What do you do when a filmmaker that has made some very influential films seems to be stuck in a rut? Well there’s not much to do other than be mad and shake your head, much like this reviewer did upon leaving the 70mm Roadshow screening of The Hateful Eight. This film, as presented to us, finds the director at his most self indulgent and lazy, a man more concerned with the appearance of a good film rather than making one.
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.