“Thank You for Your Service” (Drama: 1 hour, 49 minutes)

Starring: Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale and Joe Cole

Director: Jason Hall

Rated: R (Profanity, violence, gore, sexual content, drug material and nudity)

Movie Review: Jason Hall received an Academy Award nomination for his writing for “American Sniper” (2014). Hall knows how to script war movies and its aftereffects. Here, he directs this feature based on David Finkel’s book about Iraqi war veterans.

“Thank You for Your Service” offers a thought-provoking view of the challenges for returning soldiers from war.

Adam Schumann (Teller), Solo (Koale) and Billy Waller (Cole) are United States soldiers. They return from Iraqi war zones, each struggling to integrate military and civilian life. They suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from their experiences from war. Their largest battle may be the one in their heads.

The cast delivers fine performances. Although these roles are becoming too common, people suffering from traumatic life circumstances, Teller, currently starring in “Only the Brave” manages to propel his role in an agreeable manner. 

Koale and Waller also add defining turns as fellow Army soldiers. Koale is superior here. He adds plenty and often appears as if he is really suffering from PTSD. Cole is only on the screen for a short period of time but he offers plenty in a well-acted role.

As a director, Hall gives you a moment to know the characters. He also allows one to see their struggles with family, friends and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hall allows viewers to experience these men’s problems. In doing so, one has to be sympathetic to their plight as patriots, even if the screenplay does not allow one to become emotionally invested. 

Grade: B (Honorable.)

“Suburbicon” (Crime/Mystery: 1 hour, 45 minutes)

Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Noah Jupe and Oscar Isaac

Director: George Clooney

Rated: R (Profanity, sexuality and violence)

Movie Review: Creativity is a lost art for modern cinemas. George Clooney, Grant Heslov and brothers Ethan and Joel Coen offer that. 

This crime-genre piece offers plenty of creativity, yet it tries to combine racial justice, crime, love and money in a manner that is overly complex. Even more, the narrative’s presentation ruins the mystery. 

Suburbicon is a peaceful suburban community during the summer of 1959. That tranquility disappears during a home invasion. The Lodges, a family of four, Gardner Lodge (Damon), his wife, Rose (Moore), their son, Nicky (Jupe), and Rose’s sister, Margaret (also Moore), are tied up and gassed. 

The actors and Clooney do their best, but this story, as creative as it is, is a shabby execution. The sequences are a mixture of haphazardly gathered scenes that nix the mystery initially set by the beginning scene. 

Even more, the story has additions that are not necessary. The addition of the Afro-American family living next door going through race relations problems is a distraction. and adds little to the movie.

Clooney, et al, had a mission with this story They create an amusing, engrossing plot. Neat characters are in abundance, but the onscreen personas only partially emerge in a realistic manner that facilitates the story.

Grade: C+ (Interesting suburbia)

“Jigsaw” (Horror/Crime: 1 hour, 32 minutes)

Starring: Tobin Bell, Matt Passmore and Callum Keith Rennie

Directors: Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig

Rated: R (Sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and profanity)

Movie Review: “Jigsaw” is a sequel and a prequel of sorts for “Saw” (Director James Wan, 2004) and its six sequels. The plot is merely a point to return Tobin Bell to the role that made his voice a household name, the serial killer Jigsaw. 

Otherwise, the story is absurd.

After several gruesome murders in a city, law-enforcement officials believe a copycat killer is imitating one of the most infamous murderers, Jigsaw. An investigation ensues and the evidence indicates the suspect is John Kramer, the original Jigsaw. The problem is Kramer has been dead for 10 years, death due to a brain tumor.

Character motives change constantly, matching the story. The movie bamboozles audiences to believe multiple people are the serial killer. The guessing wears thin as does a story that appears like the last seven movies.

The story is the most asinine part of this horror. Goofy sequences of present and past comprise the screenplay. They collide at just the correct moment explain why characters are committing the actions they do.

Far too often, characters plan actions for which they would have to be psychic or omnipotent. They continually predict the actions of others. This is implausible and only plausible in bad horror movies. The “Saw” franchise is repetitively bad.

Grade: D+ (The puzzle pieces do not fit)

“Let There Be Light” (Drama/Religion: 1 hour, 41 minutes)

Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Sam Sorbo, Daniel Roebuck

Director: Kevin Sorbo

Rated: PG-13 (Thematic material including alcohol and drug issues)

Movie Review: Kevin Sorbo makes his directorial debut for a screenplay, playing a role similar to the one he had in “God’s Not Dead” (Director Harold Cronk). The script is an uncreative venture. 

More important, the character shifts are far from persuasive, making this religious-based tale mediocre entertainment.

Dr. Sol Harkens (Sorbo) is the world’s most well-known atheist. His life changes after a near-death experience causes him to rethink the afterlife. He struggles for a bit before quickly converting to Christianity.

A devout atheist becomes a Christian with certainty after having an out-of-body experience. His sudden change appears fake. This is the focal point of the movie but it appears in weakly written material. Harkens’ transformation is too fast and a catalyst for his transformation is lackluster reasoning.

That unlikely scenario, plus the poor acting and overacting by several members of the cast, creates a less than par production. Additionally, the acting does not sway because the story is lackluster. 

Grade: D- (More light is necessary for this drama.)

“Only the Brave”

Biography/Drama: 2 hours, 13 minutes

Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rated: PG-13 (Profanity, violence, nudity, thematic elements and sexual innuendo)

Movie Review: Sean Flynn’s GQ article, “No Exit,” serves as the basis for this brilliantly executed movie of brave firefighters. Its basis is the true events regarding the courage of 20 men. First-class performances are the key to this well-scripted drama.

Granite Mountain Hotshots, an Arizona team of wildfire first-responders based out of Prescott, travel the United States often, putting out wildfires. They are led by seasoned firefighter Eric Marsh (Brolin). Just as the team’s youngest member, Brendan McDonough (Teller), prepares to leave to take care of his family, the team receives fateful orders to fight a blaze in the city of Yarnell.

Joseph Kosinski (”Oblivion,” 2013, starring Tom Cruise) directs this film about bravery, brotherhood and sacrifice. Most people are going to walk into this movie having never heard about this story. This will make it a greater treat. No knowledge of the end makes the movie entrancing.

Several members of the cast offer outstanding portrayals.

Josh Brolin is exceptional. He plays this role with zeal. Even more, the role fits him in a manner that makes the movie more persuasive.

Miles Teller joins Brolin. Teller is a good actor, one of the best of young actors. Check out his performance in “Whiplash” (2014) to confirm his abilities. Teller is just as effective here.

Also, Jennifer Connelly and Jeff Bridges offer nice performances as supporting characters.

“Only the Brave” is a nice film to pay respect to the featured first responders and others that risk dangerous situations every day to save lives. The cast is superb and writers Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer do a good job giving audiences a chance to know its characters. When danger comes, audiences feel like they are there with them, trying to survive.

Grade: B (A good homage to brave men …)

“Marshall”

Biography/Drama: 1 hour, 58 minutes

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad and Kate Hudson

Director: Reginald Hudlin

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, thematic elements and profanity)

Movie Review: Boseman is a talented actor. However, he bears little resemblance to Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Despite that observation, “Marshall” is an engaging movie. It provides a fresh, modern perspective of a young Thurgood Marshall battling through one of his toughest cases.

Alongside fellow attorney Sam Friedman (Gad), Marshall, an NAACP advocate, must prove African-American Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown) did not sexually assault a Caucasian-American woman, Eleanor Strubing (Hudson). The case will not be an easy one. Marshall and a Jewish Friedman face racial obstacles and courtroom hindrances that will complicate their task.

“Marshall” becomes an engaging courtroom drama. The lawyers banter with each other, those on the witness stand and even the judge, played nicely by James Cromwell. Kate Hudson is especially appealing as the supposed victim.

Boseman and Gad make the perfect legal duo. Their scenes together are dynamic and provide plenty of engaging moments. Boseman continues to show he is a solid actor. His notable roles are observable in “Get on Up” (2014) as the Godfather of Soul James Brown and as baseball player Jackie Robinson in “42” (2013). He is a noteworthy star.

Gad, known for his comedic presence in the movies “Frozen” (2013) and “The Wedding Ringer” (2015), is good as the novice lawyer. Gad’s character has never tried a criminal case; he is an insurance lawyer. He plays his role well. He and Boseman are a good pairing, even if they appear like a modern Abbott and Costello in a few scenes.

“Marshall” is a hip historical debut. It makes history relevant by making it dramatic in a style that modern audiences can relate. This is good, although the setting sometimes appears more 1990s in feel than the 1940s.

Perhaps, this is where Director Reginald Hudlin allows his past to enter the screenplay. Hudlin directed “House Party” (1990), “Boomerang” (1992) and “The Great White Hype” (1996). The director returns to his roots somewhat. His perceptive style works in “Marshall,” although, again, the contemporary style occasionally contradicts the period captured.

Grade: B (A savvy portrayal of Marshall becomes a good courtroom drama.)