Saturday, 15 April 2017
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.
Ambitiously long-spanned drama offers good direction, cinematography and some good performances, but its intention to say something about guilt and fate doesn't quite convince and the narrative is more episodic than epic.
Maltin***: "Ambitious story of fathers and sons, fate and destiny...Deeply emotional story is played with great feeling by a fine cast.what some might see as a series of coincidences is well wrought by director and cowriter Gianfrance into a cohesive and credible saga. Also makes great use of its locations in Schenectady, N.Y."
Friday, 14 April 2017
Kôkaku Kidôtai (1995)
A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.
Anime masterpiece set in a dystopian future marvels with its detailed cityscapes and a complex storyline that actually raises serious questions about identity in our digital age.
Halliwell (no star): "Spectacular-looking Japanese animated film, but one that, like so many of its kind, involves a confusing narrative and peculiar metaphysics that reduce interest in its depiction of a corrupt future."
Thursday, 13 April 2017
Merlin and the Book of Beasts (2010)
Sorcerer Arkadian has taken over Camelot with a zoo of beasts from his magical book, and King Arthur's daughter Avlynn asks Merlin to help her take back Camelot.
It shows badly that this movie was made for TV on a shoestring budget, they not only saved money on effects, but on the script as well.
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Stone (2010)
A convicted arsonist looks to manipulate a parole officer into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife in the lawman's path.
Highly implausible psychodrama offers some good performances, but they don't make the story more believable.
Maltin**: "Somber drama offers no characters one can care about - except perhaps Conroy, as De Niro's long-suffering wife, who has turned to religion and alcohol!"
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when their father announces he is terminally ill.
Elaborately produced and obsessed with details, the story itself hardly goes anywhere, and the star cast is treated like pawns in a game of chess.
Halliwell*: "The fun here lies in the details - dalmatian-spotted mice, battered taxicabs, the elegant pages of an imaginary book - rather in the disjointed narrative, which sets the scene deftly and then collapses."
Maltin**1/2: "Rambling comedy has the same likable, eccentric qualities as the filmmakers' BOTTLE ROCKET and RUSHMORE and benefits from Hackman's savvy performance, but strains for effect and essentially has no story."
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