Then he’s adopted by cranky, hard-drinking outdoorsman John Thornton (Ford), who takes him on an exciting trek into Alaska’s uncharted wilderness where Buck discovers his inner ‘spirit’ wolf. (Ford also serves as the growly narrator of Buck’s story.)
Inevitably, there’s a melodramatic villain, Hal (Dan Stevens), a ruthless gold-seeker with a bristling mustache and a streak of sadistic cruelty.
And it’s magnificently photographed by Janusz Kaminski, best known for his collaboration with Steven Spielberg on “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Munich.”
FYI: Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild,” first published in 1903, has been adapted on film five times, not counting the “Peanuts” and animé. That includes the 1935 version with Clark Gable and Loretta Young, followed by Charlton Heston’s in 1972 and Rutger Hauer’s in 1997.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Call of the Wild” is a crowd-pleasing, resilient 7, a PG-rated, family-friendly adventure suited to children age eight and older.
After scoring a record-breaking opening weekend, the success of this iconic Sega character “Sonic the Hedgehog” proves that there’s still potential profit in CG/live-action video game movies.
Blue-furred, spiky-haired Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) comes from a faraway planet, where his phenomenal ability to run fast got him into trouble. A wise old owl (an “Obi-Wan who eats mice”) gives him a bag of magic teleport rings that open gateways to alien worlds but cautions him to keep a low profile and not attract unwanted attention.
So Sonic winds up near the tiny town of Green Hills, Montana, where he pretends to be part of the Wachowski household, although they don’t know he exists. To him, Sheriff Tom (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) are Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady.
But Sonic is lonely, very lonely. So lonely that he plays baseball by himself, racking up such speed that he creates a mysterious crackle of blue energy which knocks out power throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Panicked about the cause of the blackout, the Pentagon dispatches villainous Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to trap the “blue devil” whose motto is “Gotta go fast.”
Robotnik tells his henchman, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), that he was trained by “Native American Shadow Wolves,” referring to the real-life trackers who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Eventually, Sheriff Tom becomes Sonic’s ally, traveling to San Francisco to retrieve Sonic’s lost bag of rings from atop the Transamerica Pyramid.
Scripted by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, it’s directed by Jeff Fowler, who persisted after the outraged negative reaction to the original visual design of Sonic’s character, particularly his teeth.
Historically, movies based on video games — “Super Mario Bros,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Resident Evil,” even “Tomb Raider” — have not done as well as anticipated. But Sonic’s box-office bonanza may launch a new era of game adaptations.
On the Granger Gauge, “Sonic the Hedgehog” is a speed-demon 6, a blue blur, marking the 60th anniversary of Sega.
Gaining relevance in the wake of Washington D.C.’s recent whistleblower accusations, writer/director Scott Z. Burns’ hard-hitting thriller “The Report” chronicles the real-life struggle of Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver) to deliver a massive report on the human rights abuses committed by the CIA’s post-9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program.
Working on behalf of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led at that time by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening), Dan obsessively delves into CIA malfeasance with quasi-messianic determination.
But Feinstein realizes they must proceed with caution, since a strategic misstep could suppress their revelations.
Yes, there are highly disturbing flashbacks picturing the torture of suspected terrorists, including Gul Rahman, who died in captivity. The real villains turn out to be unqualified psychologists Bruce Jessen (Douglas Hodge) and James Mitchell (T. Ryder Smith), hired by the CIA to develop the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques program.
“I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to show that but then I spoke with Alberto Mora, general counsel for the United States Navy,” Burns explains. “He said the original sin is that the CIA destroyed these (interrogation) tapes because they knew if people saw what they did, it would have been over. He told me, ‘If you don’t show this, then you are compounding the sin.’”
“Accountability and the responsibility of Congress to provide oversight of the executive branch is a big part of what this movie is about,” concludes Burns, best known for his collaboration with Steven Soderbergh on “The Informant,” “Contagion,” “Side Effects” and “The Laundromat.”
Both Adam Driver and Annette Bening deliver convincing performances that were, unfortunately, overlooked last year during Oscar season — with supporting turns from Jon Hamm, Corey Stoll and Matthew Rhys.
Yet the grim Epilogue admits that no one responsible for the torture was ever punished, even when President Obama signed Executive Order 13491 which forbids torture, only “unless the Attorney General provides further guidance.”
On the Granger Gauge, “The Report” is a slow, yet significant 7, streaming on Amazon Prime.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
Then he’s adopted by cranky, hard-drinking outdoorsman John Thornton (Ford), who takes him on an exciting trek into Alaska’s uncharted wilderness where Buck discovers his inner ‘spirit’ wolf. (Ford also serves as the growly narrator of Buck’s story.)
Inevitably, there’s a melodramatic villain, Hal (Dan Stevens), a ruthless gold-seeker with a bristling mustache and a streak of sadistic cruelty.
And it’s magnificently photographed by Janusz Kaminski, best known for his collaboration with Steven Spielberg on “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Munich.”
FYI: Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild,” first published in 1903, has been adapted on film five times, not counting the “Peanuts” and animé. That includes the 1935 version with Clark Gable and Loretta Young, followed by Charlton Heston’s in 1972 and Rutger Hauer’s in 1997.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Call of the Wild” is a crowd-pleasing, resilient 7, a PG-rated, family-friendly adventure suited to children age eight and older.
After scoring a record-breaking opening weekend, the success of this iconic Sega character “Sonic the Hedgehog” proves that there’s still potential profit in CG/live-action video game movies.
Blue-furred, spiky-haired Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) comes from a faraway planet, where his phenomenal ability to run fast got him into trouble. A wise old owl (an “Obi-Wan who eats mice”) gives him a bag of magic teleport rings that open gateways to alien worlds but cautions him to keep a low profile and not attract unwanted attention.
So Sonic winds up near the tiny town of Green Hills, Montana, where he pretends to be part of the Wachowski household, although they don’t know he exists. To him, Sheriff Tom (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) are Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady.
But Sonic is lonely, very lonely. So lonely that he plays baseball by himself, racking up such speed that he creates a mysterious crackle of blue energy which knocks out power throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Panicked about the cause of the blackout, the Pentagon dispatches villainous Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to trap the “blue devil” whose motto is “Gotta go fast.”
Robotnik tells his henchman, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), that he was trained by “Native American Shadow Wolves,” referring to the real-life trackers who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Eventually, Sheriff Tom becomes Sonic’s ally, traveling to San Francisco to retrieve Sonic’s lost bag of rings from atop the Transamerica Pyramid.
Scripted by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, it’s directed by Jeff Fowler, who persisted after the outraged negative reaction to the original visual design of Sonic’s character, particularly his teeth.
Historically, movies based on video games — “Super Mario Bros,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Resident Evil,” even “Tomb Raider” — have not done as well as anticipated. But Sonic’s box-office bonanza may launch a new era of game adaptations.
On the Granger Gauge, “Sonic the Hedgehog” is a speed-demon 6, a blue blur, marking the 60th anniversary of Sega.
Gaining relevance in the wake of Washington D.C.’s recent whistleblower accusations, writer/director Scott Z. Burns’ hard-hitting thriller “The Report” chronicles the real-life struggle of Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver) to deliver a massive report on the human rights abuses committed by the CIA’s post-9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program.
Working on behalf of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led at that time by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening), Dan obsessively delves into CIA malfeasance with quasi-messianic determination.
But Feinstein realizes they must proceed with caution, since a strategic misstep could suppress their revelations.
Yes, there are highly disturbing flashbacks picturing the torture of suspected terrorists, including Gul Rahman, who died in captivity. The real villains turn out to be unqualified psychologists Bruce Jessen (Douglas Hodge) and James Mitchell (T. Ryder Smith), hired by the CIA to develop the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques program.
“I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to show that but then I spoke with Alberto Mora, general counsel for the United States Navy,” Burns explains. “He said the original sin is that the CIA destroyed these (interrogation) tapes because they knew if people saw what they did, it would have been over. He told me, ‘If you don’t show this, then you are compounding the sin.’”
“Accountability and the responsibility of Congress to provide oversight of the executive branch is a big part of what this movie is about,” concludes Burns, best known for his collaboration with Steven Soderbergh on “The Informant,” “Contagion,” “Side Effects” and “The Laundromat.”
Both Adam Driver and Annette Bening deliver convincing performances that were, unfortunately, overlooked last year during Oscar season — with supporting turns from Jon Hamm, Corey Stoll and Matthew Rhys.
Yet the grim Epilogue admits that no one responsible for the torture was ever punished, even when President Obama signed Executive Order 13491 which forbids torture, only “unless the Attorney General provides further guidance.”
On the Granger Gauge, “The Report” is a slow, yet significant 7, streaming on Amazon Prime.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
