Figuring
they're all expendable, a U.S. intelligence officer decides to assemble a team
of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top-secret mission. Now armed
with government weapons, Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie),
Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and other despicable inmates must learn to work
together. Dubbed Task Force X, the criminals unite to battle a mysterious and
powerful entity, while the diabolical Joker (Jared Leto) launches an evil
agenda of his own.
We Said: “Suicide
Squad is likely to inspire the same schizophrenia in audiences as
afflicts its ragtag team of super-powered wackos. It's a film that finds
strengths in a dark sense of humor, and there are plenty of jokes to be found,
yet other times the comedy seems ill-timed and forced. The rebellious spirit is
part of what endears us to the team, and yet other times it doesn't come across
naturally.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: I am not very much
of a fan of the DCEU, and yet I still managed to have a pretty good time with Suicide
Squad. For whatever it’s worth, it is my favorite of the three films
released so far. It makes some very bold stylist choices, several of which I
thought worked pretty well. I loved Margot Robbie’s take on Harley Quinn, and even
Jared Leto’s Joker was pretty interesting. Will Smith and Viola Davis turn in
the types of performances we’ve come to expect from them, but they’re still
really solid nonetheless, and they ground this mostly outlandish emo-pop supervillain
story. I appreciated several of the montages placed throughout, and the bits of
director David Ayr’s vision for the movie that manage to stand out are intriging.
It’s by no means a perfect movie, but much to my surprise, it’s pretty alright.
The Bad: Though several of
the actors did turn in really solid performances in the movie, there were also
many who aggressively did the opposite of that. The worst offender, in my
opinion, being Cara Delevine’s puzzling and kind of hilarious interpertation of
the primary antagonist: Enchantress. It’s really confusing and could have been
handled much better, and that happens a lot in this movie. The finished product
in very obviously several people’s conflicting visions and the end result is a
pretty tone-deaf film that is often hard to follow. My biggest problem,
however, comes deep from my nerdy heart. It’s true that I enjoyed the
individual performances of Leto’s Joker and Robbie’s Harley Quinn. The scenes
that they shared, however, were incredibly misguided, ultimately making it a
movie that endorses their horribly abusive relationship. For the most part, I
didn’t hate Suicide Squad, but there are lots of oppertunities that were missed.
Overall: It’s got a lot of
stuff that works, and it’s got many moments that are a mess. The way these good
and bad scenes were edited together is seemingly random, but those in need of a
catchy superhero movie to keep their interest might enjoy it. Additionaly, the Batman
V Superman Extended Cut really enhanced that movie, so who knows! Maybe
if you’re on-the-fence about this film like me, you might like the Extended Cut
better. Suicide Squad is fine enough.
When
Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he
uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes
that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden
enemies. Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he
really is.
We Said: “[Miss
Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children] actually wasn’t that bad, it
was actually pretty decent and the story kind of made sense […] Overall this
movie is a little above average fair that moves around fast enough to not have
you really think about the plot holes and why characters actually do what they
are doing.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: There’s a lot to be
enjoyed in Miss Peregrine. Director Tim Burton finally returns to his
signiture spooky-silly gothic style and it’s great to see that kind of world
again. The humor mostly works, with some dark jokes landing at just the right
off-beat place. Eva Green is great as the titular twisted Mary Poppins, and
Samuel L Jackson’s villian is pure scenery-chewing camp. A lot of this movie
really plays well, due in large part to Burton’s excellent world building in
the fist half of the movie. By the time we reach the truly ridiculous climax, I
was toatally on board. When a movie can get this whimsically dark and insane
and yet still have me accepting what’s happening, that’s a real treat. Welcome
back Tim Burton!
The Bad: It’s certainly
enjoyable, but undeniably a bit of a mess. If the movie doesn’t grab you when
we’re looping through time to meet kids with silly powers, you might be turned
off when it builds from there. In that regard, much like all of Tim Burton’s
work before it, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a very
polarizing movie. Asa Butterfield is fine enough as the film’s
audience-surrogate protagonist, but his American accent is pretty flat and monotone,
making him occationaly a boring character to keep following through this
fantastical world. The plot is all over the place, which is mostly fun to
watch, but can grow tiring. Again, it’s an entertaining mess, but the
storytelling kinda comes and goes.
Overall: Burton-y as hell, Miss Peregrine is absolute eye-candy, with dark, twisty visual gags left and
right. It’s got some pretty fun performances and story that can be enjoyed for
its sheer fun. If you like Tim Burton’s previous films, this is definitely
right up your alley.
Breaking
up with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) leaves Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) over 40
and single again. Feeling that she has everything under control, Jones decides
to focus on her career as a top news producer. Suddenly, her love life comes
back from the dead when she meets a dashing and handsome American named Jack
(Patrick Dempsey). Things couldn't be better, until Bridget discovers that she
is pregnant. Now, the befuddled mom-to-be must figure out if the proud papa is
Mark or Jack.
We Said: “Bridget Jones’s Baby is far better than
reason says it should be. While it may not be the most societally enlightened
plot for a movie to have, the setup does lead to some surprisingly funny punchlines
scattered throughout.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: It blew my mind how
entertaining this movie is. I genuinely didn’t expect it. It’s honestly rather
funny, and well made. The performances are all really solid. The jokes land. The
pacing is pretty tight. It’s actually pretty good, much to my indescribable
surprise.
The Bad: While there are
several jokes that are shockingly funny, there’s many others that are tired and
corny, and exactly what you might fear this movie would be like. Not painful,
but definitely not on par with the movie’s better moments. The plot is pretty
worn out. We’ve all seen many “who’s the father” stories in the past, but
unfortunately it’s now not only cliché, but also rather dated. Our modern
society doesn’t really care anymore who the parents are or if they’re married.
This movie is a little out of touch.
Overall: There’s a ton to
like in Bridget Jones’s Baby. It is often quite funny, and while it’s a
bit overplayed at this point, the plot does allow for some entertaining
situations throughout. There’s really solid performances from most of the cast,
and it’s just a good movie. Much better than the by-the-numbers rom-coms of
years past. Fans of the original and newcomers alike will have a surprisingly
god time with Bridget Jones.
In
the 1940s, New York socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) dreams of
becoming a great opera singer. Unfortunately, her ambition far exceeds her
talent. The voice Florence hears in her head is beautiful, but to everyone else
it is quite lousy. Her husband St. Clair goes to extreme lengths to make sure
his wife never finds out how awful she truly is. When Florence announces her
plans for a concert at Carnegie Hall, St. Clair soon realizes that he's facing
his greatest challenge yet.
We Said: “I want to assure
the arty audience that Florence Foster Jenkins is not as
insufferably smarmy as the worst of its "inspirational" marketing
might suggest, [instead it is] light and inoffensive, even though Jenkins'
terrible voice is often terribly loud.” Rating:
3 out of 5
Future
U.S. President Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) and lawyer Michelle Robinson (Tika
Sumpter) go on a fateful first date in the summer of 1989.
We Said: “It's fascinating
that a movie like this even exists. We just don't see this kind of thing here
in America, but there's also never been a couple in the White House like Barack
and Michelle Obama. Who knows if we'll ever
see another film about a sitting President and First Lady's courtship, but Southside
with You makes a pretty compelling case that maybe we should.” Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Judah
Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) loses everything after his adopted brother Messala (Toby
Kebbell), now an officer in the Roman army, returns to Jerusalem and accuses
the young prince of treason. Stripped of his title and separated from his wife
(Nazanin Boniadi) and family, Ben-Hur must endure years of slavery on a galley
at sea. When fate brings the estranged brothers to an epic and deadly chariot
race, Ben-Hur finally gets the chance to exact vengeance on the man who
destroyed his life.
We Said: “Fortunately, the
lack of emotional drama isn't enough to completely sink this modern update
despite it lacking the prestige of prior versions, but at least it's not 3 1/2
hours long, thank God.” Rating: 3 out of 5
Also Available: Endof a Gun, Klown Forever, Let's Be Evil, Equity, Fearthe Walking Dead Season 2, and Morgan.
