Category: Uncategorized

“Oh What Fun” (** out of four) was a misbegotten holiday comedy about a mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) who feels forgotten by her family (Denis Leary, Chloe Grace Mortez, Dominic Sessa) until they notice her absence and how special she is and she returns to give them all the unified Christmas celebration they all deserve. Funny at first, with some sharp dialogue and ironic and clever touches, then turns syrupy and mundane and never fully recovers. Winning cast helps to keep this watchable but can’t make this live up to it’s title.

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“Die My Love” (*1/2 out of fou) was an oppressively unpleasant Midwestern gothic melodrama about a young mother (Jennifer Lawrenc) who finds herself drifting away into madness and her redneck partner (Robert Pattinson) and elderly parents (Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte) watch helplessly from the sidelines. Strikingly shot by Seamus McGarvey but film drowns in an excess of pretentious symbolism and winds up aimless and adrift. Lawrence once again proves she’s game at playing difficult characters but that doesn’t mean we like or care about her much- and the same goes for the film.

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“Finding Nicole” (** out of four) was an earnest but superficial melodrama based on the true story of Nicole Beverly (Kaiti Wallen) who endured years of domestic violence and abuse from her husband (Mari G) before finally leaving and getting him arrested only to face even more abuse and frustration in dealing with the courts and the criminal justice system and fighting for her life. Inspirational story about one woman’s personal and emotional crusade and what women of domestic violence have to go through but result is overly pat and predictable and film’s climax is unconvincing. Try and see if you can recognize Richard Tyson here as a (very) liberal judge.

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“Christy” (**1/2 out of four) was a sprawling but uneven biographical melodrama of Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) who became the most successful female boxer of the 1990’s only to be nearly undone by her husband (Ben Foster) and his controlling behavior which later escalated to attempted murder. Well-acted and overall well-told but limited in its emotional power and impact because it seems to be following a much-too-familiar mold and pattern of other sports boxing movies (“The Fighter” and “Million Dollar Baby” especially). The real-life Christy Martin is shown in stills and photographs towards the end over the closing credits.

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“Anaconda” (**1/2 out of four) was a likeably silly comic remake of the 1997 cult classic about a group of guerilla filmmakers (Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Thandie Newton, and others) who decide to venture into the Amazon to do a remake of the title film which they describe as “their favorite movie growing up” but soon encounter the real thing and have to run for their lives. Pretty thin stuff but has enough good-natured laughs and zany camaraderie between the leads to make it entertaining although the movie it might remind you most of is “Tropic Thunder.” Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez have amusing cameos towards the end.

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“Killing Mary Sue” (**1/2 out of fou) was a lively but lightweight screwball comedy about a corrupt senator (Dermot Mulroney) determined to win re-election by any means and decides to have his burnout rebel stepdaughter (Sierra McCormick) killed by a contract killer (Martin Kove) but she turns out to be a much tougher cookie than anyone realized. Fizzy and fast-paced but starts to run out of steam in its second half and starts to sputter. Still watchable and agreeable thanks to its high-spirited cast.

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“When The Trash Man Knocks” (*1/2 out of four) was aptly titled horror trash about a woman (Cheryl Abernathy) suffering from PTSD from a childhood attack and finds that the attacker (Derek Robert Hull Bond) has returned and she has to defeat him to defeat her trauma once and for all. Just another pile of horror cliches reheated and warmed over but still feels stale. Film geeks (like me) will note that film’s music score is ripped off from “Halloween IIII: Season Of The Witch.”

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“Avatar 3: Fire And Ash” (**1/2 out of four) was a visually extraordinary but exhausting third entry in this blockbuster series about Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) still grappling from the grief of the death of their son who have to once again go back into battle this time against a new aggressive tribe called the Ash People ((led by Oona Chaplin) and the vicious Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Director James Cameron packs this with enough showstopping visuals (especially if you see it in IMAX and 3D) and breathtaking imagery to make this worthwhile………but it’s numbingly overlong at nearly three-and-a-half hours and starts to wear you out. Series is starting to show its age at this point, with Cameron covering mostly the same themes as colonialism and isolation that he covered in the first 2. Final battle scene is a real wow but this definitely bears the mark of going to the well once too often.

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“Nuremberg” (*** out of four) was a powerfully done historical melodrama set in the midst of WWII in which a U.S. army psychiatrist (Rami Malek) was assigned to investigate and monitor Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe) and became swept away by the ensuing Nuremberg trial involving Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon) and Sir David Maxwell Fyfe (Richard E. Grant) that dominated and destroyed their lives. Not a great film, as film never quite emotionally soars as it could have, but holds you in its grip with its fine acting and storytelling. Film dissipates some of its impact by going on too long but is still definitely worthwhile especially for history buffs.

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“Dashing Through The Snow” (*1/2 out of four) was a clumsy holiday action comedy about a determined U.S. marshal (Scottie Thompson) who locates and then has to protect a pregnant fugitive (Gillian White) who she bonds with from a hitman (David Koechner) in a Santa Claus outfit and from her corrupt deputy director (Isaiah Washington). The kind of movie that the Coen Bros. and Tarantino could have done- and would have done better- in the 90’s but it feels stale and tame now. A few scattered chuckles are near the end but by that point you’ll probably be “dashing” towards the exit door.

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