Amy Adams Shines in "Arrival"

“Arrival” is Amy Adams’ moment to shine.

By Skip Sheffield

I have always admired Amy Adams as an actress, but never has she been asked to carry an entire movie on her slim shoulders.

Adams plays Dr. Louise Banks, a linguist at an unnamed college. Ms. Banks is approached out of the blue by Col. Weber (Forest Whitaker), who is trying to make sense of an invasion by 12 oval-shaped spaceships that are now hovered in 12 locations around the world.

Dr. Banks drops everything to do this mission. In the real world one might protest, wait a minute, what about her classes? One might also wonder how she scored such a dreamy seafront apartment on a teacher’s salary.

But this is not real life. This is science fiction, written by Eric Heissener from a story by Ted Chang, and directed by Denis Villeneuve (“Sicario”).

Science fiction has come a long way since “The Day The Earth Stood Still” (1951), with its deathless pronouncement “klaatu barada nikto.” Dr. Banks is charged with figuring out what the aliens, who look like giant octopi, with extra tentacles, want from us humans. The answer is surprising, and not scary.

Science fiction movies are often cautionary tales. Humans tend to fear the unknown. Certainly these weird creatures are not warm and cuddly. Dr. Banks is a linguist who seems to know every current language. The aliens communicate not with words but inky blotches. Jeremy Renner is along for the ride more for moral support than anything else. Dr. Banks needs it. She still mourns the death of her daughter to a rare, fatal disease. Tzi Ma plays the hawkish Chinese Gen. Chang, who thinks the answer is to blow the critters into oblivion.

“Arrival” is the best science fiction movie I have seen in many years. It makes you think, which is a good thing.

Not-So Marvelous Mumbo-Jumbo

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“Dr. Strange” Mysterious Mumbo-Jumbo

By Skip Sheffield

Marvel mumbo-jumbo. That pretty much describes “Doctor Strange,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

“You need to read the comic book,” said Al, my friend and fellow reviewer.

It would be difficult to get my hands on a 50-year-old Marvel Comics issue featuring the doctor with strange powers. My notes were as incomprehensible as the story itself. Suffice to say, I never read “Doctor Strange” or any other Marvel Comic, so I am at a distinct disadvantage of making heads or tails of this fantastic story.

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a celebrated neurosurgeon. Early on he is in a horrendous auto accident. His hands, which are the tools of his trade, are badly damaged. After moping around, he travels to Katmandu (of course) and encounters the mystical Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofer) and the even more mystical Ancient One, played by Tilda Swinton with a clean-shaven head. The Ancient One bestows magical powers upon Dr. Strange. Sparks fly out from his now healed hands. It helps him fight the bad guy, played by Mads Mikkelson. Dr. Strange gets help from the ever-lovely Rachel McAdams as a fellow doctor.

“Doctor Strange” is CGI special effects dominated, including some really cool scenes when streets of Manhattan are accordioned up and folded. What it all means I haven’t the slightest idea. I have failed on my mission Captain, but check it out if you are of the Marvel Universe,

Moonlight in Miami

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A Made-in-Miami Masterwork: “Moonlight”

By Skip Sheffield

“Moonlight” made me feel melancholy, but not for the usual reasons of story or presentation.

“Moonlight” was shot entirely in Miami, in the blighted Liberty City neighborhood. Because of our short-sighted Florida legislators, the tax incentives that helped Florida reach number three in film and television production in the nation were eliminated last June. There was an immediate mass exodus of film and TV production people. Most went to Georgia, which has some of the most industry-friendly incentives in the country.

“Moonlight” is a small, intimate film, shot on a shoestring budget. Furthermore it has a subject matter that is not mass audience-friendly.

It is about a black boy called “Little” (Ashton Sanders). Little, whose given name is Chiron, is bullied and tormented by his classmates. At his young age he is branded a “faggot.”

Chiron grows into a teenager played by Alex Hibbert. Finally he grows into a young man played by Trevante Rhodes. Similarly Chiron’s best friend Kevin is played by three different actors in various stages of life.

It is bad enough Chiron is poor, black and gay. To compound matters his mother Paula (Naomie Harris) is a crackhead with an abusive boyfriend (Mahershala Ali).

“Moonlight” is no romp about sun and fun in Miami. It shines a light on people we don’t see or choose not to see. As such this movie is a compassionate glimpse on those on the margins of society, so close but so far away from the wealth and privilege of South Florida.

A Hot Korean Costume Drama

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Hot Romantic Intrigue in “The Handmaiden”

By Skip Sheffield

“The Handmaiden” is a kind of Asian Masterpiece Theatre filled with intrigue, twists, sumptuously beautiful sets, costumes and a healthy dollop of torrid girl-on-girl sex.

If that got your attention, read on. The story is set in Korea in the 1930s during the brutal Japanese occupation. The handmaiden of the title is Sook-Hee (Kim Tae-Vi), a bright and pretty orphaned Korean girl who got her education in the streets as a pickpocket. Sook-Hee is recruited by a con man who calls himself Count Fujiwara (Jung-Woo Ha). The bogus Japanese Count wants Sook-Hee to become handmaiden to the beautiful, lonely heiress named Lady Hideko, who is legitimate Japanese royalty and quite wealthy. Count Fujiwara wants Sook-Hee to ingratiate herself with Lady Hideko so that she may plant seeds of desire in the lady for the alleged Count. Then Fujiwara would sweep in, sweep Lady Hideko off her feet, marry her, then have her declared mad and committed to an asylum so he can steal her fortune. But first he must get past Hideko’s controlling Uncle Kouzuki (Jin-wong Jo), who has his own designs on her fortune.

Count Fujiwara is a villain of the lowest sort, so when his plan goes off the rails, it is quite satisfying.

Director Chan Wook Park co-wrote the screenplay, based on Sarah Waters’ 2002 novel “Fingersmith.” He previously directed the violent, intriguing “Oldboy” and “Lady Vengeance.” “The Handmaiden” is in both Korean and Japanese. To help keep things straight, the Japanese subtitles are in yellow. Be prepared to invest some time. The movie is two hours 24 minutes long. This movie could be considered a feminist triumph, Korean-style. I have been to both Korea and Japan, and I know the cultures are quite different. Let’s just say the Koreans are a lot more hot-blooded. It doesn’t get much hotter than when the women turn the tables on the scheming men.

A Condo Commando in Sweden

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Sweden Has Condo Commandos Too

By Skip Sheffield

In America, “A Man Called Ove” would be called a condo commando.

Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is a bitter 59-year-old Swedish widower whose position as former block association president enables him to make life miserable for all around him. “Ove,” based on Fredrik Backman’s novel and directed by Hannes Holm, is the official Swedish selection for this year's Academy Awards.

Fifty-nine is not really that old, but life has beaten Ove down. He has lost his longtime job with the railroad. The death of his wife Sonja (Ida Engvoll) was the final straw in his disillusionment. Every day Ove puts flowers on Sonja’s grave, then reacts with a vengeance against any infraction of block association rules. A new couple moves in with their two daughters, and promptly flattens Ove’s mail box with their car. It’s not an auspicious introduction. Making matters worse is the pregnant mother, Parvaneh (Bahar Pars) is Persian (Iranian) and the father Patrick (Tobias Almborg) is Swedish. Ove was brought up to believe things should be a certain way. We see his development through flashbacks as a young Ove (Filip Berg).

“A Man Called Ove” is a parable of coexistence in a fractured, changing world. In what amounts to a dark running gag, Ove is repeatedly interrupted attempting to hang himself. If you guess Parvanah and her charming girls will bring new life to Ove, you guessed right. Ove even adopts a stray cat, though he loathes felines. He saves a man’s life, then refuses to take any credit for his heroism.

Rolf Lassgard is a Swedish actor whose mastery transcends all languages. The dialogue is Swedish, with English subtitles, but they are hardly necessary, as the actions and emotions are so well-expressed. Yes the story is predictable, yet it is still uplifting. If you want to feel a little better about the world, see this movie.

Slow Burn Theatre Hits a Peak With "Hunchback of Notre Dame"

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A “Hunchback” for The Ages at Broward Center

By Skip Sheffield

Slow Burn Theatre Company has reached a new peak with “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” onstage through Nov. 6 in the Amaturo Theatre of Broward Center for the Arts.

This complicated Swiss watch of a production has Slow Burn’s largest cast, most beautiful voices, best orchestra intricate set and amazing lighting. Even a major sound glitch in the middle of the aptly-named “Topsy Turvy” failed to derail the show’s power.

Director-choreographer Patrick Fitzwater simply came onstage and said “We need to reboot.”

In today’s computer-controlled shows, when a crash occurs it is best to stop, fix the problem and continue where you left off.

“Hunchback” is based upon the 1996 Disney animated musical movie, which in turn was based on Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel. This new version (only one of five in the USA) features new songs by Alan Menkin (“The Little Mermaid”) and Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked,” “Godspell”).

The year is 1482, but there are eerie parallels to our current political and sociological climate. Instead of Muslims, the accursed people are Gypsies. One of them, the elderly Clopin (Trey Whittaker) sets the tale of two brothers; one wild and one pious. The pious brother grows up to be Frollo (Matthew Korinko), the head priest of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Frollo is rigid and authoritarian. When he learns his wayward brother had a deformed son, he grudgingly accepts the boy as his charge and names him Quasimodo (Bobby Cassell).

Quasimodo is a virtual prisoner in the bell tower of Notre Dame, but he will have one chance to romp on the “Feast of Fools,” when even Gypsies are allowed to come out and dance. It does not turn out well for Quasimodo, but he does meet enchanting Esmeralda (Shenise Nunez), whose allure also enchants stalwart Capt. Phoebus (Landon Summers) and unfortunately stirs forbidden thoughts in pious Frollo.

This version hews more closely to the original Victor Hugo story, so it is much darker (and more realistic) than the sanitized Disney cartoon. The score is quite sumptuous, combining churchly Latin masses with pop songs to advance the story. The already rich onstage singing is enhanced by a choir, housed in boxes stage right and left. The orchestra, led by Caryl Fantel, is unseen in a pit, hence the emergency when the actors could no longer hear the music. Shenise Nunez must have had the music in her head, because she kept on dancing “The Rhythm of the Tambourine” as if nothing were wrong.

Bobby Cassell is the all-around utility player, playing Quasimodo with a disconcertingly beautiful voice and even serving as fight choreographer with Landon Summers. One could go on for several more pages lauding the various players, but my advice is to see it for yourself. This is regional theater at its very best.

Tickets are $47, $52.50 and $60. Call 954-462-0222 or 800-745-3000 or go to www.browardcenter.org.

Can The Holocaust Unite Unruly Youth?

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Can the Holocaust Bring Kids Together?

By Skip Sheffield

Imagine if the Holocaust could bring together a multiracial, alienated, antagonistic group of high school youth in a French suburb, and go on to win a national prize?

That is the premise of “Once in a Lifetime,” and the best part is it is true.

The script was co-written by director Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar with Ahmed Drame, who plays one of the students, Malik, an aspiring filmmaker. Drame was a 10^th grade student at Lycee Leon Blum in 2009. He was a participant in a class project proposed by History and Art teacher Anne Gueguen (Ariane Ascaride). The subject was a heavy one: the child victims of the Holocaust in Nazi concentration camps.

To set the stage, we see a Muslim girl being refused to receive her diploma because she insisted in wearing her Habib.

“I’m proud to be a Muslim,” she declares.

On top of the usual teenage rivalries, there is an undercurrent of anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish sentiment in what was once a mostly Christian student body. The influx of refugees from the Muslim former French colony of Algeria has greatly taxed France’s infrastructure, and nowhere is it felt more keenly than among the young. We see everyday acts of cruelty and brutality between the ethnic types.

Calmly and methodically, Mrs. Gueguen tends her unruly herd; setting ground rules: no caps, no headphones in class. We see the subtle power Mrs. Gueguen wields when she takes a day off to attend her mother’s funeral. The class goes wild under the poor substitute teacher. When Mrs. Gueguen returns (after being reprimanded by the school principal), she shocks with a dose of reality when she invites a Holocaust survivor to speak to the class. Leon Zyguel speaks with such passion and eloquence he moves the students to tears. Finally they are willing to work in small groups as part of a larger team to compete in the National Contest for Resistance and Deportation.

For those who despair about the youth of today, this movie provides a beacon of hope. If it can work in an unruly, multicultural school in France, perhaps it could in the USA.