With the holidays taking up a lot of personal time, a few movies have slipped through the review column cracks. This article is an attempt to rectify that problem, presenting brief write ups on some of the major films that have been in limited release and are opening today, or have opened over the past few weeks. Things should be back to normal next week.
August: Osage County (Jan. 10th) – An incredible cast including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Benedict Cumberbatch and too many other names to mention lead this tale that features perhaps the most awkward and uncomfortable family dinner ever captured on screen. Steep plays the horrific, nasty family matriarch who literally makes life impossible for all around her. The subject matter is grim and unpleasant as family secrets are revealed. There are some great performances and overall the film is effective, though it also comes across as somewhat over-baked at times (it seems as if every scene featuring the lead character ends in screaming histrionics). RATING: B
Her (Jan. 10th) – The latest from director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) is a low-key and thoughtful tale of romance in the modern age. A lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who has just broken up with his girlfriend finds love in the form of his new computer Operating System (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). However, the writer soon learns that even this new kind of relationship is complicated and filled with pitfalls. It’s a sensitive but cautionary tale about where technology may be taking us. Phoenix is excellent (especially considering that he’s reacting to a disembodied voice), and the production design is remarkable. The vision of the future presented is gorgeous to look at and seems frighteningly prophetic. Perhaps the most impressive feat is the creation of an OS that doesn’t ever seem to crash. At times the film is a bit difficult to engage with emotionally, but this is a unique effort that is definitely worth a look. RATING: A-
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (Jan. 3rd) – It’s being marketed as a spin-off, but the latest in this series certainly connects some dots between all the films and even answers a question or two. Best friends with a small GoPro camera videotape their exploits in an apartment block that also houses a neighbor who may be a witch. It isn’t long before they’re conducting séances using an old Simon game. The film takes its time to really get cooking. It isn’t particularly scary early on (it’s also hard to get frightened when the leads reside in an apartment block in the middle of a busy metropolis) and the teenage characters make some ridiculously poor decisions. Still, the climactic 15 minutes are very scary. It’s a definite improvement over the previous installment – whether or not the effective final act makes watching it worth your time on depends on how big a fan of the series you are. RATING: B-
47 Ronin (Dec. 25th) – This $175 million dollar epic (shot in 2011) didn’t get much of a marketing push an seems likely to disappear from cinemas by next week. While it’s hardly a crowd-pleaser, it isn’t as terrible as some reports would suggest. The filmmakers have created a convincing-looking English language retelling of a famous Japanese fable. A group of samurai turn Ronin after their master is killed and decide to disobey the commands of the Emperor and take revenge. The production design is beautiful and the film appears authentic enough that it’s almost jarring to see co-star Keanu Reeves thrown into the cast as a “half-breed” warrior. Like many films of its kind, it’s a bit slow, too traditional in its approach and features some cornball lines, but the end result is more of a mixed bag than outright failure. RATING: C
Philomena (Nov. 27th) – Touching, fascinating and funny, Philomena tells the bittersweet true story of a disgraced journalist (Steve Coogan) who decides to help an elderly woman (Judi Dench) search for her long lost son. Their travels take them from England to Ireland and the US as they uncover a shocking conspiracy. The story is refreshingly simple and direct. It’s also extremely well paced. Dench and Coogan possess great chemistry and are excellent on screen together and the tale ultimately elicits a very powerful emotional response. Although it’s likely to be overlooked when Oscar nominations are announced, this is one of the strongest and most memorable films of the year. RATING: A+