AUGUST 11, 2016
We’re winding down the summer movie season. but there are still some potential goodies to come, including four favorably-reviewed movies opening this weekend (“Sausage Party,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “Florence Foster Jenkins” and “Hell or High Water”). But if you’re behind on your movies (aren’t we all?), here’s a quick guide to what is still playing in theaters that you might want to catch —
“ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE” — It took decades for Jennifer Saunders to get “Ab Fab” to the screen, and much as I was happy to see Eddy and Patsy again, it might have been better to leave well enough alone. The movie falls into the trap that many TV-to-movies fall into, and that’s big screen-itis. Everything in a feature film has to be big, big, BIG! with lots of exotic locations and big-name guest stars. But what made the TV series so endearing were the home scenes, where Eddy could confide in her mother or especially her daughter Saffy. Home is where the heart is for the “Ab Fab” TV series, and that’s what’s sadly missing here. GRADE: C
“THE BFG” — Steven Spielberg’s latest is a family-friendly but disappointing version of the Roald Dahl novel. Mark Rylance (Oscar winner last year for Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies”) provides marvelous voice work as The Big Friendly Giant (BFG), but sadly the film’s protagonist Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is not up to the task of carrying the movie. Clearly the intent was to try to replicate the success of “E.T.”, even down to hiring the “E.T.” screenwriter (the late Melissa Matheson), but the final product lacks the heart and soul that fueled “E.T.” It’s perfectly watchable (Rylance’s performance does a lot to lend gravitas to the project), but by the end of the film, I suspect that you’ll have an empty feeling. “I like it, but…” and that “but” is the key to the problem. GRADE: C+
“CAFE SOCIETY” — Woody Allen’s annual summer release may not be among his most memorable works, but it’s miles ahead of his most recent films (“Magic in the Moonlight” and “Irrational Man”) and is far and away the most beautiful-looking film so far this year. That’s thanks to legendary Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro who creates amazing tableaux that will take your breath away. (I gasped at the beauty of his images at least 3 times in the film.) The story is no great shakes — newbie in Hollywood (Jesse Eisenberg) falls in love with his uncle’s mistress (Kristen Stewart, who is luminous under Storaro’s camerawork) — but the light touch that Allen brings to the proceedings is just the right choice. GRADE: B+
“CAPTAIN FANTASTIC” — The issue of who is a good parent has propelled this sleeper hit, directed by actor Matt Ross (“Silicon Valley”) and powered by an award-caliber performance by Viggo Mortensen, to become one of the summer’s big indie smashes. Ben (Mortensen) is raising his family off the grid in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, but when a family tragedy strikes, he and his six kids must return to the real world where they have to confront whether the kids can manage the transition to socialization of which they have been deprived most of their lifetime. Parenting is a subject rarely dealt with in American films, so it’s refreshing to see it taken head on so frankly. Kudos to all. GRADE: B+
“FINDING DORY” — This sequel of sorts to Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” returns Pixar to the top of their game after the disappointment of “The Good Dinosaur” last fall. There was a question as to whether Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) could carry a film, but Pixar wisely hedged their bets by including Nemo (Hayden Rolance) and his neurotic father Marlin (Albert Brooks) as Dory’s guides in her search to be reunited with her parents. Okay, it’s not “Inside Out” or “Toy Story 3,” which I consider the pinnacles of the Pixar universe, but it’s really good filmmaking and (especially) really good scriptwriting, which may pay dividends in the Oscar ceremony next February. We shall see. GRADE: B+
“GHOSTBUSTERS” — This reboot of the beloved Ivan Reitman classic provoked the ire of fanboys sight unseen, saying that ghostbusters can’t be girls. Yes, they can, and director Paul Feig, who helmed Melissa McCarthy to an Oscar nomination for “Bridesmaids” and has had huge critical hits with “The Heat” and “Spy,” takes the “Ghostbusters” mythos head-on, with solid performances from McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, as well as a stellar film debut for Leslie Jones and and a scene-stealing performance from Emmy nominee Kate McKinnon. If you’re not afraid of no ghosts, give this one a shot. GRADE: B
“JASON BOURNE” — This critically-derided collaboration between star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass is not bad at all. In fact, it has provided some of the most adrenilin-pumping moments of the entire summer season. Damon’s Jason Bourne has recovered from his amnesia when he is contacted by a former colleague (Julia Stiles). It seems that the CIA needs Bourne She then leads him into stopping a conspiracy that he can’t stand for but goes all the way to the top of the CIA. Though the script may not stand up to scrutiny, the combination of the skills of Damon’s acting and Greengrass’ direction makes for a good night out at the movies. GRADE: B
“LES COWBOYS” — When I heard the film’s title, I thought “Great! A French Western.” Well, it is and it isn’t. “Les Cowboys” begins in 1994 in eastern France where Alain (François Damiens) dances with his daughter at the family’s usual country-western hoe-down. Shortly thereafter, his daughter disappears and a cursory check of her home computer shows that she is enlisting in the 1994 version of ISIS. Director Thomas Bidegain is clearly influenced by John Ford’s classic film “The Searchers,” where John Wayne searched to rescue his niece (Natalie Wood), who has been kidnapped by Indians. But in “Les Cowboys,” Alain’s daughter Kelly (Iliana Zabeth) hasn’t been kidnapped but has been instead enlisted of her own free will by her current boyfriend, but Alain searches for her nonetheless. Halfway through the film is a shocking twist, whereupon Alain’s son (Maxim Driesen) teams up with an American (“Chicago’s” Oscar nominee John C. Reilly) to get to the truth. If it is not playing near you, definitely check it out on Netflix. GRADE: B+
“STAR TREK BEYOND” — Justin Lin has taken over from J.J. Abrams as the helmer of the “Star Trek” theatrical reboot series, and he does a pretty good job. Though he’s known as an action director, the action scenes here are disappointingly confusing, not a good thing. Where he unexpectedly excels is in the quiet scenes where the characters let their hair down and relate to each other, which is where the various “Star Trek” franchises have thrived. The “Star Trek” world has always been about people and politics, and though this film feels like a multi-million dollar version of the TV show, it’s still fun. And it’s so refreshing not to have CGI characters throwing each other against walls, but instead engaging one-on-one. Definitely worth a look-see. GRADE: B
“TICKLED” –This is one of the most disturbing documentaries that I’ve seen in years. A New Zealand TV journalist stumbled across a cult of what was called “competitive endurance tickling,” and when he investigated its origins, he was met with a series of homophobic responses. Digging further, the filmmakers, after a threatening session from the tickling videos’ authors, found that this was the idea (or fetish) of one man whose desire to keep his particular sexual satisfaction a secret, has brought him to the brink of a lawsuit to keep his privacy secret. But “Tickled” won’t let him do that. GRADE: B+
