Film Reviews: January 5, 2014

Here is a summary of reviews from today's show:


Philomena is at its core a compassionate film about people struggling to overcome histories of abuse. As heavy as that sounds, the film also has a sweetness and a sense of humor, making it very enjoyable even while it addresses weighty issues.

The Wolf of Wall Street is very entertaining, it has some terrific performances, and with respect to its filmmaking craft the movie is undeniably well made. But it is also too long for a movie that reveals so little.


47 Ronin is not a great movie but it does make for satisfactory popcorn entertainment. It is erratic and in many instances the filmmakers waste opportunities to make a better film. But taken simply as an action adventure matinee the movie works well enough.

Hours is a mixed effort. It is flawed in some critical ways but the movie succeeds as a thriller and the filmmakers tell a compelling story.

Parkland is great historical filmmaking. Like Paul Greengrass’ United 93, it takes a familiar historical event and restores the emotion and tragedy to it and in the process makes viewers reconsider how they’ve thought about the JFK assassination, one of the most picked over events in American history.

You can find the full reviews in the Sounds of Cinema review archive.