To my surprise, the first five minutes or so of the new distaff “buddy comedy” Hot Pursuit are pretty solid. The preview presented a comedy that looked positively painful to watch, so I was pleased when the opening sequence was actually […]
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Tomorrowland (2015) ☆ 1/2
The good news is that Tomorrowland looks as visionary as its title, from spires stretching into the sky to jet packs; from levitating trains to pools unencumbered by gravity. Tomorrowland implies cool futuristic stuff, and it delivers on that promise. The bad […]
Continue reading »Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
Thomas Hardy’s novel has already been made into one terrific film, back in 1967, with Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Peter Finch and Terence Stamp. Now director Thomas Vinterberg has fashioned another. The 2015 version is shorter, more compact, and somewhat […]
Continue reading »Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Wow. If ever a one-word review applies to a movie, this is it. Wow. I had some serious misgivings about this movie, being a big fan of both The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Whatever. Director George Miller has resurrected […]
Continue reading »Maggie (2015) ☆ ☆
A trade-off occurs when filmmakers attempt to go against the grain, particularly in genre movies: if the twist or approach is done well enough, or is genuinely effective, they are hailed as visionary (or are at least quietly applauded for […]
Continue reading »Playing it Cool (2015) ☆ ☆ 1/2
Romantic comedies have become so old-hat that a new one, Playing it Cool, seeks to parody the genre while delivering precisely what it is parodying. It’s a fine line to keep when self-parody is involved, and this film sometimes strays […]
Continue reading »Furious Seven (2015) ☆ ☆ 1/2
Some film series are planned right from the get-go, especially when based upon literary sources (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.). Others naturally evolve when audience interest exceeds prediction (James Bond, Batman, etc.). Still others defy the odds, such […]
Continue reading »The Age of Adaline (2015) ☆ ☆ 1/2
This is a gimmick film that plays with the notion of aging, as did The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In this case, due to extraordinary circumstances, a woman named Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) never ages after her 29th year, […]
Continue reading »The Water Diviner (2015) ☆ ☆ ☆
Historical dramas like these are the type that win awards, and The Water Diviner already has, having won (in a tie) Australia’s Best Film AACTA. It is the directorial debut of actor Russell Crowe, and it spotlights an important episode […]
Continue reading »Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) ☆ ☆
The second all-star Avengers adventure is decidedly less effective than the first one, though they share many of the same characteristics. Most interestingly to me, this is the third 2015 movie to explore sentient Artificial Intelligence, and the only one which […]
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