There is something heartening in a sequel to a sequel that is as good as the original. Imagine how much more heartening it is that WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, the third in the trilogy that launched with the excellent DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and continued with the equally excellent… Read More »
INSURGENT Keeps the DIVERGENT Franchise Puffing Along
The advantage of seeing outstanding actors in a middling film is that you can appreciate just how good they are on a whole new level. And INSURGENT is certainly a middling film, though that is an improvement on the last installment in this franchise, DIVERGENT. With a new director, Robert Schwentke, bringing Veronica Roth’s YA… Read More »
UNSTOPPABLE
UNSTOPPABLE is a formula thriller, to be sure, but one in which everyone is at the top of his or her game. The premise is that of a runaway train with explosive cargo barreling into a major population center, and is played against a nice sub-plot of corporate weenies in their skyscrapers second-guessing and undercutting… Read More »
WOLVERINE, THE
WOLVERINE is a murky and muddled thing saved, such as it is, by Hugh Jackmans steadfast commitment to a story that leaps about with the same agility as his eponymous character as it attempts to explore the psychological underpinnings of The Wolverines struggle with immortality, and his mercy killing of the love of his life,… Read More »
GODSEND
GODSEND is a turgid little mood piece that manages to miss every opportunity to actually engage, much less terrify its audience. No doubt that the ethical, theological, and philosophical questions engendered by the prospect of human cloning are the stuff of heated debate and interesting conundrums. GODSEND, however, eschews all of that in favor of derivative… Read More »