JUNE 3, 2016
The summer season is on, which means that multiplexes are filled with computer-generated superhero movies where cities are destroyed and mad hatters rule in a wonderland. At the box-office, some are hits (“Captain America: Civil War”), some are disappointments (“X-Men: Apocalypse”) and some are outright flops (“Alice Through the Looking Glass”) and many more set to come. If you’re itching to see them, have a good time, but I’ll be focusing on those brave films bucking the superhero onslaught that might provide a fun alternative to all the mayhem. Let’s take a look at a few of them for your weekend ahead–
“THE JUNGLE BOOK” — If you still haven’t seen Jon Favreau’s wonderfully imaginative take on the Rudyard Kipling classic, see it while it’s still available on the big screen. There’s great voice work by Bill Murray, Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson, and for once CGI is actually used to an artistic end and not just computerized superheroes bashing each other into walls. And the whole thing was filmed in downtown Los Angeles! GRADE: B+
“KEANU” — As the first comedy team in ages to really work as a team, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele take the wacked sensibility from their classic Comedy Central show and apply it to a big-screen story. As nerds trying to retrieve Peele’s stolen kitty-cat, they must impersonate tough street-wise gangsters, and chaos ensues. At times, a few scenes feel like a warmed-over Key & Peele sketch, but this is one film where you’re almost guaranteed several big laughs. GRADE: B –
“THE LOBSTER” — By far, the most fascinating premise of the year. “The Lobster” takes place in a future society where coupledom is paramount. If you are of a certain age and not in a relationship, the state sends you to The Hotel, where if you don’t find a mate within 45 days, you are turned into the animal of your choice. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ blistering satire of a society run amok may not be for everyone, but you won’t resist star Colin Farrell’s best performance in ages. GRADE: B+
“LOVE & FRIENDSHIP” — It may look like a PBS mini-series, but the heart and soul of Whit Stillman’s hilarious adaptation of a Jane Austen novella strictly belongs on Comedy Central. Kate Beckinsale is a revelation as Lady Susan, a woman of high station suddenly brought low as she is now without means or a husband. So she must use her considerable scheming talents (and they are considerable) to change all that. Thoroughly convinced of her own superiority, Lady Susan is a genuinely awful person. And you’ll be cheering her on all the way. GRADE: B+
“MAGGIE’S PLAN” — Rebecca Miller’s romantic comedy follows Maggie (Greta Gerwig), who falls in love with a married professor (Ethan Hawke), but once he marries Maggie, he becomes a bit of a bore. Maggie falls out of love with him, so she comes up with a plan to return him to his stuffy ex-wife (Julianne Moore). Clearly, this is Miller’s attempt to echo the spirit of Woody Allen’s early Manhattan-based romances, and for much of the movie, she succeeds. But there’s still a feeling that you’ve seen it done before and done better. GRADE: B
“THE MEDDLER” — Susan Sarandon is probably the best reason to see Lorene Scafaria’s comedy/drama about maternal love. Any movie called “The Meddler” pretty much tells you what to expect, and here it’s a Brooklyn mom (Sarandon) who moves across the country to care for her screenwriter daughter (Rose Byrne) who’d rather she hadn’t. J.K. Simmons is also on board as the aging macho dreamboat type usually played by Sam Elliott, and he gives the film a much-needed kick in the pants. GRADE: C
“MONEY MONSTER” — Jodie Foster’s media satire follows Lee Gates (George Clooney), a Jim Cramer-like TV financial analyst who jazzes up his stock picks with show business razzmatazz. But one of his picks has bankrupted a desperate young man (Jack O’Connell), who forces Clooney at gunpoint on live TV to don an explosive-laden vest, forcing Gates’ producer (Julia Roberts) to try to defuse the situation. Reminiscent of “Network” & “Dog Day Afternoon,” the film is entertaining enough, but it keeps reminding you of other films that are much much better. GRADE: B-
“THE NICE GUYS” — May’s most unexpected surprise, Shane Black’s 1970s-set detective comedy pairs a thug-for-hire (Russell Crowe) and the world’s worst detective (Ryan Gosling) to find a missing woman who may be caught up in a plot that links the auto and porno industries in L.A. Crowe and Gosling don’t scream hilarity when I think of their past roles, but their comic chemistry here is terrific. For me, it’s the funniest film of the year so far. GRADE: B+
“SUNSET SONG” — British director Terence Davies doesn’t make many films, but when he does, they are always ravishingly beautiful, and “Sunset Song” is no exception. Set in the Scottish countryside just before World War I, Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), a promising young student, sees her dreams crushed by the dysfunctionality of her family (the men here are pretty much all rotters), and once she takes control of her family farm, she must dig deep to keep it afloat, even as the sounds of WWI wardrums keep getting louder. Deyn ably carries the film on her shoulders, and Davies’ breathtaking images will stay in your head for days. GRADE: B+
“WEINER” — A fascinating portrait of a political sociopath, Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg’s compelling documentary chronicles the fall and rise and fall of NY Congressman Anthony Weiner who famously torpedoed his promising career by tweeting the dick pic seen ’round the world. “Weiner” begins by following his 2013 attempt at redemption by running for New York City mayor, but the film quickly changes gears when Weiner sabotages himself yet again, threatening his marriage to Hillary Clinton’s chief adviser Huma Abedin. A simple political documentary turns into a portrait of a marriage in trouble, and Kriegman & Steinberg are there to capture every humiliating moment. GRADE: B+
Have fun at the movies!
