Here is a recap of the films reviewed on today's show:
Grandma is a well-made little character study. The film is a
little too flippant for its own good but it is smart and funny while
also creating rich and interesting characters, especially the lead
played by Lily Tomlin.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is a fun sequel. The movie
lacks in some of its duties as the middle chapter of an ongoing story
but the action sequences make the film engaging enough.
Captive is not very successful at anything. Despite the efforts
of the central cast, the story is not exciting and the filmmakers’
attempt at spiritual inspiration falls flat.
Black Mass has some terrific performances but it suffers from
too many basic storytelling mistakes. The biography of Whitey Bulgar is
one of the great American crime stories but this movie doesn’t do it
justice.
A Walk in the Woods is not a great movie but it is likable,
mostly because of the performances by Robert Redford and especially
Nick Nolte. Where the movie falls short as a travelogue it mostly
succeeds as a buddie flick.
While We’re Young covers familiar territory of writer and
director Noah Baumbach but it is also a more mature and more complex
film than others that he’s made. This is one of the best and most
interesting films about the intersections and deviations between
Generation Xers and Millennials.
You can find full text of every review in the Sounds of Cinema Review Archive.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Where are the Reviews of 'War Room?'
On last week’s episode of Sounds of Cinema I reviewed War Room, a faith based movie from the filmmakers of Courageous and Fireproof. The picture is one in a surge of religiously-themed titles released over the past few years which include independently produced pictures like God’s Not Dead and Mom’s Night Out as well as studio films such as Noah and Heaven is For Real. A lot of these films have been terrible, especially those from faith-based production houses, and I concluded that War Room was “trite, thoughtless, and sentimental garbage.”
As with most theatrical releases, I finished my segment on War Room with a sample of reviews gleaned from Rotten Tomatoes, a website that aggregates film criticism. But what I was surprised to find is that only twenty-six reviews of War Room had been logged with only eight reviews coming from so-called “top critics” (that is, critics associated with a major media outlet). War Room was not screened for critics but the film had been in theaters for two weeks at that point, plenty of time for critics to see it and publish a review.
The critical neglect of War Room is indicative of a broader pattern. For whatever reason, film critics and especially professional critics have largely ignored these religious films, especially if the picture comes from a faith-based production company.
The statistics from Rotten Tomatoes bear this out. Studio tent pole movies play in about 4000 theaters and generally receive hundreds of reviews. For instance:
But religiously themed films produced and distributed independently are all but ignored by critics. It’s unclear why. It may be the release strategy. In addition to not screening the movies for critics, these titles tend to open incrementally and have their distribution guided by grassroots demand in which viewers and churches request that the film be shown in their community. But in their widest release these faith-based movies are playing in an equivalent number of theaters as a wide art house release and they are not getting the same level of critical attention.
It may be that these faith-based movies are regarded as niche titles but God’s Not Dead and War Room have each made more at the domestic box office than Mr. Holmes and Love & Mercy combined and those faith-based titles have made about as much domestically as the comic book disaster Fantastic Four. They may not be making Jurassic World money but these independently produced religion-themed films are opening wide enough and earning enough at the box office that critics ought to review them.
One thing that has been consistent about the productions from companies like Cloud Ten Pictures and Pure Flix Entertainment is that the movies are usually terrible, although not so because of the religious convictions of their makers. The filmmaking is typically shoddy, the acting is hammy, the stories rely on sentimentality, and the films bludgeon the audience with their message. In that respect I empathize with critics who have ignored these movies. Every time a faith based film opens critics can anticipate two things: first, it will in all likelihood be awful and second, the intended audience doesn’t care about critics’ opinions and may even lash out against a negative review with accusations of religious prejudice. Be that as it may, critics have an obligation to review as many films as they can and to see movies that they may not be excited about watching. And they especially have an obligation to review movies that are popular and that go to the top of the box office charts.
The job of the movie critic has multiple functions and one of the most important is to start critical conversations about motion pictures. It is not the critic’s job to torpedo a film’s box office performance (and in fact negative reviews rarely accomplish that) but it is a critic’s job to offer a frame for audiences to think about what we’ve seen at the movie theater. Those who control the means of production would rather the audience didn’t think about the content of their products. They would much prefer that the audience shut up, eat their popcorn, and passively consume whatever is on the screen. Film critics raise the audience’s consciousness and even if viewers reject the critic’s position on a movie they at least have been forced to think about it.
Movie critics can also educate the audience by talking about the filmmaking craft and how the combination of sound and moving image creates meaning. That improves the critical faculties of the audience and a savvy viewership demands better movies, which filmmakers are then obligated to satisfy, thus elevating the whole enterprise.
There is another role of the critic, one that is very important but rarely discussed. Even though critics are maligned as elitist snobs, the fact is that they can be populist voices. Whether it is speaking out against gimmicks like 3-D or calling out racism and sexism in the movies, critics have an important role of acting on behalf of the viewers. They can attack lazy work by cynical studios and hack filmmakers as well as celebrate a job well done.
This is where the critical blackballing of these faith-based movies is really detrimental to everyone. In my review of War Room I noted that the faith-based audience is underserved by Hollywood. That’s why movies like War Room and God’s Not Dead have done so well. People of faith want to see their values and stories expressed on the screen. The only movies doing that are these awful soppy dramas that appeal to the lowest common denominator but they are the only game in town and so they do well because the audience is desperate.
But the faith based audience deserves better. Religion and spirituality are serious issues and there is a tradition of great religiously inspired art from Handel’s The Messiah to Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel to Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. But filmmakers of a lot of today’s faith-based movies are not taking matters seriously. More often than not they sentimentalize and trivialize matters of faith, appeal to the ugliest aspects of religious culture including anti-intellectualism, and deflect criticism by playing into religious tribalism.
When critics ignore these movies, they let us all down. They fail the religiously motivated viewers but they also fail the rest of us by allowing shoddy filmmaking and in some cases insidious ideas to flow unimpeded throughout the culture. Like it not, this genre of faith-based movies is an important fixture of today’s movie going scene and critics have an obligation to suffer through these movies and critique them earnestly and thoroughly. That’s what it is to be a critic, especially those working at a level where they are given access to moviemakers, large platforms, and specially arranged screenings.
Critics need to be on top of these films, not to quash them necessarily, but to raise the consciousness of the viewers and to demand better movies. There is no good reason why critics have ignored these pictures and it’s time that they started paying attention.
As with most theatrical releases, I finished my segment on War Room with a sample of reviews gleaned from Rotten Tomatoes, a website that aggregates film criticism. But what I was surprised to find is that only twenty-six reviews of War Room had been logged with only eight reviews coming from so-called “top critics” (that is, critics associated with a major media outlet). War Room was not screened for critics but the film had been in theaters for two weeks at that point, plenty of time for critics to see it and publish a review.
The critical neglect of War Room is indicative of a broader pattern. For whatever reason, film critics and especially professional critics have largely ignored these religious films, especially if the picture comes from a faith-based production company.
The statistics from Rotten Tomatoes bear this out. Studio tent pole movies play in about 4000 theaters and generally receive hundreds of reviews. For instance:
- Avengers: Age of Ultron was reviewed by 283 critics, including forty-seven top critics.
- Jurassic World was reviewed by 263 critics, including forty-five top critics.
- Inside Out was reviewed by 269 critics, including forty-seven professional critics.
- Fantastic Four was reviewed by 194 critics, including thirty-eight top critics.
- Mr. Holmes was reviewed by 144 critics, including thirty-four top critics.
- Love & Mercy was reviewed by 158 critics, including thirty-nine top critics.
- Sinister 2 was reviewed by sixty-eight critics, including thirteen top critics.
- The Transporter Refueled was reviewed by eighty-five critics, including twenty-one top critics.
- 90 Minutes in Heaven has nineteen reviews, with five from top critics.
- Do You Believe? has seventeen reviews with four reviews from top critics.
- God’s Not Dead has nineteen reviews, with four from top critics.
- Heaven is for Real has eighty reviews with twenty-four from top critics.
- Left Behind has sixty-two reviews, with twenty from top critics.
- Little Boy has forty-five reviews, with twenty from top critics.
- Mom’s Night Out has thirty-eight reviews, with sixteen from top critics.
- Saving Christmas has twelve reviews, with six from top critics.
- Son of God has sixty-seven reviews, with twenty five from top critics.
- When the Game Stands Tall has sixty-two reviews, with twenty from top critics.
But religiously themed films produced and distributed independently are all but ignored by critics. It’s unclear why. It may be the release strategy. In addition to not screening the movies for critics, these titles tend to open incrementally and have their distribution guided by grassroots demand in which viewers and churches request that the film be shown in their community. But in their widest release these faith-based movies are playing in an equivalent number of theaters as a wide art house release and they are not getting the same level of critical attention.
It may be that these faith-based movies are regarded as niche titles but God’s Not Dead and War Room have each made more at the domestic box office than Mr. Holmes and Love & Mercy combined and those faith-based titles have made about as much domestically as the comic book disaster Fantastic Four. They may not be making Jurassic World money but these independently produced religion-themed films are opening wide enough and earning enough at the box office that critics ought to review them.
One thing that has been consistent about the productions from companies like Cloud Ten Pictures and Pure Flix Entertainment is that the movies are usually terrible, although not so because of the religious convictions of their makers. The filmmaking is typically shoddy, the acting is hammy, the stories rely on sentimentality, and the films bludgeon the audience with their message. In that respect I empathize with critics who have ignored these movies. Every time a faith based film opens critics can anticipate two things: first, it will in all likelihood be awful and second, the intended audience doesn’t care about critics’ opinions and may even lash out against a negative review with accusations of religious prejudice. Be that as it may, critics have an obligation to review as many films as they can and to see movies that they may not be excited about watching. And they especially have an obligation to review movies that are popular and that go to the top of the box office charts.
The job of the movie critic has multiple functions and one of the most important is to start critical conversations about motion pictures. It is not the critic’s job to torpedo a film’s box office performance (and in fact negative reviews rarely accomplish that) but it is a critic’s job to offer a frame for audiences to think about what we’ve seen at the movie theater. Those who control the means of production would rather the audience didn’t think about the content of their products. They would much prefer that the audience shut up, eat their popcorn, and passively consume whatever is on the screen. Film critics raise the audience’s consciousness and even if viewers reject the critic’s position on a movie they at least have been forced to think about it.
Movie critics can also educate the audience by talking about the filmmaking craft and how the combination of sound and moving image creates meaning. That improves the critical faculties of the audience and a savvy viewership demands better movies, which filmmakers are then obligated to satisfy, thus elevating the whole enterprise.
There is another role of the critic, one that is very important but rarely discussed. Even though critics are maligned as elitist snobs, the fact is that they can be populist voices. Whether it is speaking out against gimmicks like 3-D or calling out racism and sexism in the movies, critics have an important role of acting on behalf of the viewers. They can attack lazy work by cynical studios and hack filmmakers as well as celebrate a job well done.
This is where the critical blackballing of these faith-based movies is really detrimental to everyone. In my review of War Room I noted that the faith-based audience is underserved by Hollywood. That’s why movies like War Room and God’s Not Dead have done so well. People of faith want to see their values and stories expressed on the screen. The only movies doing that are these awful soppy dramas that appeal to the lowest common denominator but they are the only game in town and so they do well because the audience is desperate.
But the faith based audience deserves better. Religion and spirituality are serious issues and there is a tradition of great religiously inspired art from Handel’s The Messiah to Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel to Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. But filmmakers of a lot of today’s faith-based movies are not taking matters seriously. More often than not they sentimentalize and trivialize matters of faith, appeal to the ugliest aspects of religious culture including anti-intellectualism, and deflect criticism by playing into religious tribalism.
When critics ignore these movies, they let us all down. They fail the religiously motivated viewers but they also fail the rest of us by allowing shoddy filmmaking and in some cases insidious ideas to flow unimpeded throughout the culture. Like it not, this genre of faith-based movies is an important fixture of today’s movie going scene and critics have an obligation to suffer through these movies and critique them earnestly and thoroughly. That’s what it is to be a critic, especially those working at a level where they are given access to moviemakers, large platforms, and specially arranged screenings.
Critics need to be on top of these films, not to quash them necessarily, but to raise the consciousness of the viewers and to demand better movies. There is no good reason why critics have ignored these pictures and it’s time that they started paying attention.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
More Movies That Rock
Today's episode of Sounds of Cinema featured music from movies that rock. Some titles were rock and roll movie musicals and others were pictures in which rock or similar music plays a role in the movie. Here are some titles that weren't mentioned on today's show:
8 Mile
This film was loosely based on Eminem’s biography. “Lose Yourself” became the first rap song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Across the Universe
A musical set in the 1960s and featuring covers of Beatles songs. The plot works through all of the familiar beats of stories set at that time (Vietnam protests, LSD trips, etc.) but director Julie Taymor creates some extraordinary set pieces.
American Graffiti
George Lucas’ second directorial feature is set on a summer night in 1962 and follows various characters as they cruise around town. The soundtrack is a very important part of the movie and features a sampling of most major rock and roll acts from that time.
The Blues Brothers
This movie was not a hit at the time of its release but The Blues Brothers has since become a classic and it features performances by James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Booker T. & the M.G.s.
The Doors
This biopic of Jim Morrison is one of the purest examples of the Hollywood rags-to-riches-to-drugs-to-dead formula. It also plays on the blurred line between rock star reality and popular mythology.
Head
The Monkees ended their tenure with a strange psychedelic feature film. The plotless and random nature of the movie is indicative of what was going on behind the scenes.
Hustle & Flow
A pimp attempts to get his rap career off the ground by turning a room in his house into a recording studio. The film takes what ought to be an unlikeable character and makes him very empathetic.
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar began as an album, was later turned into a stage production, and finally became of motion picture released in 1973 (the same year as Godspell). The film is a rock and roll retelling of the story of Jesus from the point of view of Judas.
Pirate Radio
Although highly fictionalized, this tale about the origins of rock and roll radio in the U.K. is a lot of fun. It was released internationally with the title The Boat that Rocked.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Another film that wasn’t very successful when it was first released, The Rocky Horror Picture Show became one of the great midnight movies and it has a dedicated cult following.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Music is an important part of Edgar Wright’s movies and Scott Pilgrim vs the World brought the songs to the forefront in the tale of a guitarist who must fight the seven evil exes of the woman he loves.
Sid and Nancy
A biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
That Thing You Do!
A fictional story of a manufactured pop band in the mid-1960s. The title song was issued as a single and became a hit.
The Wall
Based on Pink Floyd’s album, this film tells the story of a boy who grows up to become a rock star and is crushed by the pressures of show business and his own psychological eccentricities. There hasn’t been a Hollywood film like The Wall made since, which is a loss to all of us.
Yellow Submarine
The Beatles participated in a series of movies with United Artists. Years later the surviving members of the band spoke favorably of this title.
8 Mile
This film was loosely based on Eminem’s biography. “Lose Yourself” became the first rap song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Across the Universe
A musical set in the 1960s and featuring covers of Beatles songs. The plot works through all of the familiar beats of stories set at that time (Vietnam protests, LSD trips, etc.) but director Julie Taymor creates some extraordinary set pieces.
American Graffiti
George Lucas’ second directorial feature is set on a summer night in 1962 and follows various characters as they cruise around town. The soundtrack is a very important part of the movie and features a sampling of most major rock and roll acts from that time.
The Blues Brothers
This movie was not a hit at the time of its release but The Blues Brothers has since become a classic and it features performances by James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Booker T. & the M.G.s.
The Doors
This biopic of Jim Morrison is one of the purest examples of the Hollywood rags-to-riches-to-drugs-to-dead formula. It also plays on the blurred line between rock star reality and popular mythology.
Head
The Monkees ended their tenure with a strange psychedelic feature film. The plotless and random nature of the movie is indicative of what was going on behind the scenes.
Hustle & Flow
A pimp attempts to get his rap career off the ground by turning a room in his house into a recording studio. The film takes what ought to be an unlikeable character and makes him very empathetic.
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar began as an album, was later turned into a stage production, and finally became of motion picture released in 1973 (the same year as Godspell). The film is a rock and roll retelling of the story of Jesus from the point of view of Judas.
Pirate Radio
Although highly fictionalized, this tale about the origins of rock and roll radio in the U.K. is a lot of fun. It was released internationally with the title The Boat that Rocked.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Another film that wasn’t very successful when it was first released, The Rocky Horror Picture Show became one of the great midnight movies and it has a dedicated cult following.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Music is an important part of Edgar Wright’s movies and Scott Pilgrim vs the World brought the songs to the forefront in the tale of a guitarist who must fight the seven evil exes of the woman he loves.
Sid and Nancy
A biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
That Thing You Do!
A fictional story of a manufactured pop band in the mid-1960s. The title song was issued as a single and became a hit.
The Wall
Based on Pink Floyd’s album, this film tells the story of a boy who grows up to become a rock star and is crushed by the pressures of show business and his own psychological eccentricities. There hasn’t been a Hollywood film like The Wall made since, which is a loss to all of us.
Yellow Submarine
The Beatles participated in a series of movies with United Artists. Years later the surviving members of the band spoke favorably of this title.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Movies That Rock on Sounds of Cinema
The August 30th episode of Sounds of Cinema will feature music from movies
that rock. The show will take a broad approach and include music from a wide variety of films including Help! and Tommy and Walk the Line. The show will also feature reviews of Ricki and the Flash and Straight Outta Compton.
Be sure to tune in and turn your radios up to eleven.
Be sure to tune in and turn your radios up to eleven.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Movies for National Dog Day
Today is National Dog Day so here are some movies to watch with your favorite canine.
101 Dalmatians (1961)
Disney's animated classic about a litter of dalmatian puppies who are captured by Cruella De Vil and intended to be turned into fur coats. A live action version was released in 1996.
Benji (1974)
The first in a series of movies about a heroic stray dog. In this first installment Benji rescues a pair of kidnapped children.
Best in Show (2000)
Christopher Guest's mockumentary about the peculiar participants in a dog show. It was cited by Premiere magazine as one of the greatest comedies of all time.
Hatchi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
This particular title flew under the radar but earned very good notices. Richard Gere plays a college professor who takes a stray dog into his home.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
The early 1990s had a trend of movies in which live animal performers were given voice over narration. This movie is kind of dumb but the kids will love it.
Lady & the Tramp (1955)
Another Disney animated feature film centered on dogs. The spaghetti eating scene is one of the most iconic moments in the entire Disney canon.
Man's Best Friend (1993)
This movie is generally categorized as horror but it's more than that. This is a sci-fi thriller about a genetically modified guard dog that escapes its laboratory and becomes attached to a television reporter.
Old Yeller (1957)
The quintessential dog movie. Most everybody knows how this movie ends and it's heartbreaking but the film is a good example of how a family movie can deal with heavy issues.
Turner and Hooch (1989)
A buddy cop movie in which the straight man is played by Tom Hanks and the sloppy partner is played by a dog.
101 Dalmatians (1961)
Disney's animated classic about a litter of dalmatian puppies who are captured by Cruella De Vil and intended to be turned into fur coats. A live action version was released in 1996.
Benji (1974)
The first in a series of movies about a heroic stray dog. In this first installment Benji rescues a pair of kidnapped children.
Best in Show (2000)
Christopher Guest's mockumentary about the peculiar participants in a dog show. It was cited by Premiere magazine as one of the greatest comedies of all time.
Hatchi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
This particular title flew under the radar but earned very good notices. Richard Gere plays a college professor who takes a stray dog into his home.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
The early 1990s had a trend of movies in which live animal performers were given voice over narration. This movie is kind of dumb but the kids will love it.
Lady & the Tramp (1955)
Another Disney animated feature film centered on dogs. The spaghetti eating scene is one of the most iconic moments in the entire Disney canon.
Man's Best Friend (1993)
This movie is generally categorized as horror but it's more than that. This is a sci-fi thriller about a genetically modified guard dog that escapes its laboratory and becomes attached to a television reporter.
Old Yeller (1957)
The quintessential dog movie. Most everybody knows how this movie ends and it's heartbreaking but the film is a good example of how a family movie can deal with heavy issues.
Turner and Hooch (1989)
A buddy cop movie in which the straight man is played by Tom Hanks and the sloppy partner is played by a dog.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Film Reviews: August 9, 2015
Here us a recap of the films reviewed on today's show:
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is a competent action picture and it makes for a fun two hours. It isn’t as good as the best installments of the series and an awful lot from the earlier movies is repeated here. For the next adventure, Tom Cruise and company should challenge themselves to come up with a newer and fresher Mission: Impossible concept.
The dramatic content of Southpaw is much more impressive than the boxing. The actors are very good, especially Jake Gyllenhaal, but the movie suffers from a lot of basic storytelling mistakes.
The Vacation remake is not very funny and it pales in comparison to the original film. The cast is quite good and they could have been marshalled into a better movie but the film wastes them on a bland and uninspired script.
Within the filmography of Adam Sandler Pixels is a competent movie and it recalls some of his earlier family-friendly successes like Click. But the movie has been made in such a way that it short circuits its appeal and Pixels suffers from some of the predictable flaws of virtually every Happy Madison production.
Atari: Game Over is a fun look at the history of a groundbreaking company and an examination of the allure of nostalgia. It is a lightweight movie but it’s very satisfying.
You can find full text of every review in the Sounds of Cinema Review Archive.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is a competent action picture and it makes for a fun two hours. It isn’t as good as the best installments of the series and an awful lot from the earlier movies is repeated here. For the next adventure, Tom Cruise and company should challenge themselves to come up with a newer and fresher Mission: Impossible concept.
The dramatic content of Southpaw is much more impressive than the boxing. The actors are very good, especially Jake Gyllenhaal, but the movie suffers from a lot of basic storytelling mistakes.
The Vacation remake is not very funny and it pales in comparison to the original film. The cast is quite good and they could have been marshalled into a better movie but the film wastes them on a bland and uninspired script.
Within the filmography of Adam Sandler Pixels is a competent movie and it recalls some of his earlier family-friendly successes like Click. But the movie has been made in such a way that it short circuits its appeal and Pixels suffers from some of the predictable flaws of virtually every Happy Madison production.
Atari: Game Over is a fun look at the history of a groundbreaking company and an examination of the allure of nostalgia. It is a lightweight movie but it’s very satisfying.
You can find full text of every review in the Sounds of Cinema Review Archive.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Film Reviews: July 26th and August 2, 2015
Here is a recap of the reviews from the last two weeks:
The Human Centipede is more interesting as a trilogy and as a concept than it is for the actual content of its installments. Human Centipede 3 is deliberately unpleasant and it succeeds at that but the movie falls well short of its aspiration to be a violent satire in the vein of Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, American Psycho, or even South Park.
Paper Towns has interesting themes that it presents earnestly but the storytelling is erratic and unbelievable. The movie delivers a coming of age tale that its intended audience of teenagers will eat up but Paper Towns has too many implausibilities to be taken seriously.
Stand By Me remains one of the best films of director Rob Reiner and one of the best features adapted from the works of Stephen King. This film has some extraordinary performances and an understated profundity that maintains its resonance nearly thirty years after the movie’s original release.
Trainwreck is a fine comedy. It does not reinvent the romantic comedy but Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow do it very well and Trainwreck injects the genre with a contemporary sensibility while delivering laughs at a steady clip.
Ant-Man is a fun superhero movie. Although it works through a lot of the familiar storytelling beats of comic book origin stories it does so with a lot of humor and it is a very entertaining addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a fun movie and an effective example of a family adventure film that is entertaining for both kids and parents.
You can find full text of every review in the Sounds of Cinema Review Archive.
The Human Centipede is more interesting as a trilogy and as a concept than it is for the actual content of its installments. Human Centipede 3 is deliberately unpleasant and it succeeds at that but the movie falls well short of its aspiration to be a violent satire in the vein of Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, American Psycho, or even South Park.
Paper Towns has interesting themes that it presents earnestly but the storytelling is erratic and unbelievable. The movie delivers a coming of age tale that its intended audience of teenagers will eat up but Paper Towns has too many implausibilities to be taken seriously.
Stand By Me remains one of the best films of director Rob Reiner and one of the best features adapted from the works of Stephen King. This film has some extraordinary performances and an understated profundity that maintains its resonance nearly thirty years after the movie’s original release.
Trainwreck is a fine comedy. It does not reinvent the romantic comedy but Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow do it very well and Trainwreck injects the genre with a contemporary sensibility while delivering laughs at a steady clip.
Ant-Man is a fun superhero movie. Although it works through a lot of the familiar storytelling beats of comic book origin stories it does so with a lot of humor and it is a very entertaining addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a fun movie and an effective example of a family adventure film that is entertaining for both kids and parents.
You can find full text of every review in the Sounds of Cinema Review Archive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)