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An alt-western with plenty of quirk but little bite, John MacLean’s Slow West is a wasted opportunity kept afloat by a bevy of skilled actors. It goes for a revisionist approach to the genre, but misses the mark. That’s disappointing, as the set-up is a rich one: hopeless romantic Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) arrives in the American … Continue reading
It’s slickly packaged, but below its surface Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland is a preachy, chaotic jumble of themes and style at odds with itself from the get-go. Its message of fighting for the future while we still have one is certainly admirable, but its ideas on how to are so vague they seem to boil down to … Continue reading
A 70-year-old filmmaker who’s spent the last 25 years of his career making comedies, dramas, and children’s movies decides to revive the action franchise that put him on the map in the 1980s, but has been inert for 30 years, and recast its iconic star whose career has long since flamed out amid controversy. What … Continue reading
The Law of Diminishing Returns hasn’t yet caught up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe — which is no mean feat given that it is It’s eleven movies in, with another eleven looming on the horizon. That said, there is some strain showing along the bulging seams of The Avengers: The Age of Ultron. Writer-director Joss … Continue reading
Rupert Goold’s adaptation of Mike Finkel’s true crime novel/memoir, True Story is tepid that serves as a sobering reminder that while truth can be stranger than fiction, that’s not enough to make it interesting. At its core it is a genuinely bromance, but that conceit is soft-pedaled and ignored in favor of anemic characterization. Jonah Hill … Continue reading
The strange franchise arc of the Fast and Furious series continues, though the returns have diminished slightly. That’s to be expected of a franchise that’s now on its seventh outing, when most series tank on their third installment. The irony here is that Furious 7 disappoints a little because it doesn’t go off the rails enough, especially in comparison … Continue reading
Maybe it’s best that Liam Neeson has declared his impending retirement from action movies. Some of them have been damn fine B-grade cinema — namely the cult classic Taken and oft overlooked The Grey — but the lion’s share are dull, repetitious, and formulaic. Case in point: Run All Night. It has a good gimmick and noir … Continue reading
A disarmingly effective blend of “a night on the run” thriller and historical/political drama, ’71 is one of those rare movies that catches viewers almost completely off-guard and leaves the rattled to the core. Writer Gregory Burke and director Yann Demange, both television veterans making their feature film debut, stick with the notion that less is more and … Continue reading
Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) is the closest thing to a cyberpunk filmmaker working today, blending a fascination with emerging technology with a gritty social awareness while asking some uncomfortable philosophical questions. Unfortunately, his ability to explore that territory has only grown more unfocused over the course of his career to date. With his third feature film, … Continue reading
Apocalyptic ticking-clock thrillers/buddy road movies are nothing new — Miracle Mile, The Road, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World are stronger examples — but they’re rarely done with the kind of fearlessness, originality, or emotional honesty that writer-director Zak Hilditch delivers with These Final Hours. No cheap thrills or hollow romantic … Continue reading
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