[7] Amy Adams plays a linguist recruited by the military after aliens (the space kind) make first contact with human beings in twelve separate locations across the globe. Eric Heisserer’s non-linear screenplay (based on a story by Ted Chiang) and Denis Villeneuve’s austere direction make the first two-thirds of Arrival a pretty gripping film for people with the desire and ability to pay attention and …
[6] Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a celebrated surgeon who loses the use of his hands in a car accident and then pursues Eastern mysticism which, of course, leads to superpowers and magic and shit. Doctor Strange is another rote effort from Marvel Studios, a company doing far better making the same movie over and over again than any company I can remember, and that includes Eon’s …
[4] Richard Linklater writes and directs Everybody Wants Some!! as sort of a follow-up to his own Dazed and Confused. It’s the early ’80s and a group of college baseball players live together in a couple of houses off-campus. The movie has absolutely no over-arching narrative. The guys just party and hang out, practice their ball, and try to pick up chicks. It’s just a …
[6] Paul Rudd stars as one of Marvel’s new feature film superheroes, a man who can shrink to miniature proportions with the help of a special suit. Michael Douglas shares a huge amount of screen time as the suit’s inventor. Together with his estranged daughter (Evangeline Lilly), they train Rudd’s character how to use the suit and control a variety of different ants to help …
[5] Blair Witch is a sequel that plays out more like an amped up remake of 1999’s now-classic The Blair Witch Project. More kids are going into the Burkittsville woods where the legend of the Blair Witch is still very much alive. This time, it’s so that a young man can find out what happened to his sister (one of the characters from the original …
[8] Tom Hanks stars as celebrated pilot Chesley Sullenberger, who safely landed his U.S. Airways passenger plane on the Hudson River after the unprecedented scenario of losing both engines to bird-strike shortly after take-off. Director Clint Eastwood lets this true story unfold with the greatest of ease. Nothing is sensationalized — all the emotions Sully evokes are earnest and sincere. I found it a very uplifting …
[6] Writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud) serves up a supernatural drama about a father (Michael Shannon) trying to smuggle his son cross-country while avoiding both the government and the religious cult from which they escaped. Turns out the boy is gifted with strange powers that continue revealing themselves throughout the film. Is he an alien? Is it a government conspiracy? Nichols is hoping you’ll …
[7] Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling star as private detectives who team up to solve the mystery of a missing porn star in this comedy/action/buddy flick from writer/director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Black does a terrific job showcasing the characters in a twisty-turny plot that could easily have bogged things down. Crowe and Gosling have enough charisma and chemistry to make me …
[7] Fede Alvarez (The Evil Dead remake) directs the hell out of this claustrophobic thriller about three horrible, stupid, awful twenty-somethings who break into a blind Gulf War veteran’s home to steal $300,000, only to realize they’ve severely underestimated their opponent. Hollywood hasn’t released a thriller this tense in a long time — that’s the good news. The bad news — at least for me …
[7] Nicolas Cage stars in his most interesting movie in many years. He plays an ex-con in an impoverished Southern community who becomes an unlikely role model for a 15-year old boy (Mud‘s Tye Sheridan) who is dealing with an increasingly abusive, alcoholic father (Gary Poulter). Cage and Sheridan are top-notch, and Garry Hawkins’ screenplay, based on Larry Brown’s novel, never stoops to sentimentality. Director David …
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