An aged hotelier recounts his life story. If Keaton and Kubrick ever teamed up to make a deadpan farce prequel to The Shining, then this’d be it. Beautiful to look it, gorgeously designed and presented, with a cast in depth happy to help out. Lots of fun, basically, with Ralph Fiennes on fine form.
Here’s the trailer.
An embattled detective tries to work out how an unorthodox bank robbery became a hostage situation. Smart heist/siege movie that works as an intelligent genre piece and a sly political commentary on post-9/11 America. Lots to enjoy, with clever performances all around and plenty to think about. Recommended.
Aquaman/Arthur Curry reluctantly agrees to help prevent a war between the Atlanteans and humanity. Glossy and fun – though overlong and CG-tastic – superhero origin flick. Ugly greenscreen cinematography gets in the way of some decent performances and Wan’s capable direction.
Two Boston Irish brothers become vigilantes. Tatty post-Pulp Fiction gangster pic, more a series of set pieces than an actual linear movie. Some OK ideas along the way, and a couple of interesting performances, but this is three parts undisciplined mess to one part film.
Hercule Poirot must investigate a killing on a sumptuous cross-Europe train. Handsome and starry, this Agatha Christie adaptation struggles to showcase its cast or its plot, so while not-entertaining, feels a bit mechanical.
An idealistic volunteer learns the brutality of war the hard way. Simplistic but undeniably effective Vietnam War morality play, with a soldier’s-eye perspective throughout; an excellent ensemble cast supports the drama.
Jack Ryan v the drug cartels. Second and better of the Ford/Noyce Tom Clancy adaptations, Danger works well as both a procedural thriller and an action piece, and isn’t afraid to make the good guys complicit.
Two European brigands help China defend its empire from monsters. Intermittently undeniably spectacular, with some keen use of 3D, this is nevertheless a very straightforward fantasy siege movie which feels oddly bland, secondhand, and compromised.
255 Review 