Film Reviews: January 4 and 11, 2015

Here is a summary of films reviewed recently:

January 11, 2015:

The Gambler has an awful lot of good stuff in it but for a movie that fancies itself as a throwback to 1970s-era grittiness, the film’s edge is dulled by commercial concessions. It’s a satisfactory piece of entertainment but it could have been much more. 

The Interview may not be the subversive political satire that some viewers have been led to believe. However, it is very funny, highly entertaining, and the filmmakers accomplish exactly what they set out to do.

Tim Burton’s directorial career has been uneven lately, suffering from a lot of disappointing remakes, but he mostly rights himself with Big Eyes. This is neither Burton’s best work nor his worst but it is a successful drama about the relationship between an artist and her work.

At its most basic level, Wild successfully tells the story of a woman putting herself through a physical challenge and it features a career-best performance by Reese Witherspoon. The film comes up short in its deeper aspirations but what the movie does right far outweighs what it does wrong. 

Calvary combines thoughtful filmmaking with wit, sensitivity, and compelling characters. This is a picture that has somehow slipped beneath the radar of a lot of audiences and critics but the picture is worth a look by both religious viewers and general audiences. 

January 4, 2015 
Top Five is the third feature film that Chris Rock has directed and he’s showing steady growth as a filmmaker. The movie is strained by some of its excesses but those flaws are far outweighed by its sincerity and the likable chemistry between Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson.

The 2014 remake of Annie is an admirable attempt and it’s well cast but the movie is lacking in too many critical areas. It’s dramatically limp and it fails to yoke the feel-good sentiment that viewers of this kind of thing will be looking for. 

Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb is at best a mediocre capstone to what’s been an unexceptional series. The first movie was fun but the sequels never justified their existence and the last entry is an underwhelming finale. 

Into the Woods has a lot of talent in front of the camera but the filmmakers do not marshal the skills of their cast to serve a story that is interesting. The movie is ambitious but that ambition is never realized on the screen. 

The tale of Unbroken is extraordinary and in terms of cinematic craft it is well made. Those two qualities carry the movie and make it an acceptable piece of entertainment. But as a dramatization it ultimately misses the most interesting part of its subject.

Adult World is a movie that could have been great but is merely good. That’s enough to merit a recommendation. Adult World is a pretty standard coming of age tale but has enough bite to distinguish the film from similar titles. 


Remember that you can find the full text of each review in the Sounds of Cinema review archive.

Replay of Religious Films Episode

The December 28th edition of Sounds of Cinema featured a replay of the special episode on religious films originally broadcast earlier this year. The first half of the program included music from a variety of religion-related movies including The Ten Commandments and Jesus Christ Superstar. The second half of the show featured an interview with Thomas Lindlof, author of Hollywood Under Siege: Martin Scorsese, the Religious Right, and the Culture Wars, a book about the making of The Last Temptation of Christ.
 
You can find a blog post recounting the films discussed on the show (as well some other titles) here.

Here is the full interview with Thomas Lindlof:

Film Reviews: December 7, 2014

Here is a summary of films reviewed on today's show:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is a promising penultimate addition to the Hunger Games film series. It’s difficult to judge a movie like this because it is just half the story but the film is well made, it breaks from the mold of the previous instalments, and it mixes action adventure thrills with perceptive political content.

Filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev has made a challenging and unsettling film with Happy Valley. But as upsetting at the film may be it is also critical viewing. This documentary transcends interests in sports or higher education; it’s a complex portrait of a community confronted with horrors from within its most esteemed institution and struggling to reconcile that horror with its own identity. 

Horrible Bosses 2 is a lousy sequel to a mediocre movie. There is nothing to this film except a lazy walkthrough of call backs to the first picture.

Life of Crime will be of interest to fans of Elmore Leonard’s literary works and it’s a fine crime film that mixes noir and black comedy. The story isn’t especially surprising but the film does have interesting characters and an impressive performance by Jennifer Aniston. 

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

Replay of 1994 Retrospective

Today's episode of Sounds of Cinema featured a rerun of the 1994 retrospective. That year produced a cornucopia of great and memorable films and the episode included a look at Forrest Gump , Clerks, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King, Pulp Fiction, Natural Born Killers, The Crow,and Dumb and Dumber. Read a supplementary blog post for a more on these and other films here.

Film Reviews: November 23, 2014

Here is a summary of the films reviewed on today's show:

Birdman is an extremely well made picture with some very strong performances. The movie is odd but it’s also very intelligent and ribs show business with a sardonic sense of humor.

Dumb and Dumber To is not the classic that the original film was and it is unlikely that in twenty years anyone will regard this film as anything more than a footnote. However, that is an unfair way to judge a movie and Dumb and Dumber To accomplishes what it was intended to do—further the adventures of its central characters and make the audience laugh.

Big Hero 6 is an acceptable animated film. A lot about it feels generic but it is entertaining and competently made and will satisfy family audiences looking for something to watch together.

St. Vincent is a movie that alternates genuine moments with scenes that are cliché and contrived. It is led by some strong performances and the actors generally overcome the weak portions of the storytelling.

Beyond the Lights is an above average movie about love and fame. It’s ultimately a conventional story but the love story is done well and there is enough going on in the background of the film to elevate it above other movies.

Begin Again is a fine movie with a terrific soundtrack and some strong performances. It may not be the movie that audiences expect but it is one of the better films about music to come along in a while.

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

Film Reviews: November 16, 2014

Here is a summary of the reviews featured on Sounds of Cinema on November 16:

Despite some misguided storytelling decisions, Interstellar is a remarkable film. There is a lot in it that is to be admired, especially from a technical standpoint, but the quality that really defines the movie is the awe that it inspires for nature and for humanity’s place in it.

The Nicholas Sparks playbook was exhausted a long time ago and there is nothing new in The Best of Me. Whatever captured the audience’s imagination ten years ago in The Notebook has been degraded through an endless rearrangement of clichés that now hedge on self-parody.

The shortcomings of Nightcrawler are largely immaterial, especially in light of how much it does well. This is a smart, provocative, and highly entertaining movie with a great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Hateship Loveship will appeal to fans of romantic stories but the performances by the central cast, especially Kristin Wiig, elevate it above the average entry in the genre.

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

Film Reviews: November 2 and 9

Here is a look at the reviews featured on Sounds of Cinema on November 2nd and 9th:

John Wick is a satisfying action shoot-‘em-up. The story is pretty thin but the film is high on style and full of energy, and it makes for consistently engaging viewing.

The Book of Life is a fun animated film. It isn’t without its flaws but the picture tells an engaging story with compelling characters and unique visuals.

Ouija is a lazily made movie in which story and scares are all secondary to selling more of Hasbro’s board games. This movie is a cynical cash grab and little else.

Before I Go to Sleep has some good performances and an interesting premise but it isn’t quite able to give those performances or ideas the movie that they deserve.

The humor of Obvious Child will have a narrow appeal but the film has a humanity that transcends its other trappings and it features an impressive performance by Jenny Slate.

There isn’t much in Fury that is new and it’s unlikely that viewers are going to come away from the movie with any new understandings about World War II or warfare in general. However, the filmmakers tell this story very well and it’s an exciting, entertaining, and well-acted picture.

The only thing worse than a pretentious movie is a pretentious movie that has nothing to say. Men, Woman & Children is a movie whose makers think they are making a big important statement about big important issues but this movie contributes nothing to anyone’s understanding about life in the digital age while managing to trivialize much more immediate human struggles.

The Judge has some very good performances but the script has too much plot getting in the way of the story. The moviemakers keep diluting the central premise with a lot of extra nonsense that just inflates the length without creating substance.

They Came Together is not likely to be a broad hit with the romantic comedy audience but those who get it are really going to like it. The movie is smart and funny while managing an off-kilter tone and that’s enough to merit a recommendation.

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