Ahab Pitt pursues white-power whale in visually astounding
and brilliantly brooding war story.
Percy finally ascends to his co-stars’ godly realm, though Labaeiouf
steals show with bible-thumping rabidity.
Incredible moral tale, peppered with palpable suspense, devastating
imagery but slightly over-cinematic conclusion.
Ayer kept it fresh, and for that deserves tanks.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Fury
Actors & Director:
Brad Pitt,
David Ayer,
Jason Isaacs,
Jon Bernthal,
Logan Lerman,
Michael Pena,
Shia LaBeouf
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The Wind Rises
Miyazaki rises down to Earth in his exceptionally realist
rendition of Grave of the Fighter Jets.
Dream sequences justify animated medium, and stunning visuals keep an
otherwise slow story from crashing and burning.
Lacks magic of previous ghiblets but presents colorful alternative
perspective on oft generalized black and white history.
Actors & Director:
Elijah Wood,
Emily Blunt,
Hayao Miyazaki,
John Krasinski,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Stanley Tucci,
Werner Herzog,
William H. Macy
Monday, September 21, 2015
Into the Woods
Like Streep’s appearance, odd musical fantasy venture
oscillates between grotesque Sondheim quasi-horror and flowery Disney kids pic
without ever settling on witch it actually wants to be. Disquieting off-screen deaths and thinly
veiled themes of pedophilia and adultery guide this movie into the dark woods
between two potentially powerful demographics.
Actors & Director:
Anna Kendrick,
Chris Pine,
Emily Blunt,
Johnny Depp,
Meryl Streep,
Rob Marshall
Thursday, September 17, 2015
A Most Violent Year
Chandor drapes gravity of All over Margin’s complexity and
masterfully molds the gripping moodiness of Call is Lost. It’s Wall Street meets Drive, if James Grey
had directed it, and further cements Isaac and Chastain as two of the most
serious actors working today. Still,
definitely a most deceptive title.
Actors & Director:
Albert Brooks,
David Oyelowo,
Elyes Gabel,
J.C. Chandor,
Jessica Chastain,
Oscar Isaac
Monday, September 14, 2015
Straight Outta Compton
Gritty, fun and incisive Nwapic is made potent and
accessible by stellar casting and brilliant performances, particularly from
Cubelet, E2, and Giamatti (gone straight from Mercy to Ruthless). Suffers from a strange antagonist swap after
F(orgett)ing the Police, notable absence of female characters, and an incurable
stutter of an ending.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
The Purge
Character decisions and motivations perfectly match the premise
because they too make no sense. Well
shot, and remarkably well cast, but Headey’s brain-dead wife and Hawke’s
clipped doofus suggest that perhaps once a year, agents can force A-list actors
to take C- roles. A film worth purging
from any collection.
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