The Conspirator (2010)

 

 

Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life. 

Made in good taste and excellent period detail and with a capable cast ensemble, this historical drama focuses on an interesting aspect of the Lincoln assassination, but without much suspense or giving the story the importance it actually has. 

Maltin**1/2: "'Historical drama never achieves the urgency it should, but McAvoy's impassioned performance is worth seeing."  

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

Told from Igor's perspective, we see the troubled young assistant's dark origins, his redemptive friendship with the young medical student Viktor Von Frankenstein, and become eyewitnesses to the emergence of how Frankenstein became the man - and the legend - we know today.

Despite presenting a new angle to the classic tale this lively and action-packed version smothers any originality below its inept urge to entertain.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.

Highly stylized comic adaptation delivers the goods with self-consciousness, but basically it's just the usual fist fights, car chases and shoot-outs.

Split (2016)

Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities, and they must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.

Above-average thriller introducing an uniquely disturbing multi-faceted villain keeps suspense high with a series of twists to its plot.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

Visually pleasing and action-ridden installment in the X-Men series is unfortunately over-populated with mutants and stuffed with so many sub-plots that it's difficult to comprehend the individual intentions and rivalries.

Maltin***: "Provocative idea is overcome at times by visual bombast, but the ticking-clock structure works well. New mutants in the future segments don't get much to do;..Not quite a bull's-eye, but still highly watchable for devoted fans, who will also cheer a handful of cameos."

X: First Class (2011)

In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start World War III.

Typical modern-day superhero extravaganza: great production value and some good bits, but very slow to get started and the heroes' diverse superpowers seem silly and arbitrary.

Maltin**1/2: "Good story tries to cover too much ground and introduces an abundance of characters...but the appeal of Marvel's X-Men remains intact, especially in the solid perforances of McAvoy and Fassbender. Newcomers Lawrence and Hoult score while Bacon seems miscast. A couple of surprise cameos will please series fans."