Maps to the Stars

If Robert Altman and David Lynch had an abortion.  Several stars fell to Earth then took tragic wrong turns to end up lost in Losmopolis.  Julianne gives moore than this film deserves while a terrible child actor, tedious cinematography and hilarious fake fire distract from Cronenberg’s poorly plotted cartographic nightmare.

The Immigrant

Gray handles period in his usual somber shades. Cotillard polishes performance perfectly through stilted but compelling character arc opposite un-empathetic Phoenix and less than magical Renner.  On-the-nose dialogue disorder prevents emotional power from crossing over. Ultimately pays off with clever reveal and moral message even grayer than the skyline.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Hiccup grows up and his world grows out, expanding to include contrived backstory, overly complex dragon rules and countless questions about how everyone knows where they’re going.  Teen friends flirt until frozen reunion leads to most tedious dragon fight ever. Despite stilted pacing and awkward arcs, still an entertaining flight.

Spotlight

All the Pope’s Men is a witty and well-paced look into the world of investigative journalism. Keaton and his birdlings masterfully match their real-world counterparts as they delve into emotional territory with appropriate tact and objectivity.  Though Mystic Zodiac is no mystery, it manages to hold viewers in incredible suspense.

The Double

Two Eisenbergs are not better than one in this dull Dostoyevsky depiction.  Feels like a stage-play directed by Gilliam’s corpse and populated by un-empathetic caricatures of uninteresting people.  Ayoade achieves a singular vision. Unfortunately, it isn’t one worth seeing.  Perhaps film was intended as the double for its impressive Enemy.

The Rover

Michod’s McCarthy-esque Mad Max is a brooding and beautiful character study of an ambiguously good and/or bad Guy who goes on a brutal and brutally simple journey, pausing only to adopt a mentally handicapped vampire.  Intense performances, precise pacing and a well-crafted world lead to a doggone interesting title-pertinent ending.