By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
Taking ‘helicopter parenting’ to a new extreme in “Captain Fantastic,” Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) is raising his six children off-the-grid in the Pacific Northwest forest.
Ten years ago, Ben and his Buddhist wife, Leslie (Trin Miller), became survivalists, teaching their kids to be self-sufficient, stalking and killing game and homeschooling them in philosophy, history, literature, science and five languages.
Subjected to strenuous exercise, they sleep in a yurt, do chores in adjacent tree houses and teepees, and play musical instruments around a campfire at night. Unconventionally counter-cultured, they ignore Christmas, celebrating Noam Chomsky Day, honoring the leftist ‘60s icon.
Each child has a unique name: Bodevan (George MacKay), Kielyr (Samantha Isler), Vespyr (Annalise Basso), Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton), Nai (Charlie Shotwell), and Zaja (Shree Crooks).
But when hospitalized, bi-polar Leslie commits suicide, her wealthy, conservative parents (Frank Langella, Ann Dowd) blame Ben, forbidding him and the children to come to the funeral.
Their subsequent road-trip forms the crux of the drama, as Ben reluctantly introduces his bohemian brood not only to capitalistic civilization but also the materialistic rituals of polite society, most evident when they visit their aunt and uncle (Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn) whose children are glued to their iPhones.
Superbly cast Viggo Mortensen delineates the radical, highly principled mountain-man who lovingly treats his children like young adults, speaking to them with forthright honesty, yet is forced to confront his own fitness as a father.
Actor-turned-writer/director Matt Ross questions the cost of idealism and isolationism, along with what family values are important. Apparently, the script draws from Ross’ own life, having been raised by a single mother in rustic, often primitive collective-living situations.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Captain Fantastic” is a wryly amusing, enjoyable 8, revealing a different kind of superhero.
“The Infiltrator” offers a new twist on a familiar story, as a law-abiding everyman becomes entangled with Pablo Escobar’s Medellin drug cartel.
Back in 1986, Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston) was a devoted husband and father, working as a U.S. Customs agent in Tampa, Florida. Je’s about to make an undercover drug deal in a bowling alley when the microphone strapped to his chest overheats, the excruciating pain almost blowing his cover.
Although he’s eligible for paid retirement, Mazur is determined to make a significant dent in the “War on Drugs,” pursuing the real kingpins who control the massive cocaine importation to the United States.
“Don’t follow the drugs,” he says. “Follow the money.”
As Bob Musella, he poses as a flamboyantly successful money-launderer, cleverly duping Colombian distributors and their corrupt bankers, like suavely scheming Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt).
Tension mounts as an elaborate sting operation takes form, particularly when Bob’s leather briefcase with its cleverly hidden tape recorder unexpectedly pops open at just the wrong time.
Based on Mazur’s memoir, it’s adapted by Ellen Brown Furman and directed by her son, Brad Furman (“The Lincoln Lawyer”), who elicits authentically chilling performances from Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo,” TV’s “Breaking Bad”) and John Leguizamo, as his enigmatic informant/sidekick, Emir Abreau.
Furman subtly uses the glamorous beauty of Diane Kruger (Marie Antoinette in “Farewell, My Queen” & Helen in “Troy”) to dazzle as Musella’s fabricated fiancée – although she looks nothing like real-life rookie officer Kathy Ertz, whose inconspicuous, girl-next-door quality is obvious during the credits.
But there are other, better, movies about the international drug trade, like “Traffic,” “Rush” and “Escobar: Paradise Lost.”
On the Granger Gauge, “The Infiltrator” is a suspenseful 6, a stylishly slick espionage thriller.
The infectious charm of the original “Ghostbusters” (1964) was the goofy chemistry between slyly satiric comedians (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson) and ectoplasmic special effects.
The problem with this mediocre re-make is not the gender-redo but its lack of originality, along with a scarcity of in-jokes, irony and cynicism – and a repetition of the same supernatural special effects.
The story begins as Columbia University Physics Professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) realizes her bid for tenure has been endangered by the re-issue of a parapsychology book she wrote years ago with a high-school pal, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy).
When Erin tracks Abby down, she discovers that Abby’s still chasing ghostly phenomena, partnering with crazed tech-head Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). They’re soon are soon joined by cheeky MTA worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), a walking encyclopedia of New York City folklore.
Setting up shop above a Chinatown restaurant, they joined by a dimwitted assistant, Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), who’s hired simply because he’s hunky. His incompetence is a running joke that overstays its welcome.
The playful plot involves Manhattan’s historic Aldridge mansion whose resident female ghost starts an epidemic of psychic nuisances. While the Mayor (Andy Garcia) and his assistant (Cecily Strong) are into deceptive denial, culpability is traced back to Rowan North (Neil Casey), a resentful, demented creep.
Working from a screenplay co-written by Katie Dippold (“The Heat”) and director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “Spy”), it‘s packed with coveralls-clad girl-power, along with some familiar faces.
Bill Murray is a respected debunker; Dan Aykroyd’s a cab driver who “don’t believe in no ghosts;” Ernie Hudson is Patty Tolan’s Uncle Bill; Amy Potts is a receptionist at the Mercado Hotel – and there’s a bust of the late Harold Ramis outside Erin’s office at Columbia University.
On the Granger Gauge, “Ghostbusters” is a fantasy-funny 5 – slime-time for female friendship.
( 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.)
