This type of storytelling peaks when it feels like a fully formed story that just happens to hold elements that that speak to our world. But when done this way, it feels like a college essay.
All tagged 2.5 Stars
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions - Let the Games Begin (Again)
The plot is kind of inane, the events are wholly unrealistic, and the characters are ankle deep water, but there is enough flare in the craft that it’s not a painful ride.
Father Daughter Hijinks - On the Rocks
There’s a lot going on, but Coppola handles it well and creates a satisfying narrative that should go over well as the after-dinner movie choice.
More like Ford v Ford - Ford v Ferrari
There are laughs, there are thrills, there is pathos, and it all comes together about as well as one would expect. The problem is that when you started with so much, isn’t it fair to expect more?
Somewhere Under The Rainbow - Judy
It is a fairly pedestrian, paint by numbers, portrait of a famous person whose cultural resonance has waned in the last few decades. The movie landscape is filled with examples of this—portraits that lack the contours of a life and the pizazz of an invented story.
Mostly Just Marvel - Captain Marvel
We get the origins of S.H.I.E.L.D., the origins of Captain Marvel and a good look at how she fits into where the franchise is headed from here. But all of that was to be assumed. How successfully they pulled that off is another matter entirely.
Divided We Laugh - The Oath
The Oath endeavors to present a credible but outlandish take on where we might be headed if politics keep unfolding the way they have recently. And while I’m not sure the end result is plausible, it’s certainly close enough to possible to be thought-provoking, original and genuinely funny. You will see us in this.
They Got There Eventually - First Man
The original footage of the moon landing is so primitive that seeing this version is jarring and incredible. But it took us almost as long to get to that as it did in real life. The first hour and a half is spent with our feet firmly planted on the Earth and therein lies the problem.
Black+White - The Hate U Give
This is not a bad movie. It is a good one with lots of bad elements mixed in very proudly.
Her and Only Her - The Wife
Its revelations are telegraphed like rushed passes from a bad high school quarterback, but it somehow still manages to entertain. That it does so is a testament only to Glenn Close’s talents. Everyone else deserves major side-eye for expecting us to buy that this is their best effort.
One In Particular - Support The Girls
While the movie has its peaks, it functions more as a showcase of what Hall is capable of than some masterfully told story.
As Unlikely As Can Be - The Gospel According to André
The ways he sticks out in the fashion world are obvious, but the ways in which he has endeared himself to that same community are equally obvious--his unending charm and unbridled passion.
Overflowing - The Shape of Water
The visual intrigue is on full display, but you would be hard-pressed to conjure up an argument that this is a world you want to stay in.
Review: Beauty and the Beast
Put simply, Beauty and the Beast has just enough Disney magic working in its favor that it would be hard not to make a winner.
Review: Kong: Skull Island
This is just a good time.
Review: Snowden
While entertaining in spots, the film leaves us with a lopsided portrait of a clearly complicated man, and robs the subject matter of the tension it deserved.
Review: Nerve
Picture Truth or Dare meets Pokémon Go meets Facebook Live. Now, add in a healthy dose of teenage angst and unpredictability and you will have a sense of the game at the center of Nerve. As the stakes increase, the story hums like the neon Tron: Legacy-inspired lights that fill the frame.