, a novice but talented agent (Emily Blunt) is recruited by a dubious team of federal agents, led by a law bending cowboy (Josh Brolin) with the aid of a mysterious liaison (Benicio del Toro), in an effort to root out a nefarious drug lord. Sicario is gripping, murky and unrelenting, brilliantly directed by Denis Villeneuve, with crisp, haunting cinematography from Roger Deakins, and superb performances from the well cast principle performers. Not only serving as a petrifying imminent issues movie and conversation stirrer but standing on its own as a meticulously crafted thriller, even if these lines are blurred in the end as the film lends itself more towards a revenge picture.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Enemy

A depressed, lonely professor (Jake Gyllenhaal) rents a B grade movie and notices a stand-in actor who appears to be his doppelganger and decides to track the man down, eventually becoming involved a dangerous game of deceit and treachery. Denis Villeneuve's Enemy takes the slow burn approach, offering little dialogue and fine performances from Gyllenhaal and Sarah Gadon although this twisty, effective thriller is hurt somewhat by its lack of direction and ambiguities, especially in the concluding scene.

*** out of ****

Prisoners

The daughters of a rural Pennsylvanian handyman (Hugh Jackman), his wife (Maria Bello), and their next door neighbors (Terrence Howard and Viola Davis) vanish without a trace during a dinner party. When the lead detective on the case (Jake Gyllenhaal) interrogates a suspicious, feeble minded suspect (Paul Dano) to no avail and is forced to set him free, the father takes it upon himself to get answers from the suspect. Prisoners is a B thriller, dressed up with A money and a star cast, and drawn out needlessly to two and a half hours which are compounded by unrelenting suspense music, Roger Deakins photography that calls attention to itself, and Hugh Jackman. Gyllenhaal, one of the more reliable working actors, carries the ball about as far as he can and Howard and Davis are strong in throwaway roles.

Incendies

A set of Canadian twins, male and female, of Middle Eastern descent, learn at their mother's will reading that her last wishes include both of them delivering letters to their thought to be dead father and a brother they never knew they had. Separately, the siblings embark on a journey that will reveal dark secrets about their family's past, and as these discoveries are revealed we see the tumultuous path their mother's life took up until her passing. Canadian export and Foreign Film Oscar nominee Incendies is a powerful film from director Denis Villeneuve that wonderfully tells a harsh story through the use of a complicated dual narrative structure which it pulls off well. Lubna Azabal is excellent as the mother and must undergo a wide range of emotions on her brutal journey which she conveys superbly. It's been quite awhile since a film's twist has taken me aback, yet this film's secret is shocking and unexpected. Incendies is an example of filmmaking that tells a great story yet challenges at the same time.