Author: Mike Smith

• AIR
• Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Viola Davis
• Directed by: Ben Affleck
• Rated: R
• Running time: 1 hr 53 mins
• Amazon Studios
• (Five stars out of Five)

It’s been 26 years since a couple of kids named Ben Affleck and Matt Damon took Hollywood by storm when they won an Oscar for their original screenplay “Good Will Hunting.” In the time since winning, the two have battled through career ups and downs and today are among the most respected people in Hollywood. Especially Affleck, who went from being a punchline to becoming one of the best directors in the business. His non-nomination for directing the Oscar winning Best Picture, “Argo,” is a true mystery that I don’t even think Scooby Doo and his pals could solve.

Not including a brief appearance on the “set” of “Good Will Hunting 2’ in Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Save Hollywood,” the two have no appeared on screen together since GWH. That all changes now with the release of “Air.”

It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when Nike was almost an afterthought when it came to sneakers. Back in my youth the popular brands were Adidas and Puma. Sure, Nike was big with runners but, where I once as a kid asked my parents to buy me a pair of Lou Brock-model Keds, I cannot remember ever asking them for a pair of Nikes. Enter Sonny Vacarro (Damon), hired by the Beaverton, Oregon company to help increase the brand.l The 1984 draft has just been held and he is charged with finding three players to hopefully sign sponsorship contracts and get the word out. But Vacarro, going against everything he has been told, decides to put all of Nike’s eggs in the baseke of a certain young man from the University of North Carolina, one Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

Packed with great performances and backed by a killer soundtrack of 1984 tunes, “Air” asumes the audience knows that Jordan and Nike now go hand in handl, but are curious to know how they got together.

Damon is his usual solid self, giving Vacarro an empathy that you might not normally have for someone in his position. It is his persistance, as well as his genuine belief that Jordan is truly a once-in-a-lifetime talent, that keeps the film moving. Damon is joined by director Affleck, who plays Nike founder Phil Knight as a man who must balance his employee’s beliefs with the wishes of his stockholders. Also contributing: Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker and Chris Messina, who plays Jordan’s agent, David Falk. Messina’s scenes with Damon are comic gold, somehow making characters who should be unlikable anything but. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the award-worthy performance by Viola Davis, who plays Jordan’s mother, Deloris. Her quiet strength, and true belief in her son’s ability, give the film a great compass.

The script is tight and Affleck has given the film a quick, but even, pace. I’d put “Air” on the same shelf as “Argo” in both style and execution.

I know it’s only April, but I am not afraid to state for the record that “Air” is – nd will be – one of the best films of the year.

• PUSS IN BOOTS:  THE LAST WISH
• Starring the voices of:  Antonia Banderas, Salma Hayek and Harvey Guillen
• Directed by:  Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
• Rated:  PG
• Running time:
• Universal

Ah, to be a cat.  I mean, sure, we can all lap up milk and, if we so desire, play with a ball of yarn.  But we only live once.  Cats have nine lives, which gives them the unique opportunity to be a little more reckless than you and I.  That is, of course, unless they only have one life left.

An off-shoot of the very popular SHREK series, “Puss in Boots: the Last Wish” brings us the swashbuckling cat (the always smooth Banderas) at his most vulnerable.  He is now overwhelmed with the one feeling he’s never had.  Fear.  Genuine fear.  With a long standing bounty on his head, he is now running from a very large wolf and a “family” gang made up of Goldilocks and the Three Bers.  Deciding to play it safe, he strips himself of his boots, lets his fur grow out and goes to live with a woman who LOVES cats.  There he is befriended by Perro (Guillen), a dog who has disguised himself as a cat in order to eat.  And, despite Puss’ protests, a true friendship is developed.

Well animated, and ever more well voiced, “Puss in Boots: the Last Wish” is a nice return to the screen for the boastful feline.  The script is full of some great lines, most of them aimed at Puss who now really is more of a pussy cat then a lion.  The story is a little dark, with one villain chuckling while his minions – no, not those guys – are sent to their death.  One in joke is that this baddy is known as Big Jack Horner, having grown from Little Jack Horner due to his love of pie.

Things begin to get exciting when Kitty Soft Paws (Hayek) arrives on the scene.  It seems everyone concerned is searching for a magical map that will take them to a place where they can have a wish granted.  The enjoyment in this adventure comes from the fact that the map reacts to the person holding it.  Bears and other baddies are sent through fire pits and thorn infested forests.  Those good at heart get to romp through fields of posies! 

As with most of the films in the SHREK universe, the performances are first-rate and the animation is beaufiul.  Here’s hoping this cat has more lives in him.

• A MAN CALLED OTTO
• Starring: Tom Hanks and Mariana Trevino
• Directred by: Marc Forster
• Rated: PG 13
• Running time: 2 hrs 6 mins
• STX Entertainment

Otto (Hanks) is a man set in his ways. Every day he arises and make his rounds through his small neighborhood, doing his best to keep his neighbors united in not selling to a large property management firm. When he’s not picking up trash or yelling at people to slow down as they drive past, Otto mourns for his late wife, the only person he feels understood him. When a new family moves in across the street, Otto learns that maybe his way isn’t always the right way.

Based on “A Man Called Ove,” a 2015 Swedish film, “A Man Called Otto” is well intntioned but a little too heavy handed at times. Hanks plays Otto as if he is the mellower brother of Clint Eastwood’s Walt from “Grand Torino.” His way is the way it should be and all others be damned. The new family across the street, headed by Mom Marisol (Trevino) begin to wear Otto down until he’s actually giving driving lessons and trying to make amends with friends he has wronged. Otto is keepoing a secret from everyone, one that we slowly begin to learn. He’s not a bad man. He’s just lonely and wishes to be in what he thinks is a better place.

As the seasons go by, from the warmth of spring to the fresh snow of winter, the characters become more familiar to the audience and each other. Otto may not be a saint, but he is a good man at heart, and heart is what this film is all about.

• COCAINE BEAR
• Starring: Keri Russelll, O’shea Jackson, Jr. and Ray Liotta
• Directed by: Elizabeth Banks
• Rated: R
• Running time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Universal

Normally when a film is advertised as “based/inspired by a true story,” you think to yourself, cool. However, when I first heard this comment used about “Cocaine Bear” I had to chuckle. Really? A beat that goes on a cocaine bender? Yeah, right. Then I spoke with a friend of mine who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. She knew all about the story BECAUSE IT’S TRUE!

It’s sometime in the 1980s. America is in the middle of a huge drug epidemic. “Just say no,” is the message related by everyone from Nancy Reagan to Pee Wee Herman. Sadly there are no television in the woods.

A plane flies overhead in the darkness. Aboard is a man packaging up bundles of cocaine to drop into the woods below for his associates to recover and put on the street. An onboard mishap causes the plane to crash, with the wreckage (and durgs) strewn all over. Anyone could come along and find the illicit cargo. Hikers. Kids. A bear.

A film that mixes dark humor and horror perfectily is indeed a rarity, but “Cocaine Bear” pulls this mixture off almost seamlessly. Director Banks and screenwriter Jimmy Warden have woven together a film that is both funny and terrifying.

The cast is full of colollrful characters, ranging from Russell’s frantic mom searching for her daughter to Jackson’s almost too responsible drug runner to Margo Maartindale as a park ranger with romance on her mind. Throw in recent Tony award winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a local wildlife expert and the late Ray Liotta in one of his final performances and you have a group of actors who, instead of going for camp, play the situations straight. And don’t forget the bear, who shows an amazing range of emotions. Add a soundtrack consisting of some of the era’s greatest hits and you have the formula for an entertaining night at the movies.

• THE WHALE
• Starring:  Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and Hong Chau
• Directed by:  Darren Aronofsky
• Rated:  R
• Running time:  1 hr 57 mins
• A24

And the Oscar goes to…..  Brendan Fraser.  That is all.

OK, I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself here.

An online class is in progress.  The main screen is filled with the faces of all of the students.  The only black frame belongs to the instructor, who informs the others that the camera on his laptop is broken.  But it isn’t. He’s just afraid of being seen.

Driven by Brendan Fraser, who gives a performance that is both brilliant and emotional, “The Whale” tells the story of a man whose life has spiraled downward as his waistline has increased.  Charlie (Fraser) was once a happy man with a wife and daughter.  A college professor, he was able to share his love of literature and of writing.  But Charlie had a secret and that secret destroyed not only his life, but the lives of those that loved him.  Now it is only through food that Charlie can achieve any semblance of happiness, finding consolation in a bucket of chicken or a couple of giant meatball and cheese subs.  He is looked after by his friend, Liz (Chau), who drops by often offering dinner and some companionship.  Liz knows that Charlie is slowly killing himself, but he refuses to seek medical help.  Only after receiving a couple of unexpected visitors does Charlie begin to think of happiness.  But not for himself.

I’m a big guy.  I can always afford to lose a few pounds.  And I can admit here that I have had people refer to me as fat.  But I’m Audrey Hepburn compared to Charlie.  Usually, a large person is played for laughs on screen.  Think Eddie Murphy in “The Nutty Professor,” Martin Lawrence in “Big Momma’s House” or the final scene in “Dodgeball” where a very hefty Ben Stiller makes a self-depreciating joke and remarks to the audience, “Are you happy?  Fatty made a funny.”  But with “The Whale” you have no desire to laugh at Charlie.  You sympathize with him.  When he struggles to take a few steps, you feel his exhaustion.  And when he strains to pick something up off the floor, you can feel your fingers reaching out as well.  But Charlie doesn’t want your sympathy.  He just wants to be.

I have always been a fan of Brendan Fraser.  From “School Ties” to the “Mummy” series to the underappreciated baseball comedy “The Scout,” he has always appeared genuine on screen.  His performance here is no different.  You feel sad for Charlie.  Not because he’s heavy but because he’s a human being.  It doesn’t matter if Charlie weighs 400 pounds or a buck twenty-five, the hurt he feels is evident in his eyes.  And the ability to express such emotion with only a glance is the hallmark of a great actor. 

Fraser is supported ably by his co-stars, including Ms. Chau, Sadie Sink as Charlie’s estranged daughter and Ty Simpkins as a man literally on a mission who knocks on Charlie’s door.  There is not a false performance in this film.

As a filmmaker, director Darren Aronofsky can be very hit or miss.  On one side of the spectrum, he created a masterpiece with “Requiem for a Dream.”  On the other hand, I give you “The Fountain.”  “The Whale” is another fine achievement and one that should be seen and appreciated.