THE GIFT

Writer, director and star: Joel Edgerton

THE GIFT (2015). Writer/director: Joel Edgerton.

Simon (Jason Bateman) and his wife, Robyn (Rebecca Hall), have just moved into a new home when they encounter Simon's old high school acquaintance, Gordo (Joel Edgerton, who also wrote and directed the picture). Gordo, who gives the couple gifts, seems pleasant enough, but he makes Simon nervous, especially when some of his actions seem a little odd. Apparently something happened in the past between Simon and Gordo, and Robyn is determined to find out what it was ... The main strength of The Gift, after the excellent performances of the three leads, is the film's undeniable suspense as it switches your allegiance back and forth from Simon to Gordo and you try to figure out which man is the true villain. The movie also explores how much accountability a person should be held to due to cruel pranks in youth; how some people can never move beyond a certain significant moment in their lives; and if revenge is ever warranted, especially if it victimizes innocents as well. Bateman [This is Where I Leave You], always glib and smug, is perfect as Simon; Hall [Iron Man 3]is simply wonderful and very appealing as Robyn; and Edgerton maintains an air of what one might call sympathetic mystery around Gordo until the very end. On the other hand, I'm not certain that the film really stands up to close scrutiny, nor that it has the kind of impact that it could have had. Some viewers may be frustrated because Edgerton doesn't spell out everything -- this also means you may feel at a distance from the characters -- although most of it can be figured out.

Verdict: Flawed but highly intriguing suspense film with on-the-money performances. ***.

IRON MAN 3

IRON MAN 3 (2013). Director: Shane Black.

Anthony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), whom the world knows is the hero Iron Man, issues a challenge to a terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and shortly after Stark's cliffside house is demolished by missiles. Another threat is posed by one Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has developed Extremis technology that gives human beings explosive and fiery super-powers that can easily get out of control. Are Killian and the Mandarin working together? The Mandarin in this movie is nothing like the character in the comics, but the business with Extremis was taken from relatively recent Iron Man stories. Iron Man 3 is entertaining [although non-comics fans may wonder what the hell is going on] and generally fast-paced, although it can be awfully talky at times. The action scenes are pretty well-orchestrated, and the two best scenes detail the attack on Stark's house and a knock-out sequence when Iron Man rescues eleven people who have been sucked out of an airplane [surely some of them would have died from terror?]. The climax has Iron Man and Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) -- formerly known as War Machine -- rescuing the president and having a knock-down drag-out with a super-charged Killian. Iron Man 3 has a little too much humor and comes dangerously close to camp at times. Downey gets across the movie Stark's flippancy, but not much else. Guy Pearce steals the picture as Killian, easily giving the most impressive and intense performance. Don Cheadle is miscast, but Gwyneth Paltrow is fine as Stark's girlfriend and associate Pepper, and there are notable turns by Rebecca Hall as Myra Hansen, James Badge Dale as Savin [both associates of Killian's], and Ty Simpkins as little Harley, who helps Tony midway through the picture. Ben Kingsley is also good as the movie's rather weird reinterpretation of Iron Man's arch-enemy, the Mandarin. To read more about the comic book adventures of Iron Man, see The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict: Iron Man fans may scratch their heads but otherwise enjoy this. ***.

THE PRESTIGE

                                                                                   
THE PRESTIGE (2006). Director: Christopher Nolan.

"Just because you're sleeping with him doesn't mean he trusts you."

Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), aka the Great Danton, and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are rival magicians, both desperate to pull off the ultimate illusion and find out how the other does his tricks. While The Prestige has some fascinating and suspenseful elements, and is well-acted [especially by Michael Caine in a supporting part], Christopher Nolan tries a non-linear approach to the narrative that insures that that the viewer is almost continuously confused. Is this happening now, in the past, the day after tomorrow -- who knows? You may not like the picture enough to go for repeated viewings, but it's entertaining enough for a one-time looksee. David Bowie is a weird scientist type, and Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall are the ladies in the magicians' lives. The movie goes in odd, almost supernatural or sci fi directions, but the approach actually limits the effectiveness of these ideas instead of taking full advantage of them. It's almost as if Nolan was afraid of making a genre picture. Still, it's certainly something different.

Verdict: Perhaps too strange for its own good. **1/2.