Nothing tends to rouse the spirit quite like a seafaring adventure. I’m unsure about what it is but something about being on the water, the isolation and the journeys via the one thing that connects us all, the ocean, that make for wonderful settings for a film. In the Heart of the Sea manages to
Creed is a damn good movie. That’s probably the best way to start this review given the characters’ propensity for speaking plainly and not beating around the bush. Directed with zeal by Ryan Coogler, buoyed by a great technical staff, and ferociously acted by Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, and Sylvester Stallone, Creed is the year’s biggest surprise, a genuine crowd pleaser.
The Good Dinosaur, Pixar’s second animated film of the year, starts off with an asteroid missing the earth allowing the dinosaurs who roamed this earth to continue living. Unfortunately that asteroid could also be a stand-in for this film, as The Good Dinosaur so badly misses the mark that it will leave you sitting in
Sumptuously made and gloriously acted, Brooklyn is one of the year’s best films. This fact is surprising to yours truly as I did not expect to be so transported and emotionally moved by this movie. But there’s not a single moment in Brooklyn that won’t take you to a new place. Saoirse Ronan plays Eilis Lacey,
Handsomely made and crafted but lacking in any kind of intrigue or tension, Bridge of Spies is the kind of prestige picture that just sits on the screen and fails to engage emotionally. I hesitate to give much more in the way of venomous diatribe because the movie isn’t one that engenders anger, just boredom.
There’s a type of kinetic energy that can only be harnessed in films when the writing is sharp, the direction and camera work crisp, and the acting on point. This energy is then embraced by the audience and turned into claps and exclamations both loud and not. After seeing a film like Steve Jobs, you