Rating: ««« out of ««««

Running Time: 133 min.

Wildfires are a terrifying force of nature and it takes great planning as well as immeasurable skill to bring one under control. The new biopic Only the Brave details the story of Prescott, Arizona’s Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of municipal firefighters that trained and earned the right to join the elite national unit. It is a conventional effort in many storytelling aspects, but is impressively mounted and serves as a noble tribute to its subjects.

The narrative begins with troubled Brian McDonough (Miles Teller) seeking to join the team run by veteran firefighter Eric Marsh (James Brolin). Attempting to better himself and overcome his drinking and drug issues, Brian begs the leader to allow him to join. The youngster and other recruits are put through an exhaustive training program in order to prove themselves. Eventually, Brian is selected, at first raising the ire and then begrudging respect of other firefighters (including James Badge Dale and Taylor Kitsch) as their big certification test looms.

One of the movie’s biggest benefits is the strong cast, who effectively emphasize the sense of camaraderie between the team members and make their characters relatable.

While Brian and the other characters have an adversarial relationship at first, this grows into mutual respect and eventually amusing practical jokes. These are tough guys, but he performers do an admirable job of humanizing them within a short period using some good-natured bickering (a babysitting sequence later in the film serves as a comic highlight).

Of course, the team are also faced with personal challenges due to the danger of their work; Amanda Marsh (Jennifer Connelly) is the main outlet for expressing the trials and fears of family members.

This is also a good-looking production that includes impressive visuals. While a CGI fire bear itself (that serves as a metaphor for the blazes) isn’t always convincing, the raging wildfires on display are appropriately menacing. They still manage to possess a surreal natural beauty as they move across the landscape.

The character work and impressive effects work do pay off during several of the fire sequences, adding tension to the proceedings.

Additionally, the movie does an excellent job of communicating the intense demands of the job and the techniques used to combat the blazes. Frankly, this reviewer knew little of the practical process and was intrigued to learn about it.

Of course, it isn’t all perfect. The movie has been structured in a straight-forward manner with predictable narrative beats. Several of the characters have relationship issues that result in repetitious spats and conflicts with their spouses. At one point a question is raised that suggests a character might be addicted to the thrill and danger of their profession. It’s an interesting point and one that should have been explored by the film in more detail.

Instead of further dissection, all of these family problems are all completely resolved just in time for the final act. Ultimately, it comes across in too obvious a manner. When this occurs in the story, one can’t help but expect immediate tragedy to follow. The result of this awkward attempt to tie up all personal loose ends lessens the emotional impact later and makes the production itself feel more artificial than it should.

Still, this is a sweet and heartfelt tribute to those who decide to partake in incredibly dangerous and life-threatening work. In fact, it will speak to most viewers and leave several drying their eyes by the close. Only the Brave may have a few problematic sections, but does an admirable job of paying homage to these firefighters and others like them around the world.

Visit: cinemastance.com

By Glenn Kay 
For the Sun

There’s a new judge in town, but he’s not new in town. Former County Attorney Doug Decker was sworn in as an 11th District Court judge May 22 after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed him to succeed Judge Robert Aragon upon his retirement.

Decker leaves the county post after 27 and a half years advising the McKinley County Commission and administrators.  His name was one of three that the local nominating committee submitted to Lujan Grisham for consideration.

“I wasn’t going to [apply] at first, but some people encouraged me to think about it. I ended up praying about it and I got a distinct impression that I should put my application in, so I did,“ he said. “I need to serve the citizens of McKinley County in a more personal way. I was serving as county attorney and that was kind of in a general way.”

On the surface it looks like a small change: his new office is one floor down (about 700 steps) away from his old one. His parking space moved two over.

“I’m still coming to work and going home from work,” he said. “It is a different view from this side.”

Serving as county attorney kept Decker close to both research and practice of the law, and also working with the public. But the nuts and bolts of his new job are a lot different, starting with just over 300 cases assigned to him on day one.

District 11 judges hear both criminal and civil cases – in larger jurisdictions judges often hear just one type or the other. So far for Decker, that has meant mostly domestic violence and probation revocation hearings. His first criminal jury trial is on the docket for this month.

“I’m humbled by it. I accepted the governor’s appointment. I’m excited for the change,” he said. “I could have been happy staying with the county too, but this is a good thing.”

By Holly J. Wagner
Sun Correspondent

Rating: ««« out of ««««

Running Time: 114 min.

Recently, word came out that Liam Neeson was retiring from performing in tough guy action movies like Taken and Run All Night. Based on the new film The Foreigner, Jackie Chan is attempting to step in and fill the void. This is a grittier, heavier feature and an unusual role for a performer known more for his genial demeanor and good-natured kung fu flicks. The results are imperfect, but compelling enough that one wouldn’t have an issue seeing the performer delving into this type of part again in the future.

Chan plays Quan, a seemingly mild-mannered immigrant living in London with his daughter. After a tragic bombing by a faction fighting for Northern Ireland independence, the protagonist demands that the British government find the parties responsible. Sympathies are returned, but little progress is made. Little do they know that Quan once served in a special military unit and possesses a particular skill set. Devastated and seeking retribution, the protagonist begins to apply serious pressure to government bureaucrat Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan), who previously held ties to the organization responsible.

Again, this is a much darker role for the lead and does offer Chan the ability to develop his acting skills a little more, even if it only allows for a downcast appearance and series of pained expressions. Brosnan appears to be having some fun as a main foil with contacts within the villainous UDI organization (although if you follow the lips of the actors, they’re clearly saying IRA and have had these bits of dialogue rerecorded). The part provides opportunity for some scenery chewing as the official begins to lose control of the situation. Hennessy’s frustration at his men’s inability to take out Quan starts to boil over, adding some compelling material.

While this is more of a thriller than a true action picture, Chan is offered the opportunity to flex his chops on a few occasions. Director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, The Legend of Zorro, Goldeneye) is experienced at shooting sequences and when Quan is forced to come to blows or defend himself, the movie really springs to life. There’s a dynamic little battle in the confined space of a bed & breakfast that showcases the star tossing foes down the stairways and leaping through tiny windows. There are a few scenes like this that really display the actor’s physical expertise.

As the movie progresses, the film does begin to shift focus away from Quan to Hennessy. There are insights revealed about the character’s motivations as well as conspiracies occurring within the faction, but it does feel like an unexpected turn. In fact, it takes at least a half an hour to deal with all of the infighting and political maneuvering within the UDI organization... and none of this actually involves Quan. It’s intriguing material, but viewers will no doubt begin to wonder where the protagonist of the film disappeared to.

In the end, The Foreigner has a compelling and agile protagonist and provides an entertaining heel. It’s a bit bumpy in sections and gets lost on a few tangents, but the fisticuffs are well handled and exciting to watch. This is a decent little B-picture thriller that will entertain those still longing for action reminiscent of the recent output of Liam Neeson.

Visit: cinemastance.com

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

Rating: «« out of ««««

Running Time: 97 min.

Ever thought Groundhog Day might work better as a horror feature? The filmmakers behind Happy Death Day certainly thought so, even referencing the previous movie and making some jokes along the way as if to acknowledge the noticeable similarities.

However, beyond a few little wrinkles, this feature doesn’t do a great deal with the concept. If anything, it leaves one with the distinct impression that it would have worked far better had it simply embraced the more humorous and absurd aspects of the story.

Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is a college student with an attitude problem. She’s arrogant and selfish, insulting many of the people she comes across on campus during her birthday. It all comes back to haunt her when she’s murdered by a threatening figure in a baby mask.

Believe it or not, the visage also appears to serve as the educational institute’s mascot. Presumably, someone on the school board thought it would make the perfect moniker for the institute. Anyway, I’m getting off track here. Tree finds herself forced to relive the day of her death over and over again. As events progress, she befriends student Carter Davis (Israel Broussard), who encourages her to investigate the potential suspects, identify her killer and put a stop to her own demise and the time loop.

As it turns out, there are inherent problems with adapting this concept for the horror genre. The tone is a little lighter than the typical scare feature, but it still wants to generate suspense and terror with its mystery killer. Some of the humor works at the midpoint, as the heroine finally begins to comprehend what a truly nightmarish scenario she is in. It sets up a few good gags that showcase the character’s sheer panic and exasperation. A curious and original complication also arises when the protagonist’s friends are knocked off and she must kill herself to reset events.

Yet from a story perspective, the movie doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Tree attempts to evade death by taking alternate courses of action, hanging around different suspects, hiding and traveling to various places around the town. Yet somehow, she is always located and murdered. This requires almost superhuman amount of foresight on the part of the killer to consistently pull off the act day after day. There’s also a repetitiveness to the deaths that mute the tension, despite the alternating locales.

Other problems include the creaky dialogue. While it’s never explicitly stated, several of these characters appear to be either medical students, or perhaps biology or physics majors.

Yet the group don’t act anything like it. Instead, they behave like high school students, complete with cliques that value wardrobe and attack others based on their weight. I literally had to ask other critics around me why people with these majors would be this superficial and dimwitted.

It was suggested that they must have needed some of the characters involved to work at a hospital to justify a plot turn later in the movie. They’re probably right, but the bizarre actions witnessed raise plenty of questions throughout. Maybe it’s just a really, really bad school.

Ultimately, nothing much is explained about why the time loop is occurring, nor are reasons given for the strange behavior of the leads. And the climax does little to suppress the ludicrousness. Happy Death Day isn’t a complete disaster and features a couple of chuckles. Still, it’s hard to get involved in the plight of the characters when they aren’t relatable and don’t appear to be reacting to the situation in rational ways. In the end, this is unlikely to be an experience that anyone will want to revisit.

Visit: cinemastance.com

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun