Was it negative press accrued by the director’s fizzled attempt to renew interest in high resolution technology or the so-so box office performance by this year’s other high profile war epic, Hacksaw Ridge, that led to Sony’s decision not to screen Ang Lee’s much-hyped adaptation of Ben Fountain’s novel for the press? The titular trek that our doe-eyed, Silver-Starred war hero (newcomer Joe Alwyn) must traverse refers to Billy’s personal struggle with redeployment. With the exception of Steve Martin’s presence as a Republican shitheel, there’s not much credible satiric bite. Is it not possible for Hollywood to pay tribute to American veterans without the end result being a recruitment film? Given all of the hell that Billy and his seven fellow soldiers of the elite Bravo Unit endured while fighting Bush’s war, coupled with the fact that for once the events are not based on a true story, the film should have ended with a closeup of Billy’s middle finger. And there’s no need for glasses given cinematographer John Toll’s lush color palette and penetrating sense of depth perception. (2016) — Scott Marks