“Arrival” (Science Fiction: 1 hour, 54 minutes)

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Rated: PG-13 (Strong language)

Movie Review: Ted Chiang’s “Story of Your Life” serves as the basis for this artistic feature. 

It is more than science fiction. It poses a story about communication, love and time. Aliens are just a catalyst for something greater. If you are searching for an alien invasion movie where humans fight for survival, this is not the movie.

“Arrival” is a mental narrative. An artful movie that entertains, providing a mystery and an alternative view of humanity’s fate. 

Dr. Louise Banks (Adams), a professor of linguistics, and Dr. Ian Donnelly (Renner) are recruited by the military, led by Col. Weber (Whitaker), and the CIA to assist in communications with large cephalopod-type extraterrestrials, called Heptapods. 

Banks becomes the United States’ best asset when she begins translating the aliens’ written language, which appears circular, abstract splotches. Banks, still grieving the loss of her daughter, begins having dreams involving her daughter and an unknown girl. The Heptapods give Banks a new lease on life.

Usually, alien movies involve destruction and humans running and screaming while trying to defeat an unstoppable foe. The enemy this time is humanity and the constant desire of humans to dominate each other.

Heptapods offer humanity a chance to work together. The problem is no one can understand the Heptapods’ written language. The situation also offers a chance for Professor Banks to resolve grieving her deceased daughter. Through grief, Banks finds her humanity and a purpose.

Adams plays Banks with purpose. Adams is a potent actress. She dazzles in movies. The most notable is “American Hustle” (2013). Adams’ sincerity is her strength. She plays her characters with a noted zeal. She is exceptional here.

Director Denis Villeneuve takes a short story and makes it artful. It entertains via its manner to create a mystery. Eric Heisserer extends that mystery through its runtime via nice writing.

All works well, but some scenes are choppy. The transitions from scene to scene and flashback to flashback have sharp contrasts sporadically. The moments are not smooth, and the scenes sometimes appear to move immediately into the next without a gradual shift. The juxtaposed scenes appear to negate logical time. It is disjointing and appears as bad editing. Such mishaps impede the story occasionally, but they are minor.

Of course, some of the quick shifts from scene to scene have to do with the story presented. Time is an intricate part of the story. It is part of a larger mystery audiences must solve.

Villeneuve (“Sicario,” 2015; and “Prisoner,” 2013) knows how to create a suspenseful movie. He and Heisserer create a riveting movie, even if perplexing at points. A different take on alien movies is engaging. 

Grade: B (The alien arrival is timely.)

“Almost Christmas” (Comedy/Drama: 1 hour, 51 minutes)

Starring: Danny Glover, Mo’Nique, Gabrielle Union, Kimberly Elise and Omar Epps

Director: David E. Talbert

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, profanity, suggestive material, violence and drug content)

Movie Review: “Almost Christmas” is a timely insertion for the coming holiday season. 

It is an emotive movie. However, it strains to be a comedy with stereotypical elements when its greatest asset is its dramatic moments.

Walter Meyers (Glover) just wants his family to spend Christmas together. It will be the family’s first yuletide celebration after the death of Grace Meyers (A. Sabrena Farmer), Walter’s wife and the family matriarch. The Meyers are a dysfunctional family, and their holiday gathering during five days will be anything but smooth. 

Some nice emotions exist in this holiday movie. It is about meeting to share love, and they love each other. Even more, the family is still coming to terms with the death of a wife and mother. That is the dramatic part of the family tale.

However, some members of the family dislike one another. They may love each other, but they disapprove of some of their family members. This drives comical elements and provides laughs. A number of the laughs work well to inspire entertainment. 

The dramatic portions far exceed the comical parts. The comedy is overacted and feels too staged. Mo’Nique overacts, but she is good during the dramatic scenes. Glover acts as the film’s center with Union. 

Director-writer David E. Talbert spends too much time going for laughs with his screenplay. He misses key opportunities to explore his characters more fully. Talbert tries to make all of his characters relevant by giving them each a problem that the love of family can solve, yet the overripe comedy interferes with this attempt.

Comedy and family problems are both in overabundance. It is a shame considering “Almost Christmas” is a touching feature otherwise.

Grade: C+ (Just days and few laughs away …)

“Shut In” (Thriller: 1 hour, 31 minutes)

Starring: Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay and Oliver Platt

Director: Farren Blackburn

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, gore, thematic elements images, nudity, and brief strong language)

Movie Review: As a thriller, “Shut In” is psychodrama with clichéd scenes. 

The photoplay needs therapy. It plays like a yo-yo, and the back-and-forth moments do not help.

Mary Portman (nicely played by Watts) is a child psychologist and widow raising her paraplegic stepson in a rural New England town during a snowy winter. One of Portman’s client, a young boy named Tom (Tremblay), is missing, and Portman tries desperately to find the young man before something tragic happens to him. 

By the time this movie arrives at its apex, the audience needs something to help with adjusting to Watts’ Portman. She does not appear to know what is real. Conversely, neither does audiences. The movie tries to fool audiences when it is the biggest fool.

More important, the thrills are agonizing under the direction of Farren Blackburn, a television director mainly. Watts plays a character who keeps doing the same actions continuously. The actions are stupid. She is a psychologist, yet she does not know when she needs help.

Grade: C- (Get out to see other movies.)