The Accountant (2016) � Trying to be Smart

Copyright: Warner Bros. Pictures

Nothing is too much when it comes to this film, which is why it is so loaded with different snippets of ideas and narrative threads. The plot itself is relatively straightforward � Christian Wolff, a forensic accountant that is brilliant and a high-functioning autistic is hired by a tech company that wants to understand where their money is going. However, the company does not know Christian is used to working for all types of dangerous organizations, from terrorists to crime syndicates.

At the same time, two other factions are also working on this case, but only one of them is a national agency. The other group is represented by mercenaries/hit men who want to resolve the problem, no matter it might turn out to be by leaving a pile of dead bodies in their wake.

Using a combination of fast-paced action and flashbacks that showcase the childhood of a mentally and emotionally challenged boy and his brother, The Accountant is a movie that immediately seems �smart�. It hops around the plot with these backstory building blocks, combining a standard thriller with the idea of a mystery film.  Who are the boys and which one, if any, is Christian?

Other elements of the backstory are also presented through his strange memento moments and all do wonders as fragments of a broader film�s narrative. However, all of this also competes for the viewers� attention when it comes to the present mystery of the missing money and the hailstorm of problems that will soon be upon everyone�s heads.

Yet, in spite of this, there is a sour feel to the film. The best way to describe it is to point towards Interstellar and the way it (although on a much larger scale) tried to sell itself as a lot smarter and profound than it really was. Here as well, there is that unmistakable feeling of the authors desperately trying to make everyone not think their film is plain by any measure. It is as if everyone had to come out of the theater thinking �that was some deep yet very gunfire-and-action laden experience�. Here the mandatory runtime of over 120 minutes is also present, even though 100 minutes would do perfectly.

Now, while there are plenty of witty things in the film, it�s by no means a thriller which propagates any kind of message or deeper idea. It�s fun but not as smart as it tries to be, which is an ambition that is even further decimated by Anna Kendrick playing her cut yet confused character she did so many times before.

MFM's Best Movies of 2016

2016 was the year when I saw a really small amount of films, both good and bad. But, being that 2017 arrived, it's that time to reflect and divide the fine films from the mediocre ones. Because of that, here's my list of the best films I saw in the previous year.

Hail, Caesar! - The Coen Brothers at their silver medal level - the film tries to be overtly funny, which always produces weaker results than their thrillers (A Serious Man doesn't count). Still, one of the best oddball comedies of the year.

Deadpool - many swear by it and it is a good film, but only when it remains in the AAA superhero genre. Out of it, both Defendor and Super (even Kick-Ass to a point) did a better job at destroying superhero cliches in a lot crueler manner.

Zootopia - cute and smart, Zootopia does what it plans to do, even though it is a bit more soulless compared to the true animated masterpieces like Wall-E.

Star Trek Beyond - fun and mindless, it's director Jason Lin managed to create a fine space opera. The philosophy and thoughtfulness of Star Trek are dead and buried, but we have J.J. Abrams to thank for that, so Lin simply made the best out of a bad deal.

Midnight Special - runner up to the film of the year, Nichols tried to reinvent the Close Encounter of the Third Kind and didn't fail completely. It might not be Mud, but it is good to see him stepping out of his family-oriented domain, knowing it is his strong suit. Hopefully, he returns to it even more poignant.

Film of the Year

Green Room - ultra-violent and original, Green Room is the perfect example of Jeremy Saulnier's power in the innovative thriller genre. As nazis vs punks movie, it has a lot more going for it than the exploitation flavor, but it still uses it for all its worth. Saulnier should have a great career in front of him, as long as he steers clear of Star Wars 11 and similar stuff people will throw at him now.

Film Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Copyright: Paramount Pictures

I can only describe a film like 10 Cloverfield Lane as a classy thriller horror. I say classy because it does provide a certain level of style and commitment that elevates it above what most other three-man movies with a story vaguely similar to this one.

As a spiritual successor of Cloverfield which has nothing to do with the previous film aside from the idea that regular people are placed into unexpected, enormous and outwardly danger, the film comes with the burden or recognition and expectations. But, in spite of this, the �sequel� works pretty well in its narrow (literally and figuratively) playing field. Of course, the original Cloverfield did not have John Goodman, an actor who can make all the difference for a movie.

Here, Goodman didn�t have to swoop in and save the day because the rest of the film is solid. Its director, Dan Trachtenberg created his first-time feature-length but he found his bearings rather well, keeping things minimal much in the same way as the plot � the film covers a Michelle, a young woman who is in a car crash, after which she wakes up in an underground bunker, where a man claims the world is under a total chemical or biological attack. The woman and the captor/savior, along with a young man, are locked in the bunker.

From the initial premise, the film quickly develops several narratives, but the two are important: a lifeboat scenario mixed in with an investigative sub-plot. In the confinement of the bunker, Goodman was able to show off his talent, but so was Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the relentless Michelle. Their interplay works exceedingly well when the tension is cranked up and this is the primary driving force of the film.

Through its short run-time, Trachtenberg is able to keep a steady hold of the reigns and steer 10 Cloverfield Lane into a satisfying conclusion (along with a very J. J. Abrams touch to its finale, which was included in the production). As a small horror/psychological thriller, the film attained its maximal potential.

Film Review: Warcraft (2016)

Copyright: Universal Pictures

Great young directors will often be provided with a chance to enter the realm of huge Hollywood blockbusters and showcase their ability to tackle projects on this scale. Duncan Jones, whose talent after films like Moon is indisputable, got his break with the first feature-length movie adaptation of the Warcraft video game franchise.

Jones should have said no, but he instead tried to do the best he could, which wasn�t that great when all is summed up. In the film, the beginning stages of the orc invasion of the realm of Azeroth begins, all masterminded by Gul'dan � if this doesn�t mean a lot to you, you probably won�t enjoy the rest of the action-packed film which is not that action packed. 

Lead by a weird assembly of actors, some of which are both very good and poorly cast, which is presented perfectly with the case of Ben Foster, the Warcraft film is lacking clear direction and some final sense of purpose. 

Instead of being an epic fantasy film, it feels like an epic pilot episode for a new TV show. In the dynamic of the film, the perspectives are switched between human side and the orc side, showing a series of both internal and external power struggles, all of which kind of make no sense in the global scheme of things.

Visually, things never stop looking great, in spite of some plastic-looking props that are painfully not made out of metal. Here, some magic of being in the realm of Azeroth is there, cropping up periodically, but it is not enough. Unlike the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, the film has a hard time making the audience believe that it�s worlds are not only CGI stages filled with Styrofoam weapons. The plot suffers from the very same thing and this is not improved by the �it shall continue� ending.

I�m not sure who pulled whom and who much during the decade-long production of this movie, but in the end, everyone came up short. Warcraft is not a boring experience � however, it does its source material and creators no justice whatsoever.

Film Review: Midnight Special (2016)

Copyright: Warner Bros. Pictures

Jeff Nichols is an authentic voice in the American movie industry. His relatively small body of work includes brilliant films like Mud and Take Shelter which offers a colorful (even though rarely cheerful) setting where he is free to explore the thing that really fascinates him: family. In his latest film Midnight Special, the same process is present, but this time, the setting is way beyond anything he created before.

On some levels, the story about a boy who is clandestinely escorted by his father and his friend who believe he possesses a supernatural power plays out as a vintage adventure film. Close Encounter of the Third Kind is a logical choice for a connection, but Midnight Special works on an entirely different tune. While the 1970�s Sci-Fi classic provided a sense of wonder and amazement, the same is practically non-existent here. 

Instead, in its place feelings like abandonment and desperation take root. The film doesn�t especially try to capitalize on them but adds them as passengers on the journey taken by the characters. This makes the film a very somber and ghostly experience, something that cuts deep and offbeat in the tech thriller and chase segments which showcase what the government is trying to do to find and stop the main characters. I certain that there was a predefined dynamic how this should have played out, but the movie almost certainly doesn�t hit that mark, whatever it might have been.

The same goes for the cult moment the film presents, especially in its beginning. The boy is seen as a prophet by a group of people who function as a cult, while his parents are also members � it�s unclear if the cult grew around the boy, even though the film addresses this at one point.

It is possible that the same factor also threw off Michael Shannon, who plays the boy�s father. Shannon, an otherwise terrific actor, performs here as if he is playing a Biblical character � determined to a level of madness, full of rage and desperation. While in theory, this is in line with the rest of the plot, in practice looks weird and distracting, leaving Shannon as the ultimate sports dad who is trying to keep it cool even though he is boiling on the inside.

Midnight Special is a compact mystery science fiction, but also the weakest film made by Nichols to date. There is some family themes in it, but nothing that the director really could have used in his own distinctive style.

Crowdfunding Push: Dreaded Light

A new feature film is currently in the pre-production phase in the UK and it is looking for funding. However, the Dreaded Light comes with a slightly different way of finding the funds for this project. Led by Mark MacNicol, an industry veteran, here's some additional info about it:

A recently widowed father is struggling to cope with his grief as well as his two teenage daughters. The youngest has developed a fear of daylight � The eldest died when she was a baby.

Aside from a horror plot, the film provides an interesting, investment-like process for those who want to support it.

We applied for and received clearance on to a programme called Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme �SEIS�. It�s designed to give flagging industry sectors like film a boost. As a result any investment in Mark�s new feature film is very low risk thanks to a 70% refund (regardless of the film making a profit or not) by combining SEIS 50% with the film fund of 20%. In summary we�re giving you the opportunity to potentially make a profit, support the arts (in particular the struggling film sector) and also have some fun too. In addition we�re giving young people from socially excluded areas work experience on the film.

This means that potential funders can help make Dreaded Light happen while at the same time they end up making an investment. I always thought that was a sorely needed alternative in the independent movie-making industry and now it seems it is slowly becoming reality. If you might be interested in the project, check out the film's website here.

Crowdfunding Push: The Toymaker

There is a strange and inherent magic in the notion of toys, no matter where they come from, to whom they belong or what price tag they might once carried. A new mixture of a documentary and an animated feature desires to explore the idea of toys and how they made an impact on a man who produces them. 

This film is called the The Toymaker and it's currently in the final stretch of its crowdfunding. Here's how the movie presents itself on its official IndieGoGo page: 

THE TOYMAKER is a full-length film that mixes documentary, fiction and animation. It's about the life of the musician, collector and awarded Venezuelan toymaker Mario Calder�n. THE TOYMAKER is a true story, told by Mario and his toys. It is a travel back to childhood and memory, a mix of Toy Story and Buena Vista Social Club. THE TOYMAKER is a story about the importance of keeping alive our inner child.

The footage of the film looks really polished and the idea behind the film is rock-solid for a whimsical piece like this one. Currently, the crowdfunding attained slightly over 20% of its target with two days to go. Even though the project will likely not hit its target, this is a flexible campaign and the Toymaker deserves to happen.

Check out its IndieGoGo page here and see how you can help it out!