By Steve Crum

Even the failures depicted in Nyad are fascinating to observe. That’s because Nyad is the biopic of Diana Nyad, champion long-distance swimmer. Her multiple attempts at being the first to swim from Cuba to Florida (without a shark cage) were literally death defying.

In her Oscar worthy performance in the title role, Annette Bening is endurance exemplified. It is a stellar achievement. Jody Foster, who co-stars as Nyad’s best friend and swimming coach Bonnie Still, deserves a Best Support Oscar nod. 

Helmed by fledgling feature directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the story begins with vintage clips of the actual Diana Nyad guesting on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, wherein Nyad describes herself as “overly ambitious.” As the story shifts to Bening’s portrayal, we find the self-description spot on.

Based upon Nyad’s autobiography Find a Way (adapted by Julia Cox), the Nyad trek begins with her charismatic junior high school swim coach to compete and win—never to give up. (The darker side of their relationship is explored later.) 

Additionally, Nyad’s dad encourages her obsessive goal of marathon swim competition. “You could almost swim there—to Cuba,” says her father in flashback. 

Segue to the present, three decades later. “It’s been 30 years,” says friend Bonnie, “since you put on a pair of goggles.” Now she is 64, still wanting to successfully swim from Cuba to The Florida Keys. Nyad has already tried and failed, but is driven to fulfill her desire to navigate all 110 miles. 

A good portion of the film is focused on finding a competent crew for the voyage. She scores with seasoned navigator John Bartlett (the great Rhys Ifans). “CUBA 2013” becomes the rallying credo for yet another attempt that includes a shark attack.

In an earlier try, Nyad is attacked by jellyfish. Her resulting facial abuse is grossly but realistically shown by the studio’s makeup gurus. (Egad, why didn’t Spielberg make a movie called Jellyfish?!) 

But it is Annette Bening who encompasses the spirit, drive and braggadocio of Diana Nyad.

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A

By Steve Crum

The Burial evolves into matters far deeper than the 6-feet under the surface implies. Its 126 minutes are jammed with multi-Oscar quality contenders from acting to direction to writing. A Best Picture is entirely possible. 

Getting to specifics, the fact-based The Burial takes place in 1995. The story opens with Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) in front of a Baptist congregation, moving around the stage in flamboyant, “let me hear an amen,” Bible thumping manner. Church elders and the choir behind him as well as an ultra-responsive audience are totally enraptured at Gary’s high energy, animated presentation. 

So is this a film about a dynamic preacher? No, it’s all about the popular (and wealthy) attorney, Willie E. Gary, a lawyer specializing in civil cases involving Black clients. 

Segue to elderly Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), who is grousing to his wife (Annette O’Keefe) about the near certainty that he is about to lose his long established funeral home in Biloxi, Mississippi to bankruptcy. In addition to his long time attorney Mike Allred (Alan Ruck), O’Keefe calls upon the aggressive Gary to co-handle his contractual lawsuit against a Canadian group, the Loewen Group. When Gary reluctantly agrees, the fireworks begin. The Burial becomes a fast-paced courtroom drama. 

Willie E. Gary, an attorney known for never having lost a case in two years, is at first played by Foxx like Johnny Cochran on steroids. “Litigation is war—a battle to the death!”—shouts Gary at one point. But as the trial proceeds, his empathy surfaces, focusing more on the inhumanity of his suffering client. By the same token, O’Keefe becomes more aggressive. 

Tommy Lee and Jamie are believable, wonderful allies as the camaraderie between their characters evolves. Also impressive is Alan Ruck, whose Alfred is forced to take a back seat when Gary assumes the head counsel role. Directed by Maggie Betts, who co-wrote the screenplay, The Burial showcases Jurnee Smollett as Mame Downes, the defense counsel. 

Specific mention must be made of this impressive, multi-layered screenplay (also co-written by Doug Wright). The Burial becomes much more than a mere courtroom drama. It is also a powerful re-evaluation of Black History.

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A

By Steve Crum

The taut opening moments of Reptile, featuring Benecio del Toro as a dedicated detective pulled into a horrendous murder mystery, is a hook I could not let go. 

Before delving into the film’s highlights and criticisms, do not be misled regarding the “reptilian” title. It took at least 10 minutes before I realized Reptile was not a monster movie. I now figure it references del Toro’s Tom Nichols—a driven (even in his sleep) police dick of the old school. A bit slovenly here and there, he is nonetheless relentless to go above and beyond. In the process, he might lose friends and family. “A groveling or despised person” is the dictionary call. 

And so goes Detective Nichols in Reptile. 

The movie’s premise is as simple as the final act is predictable. Directed by Grant Singer (his first feature film), the story follows typical problem-cause-solution progression. A young lady real estate agent is brutally killed—in one of the houses she is showing. Numerous suspects are investigated by the local police, led by Detective Nichols. Among them are the victim’s boyfriend (well played by Justin Timberlake) and the ex-husband, Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman).

When it appears the case is solved, Nichols defies his fellow policemen, and relentlessly keeps delving into alternative solutions. His rebellious actions affect his private life, particularly his wife Judy (Alicia Silverstone). 

Singer, del Toro, and Benjamin Brewer crafted the screenplay, which has problems in the 136-minute film’s second half. Maybe this is due in part to to muddled editing (Kevin Hickman)? Nonetheless, the story morphs into a kind of paranoid and bizarre narrative involving corruption. Actually, such a plot has been around in police dramas for decades—notably 1973’s Serpico. 

While the music score by Yair Elazar Glotman and Black Label Media continually suggests there are some creepy things about to happen, it is much ado about hardly anything, a red herring at best. (Actually, the music often feels like a horror movie.) 

What begins as a taut crime story ends as anything but. In fact, the finale leaves a couple of questions unanswered. 

But what a stellar cast!

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: C-

By Steve Crum

You can’t blame Heart of Stone for delivering one explosive stunt sequence after another. Or can you? From the get-go, we are caught up in a caper involving deception and danger. And that’s even before the opening credits. 

Director Tom Harper, known for his British TV and film work, guides heroine Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) through 122 minutes of undercover spy vs spy adventures to maintain peace in our treacherous world.  

The problem lies in originality, the lack thereof. We have seen similar undercover/spy/gang infiltration set pieces in a myriad number of movies and TV shows. That makes Heart’s opening so predictable. It brings to mind the Mission: Impossible franchise, the James Bond franchise, and numerous TV takes—including Chicago PD and  Law & Order Special Victims Unit. 

Heart of Stone’s Rachel Stone (aka “Nine of Hearts”—her spy moniker) is a hybrid of  Ethan Hunt and James Bond. She is as adept on both the ground (a motorcycle race) and airborne (a dirigible). The stunt work is awesome. This is particularly true of the mountaintop confrontation that involves Heart, a ski lift, parachute, and on and on. I could not help but think of the memorable Swiss mountain lab of Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. (George Lazenby lives!) 

Shall we say that Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder’s screenplay has been greatly inspired from several sources. At least they moved the location from Switzerland to the Italian Alps. 

Like the Mission: Impossible plots, Heart of Stone has a confusing premise. At the outset, Stone works with fellow M16 field agents Parker (Jamie Dornan), Yang (Jing Lusi) and Bailey (Paul Ready). They are tracking arms dealer Mulvaney (Enzo Cilenti). But Stone is actually running quarterback for Charter, a secret organization dedicated to peacekeeping. 

Keep in mind that “Nine of Hearts” is trying to keep a nefarious digital service from world domination by hacking into worldwide operations. Treachery and disloyalty abound throughout the plot as the body count increases. 

But does “Nine of Hearts” survive? 

Cue the James Bond theme. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B-

This review of Independence Day was published in The Kansas City Kansan newspaper on July 5, 1996.

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By Steve Crum

It is always a good sign when a movie grabs your attention so much that it seemingly ends after it has just begun. Independence Day, at two hours and 15 minutes, has that effect. It is an awesome film.

Independence Day, in fact, is the most spectacular and intriguing sci-fi action film since the Star Wars Trilogy. (The first-rate Aliens and Terminator 2 classify as sci-fi horror films.) That means the action and characterizations are stunning enough that even plausibility lapses and a talky second act hardly matter. Big bucks were spent on ID’s effects, and it shows. The result is state-of-the-art glorious. 

The story kicks off immediately as a saucer, six miles in diameter, heads toward Washington, D.C. Similar vehicles are descending upon other world capitols and major cities. Bill Pullman is cast the American President who has to deal with imminent (within six hours) invasion. Imminent evacuation is more like it. These gargantuan
ships do not even bother communicating their intentions, although Jeff Goldblum’s computer whiz David Levinson does intercept a message of their plans. 

Uncle Sam’s best war planes have no effect on the alien vessels. So a good part of the movie’s opening involves desperation and running away since virtually every monument in D.C. (including The White House) and New York City (Empire State Building, et al) are spectacularly blasted apart. 

Enter Will Smith as jock fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller, who survives a dogfight with one of the hundreds of alien fighter saucers emerging from the hovercraft. Hiller soon leads a major attack squadron against the space guys. After punching out one of the tentacled creatures, he quips, “Now that’s what I call a close encounter.” Could he be the Fresh Prince of Altair1?

Clinton and Dole could never top this: ID’s President Whitmore dons a pilot uniform to join the fighter attack!

There are some clever inserts (a TV showing The Day the Earth Stood Still is interrupted as the invasion begins) and casting (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Brent Spiner plays a fright-wigged
scientist). 

Good support via comedy relief is provided by Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid and Harvey Fierstein. 

Stargate director Roland Emmerich and his effects crew deserve major credit, making Independence Day one terrific blast. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A-

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