This weekend’s release docket may inspire even the most cynical of cinephiles to wax a little nostalgic about their younger days. The reminiscence upon past events, eras and moments which we paintwith the strokes of simplicity and unadulterated joy is one we all
deign to indulge in once in a while. And with so many vehicles to quench that thirst so close at hand, we recommend dropping all pretense and just letting the nostalgia wave crash over you in the darkness of the theaters. Stories are here to spark memories of your first love, your transition to adulthood, your successes and failures as a young adult, your first hostage crisis in the White House. Well, maybe not that last one, but hey — everyone’s childhood is different. So what will your (inner) youthful soul choose to see? Let us know in the comments below! Then go bask in the warmth of your lost innocence and squandered naivete.
“Admission.” Directed by
Paul Weitz. Starring Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff, Gloria Reuben, and Lily Tomlin. Our review: “It’s as if Weitz knows he’s got a corpse of a film on his hands — nevertrust a movie when it feels as though you can see the director clasping
the defibrillator.” Metacritic: 48 Rotten Tomatoes: 44% The Playlist: D+
“The Croods.” Directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk Di Micco. Starring Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, and Clark Duke. Our review: “Thoughit’s impressive in many technical and surface ways, ‘The Croods’ lets
us down on the essentials of character and story, and no amount of
late-stage father/daughter bonding or vertiginous 3D cliffside tumbling
can make up for that.” MC: 57 RT: 61% PL: B-/C+
“Olympus Has Fallen.” Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Radha Mitchell, Rick Yune, Dylan McDermott, and Robert Forster. Our review: “While
the action sequences are competent, much of the second half of the
movie takes place in the wrecked White House, in diffuse lighting
conditions, which makes for hazy visuals that further obscure the action
sequences’ sense of spatial geography. Worse yet, is that the movie is
so apolitical; there could have been a nice slant to the movie, about
how both sides of the aisle could get together to kick out these Korean
terrorists. Instead, it remains totally void.” MC: 42 RT: 50% PL: C-
the action sequences are competent, much of the second half of the
movie takes place in the wrecked White House, in diffuse lighting
conditions, which makes for hazy visuals that further obscure the action
sequences’ sense of spatial geography. Worse yet, is that the movie is
so apolitical; there could have been a nice slant to the movie, about
how both sides of the aisle could get together to kick out these Korean
terrorists. Instead, it remains totally void.” MC: 42 RT: 50% PL: C-
“The Sapphires.” Directed by Wayne Blair. Starring Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell, Jessica Mauboy, and Shari Stebbins. Our review: “With O’Dowd in the lead, and a hit-soundtrack-ready selection of tunesfrom the Stax and Motown catalogues and more, ‘The Sapphires’ has the
potential to be a big audience winner…It never pretends to be more than what is: popcorn entertainment,
with songs, earned laughs and a genuine heart.” MC: 66 RT: 93% PL: C+
“Love and Honor.” Directed by Danny Mooney. Starring Liam Hemsworth, Teresa Palmer, Austin Stowell, and Aimee Teegarden. A Vietnam-era period piece with high production values that undermine its potential for engaging social-historical depiction and exploration. Transparent story lines, no-stakes drama, and (mostly) wooden acting don’t help either. On the other hand, there’s plenty of pretty people taking their clothes off. MC: 27 RT: 10%
“My Brother The Devil.” Directed by Sally El Hosaini. Starring James Floyd, Fady Elsayed, and Said Taghmaoui. Our review: “While the highest of praise is reserved for the actors, the film as awhole impresses too. One could argue that originality is not its strong
suit, but it puts together a lot of things we’ve seen before into a
package that perhaps we haven’t, and makes them feel fresh and exciting.” MC: 74 RT: 97% PL: B+
“Starbuck.” Directed by Ken Scott. Starring Patrick Huard, Antoine Bertrand, and Julie Le Breton. A comedic exploration of modern fatherhood, which sees a sperm donor unknowingly sire hundreds of children, is admittedly contrived and farcical. However, it is also moving, well acted, and witty (at times). MC: 48 RT: 60%
“Hunky Dory.” Directed by Marc Evans. Starring Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard, Danielle Branch, Darren Evans, and Tomos Harries. Our review: “The end result is what Prospero himself might call ‘this
insubstantial pageant,’ too gentle to have any impact, as uncertain of
what it will ultimately be as its young subjects are of themselves.” MC: 46 RT: 56% PL: C
insubstantial pageant,’ too gentle to have any impact, as uncertain of
what it will ultimately be as its young subjects are of themselves.” MC: 46 RT: 56% PL: C
“Gimme the Loot.” Directed by Adam Leon. Starring Ty Hickson and Tashiana R. Washington. Our review calls the film “endearingand charmingly unpretentious” and notes, “Hickson and Washington, both
attractive and charismatic enough to be stars, carry the film with an
air of lightweight pleasure, keeping it light and bouncy.” MC: 84 RT: 100% PL: A-
“Come Out And Play.” Directed by Makinov. Starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Vinessa Shaw. Our review: “It
doesn’t seem to inform a perspective beyond a few cheap scares. For
those familiar with the original film, there’s almost nothing to see
here. But given that 99% of this film’s audience will likely never hear
of ‘Who Can Kill A Child?’ [on which ‘Come Out and Play’ is based] it
still won’t seem fresh.” MC: 42 RT: 58% PL: D
doesn’t seem to inform a perspective beyond a few cheap scares. For
those familiar with the original film, there’s almost nothing to see
here. But given that 99% of this film’s audience will likely never hear
of ‘Who Can Kill A Child?’ [on which ‘Come Out and Play’ is based] it
still won’t seem fresh.” MC: 42 RT: 58% PL: D
“Leonie.” Directed by Hisako Matsui. Starring Emily Mortimer, Mary Kay Place, Christina Hendricks, and Shido Nakamura. This historical biopic may prove too shallow and reductive, limiting Leonie Gilmour’s story of ambition and activism to one exclusively of motherhood. MC: 42 RT: no score yet
“New World.” Directed by Park Hoon-jeong. Starring Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, and Hwang Jun-min. Our review: “While it hardly reinvents the genre, it’s smart, sharp entertainment
that meets expectations dead on, and provides a nifty little story told
with just enough spark to make the familiar feel fresh. If you’ve been
looking for another ‘The Departed‘-esque movie to keep you guessing,
this would be a good place to start.” MC: 58 RT: 67% PL: B
that meets expectations dead on, and provides a nifty little story told
with just enough spark to make the familiar feel fresh. If you’ve been
looking for another ‘The Departed‘-esque movie to keep you guessing,
this would be a good place to start.” MC: 58 RT: 67% PL: B
“Dorfman In Love.” Directed by Brad Leong. Starring Sara Rue, Elliott Gould, Haaz Sleiman, Johann Urb, and Jonathan Chase. Our review commends Rue’s comedic performance, but wonders why her talents are wasted on this thin and unoriginal story, concluding, “Perhaps sheleaped at
the chance to work with Gould, or maybe they paid her in gold doubloons.
Whatever
the case, she deserves better than this tedious effort.” MC: 36 RT: 0% PL: D-
“The Happy Poet.” Directed by and starring Paul Gordon. Also starring Jonny Mars, Chris Doubek, and Liz Fisher. While comedic capacity may reside in the story’s bones (a dude encounters road blocks when he opens a health food stand in Austin), the stark realism of its actors and dialogue, compounded by an unpolished filmmaking style, detract from that potential outcome. MC: no score yet RT: no score yet
“Eden” opened Wednesday. Directed by Megan Griffiths. Starring Jamie Chung, Matt O’Leary, and Beau Bridges. Our review: ” ‘Eden,’ the Narrative Feature winner at SXSW in 2012, tackles the issue of sex slavery, but it does so in a way that
never feels too clumsy or overarching. Instead, it’s a character study
with thriller elements; it exposes you to a horrible underworld without
ever beating you over the head with it.” MC: 67 RT: 79% PL: A-
never feels too clumsy or overarching. Instead, it’s a character study
with thriller elements; it exposes you to a horrible underworld without
ever beating you over the head with it.” MC: 67 RT: 79% PL: A-
