A Most Wanted Man (2014)

2/5

Philip Seymour Hoffman's last film is a maddening, frustrating, underwhelming film. Although the movie was described as a spy movie, I somehow mistook that to mean espionage thriller. Silly me. It is certainly about spies, but it focuses more on the bureaucracy of their lifestyle rather than the intrigue of the job. The acting was, unsurprisingly, the best part, with Hoffman delivering a phenomenal final performance. He leaves an indelible impression when the credits finally start to roll.

But it takes so long for those credits to roll. The movie was painfully slow and plodding. And while some individual shots were beautiful, there was too much lingering on meaningless objects that extend the length of the movie without deepening your understanding of the film. I suppose I shouldn't have been all that surprised, since A Most Wanted Man was directed by Anton Corbijn. (Corbijn also directed The American, another overly-stylized "spy movie" that would rather focus on lofty existential crises instead of espionage.) Even knowing this is the last Hoffman project, I still can't recommend this movie to any but the most diehard of fans.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972571/

Curly Sue (1991)

3/5

Curly Sue is a cheesy but charming 90's movie from John Hughes. The movie follows two homeless con artists, Alisan Porter as the titular adolescent and James Belushi as her father figure, who wander around the country trying to win the hearts and minds of generous people in order to get a bite to eat and a bed to sleep in. When they try to con a seemingly heartless divorce lawyer (Lynch), the lies start to get in the way of genuine feelings.

The movie is sweet and silly in an innocent, naive way, although a little heavy on the visual gags and body humor for my tastes. It's rather barebones from a writing and a technical standpoint, but I don't think Hughes intended it to be a particularly ground-breaking cinematic feat. The heart is in the story and the characters and they satisfy completely. This is an endearing movie that's pleasant enough to fill your next free afternoon with nostalgia.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101635/

Rio (2011)

4/5

Rio is an insanely fun adventure flick with a fantastic cast and delightful animation. The movie takes place in Rio, as you might expect, where a blue macaw (Eisenberg) is brought by an ornithologist (Santoro) to mate with a female macaw (Hathaway) and save their species. Unfortunately, the pair are stolen by exotic animal smugglers who want to take them out of the country and sell them to the highest bidder!

The best part about the movie is how beautiful it looks. The cinematography is inventive and liberating, letting us fly through scenes with its feathered cast. The colors are bright and the editing is fine-tuned. The Latin music feels authentic and invigorating. But the characters are generic and the acting is only adequate. I can't help but see the actors instead of the characters. The story isn't the most imaginative in the world, but the script is full of both terrific visual gags and hilarious witticisms. All in all, Rio is a whole lot of fun and a great way to spend an afternoon.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1436562/

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

4/5

I had never seen Disney's Sleeping Beauty until now. I can imagine watching it back in the 50's and being astounded by the artwork and design. Even now it stands apart from the cartoons that preceded it and the CGI that followed it. It feels like a lost relic, a type of animation all its own, and a treasure to behold. Although I was always a bit fuzzy on the details of the story, the age-old cliche of a prince's kiss waking up a princess from slumber is familiar territory for anyone who's ever heard a fairy tale. But this movie goes beyond the story, filling its minutes with charm and levity to balance out the frightening evil and villainy. Speaking of Maleficent (the character), it's actually really interesting to see the interplay between this movie and the live-action Maleficent (the movie). Although created 55 years apart, the plot and characterization of one adds to the other. Perhaps I judged Maleficent a bit too harshly and without the requisite background information to allow me to enjoy it to its fullest. (Although I blame my wife, who was so excited to see Maleficent that she couldn't wait for me to see Sleeping Beauty.) Even with the splendor of today's CGI, Sleeping Beauty stands out as an utterly mesmerizing piece of art.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053285/

22 Jump Street (2014)

3/5

The sequel to the TV show reboot that took the world by storm is more of a mixed bag than the slam-dunk repeat formula success story that I'm sure its producers wanted. The writing, which combines raunchy humor with bromance and heart, is adequately funny but never feels emotionally honest. The jokes feel recycled, as does the overall plot progression. The novelty of 21 Jump Street is entirely lost. It's a great piece of entertainment, but it's also an empty, forgettable one.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294449/

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

3/5

The latest Jack Ryan movie is a reboot of the Tom Clancy franchise starring Chris Pine as the titular "shadow recruit." It's a great way to spend 100 minutes of your day for a quick fix of entertainment, but it's ultimately a pretty empty shell of a movie. The characters are generic cardboard cutouts and the acting is forgettable. There is absolutely no chemistry between Chris Pine and Keira Knightley. While the espionage is thrilling, it feels almost mechanical in the way each scene is played out, as if every component is merely following a strict set of instructions. There is nothing organic about it. And the technical aspects of the movie are perfunctory. This is a movie made with money in mind and not much else. Still, it's pretty fun.

On a side note, I accidentally rented this movie instead of The Wolf of Wall Street. I have no idea why; I just clicked on the wrong movie in Redbox. I still need to see The Wolf of Wall Street. Darn.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205537/

The Signal (2014)

3/5

The Signal is a movie I had not known about until I read a positively glowing review from The Verge. Now I know not to watch a movie I had previously had no interest in watching based solely on their reviews. Silly me. The movie purports to be about three MIT students who chase a hacker into the middle of the desert and find themselves quarantined by government-types. It is 90 minutes of slow-paced mystery with portentious cinematography and slow reveals that are meant to blow your mind. Unfortunately, the script isn't nearly interesting enough to do anything close to that, even with its "twist ending." Honestly, the best part about the movie was the atmosphere you find yourself immersed in; it's creepy and unsettling and disorienting, like the very best horror/sci-fi movies. But that's not enough to make me recommend this movie.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910814/

The Fault In Our Stars (2014)

4.9/5

The film adaptation of John Green's The Fault In Our Stars is an extraordinarily faithful adaptation. Having read the book just months prior to seeing the movie, I am impressed by how much the characters and actions on screen matched my own vision for them. It delivers all the melodramatic heartbreak and sentimental tearjerking you would expect from a book about two kids with cancer who fall in love. Neither Hazel (Woodley) nor Gus (Elgort) look particularly Hollywood-attractive, but their on-screen chemistry is undeniable. However, despite how perfect they are for each other, fate conspires to pull them apart. The story is more than a little bit emotionally manipulative, but it is tragically sweet and hits all the right notes. Everything just feels so ... lovely and tender.

While overly sensational and extravagantly "young adult," the story is attempting at something more than simply pulling at the heartstrings of America's youth. It touches on a multitude of topics, but the most impenetrable one to me revolves around literature, the creation of stories, and the way we project our own qualities on others. Willem Dafoe plays Van Houten, the author of Hazel's favorite book. His contribution to the story is both confusing and infuriating, but his unclear motivations and his abrupt exit are some of the most profound aspects to the story. His presence is both unusual and unsettling and makes me like the movie all that much more.

This movie is not for everyone--in fact, it may feel a bit childish or immature to some--but for those who fall under its spell, it is spectacular.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/

The Spectacular Now (2013)

2/5

The Spectacular Now is a depressing and infuriating film. It stars Miles Teller as an alcoholic high school student who has confidence and charisma but no plans or hopes for his future. After being dumped by his "hot" girlfriend (Larson), he befriends an "unattractive" girl (Woodley) and she is smitten by his charms. They begin a romance that everybody around them knows is bad for both of them. Instead of some introspection, they just keep chugging along and enjoying the oh-so-spectacular moment.

I'm not really sure what the point of the movie is. It presents itself as a coming-of-age tale but nobody actually learns anything or comes of age. It's frustrating and painful to watch. Shailene Woodley gives a superb performance, emanating high school vulnerability as she is drawn to the debonair Teller, who also gives a stunning performance. But the rest of the technical aspects of the movie are either mediocre or subpar. Underage alcohol consumption in films should come with consequences, and this movie all but pretends there are none. (Or there are some, but then it gives the characters "second chances" without anybody learning anything.)

And just to complain some more: I'm still not clear why there needs to be any voice-over, at any point during this movie, given the fact that there is nothing particularly insightful that needs to be passed on to the audience. By the way, the college essay motif has been so entirely overplayed that it is hard to imagine that even an amazing movie could bring something new to the table. Avoid this movie, unless you're a rabid fan of Woodley and/or Teller's acting.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714206/

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

4.9/5

Edge of Tomorrow is one of the smartest action movies I've seen in a very long time. Tom Cruise stars as an unwilling businessman-turned-foot soldier in the midst of a global battle against an alien invasion. He gets killed quickly in the trenches, only to discover that he must relive that fateful day over and over again. He finds out that this same phenomenon happened to another soldier (Blunt) earlier in the war, so he seeks her out in the hopes that they can join forces and defeat the aliens.

Battle scenes have a jarring, chaotic feel, reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan during the beachfront invasion. In the midst of the violence, the cinematography remains smooth and crisp, with sharp editing and clear shots. But director Doug Liman also does a lot with the repeating day premise. The day resets sometimes quickly, for comic effect, sometimes slowly, for an agonizing emotional hit. Despite the repetition, every time feels interesting and exciting, new and worthwhile. It builds on the Groundhog Day framework instead of stealing from it.

There is an unexpected chemistry on screen between Cruise and Blunt, adding a tender human element to the exciting sci-fi backstory. It's not particularly fresh, but it feels genuine. And it makes watching the movie so much more rewarding. I highly recommend Edge of Tomorrow: it's genre-defying in the best way possible, straddling diverse moods expertly, appealing to the comic, romantic, action junkie, time travel nerd in all of us.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631867/