Silence

Brilliantly shot, deeply religious ode to Kurosawa follows padawan learners on quest to find Qui Gone. Incredible emotional performances almost compensate for linguistic inconsistencies, especially Neepadre’s, which is beyond Por. Impressive lack of preachiness in picture about preaching and palpable passion sustain picture despite plodding pacing. Scorsese scores, albeit silently.

Hacksaw Ridge

Gibson christifies Spielberg formula to deliver a movie that is part saccharin romance, part gritty gore-fest, and 1/3 metal jacket. Garfield revisits familiar territory with wall-scaling, web-slinging prowess and aversion to murder. Meanwhile inVincible Vaughn leaves comedic convictions stateside and sets of to crash Japan with a Band of Aussies.

The Amazing Spider-man 2

Amazingly comic-booky film fully embraces tone of source despite overlong runtime and villainously deceptive advertising.  A fun physics-free farce featuring plenty of in-jokes, and a few electrifying tidbits of emotion.  Ray plugs in as Spidey takes a dip in the deadpool with endless thread of witty asides.  Oh, and Rhino.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Gill.I.Am makes mess of things again, this time aided by Ledger’s death. Radical rewrite renders movie incomprehensible but justifies involvement of every sexiest man alive. Law, Farrell, and Depp all emulating Ledger spectacularly can’t cover up perplexing plot or hopeless mini-me. Instead of watching, view poster and imagine the rest.

The Social Network

Three names synonymous with cinematic excellence – Fincher, Sorkin, Timberlake – craft action-free courtroom drama (sans court) that’s hilarious, exciting and powerful. Eisenberg follow’s Cera’s Pilgrim on journey out of Cera’s shadow, and Timberlake’s celebrity is used perfectly. Boring title and poster prove you should never judge a book by its face.