Irrational Man,
directed by Woody Allen
(R, 97 minutes)
The reason to see Irrational Man is for the performance of Joaquin Phoenix, a genuinely talented natural actor who probably works at his craft a lot harder than the casual moviegoer might suspect.
Here he plays a rumpled and depressed philosophy professor named Abe Lucas.
At the beginning of the film, Abe is retreating to the relative safety of leafy Braylin College in Newport, R.I. (the movie makes great use of the city). After the death of his best friend in Afghanistan and his mother's suicide, he no longer gets any satisfaction from writing or the humanitarian work he has done all over the globe. While the local academic community regards him as a superstar, Abe is burned out and alcoholic, going through the motions.
Though he's pursued by faculty floozy Rita Richards (Parker Posey) and vivacious student Jill (Emma Stone, as the neurotic Allen surrogate who turns up in all his films), Abe isn't of much use to either of them. He flirts with Rita and maintains a platonic relationship with Jill, who finds him attractive and complicated, especially in contrast to her hapless boyfriend (Jamie Blackley).
Things change when Abe overhears a woman going on about a corrupt jurist. He realizes that he can improve the world by an infinitesimal degree by killing the man. Deciding to murder him and to get away with it gives Abe a new lease on life.
Phoenix brings textures and nuance to Abe that the director likely could not have imagined. With a less compelling lead actor, Irrational Man might have been as boring as it was predictable.
The Martian (PG-13, 134 minutes)
Who would expect a story of an astronaut left behind on Mars with scarcely any supplies and no way to get back to Earth to be funny? The Martian isn't quite a comedy, but Matt Damon's scrappy and optimistic performance as Mark Watney, stranded on the Red Planet after a sandstorm separates him from his fellow explorers (who depart after figuring him to be dead), makes for an inspiring and invigorating sci-fi adventure rather than a dismal downer.
Watney, who carries most of the film by himself, is incredibly resourceful when it comes to inspecting piles of leftover equipment for items to help him survive. And it's refreshing to know that much of his creative jerry-rigging is within the realm of scientific possibility.
With Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara; directed by Ridley Scott.
Hotel Transylvania 2 (PG, 89 minutes) This lively and often clever animated sequel to the 2012 original concerns Grandpa Vlad (voice of Mel Brooks), who comes for a family visit and drives everybody at Hotel Transylvania nuts with his old-fashioned ideas about hating humans. His attitude particularly distresses his estranged fellow vampire son Dracula (voice of Adam Sandler), who is progressive enough to welcome human guests to the hotel. With the voices of Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez, Keegan-Michael Key, David Spade; directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.
The Barefoot Artist (unrated, 95 minutes) This inspiring documentary investigates the transformative life of Philadelphia artist Lily Yeh, a Chinese immigrant whose long career centers on creating collaborative community-based art projects in troubled parts of the world. Directed by Daniel Traub and Glenn Holsten.
MovieStyle on 01/15/2016