The Impossible

White people were hurt by the tsunami?  Impossible!  Severe racial skew aside, the entire British (not true-story Spanish) cast deliver literally breath-taking performances.  Devastating devastation effects and a fifty-fifty blend of gut-wrenching physical realism and rarely forced soul-stomping emotional punches create an effect, which isn’t impossible, but is still impressive.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Ludicrous flying car conclusion aside, the alternate Enterprise’s second journey is even more satisfying.  After some far-fetched terrorism and an old-western show-down with some Klingons’ cousins, reKirk et al learn that coming between Robocop and Sherlock is startlingly dangerous.  Oh, spoiler… the reveal is beautifully justified with countless ikahnic throwbacks.

The Great Gatsby

The Michael Bay of epic romance transforms another classic into a gaudy zoom-fest that substitutes editorial flair for narrative pacing.  Random rap samples compliment the flashy collage like cheddar on ice cream while Maguire and diCaprio are edged out by Edgerton who delivers an alarmingly fitting yet still decent performance.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Little Miss Melancholia struggles to find steady pace or comfortable tone.  Populated by underwhelming appearances from anyone who missed Franco’s apocalypse.  Carrel and Knightley cling to tiny strands of character arc as they are tossed violently from one vignette to the next in an unedited brainstorm one year too late.

Trance

Boyle’s Nolan knock-off barely simmers as it falls through a series of clunky twists without so much as an empathetic character to cling to.  Delves far too deeply into the pseudo-science that must have been used by Boyle to get then-girlfriend, Dawson to use her Rosario as a plot point.