Monday 26 February 2018
Critters 2 (1988)
Eggs of the small, furry alien carnivores are left behind on Earth and, after hatching, set their appetites on the town of Grover's Bend.
Sunday 25 February 2018
Le Choix des armes (1981)
A gangster retires to the countryside after living a full life of traditional crime, but after settling into his new residence with his wife, his home is invaded by an unruly punk with some newideas about the way crime should work.
An otherwise unoriginal crime story is slowly drawn out and achieves some depth by intelligent direction and excellent performances.
Halliwell*: "Interesting but too-leisurely account of people unable to escape their past."
Maltin***: "Well-directed drama...Good performances by excellent cast, especially Depardieu."
Pyromanen (2016)
A ruthless pyromaniac is on the loose in a southern village of Norway.
Intense psychological thriller compels with burning houses in a dreary rural landscape, but doesn't quite manage to explain the firestarter's motives.
Saturday 24 February 2018
The Disaster Artist (2017)
When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.
A humorous, but sympathetic homage to the making of the allegedly worst movie ever made and its enigmatic creator Tommy Wiseau manages to turn it into a success story, while simultaneously retaining its mystery.
One Day (2011)
After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation a woman and a man are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives; they are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day.
A relationship drama propelled by Sturgess' mysterious reluctance to love Hathaway is well-played, but unnerves for exact that reason; the ending is quite a punch in the stomach.
Maltin**: "Dreary, drawn-out look at a star-crossed relationship..David Nicholls adapted his best-selling book but something's been lost in the translation; we never understand what makes Sturgess' character tick, so it's hard to care about him."
Friday 23 February 2018
Huo yuanjia (2006)
A biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.
Professionally well-made martial arts bio-pic that offers some emotion and soul-searching besides the excellent fight scenes.
Maltin***: "Li apparently caps his career in this genre...Emotionally charged and visually striking; Li shows why is a master of the art."
Patriots Day (2016)
The story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible.
Meticulous reconstruction of the actual events, wonderfully managing multiple subplots and a large cast of protagonists, doesn't add anything to the well-known facts.
Thursday 22 February 2018
Out of the Furnace (2013)
When a young man mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother takes matters into his own hands to find justice.
At its core a simple revenge story is heightened by excellent location cinematography and great performances throughout; Woody Harrelson is particularly efficient as a sinister low-life crook.
Maltin**: "A story that would have been exploitation-movie fodder in the 1970s is played here with a heavy hand, straining for significance. Good performances and vivid location work can only go so far."
Hell or High Water (2016)
A divorced father and his ex-con older brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's ranch in West Texas.
Modern-day Western gives its cops-and-robbers story depth with excellent scenery photography, love for detail and strong characters and some social commentary.
Wednesday 21 February 2018
Forever Lulu (2000)
A schizophrenic romantic tracks down her college sweetheart to help her find their son she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago to the dismay of his new wife.
The stars enliven, but can't save this overly sentimental drama.
Halliwell (no star): "Gruesome sentimental hokum, which a glum-seeming Swayze and a frantic Griffith fail to enliven."
Tuesday 20 February 2018
Annabelle (2014)
A couple begins to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists.
Quite unoriginal horror flick, not helped much by a messy plot.
Sunday 18 February 2018
London Has Fallen (2016)
In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning is caught up in a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.
A good example how non-stop action and pyrotechnics are necessarrily enough to make the result a good movie.
The Clearing (2004)
As an executive is held captive by an employee, it's up to his wife to deliver the ransom.
More psycho-drama than thriller this movie has ambitions to tell more than its story holds; good performances, though.
Maltin**1/2: "More a character study than a conventional story, this interesting, elliptical plays with chronology in challenging ways but doesn't lead to a satisfying conclusion. The three stars are excellent."
Thursday 15 February 2018
Fences (2016)
A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.
It shows that this movie is the adaptation of a stage play as its very heavy on dialogue, but the stellar performances and intelligent direction make it worth the while.
Appaloosa (2008)
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
Nicely photographed and played elegiac revisionist Western celebrates old-fashioned men's bonding and honor which includes a good slice of misogyny as well.
Maltin**: "Fairly simple story...takes an awfully long time to spin out. Harris and Mortensen make a great team, and their friendship is the most interesting aspect of this long-winded film."
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