Isle of Dogs

Wes goes east in The Seven Symmetries, outdoing his meticulous shot design and quirky wit. But this adventure’s emotions seem to be lost in translation. Furthermore, the screwy set-pieces seem to have evicted the plot to trash island, and though the action is entertaining and fun, it’s ultimately doggone dissatisfying. 

Collateral Beauty

Life is Cynical continues Will Smith’s Pursuit of Oskars but falls like so many dominos as it drifts from clichéd to conniving to contrived. Star-studded cast turn in career low performances as the illogical and deeply troubled mini-machiavellis. One clever third act reveal hardly compensates for all the collateral BS.

Sausage Party

Overstocked with shock, Rogen’s grocery story is a pun-ishingly biting satire of faith, religion and world culture. From start to finish, Party is stuffed with deliciously satisfying vocal performances. Maybe mis-packaging as a giant dick joke prompted refined viewers to shelve the product, when really it’s well worth checking out.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Fantastic Mr. Anderson narrowly manages self-expansion and self-analysis over self-imitation as he disassembles a grand Dubrovnik nesting doll to discover a delicious nut in the form of an abnormally friendly Fiennes.  A smattering of stars pepper the convoluted plot as story and cinematography anamorph from past symmetries to symmetrical pasts.

Birdman

Black-Swan-man embraces gravity with style despite feather-ruffling from Norton’s Norton and stoned Stone.  Watts electrifies with return to Mulholland while Galifaeioukis galls by emerging from comedic ferns.  Inairitu’s mockery of editing and soundly designed sound design give wings to a film that seemed like a long shot and still does.