Review: "Ex Machina" (****)

Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac star in "Ex Machina."

Alex Garland’s provocative sci-fi/thriller “Ex Machina” hinges on three characters: Ava, Nathan and Caleb. Ava, played by the stunning Alicia Vikander (previously seen in “Anna Karenina,” “A Royal Affair” and “Seventh Son”), is our object of study, the artificially intelligent woman whose humanity—or lack-there-of—is called into question. Next we have Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a genius who at the mere age of 13 created Blue Book (think Wikipedia or Google), and has since become a loner of sorts living in a far-off land surrounded only by trees and green and the AI machines he creates. He’s authoritative and strong-willed and relentless when it comes to creating an artificially intelligent being, and Isaac plays this character to perfection. To act as Nathan’s counterbalance, we have Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson). He’s an inherently sympathetic and approachably handsome young programmer who works at Blue Book. After winning a company-wide contest, Caleb takes a long-winding helicopter ride to Nathan’s house to claim his prize of a week-long visit with the boss. And then… slow building tension and experiments and eeriness ensues.

Review: "Unbroken" (**½)

Jack O'Connell stars in "Unbroken"

Watching Jack O’Connell’s performance as the raffish, far-reaching World War II bombardier Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken,” you can’t help but admire and relish in the unbreakable resilience of the human spirit. People are rather extraordinary, and this film is a testament to those people who push the boundaries of what’s possible. Because, at the heart of it, beyond the bawdy and often unforgivable wartime treatments and mistreatments, “Unbroken” is a story saturated with sincerity. O’Connell enlivens the material while still leaving room for periphery characters to hem themselves in. But, to me, the film itself often felt more angular than fluid, more forceful than purposeful, and more eager to embolden the highlights of Zamperini’s life than simply allow us explore them ourselves.

Savannah review bundle: "How I Live Now" (***½), "About Time" (****), "East of Acadia" (**½)

Saoirse Ronan stars in "How I Live Now"

"How I Live Now" is prolific filmmaker Kevin Macdonald's latest film, adapted from a 2004 novel by Meg Rosoff and starring Saoirse Ronan in perhaps her most assertive performance yet. While young adult adaptations set in a post-apocalyptic world are dime-a-dozen these days, "How I Live Now" manages to set itself apart by not compromising edginess for a lower MPAA rating and a wider audience. At the start, Ronan's Daisy seems nothing more than a cliched, rebellious teenager, but as the film progresses and the story takes increasingly more devastating turns, it becomes clear that she is the film's greatest strength. The young actress maintains a firm grasp on her character, anchoring a film that—while not desperate—wouldn't really know where it was going without as laser-focused a lead as Ronan provides. Visually, the film is not very uniform in terms of its pallet or composition, but successfully relays to the audience Daisy's reactions and experiences through urgent representations of dreams, visions or her confounded physical and emotional states. Jon Hopkins' score is surprisingly beautiful in between louder soundtrack selections. "How I Live Now" is—thankfully—not as reliant on its grim, dystopian setting as most of its YA counterparts, allowing it to be more of a backdrop for its characters rather than the emphasis for the story itself. However independent and hard-boiled it manages to be, it still doesn't capture the mood of such a world as well as, say, "Children of Men." Regardless, Ronan and her supporting players are easily worthy of your time. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

"About Time" and "East of Acadia" after the jump.

Savannah Director's Choice: "About Time"

Domhnall Gleeson and Bill Nighy star in "About Time"

Tonight's mystery Director's Choice screening at the Savannah Film Festival was truly something no one had guessed—Richard Curtis' "About Time." The film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan and Tom Hollander. It's as sweet as can be, but I sort of loved it.

Look for a review to come soon!