January 30, 2017 “Lion” (** out of four) was a wildly overpraised drama about a 5-year old Indian boy who becomes separated from his family in Calcutta. He is then adopted by a kindly Australian family (David Wenham, Nicole Kidman) but 25 years later as an adult (Dev Patel), he sets to return to his native homeland to find the family he was separated from and has always longed for. Thought-provoking story of separation and disposition is curiously muted and aloof and limited in its emotional power. Never boring but never as soaring as you hope it will be. However, film’s climax is very touching and well-handled and almost makes this worthwhile. Patel is first-rate in the lead. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “American Pastoral” (**1/2 out of four) was a respectable drama set in the 1960’s in which a picture-perfect middle class family (Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Connelly) are dismayed at the disappearance of their daughter (Dakota Fanning) and subsequently finding out she may have been involved in a politically motivated bombing. Directorial debut from McGregor shows he has a flair for time and place and works well with actors, and his own performance is a standout as always, but Fanning’s character is so unlikeable and off-putting it turns the film sour. And since the movie is about her disappearance and motives, it makes it hard to care about the proceedings. Beautiful photography from Martin Bruhe. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “The Vessel” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring drama starring Martin Sheen going through the motions and paying the bills as a priest in an oceanic town destroyed by a tsunami and a troubled young man (Lucas Quintana) then builds a structure out of the school’s remains which stirs passions up among the townsfolk. Nice to see Sheen is aging so well at nearly 80 years old but this molasses-moving movie is unworthy of him. Mercifully short at only 1 hour and 26 minutes but feels like a much longer vessel than that. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “Gimme Danger” (**1/2 out of four) was an interesting, if not revelatory, documentary of Iggy And The Stooges who were groundbreaking trailblazers of punk rock in the early 70’s but fell apart due to drugs and little success but came back together for a triumphant reunion in 2003 and were subsequently inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame. For fans of the Stooges, it’s fascinating with plenty of interviews and early photographs; for others it’s less rewarding and doesn’t tell you much about them you probably don’t already know. Director Jim Jarmusch refers to The Stooges as “the greatest rock and roll band of all time”- a bit of a stretch. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “Gold” (*** out of four) was a superficial but entertaining story of a down-on-his-luck prospector (Mathew McConaughey) who teams up with an eager geologist to discover gold in the ruins of Indonesia and the various ups-and-downs they go through after becoming millionaires. McConaughey’s usual dynamic performance makes all the difference and makes this story worth watching, even though it (by now) tells a familiar story of the rise and fall of American business and greed. Bryce Dallas Howard makes another strong showing as his supportive wife. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “Get The Girl” (**1/2 out of four) was a stylish but overdone comedy about a wealthy young kid (Justin Doobies) who is conned into staging a fake kidnapping of a girl (Elizabeth Whitson) he is in love with. When one of the kidnappers is killed, he has to save her life while trying to prevent her from finding out it was a ruse. Fast-paced movie holds your attention with high-energy and cool visuals but story gets uglier and more unpleasant as it goes along. After a while, you realize you simply don’t care about any of the characters or their plight. A solid directing effort from director Eric England but this still feels like warmed-over Tarantino and Coen Bros. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “Fantastic Beats And Where To Find Them” (*** out of four) was a splendid spin-off of the “Harry Potter” series set 70 years prior as writer Newt Scam anderson (Eddie Redmayne) attempts to defeat an evil force (Colin Farrell) among NYC’s secret community of witches and wizards. Overlong but nicely done and is loaded with startling effects and features sweet moments through-out. Redmayne is terrific but you may have to look hard to see Johnny Depp in a supporting role. Continue reading →
January 30, 2017 “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” (*** out of four) was a dazzling final entry in the popular vodeo-game adaptation series about Alice (Milla Jovovich) who attempts to thwart the Umbrella Corporation and their efforts to destroy the survivors of the apocalypse. Non-stop action and visual effects make this one of the best, if not the best, of the series. Jovovich is committed and charismatic as usual and director Paul W.S. Anderson provides plenty of style and cool visuals. Hardcore fans of the series may want to boost my rating by 1/2* but action/sci-fans in general should definitely check this out. Continue reading →
January 29, 2017 “Massacre In Aisle 12” (*1/2 out of four) was a dumb-and-dumber horror comedy about a none-too-bright hardware store worker whose first night on the job is disrupted by dead bodies, a duffel bag of cash, and other merry mishaps. Bad performances and stupid characters turn this into a real massacre. Send up of ’80’s horror movies needed a much sharper writer and director. Continue reading →
January 26, 2017 “Miss Sloane” (**1/2 out of four) was a hot-and-cold political melodrama about a powerful high-stakes political lobbyist (Jessica Chastain) who becomes involved in a lobbying case involving gun control and finds herself in dangerous moral and legal territory in which she has to question her desire to win and her desire for the truth. Cutthroat story about the wheelings-and-dealings and various muckraking in political ambiguity and the media is interesting and well-directed by John Madden but keeps you at arms length through-out. Chastain’s performance ranges from incisive to aloof, and the same could be said about the movie. Continue reading →
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