Cast: Wes Robinson, James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez,
Corbin Reid
Release Date: Sep
16, 2016
Rated R for Terror, Some Disturbing Images and Language
Runtime: 1 hr. 29 min.
Review:
The Blair Witch Project was such a singular moment in
cinematic history that it’d be impossible to recreate the buzz and feel of
watching that original film.Regardless,
Adam Wingard tries to do just that with mixed results.This sequel is really just a remake of the
original film with updated technology and a shiner gloss.Blair Witch follows a lot of the same beats
of the original film with a few twist and turns to spice things up a bit.The third act offers up some interesting
questions about what’s really happening but it’s not enough to make this a
truly memorable film.There are some fun
sequences but there are just too many moments that emulate the original film.
Occasionally, going so far as to lift shots and dialogue from the
original.This slavish adherence to the
original leaves this sequel unable to find its own footing and feel.
Tom Hanks stars in this portrait of airline pilot Chesley "Sully"
Sullenberger, which depicts his successful emergency landing of an Airbus A320
on the Hudson River in January 2009. In the aftermath of
this unprecedented and heroic feat, the traumatized pilot must endure
second-guessing by investigators, the weight of sudden fame, and his own doubts
about his actions that fateful day. Anna Gunn, Laura Linney, and Aaron Eckhart
co-star. Directed by Clint Eastwood. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart, Autumn
Reeser, Sam Huntington.
Release Date: Sep
09, 2016
Rated PG-13 for some peril and brief strong language.
Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min.
Genres: Drama
Review:
Sully is an impressive piece of filmmaking that showcases
the type of heroism that’s rarely shown.Clint Eastwood directs his film with a steady hand showing the dichotomy
of emotions that Captain Sullenberger was going through after his miraculous
landing.Tom Hanks is perfectly cast as Sullenberger,
displaying the levels of introspection and self doubt that his character was
going through.It’s a thoughtful piece
of filmmaking which screams award season contention.It’s an impressive character study that’s
well acted and directed through even though there is a sense that film has been
padded a bit.It’s an odd sensation to
watch an hour and a half film that feels much longer than it is.
Dearest Blog: Today it was off to Marquee Cinemas to kick off Awards Season with Sully.
Spoiler level here will be mostly mild, nothing you haven't seen in a trailer or on the news.
Sully is based on the true story of pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who made an emergency water landing on the Hudson River when his plane lost both engines shortly after departing Laguardia Airport.
Sully is an entertaining movie, but probably a bonafide awards contender for Tom Hanks' performance only. The true story is compelling enough, but this telling is painted with such broad strokes as to be almost comical at times.
The picture is hampered by awkward dialogue and cartoonish good and bad guys. Even when Sully's decisions come into question, the movie wants to make sure you remember whose side you're *supposed* to be on. A good movie lets you make up your own mind, and a truly good movie gets you where it wants to without beating you over the head; that seems well beyond Sully.
On the plus side, Hanks carries the film with his usual flair, a performance that should be good enough to land him on most of the Best Actor shortlists, especially considering the Academy really owes him one for the Captain Phillips snub.
Aaron Eckhart leads a solid supporting cast full of faces you'll recognize even if you may not know the names. Anything--and I do mean anything--having to do with the flight itself is beautifully filmed, from takeoff to unexpectedly-damp touchdown. There's one glorious moment when that nose-diving aircraft seems to be coming right off the screen...made me a little wistful for 3D! Finally, the movie is smart enough to recognize the limitations of the story it has to tell, and clocks in with a very reasonable runtime.
Sully runs 95 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some peril and brief strong language."
Though it occasionally strays into Airplane! territory, Sully is an inspiring outing built on another stellar leading turn by Tom Hanks.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Sully gets seven and a half.
Fangirl points (there are a lot of 'em this time): The USS Intrepid! Sam Huntington! Holt McCallany! Valerie Mahaffey! My beautiful New York City!!
Dearest Blog: yesterday it was off to the pictures for Jason Statham's latest, Mechanic: Resurrection.
Spoiler level here will be pretty mild, mostly nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
A former assassin is forced out of retirement when the love of his life (whom he's known for all of three days) is kidnapped.
Alrighty, folks, I gotta tell ya: if this isn't the dumbest movie I've ever seen, it's good and damn close.
However, it's also pretty funny (usually not on purpose), so I'm not suggesting you shouldn't get out and see it while you can. I have a feeling it won't be around long.
The picture kicks off with a good, old-fashioned Statham ass kicking, and smartly keeps 'em coming regularly.
As spectacularly ridiculous as they often are, they're genius compared to everything in between. Jessica Alba is as vapid as she is gorgeous, offering a performance that mostly consists of vacant looks that are meant to pass as terrified (I think?).
Tommy Lee Jones: WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING HERE?? Continuity issues abound, most notably Alba's split lip that keeps appearing and disappearing, and good and bad guys are as broadly drawn as any Saturday-morning cartoon.
The movie boasts action end to end, yet still feels a bit slow at times. Breathtaking stunts, gorgeous locations, and a rip-roaring score by Mark Isham help salvage the whole, but, sadly, this is just not a very good movie.
Mechanic: Resurrection clocks in at 99 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language throughout."
Mechanic: Resurrection is good for a laugh, but it probably just should have stayed dead.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mechanic: Resurrection gets four.
Until next time...
Three friends (Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, and Daniel Zovatto) plot to end
their money woes by burglarizing the home of a blind recluse (Stephen Lang),
but the heist quickly goes awry when they discover that their target is
concealing a horrifying secret -- and that he isn't as harmless as they had
thought. Directed by Fede Alvarez (the 2013 Evil Dead remake). ~ Jack Rodgers,
Rovi
Director: Fede Alvarez
Cast: Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Katia
Bokor
Release Date: Aug
26, 2016
Rated R for the Language, Disturbing Content, Sexual
References, Terror and Violence
Runtime: 1 hr. 28 min.
Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller
Review:
Don’t Breathe is the kind of stripped down thriller that
doesn’t seem to get made much anymore.The film is being sold as a horror movie but it’s really just a straight
forward thriller with some slight horror tendencies.Fede Alvarez carefully sets up his setting
and delivers some genuine scares and tensions the full run of the film.It’s an interesting piece of cinematic alchemy
with large portions of the film moving along with nary a word of dialogue.The cast does it job with the home intruders
delivering a decent amount of terrified looks.The most memorable thing about them is Jane Levy’s odd fashion choice of
pantyhose with shorts and sheer top for a home invasion.Stephen Lang is appropriately intimidating
but I get the feeling he could pull that off on a bad day.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to the chariot races...erm...off to Marquee Cinemas for Ben-Hur and Kubo and the Two Strings. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on the docket, the ill-advised remake of Ben-Hur. An exiled prince returns home to seek revenge on the brother who wronged his family.
Regular reader(s) may recall that religious-themed movies fall at or about Nicholas Sparks-level on the list of "Things I Endure Only Under Duress."
I have no great love for 1959's Ben-Hur, but it's an iconic enough piece of cinema that even I recognized this remake as a bad idea. However, I think any movie with Jack Huston is a very good idea indeed, so I headed out to cheer on my man in his silly chariot race.
*sigh* The good news is, while Ben-Hur is far from a great movie, it's not nearly as terrible as I'd feared. Let's get the bad out of the way first, shall we?
This remake is a good 90 minutes shorter than its predecessor, but it still goes on a bit. Some of the dialoge is wrong for the characters and/or the time period, and some of it is just plain wrong.
The first act features some weirdly awkward time hops, the second act is a criminal waste of Morgan Freeman, and the ending is so cheesy it's almost physically painful, but....... Jack Huston is in nearly every single frame of this picture.
I mean, almost every last one. When a guy's the sole reason you plunk down your ten bucks for a ticket, it's hard to complain about a movie that ponies up like that.
Huston is a truly great actor and Ben-Hur doesn't come close to giving his talent a workout, but he does as well as anyone could with it.
There are some gorgeous costumes and nice looking sets, and the film's sound effects are particularly well done. I'm not a believer, myself, but Jesus (whose appearance amounts to little more than a cameo), provides a timely and important reminder that we have to start being better to each other. Really, people. Finally, if the chariot race is what puts butts in the seats, that sequence is a well-executed nail-biter, even if you already know the outcome.
Ben-Hur clocks in at 124 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of violence and disturbing images."
Ben-Hur isn't quite the disaster most anticipated, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement. Oh, and, Jack...if the best of your last three movies is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it might be time to have a little chat with the agent.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Ben-Hur gets five. (But I'll probably see it again because...SO MUCH JACK HUSTON!)
Next up: Kubo and the Two Strings. A boy sets out on a quest to find the magical items that will protect him from an old enemy.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a gorgeous telling of a gorgeous story. The art and animation are breathtaking and unique, and the tale reflects its culture while being signifcant and relatable to everyone.
Big-name voice talent, in the form of Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey, adds to the film's appeal, as does a lovely score by Dario Marianelli. (Be sure to stick around for Regina Spektor's haunting cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" over the end credits!) On the downside, the story is a little slow at times, and some parts may be too scary for younger viewers.
The 3D is also kind of pointless, so don't waste the extra three bucks if you can avoid it. Kubo and the Two Strings runs 101 minutes and is rated PG for "thematic elements, scary images, action, and peril." 2016 is proving to be a banner year for really great animated offerings, and Kubo and the Two Strings is among the best.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Kubo and the Two Strings gets seven and a half.
