Film

“Excuse me. is this 34th Street?”

Rebel rouser

There was a quick little moment in the very first Star Wars (now known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) when a character mentions rebels possibly obtaining vulnerability secrets regarding the Death Star.

That group of people actually gets their own movie in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a Star Wars spinoff that’s technically another prequel. It, in fact, tells a story that leads right up to when A New Hope begins. It’s a strong, rousing action adventure movie that should please Star Wars geeks along with newcomers to the franchise.

It’s also a little different than your typical Star Wars movie in that it doesn’t mainly deal with the Skywalker saga—although a couple of them make notable appearances—and doesn’t prominently feature the John Williams score (although that makes some appearances, as well). Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) goes for something a little different here, a tonal shift reminiscent of the big change The Empire Strikes Back brought to the saga.

The film starts without the long crawl and theme music we’re used to, and goes straight into its story. Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a renowned scientist, gets an unwelcome visit at his remote farm from the evil Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). Krennic wants Erso to continue his work on this crazy new thing called the Death Star, but Erso isn’t interested. The whole emerging Empire thing has got him generally turned off, and he wants no part of it. Bad events ensue, and Erso’s young daughter, Jyn, goes into hiding.

The action picks up 15 years later, and Jyn has grown up to be played by Felicity Jones. Jones brings the same level of competent acting skills to the franchise that Daisy Ridley brought last year in The Force Awakens (and they both have awesome English accents). Jyn eventually finds herself joining the Rebellion, and becomes a key player in getting the

Death Star secrets and setting up the events that will become the original Star Wars trilogy. She gets paired up with a generally grouchy rebel in Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his wiseass droid, K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk). They go on that mission mentioned in Episode IV, leading up to an action-packed finale that’s reminiscent of the climactic A New Hope battle scene in many ways, some of them truly unexpected and wonderful. (There are some rather surprising cameos.) Among the returnees from the original trilogy and prequels is Bail Organa, still played by Jimmy Smits, a surprising nod to the prequels that displeased so many. CGI trickery—some of it a little shaky—leads to the return of a major Empire figure that won’t be revealed in this review. And, of course, the commercials have already shown that Darth Vader (still gloriously voiced by James Earl Jones) is back in all of his evil glory. That’s a major Star Wars treat. The score by Michael Rogue One: Giacchino isn’t all that bad, but it does riff on the original John A Star Wars Story Williams themes, leading one to wonder why they didn’t use the 12345 original music throughout. There are moments when Giacchino’s Director: Gareth Edwards music uses the first phrase of the Starring: Felicity Jones, Ben original score themes, but then Mendelsohn, Diego Luna goes off in another direction. It feels like a bit of a tease. Understandably, the goal here is to make a standalone Star Wars movie, but it’s very much a Star Wars movie, so teasing the original score with new, similar music is a distraction. This year has been a major letdown for big blockbusters (Ghostbusters, Jason Bourne, Independence Day: Resurgence, etc.), so it’s nice to finish the year on such a high note. Rogue One is a blast, and further proof that Mickey Mouse taking over the Star Wars responsibilities from creator George Lucas is a very good thing. Star Wars VIII comes to us next year, and a standalone Han Solo origin story the year after that. There was a time when we had to wait many years for our Star Wars fixes. In this, the New Age of Total Impatience, we get Star Wars every year. The New Age of Total Impatience most certainly has its perks. Ω

4Arrival Director Denis Villeneuve has made one of the year’s best science fiction films. Amy Adams stars as Dr. Louise Banks, a linguistics teacher crippled by visions of a daughter who died of a rare illness. She lives a life of seclusion, where the only thing she really does is teach her class and mope around her lakefront home. (Man, that must be one abnormally high paying teacher’s gig.) During class, a bunch of phones go off. A student instructs her to turn on the TV, and, bam, that’s how she discovers the planet seems to be getting a visit from an alien force. Strange giant pods have parked themselves all over the planet, and nobody knows their intent. A solemn military man (Forest Whitaker) shows up in Louise’s office and informs her the world needs her. She has a sense of purpose again. It isn’t long before she’s inside an alien ship trying to talk to the “Heptapods,” large, elephant-looking aliens with seven legs. She’s joined by a science officer played by a surprisingly low-key Jeremy Renner. This is a sci-fi movie that gives itself time to breathe.

4The Edge of Seventeen Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig makes an impressive debut with this darkly funny take on the life of a modern day high school outcast. Hailee Steinfeld gives her best performance since TrueGritas Nadine, a highly intelligent teen going through an awkward stage when her best friend (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her brother (Blake Jenner). Nadine is a practitioner of brutal honesty, which basically gets her ostracized at school and in trouble with her family. The only one who really stops to listen is her teacher (a hilarious Woody Harrelson) who actually has no choice given his profession. Craig’s screenplay is first rate, and her directing results in some great performances. Steinfeld is good enough here to be considered for her second Oscar nomination, while Jenner (who starred in this year’s EverybodyWantsSome!!) is equally good. Kyra Sedgwick is also very good in a supporting role as Nadine’s mother, while Hayden Szeto does excellent work as a high school boy who hasn’t mastered the art of properly asking somebody out. (His performance is all the more impressive because he’s over 30 playing 18.)

3Fences Denzel Washington directs and stars as Troy Maxson, an ex baseball player in the 1950s. It’s a role originated on Broadway in a 1987 Tony-winning performance by James Earl Jones. Washington starred in the 2010 Broadway revival, for which he also won a Tony, and now takes another shot at this great character penned by August Wilson. Viola Davis, who costarred with Washington on Broadway—yep, another Tony—plays Rose, Troy’s long-suffering wife. The two try to raise a son of their own (Jovan Adepo) while contending with Troy’s children from past relationships and present affairs. Some of 2016’s finest performances are in the movie, including Washington and, most notably, Davis, who should find herself in contention for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. The movie suffers from that feeling that it’s a filmed play. The staging is lackluster and drab, and some of the writing feels a tad melodramatic, far more suitable for a live performance than a motion picture. The whole thing would play much better as a TV movie rather than something for the big screen. Still, you can’t take away from Washington and Davis performances, and Washington definitely has a knack for getting great work from his cast.

5La La Land This is an all new, original musical from director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) that’s surprisingly low on melodrama while full of vibrancy, beautiful tunes, outstanding set pieces and a stunning sense of realism for a movie where the characters bust out singing. It’s the best original movie musical ever made. The story follows wannabe actress Mia (Emma Stone) and jazz composer Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) as they try to make it in crazy Los Angeles. They meet, they don’t like each other much at first, but then they fall in love, which provides Chazelle and his performers ample opportunities for musical numbers that surprise at every turn. In one of the year’s greatest scenes, the film opens on an L.A. traffic jam that evolves into a full-blown dance number featuring many extras and top notch editing and camera work that make the whole thing look like one shot. This solidifies Ryan Gosling as one of the best actors of his generation. He can wow you with insightful indies and carry big budget blockbusters. Now, with LaLaLand, he takes his game to a new level. He proves he can pretty much do anything when it comes to movie characters. He can sing with the best of them, he’s definitely no slouch when it comes to dancing, and he sure can play the piano after a few months of intensive training for the movie. (Those aren’t stunt hands playing the keys—those are Gosling’s.) Just like that, Gosling is a full-bodied star of the musical genre. Emma Stone is a mind-blowing revelation. She doesn’t just make her mark with a beautiful voice and expert footwork—she embodies the character with the honest and almost tragic drive to “make it” in the business.

5Manchester By the Sea Be prepared to get your heart ripped out by Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams in this—one of the more emotionally powerful movie experiences of 2016. Affleck plays Lee, uncle to Patrick (Lucas Hedges), who must return to his hometown and raise his nephew after his brother (Kyle Chandler) dies. Lee is a true mess, and we learn through flashbacks what got him to his messed up state. He’s battling some major past tragedy on top of his brother’s death, and there’s no telling how things will work out for him and Patrick. The flashbacks are brutal, revealing things that go beyond terrible, and it’s no wonder Lee has coping issues. Affleck has turned in good work before, but nothing like what he does in this film. He’s incredible. Williams turns in a blistering performance as Lee’s ex-wife, and a scene Affleck and Williams share together is guaranteed to knock you on your ass, and will probably earn them both Oscar nominations. Hedges is mighty good as the confused teen dealing with the loss of his dad and the presence of his somewhat strange uncle. Kenneth Lonergan directs from his own screenplay, and he’s put together some kind of movie miracle. His last big film was YouCanCountOnMe16 years ago. He’s definitely one of the great cinema comeback stories of 2016.

4Nocturnal Animals Amy Adams, on fire in 2016 even after you factor in BatmanvSuperman:Dawn ofJustice, plays Susan Morrow, a bizarre art gallery owner stuck in a rut. Her bland but gorgeous husband (Armie Hammer—also having a good year) is ambivalent toward her, and she’s borderline broke and generally unhappy. She gets a manuscript in the mail from ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). He was a struggling writer when the two were together, but now he just might have the novel that could get his career going. Susan agrees to read the advance copy, and the story within freaks her out, to say the least. The film’s screenplay, written by Ford and based on the novel by Austin Wright, then goes on an ultra-clever route. We see the story play out as Susan reads it and, as many of us often do, Susan casts the main character in the novel, Tony Hastings, as somebody she knows—her ex-husband. So Gyllenhaal plays two roles in the film: Edward in flashbacks and Tony, husband of Laura (Isla Fisher) and father to India (Ellie Bamber), in her visualization of the novel. One of the great tricks of the movie is that it remains a mystery whether or not the events in the novel are based on events in the larger narrative, or just act as a symbolic representation of the cruelties Susan inflicted upon Edward when she left him. Also, we never really know if Edward is somebody who simply wrote a chilling thriller and wants his ex-wife’s honest opinion, or if he’s sending her a message. Michael Shannon is excellent as a lawman living on borrowed time. It’s an alternately scary, funny, thrilling movie that is expertly performed.