NEW THIS WEEK
The
third film in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, Beyond
sees the Enterprise crew stranded on an unknown planet, after their
famous ship is suddenly attacked by the mysterious General Krall (Idris Elba).
The lost and scattered explorers must now navigate through the rough wilderness
to reunite and battle their way off this dangerous new planet.
We Said: “Star
Trek Beyond doesn't have much complexity, and that may rankle fans who
were hoping for a bit more depth and humanity, but it'll just have to wait
until the next voyage.” Rating: 3.5 out
of 5
The Good: This is an
incredibly fun movie. The plot of separating the crew members and breaking them
off into different little groups works brilliantly in allowing the movie to further
explore their characteristics and dynamics. The new addition of Sofia Boutella’s
character Jaylah is also fantastic, and a true highlight of the movie. There’s a real
sense of both fun and thought to Beyond that has been a bit lacking
from the franchise (particularly the second film in the rebooted saga, the
aptly titled Into Darkness). Fans of the original series will especially
appreciate this new film for all of its efforts to better represent the values
of the original series. It’s fan service, but some of the best fan service that
we’ve seen in a while.
The Bad: While the plot does
allow for different sides of the character’s personalities to be explored, it
simultaneously struggles with giving all of the characters a consistently
interesting plot line of their own. Several key players are underused, and
several smaller characters are weirdly overused. The biggest flaw in Beyond
though, is how safe it is. It’s
true that Into Darkness went too far with its action elements, but Beyond
at times goes too far in the opposite direction, and becomes a bit
boring. There’s a way to be thoughtful, fun, and exciting. Star Trek Beyond just misses that
mark.
Overall: Beyond
is a very enjoyable movie, and a
big improvement over some previous films in the Star Trek cannon. It does
at times feel like a two hour version of an episode of the TV show, but perhaps
that’s okay for a series like this.
Fed
up by the pressures and standards of being the perfect mom, Amy (Mila Kunis) teams
up with some fellow parents (Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn) to blow off all their
pent up mom-rage and party like there’s no bedtime. The rebellious mothers then
square off against the uptight PTA president (played by Christina Applegate) in
this raunchy new comedy from the creators of The Hangover franchise.
We Said: “Unlike the other
"Bad" films [Santa, Teacher¸ etc.], Bad
Moms is closer to wish fulfillment than anything else. Nobody dreams
about being a crusty old mall Santa, but there are plenty of mothers out there
who dream of throwing their responsibilities aside for a night of wild sex and
parties. Bad Moms will give them plenty to laugh about but it should
have been raunchy and reckless enough to make them ashamed of identifying with
it so much.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: Much like the Hangover
movies, Bad Moms humor relies on its cast’s strong chemistry, and
continually upped stakes of gross, vulgar, excitedly R-rated comedic
situations. The actors all give 100%, and turn in surprisingly funny
performances (particularly Kathryn Hahn, but honestly everyone else has their
moments to shine too). While I am neither a parent nor a woman, I’ve been told
that this is an incredibly relatable movie for those who are. And I believe it.
There’s a lot in Bad Moms that seems to be pulling its dark, hard-R jokes from a
very real and honest place. I was surprised by how much of Bad Moms really lands.
The Bad: It isn’t by any
means a new or particularly inventive plot for a movie, and relies pretty hard
on cliches and tropes you’ve seen a million times before. Though mostly funny
and played for everything they’re worth, the characters are all rather one
dimensional, and feel like stock characters who only exist to get to the next
laugh.
Overall: While not the
freshest of concepts, Bad Moms delivers what it promises
with an awful lot of laughs and a very game cast.
In
this real movie that actually exists, Kevin Spacey plays Tom Brand, a
workaholic billionaire who doesn’t have time for his wife (Jennifer Garner) and
family. In a half-hearted attempt to get his daughter a present she’d like for
her birthday, Tom goes to mysterious pet shop to buy her a cat. I’m not kidding
when I say that Kevin Spacey then switches bodies with the cat, and now has one
week to reconnect with his family as Mr. Fuzzypants or else he’ll be stuck this
way for the rest of his life, in what is certain to be one of the strangest
films of the year.
Overall: Typically here I
would describe a movie in terms of its “good” and “bad” aspects. Nine
Lives however, defies such a description, as it is simultaneous both
qualities and neither. This is a truly insane thing here that has been filmed
and released under the title Nine Lives. It’s fascinating, and I
would be lying if I told you that it was anything short of immensely
entertaining, but it would not do justice to whatever Nine Lives is to suggest
that it is therefore “good” in any kind of conventional sense. It is an oddity.
Rare lightning caught in a bottle of strange that I am absolutely amazed by. If
you’re around 10 or 12 years old and want a quick laugh, you’ll certainly enjoy
Nine
Lives, additionally, if you’re into silly mind bogglers like the Howard
the Duck movie or The Star Wars Holiday Special you
will absolutely love this real movie, where Kevin Spacey trades places
with a cat to learn to love his family. Everyone else... probably not much.
Also Available: Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, My Blind Brother, Outlander: Season Two, and Imperium
