Mental health is a serious subject in the world we live in today and is especially so for those who work in the field. In Every Breathe You Take, the psychiatrist has his own mental health challenges which makes the movie somewhat hard to watch. It is, however, an enticing film and quite suspenseful as the conflict gets out of control. There are moments of misdirection which oddly is where I found Every Breathe You Take was able to hold my attention. However, even during times when I was intrigued, those moments did not provide much light given all the darkness of the film.

Every Breathe You Take takes place in British Columbia. The film’s focus is on a family that is dealing with grief after the loss of a son, and on a daughter who was just expelled from school. The father is Philip who is a psychiatrist (played by Casey Affleck), The mother is Grace (played by Michelle Monaghan), and the daughter is Lucy (played by Linda Eisley). Philip’s life is his patients and helping them improve their lives. However, he tries to ignore the grief he is suffering after the loss of his son and does not know how to deal with the situation involving his daughter being expelled from school.  He devotes his time to his patients to keep him distracted from the emotions he has after his son’s death. Philip’s life hits uncharted territory when he finds out one of his patients has died (supposedly of suicide). He comes across a man named James (played by Sam Claflin) and James says he is the brother of the deceased patient. Life for Philip and his family takes a turn for the worst when he lets James into his life. James puts Philip’s life on the line by making up lies to ruin Philip’s career and utilizing other insane tactics. Philip  tries to figure out if James is really the brother of his deceased patient, or if he is just mentally insane. Given Philip’s personal situation, he is not mentally prepared to handle the danger that James poses.

Even though the film is not pleasant, it is the right role for Casey Affleck. He is known to play characters who are depressed, ill-fated, or are caught in life-threatening situations. In this role, he plays someone suffering from depression as he did in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea (2016). Affleck is again brilliant in this film, because he has a way of hiding his emotions in sessions with his patients.  During the movie, you can hear the emotion in his voice as he tries to relate to his patients. The question is whether he is mentally prepared to be a psychiatrist given the circumstances in his own life and the loss of a patient. 

Every Breathe You Take is emotional and suspenseful. I enjoyed it for the suspense, but the emotional elements were a challenge. It pushes the envelope with the topic of mental health issues. However, for those who are interested in suspense based upon a puzzle of lies, deceit, and destroyed reputations, then you may enjoy Every Breathe You Take. Before watching the film, I suggest researching it more given it is heavy with many sensitive elements. Therefore, I give this one three stars.

The title of Godzilla vs. Kong has meaning, but the hype that fans anticipate lacks in some areas. The film takes its time to get to the point of the battle sequence and has many unstructured moments. It seems to focus on almost the opposite of what many would anticipate in a Godzilla film. Yes, Godzilla films usually do not have much of a plot, but instead feature scary moments with roars and action between Godzilla and his enemies.  Given the title of Godzilla vs. Kong, I found myself enjoying the action scenes.  However, when it resorted to various unexplained scenarios of the film, I was lost trying to put together which monster stood to have more importance. I will not give away details regarding which monster gets the most attention in the beginning of the film, but I will say that much of the background leading up to the battles is not established well. The film resorts too much to CGI, crazy sound effects, and frequent explosions to get fans in the mood.

The film is the next chapter in the Monsterverse series of two icons, Godzilla and Kong, who had their separate films. Godzilla had the remake of Godzilla in 2014, and then Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019. Kong had Kong: Skull Island in 2017. Godzilla is the most established monster and the two now come together as enemies set for an epic battle. The characters Nathan Lind (played by Alexander Skarsgard), Ilene Andrews (played by Rebecca Hall), Bernies Hayes (played by Brian Tyree Henry), and Mark Russell (played Kyle Chandler) are all part of the conflicts involved in controlling the crazy outbreaks of danger given what Godzilla and Kong can do to demolish what is around them. However, these characters lack in substance because the film is solely geared on the aspects leading towards the battle, instead of giving the characters meaningful roles. 

I had fun with the cinematic aspects, but they were not as amazing as I expected although still visually stunning in small fragments.  The film is mediocre in that it did not deliver the action the way I anticipated. This may be related to the fact that Hollywood and the studios are trying to get back in business after the pandemic put a halt on the production of many projects and some are now being rushed for release. It sure seems like Godzilla vs. Kong was rushed in moments. The sound effects and the action are still awesome, it is just that the lead up to them is boring.

For these reasons, I am going to give this film two stars. My expectations were high, and the experience was not as visually intriguing as anticipated. For a Godzilla fan like me, I expected it to be spectacular especially when many Godzilla films have been successful using a similar approach. This one includes some fun visual action scenes, but just feels very rushed.

The Father has received six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Film Editing and Best Production Design.  Director and writer, Florian Zeller delivers a film that is touching, emotional, and brilliant. Anthony Hopkins is fantastic as Anthony (the main character) and Olivia Colman is also outstanding as Anne (Anthony’s daughter). The film is a tour-de-force of emotions as it navigates the challenges that Colman’s character must deal with due to her father’s denial of his health and memory issues.  Anne tries to maintain taking care of him, but she knows he may need to live in a home. Hopkins is stellar as his character struggles with what is going on in his everyday life and tries to put together the pieces of events that may or may not have happened. The film leaves a trail of questions and concerns as the frustrations and emotions build between Anthony and Anne.

Anthony is in his 80s and refuses any kind of assistance that is offered to him as he ages. Anne tries to provide for him, but she tries to help him maintain normalcy in his life. The hardest element for Anthony is that as his mind deteriorates, his doubts of who is there for him starts to blur and the way he sees reality declines. Anne hires someone to come and help him and that person is Laura played by Imogen Poots. Anthony’s obnoxious behavior and opinionated sense of humor starts to push the boundaries of both Laura and his own daughter. Worst of all, however, are the many times when Anthony gets confused and can’t distinguish what is reality. 

The Father is setup as if the audience is watching a play, and that is because it is written as a play. I found the many moments showing frustration by Hopkins’ and Colman’s characters almost surreal. They portray many of their emotions as if they are happening in the present moment. It is so well done that I can envision this film leading to Oscars for Actor in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actress, and Adapted Screenplay.  The acting in The Father is both thought-provoking and spellbinding. The question that it leaves with its audience is whether Anthony be OK without the extra assistance.   

The Father is an amazing film. I found myself questioning who to trust with the difficult question about caring for the character Hopkins portrays. The truth is there are no easy right or wrong answers, it is more a matter of f trying to find ways to help Anthony feel connected and provide him support without allowing him to chase people away with his rude behavior. It is a touching portrayal of the aging process and relationship between a father and daughter story.  The film will make viewers cry, but also laugh in amusement at the unexpected catastrophes that occur. Three and a half stars for The Father.