NEW THIS WEEK
Disney’s
latest animated adventure tells the story of Moana, a young woman with a
calling to take to the seas to find herself and help save her people. Along her
journey she teams up with disgraced former Demi-God Maui (Dwayne Johnson) who
reluctantly helps her along her quest, all set to beautiful and Oscar
nominated original music from Hamilton’s Lin Manuel Miranda.
We Said: “It's not enough
for Moana to simply be fearless and tough, it's that she's strong enough enough
to know when to rely on herself and when to lean on the support of those close
to her. And thankfully that doesn't include some love interest for her to fall
back on. The only love she has is for her people and her culture, and that
makes Moana a character we all want to champion, and the film one we'll want to
see again and again.” Rating: 4 out of 5
The Good: With an incredible
creative team backing it, Moana is not only one of Disney’s
best recent movies, it’s also one of the year’s best movies as well. The
animation and voice acting are all top notch. The characters are memorable and
inspiring. There’s an appropriate balance of humor and heart. And of course,
the music is absolutely brilliant. Hamilton mastermind Lin Manuel
Miranda has crafted some truly beautiful and showstopping songs that hold up to
the best Disney has to offer. Moana really is something special.
The Bad: In its passionate
attempt to steer the titular heroine away from typical princess movie traps,
the filmmakers reject the typical love story plot line and instead send Moana
and Maui off on an action packed adventure, which is great. However, the
oddessy story structure does make for a bit of a rambling narrative at times.
There’s a lot in the middle of the movie that’s more just a series of cool
action scenes than it is a flowing plot. Still incredibly entertaining, and a
welcomed change for the genre, but occasionally it does lose its focus.
Overall: Moana is proof that Disney’s new wave of
Broadway-inspired powerful-princess movies is strong. Just about every
individual aspect of the movie is brilliant, and comes together to make yet
another animated gem that parents will love as much as their children.
This
intense and powerful new biopic stars Natalie Portman in an Oscar nominated
performance as former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, exploring her point of view on
the days following her husband’s tragic assassination.
We Said: “Jackie
is everything we expected it to be and more. It is both the Oscar bait drama we
thought it would be and yet fuller, richer due to [Director Pablo] Larrain's
direction and [Lead Actress Natalie] Portman's vivid, unforgettable
performance. While most biopics are content to simply go over what we already
know, Jackie builds upon what we don't already, becoming part of her
legacy forever.” Rating: 4 out of 5
The Good: It is less than
newsworthy to report that Natalie Portman is incredible in this film. She
absolutely owns this role, and carries this movie into a truly thought
provoking and intense character-driven place. I found Jackie to be far more
engrossing than I imagined going into it, as the post-assassination US is
examined with an almost psychological thriller type tone that really swept me up
the intensity of the story. It’s a beautiful movie to look at, with an
incredible lead performance.
The Bad: Natalie Portman’s
turn as the former First Lady is truly remarkable and worth seeking out, but
unfortunately it alone is the biggest draw of the movie. Jackie is perfectly fine,
with a lot of moments that really are fascinating, but it is very clearly an
awards-push movie made to showcase one person’s work, and that does grow
tiresome, even in a movie as tight and short as this.
Overall: Jackie
is a fairly straight-forward biopic drama, elevated by a brilliant lead
performance and intense editing.
Man Down stars Shi LaBeouf
as U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer, a deeply troubled veteran struggling to
readjust to life at home after returning from a tour in Afghanistan. With the
aid of his only remaining friend, Drummer sets out to reunite with his estranged
wife and child in this intense new film from controversial Writer/Director Dito
Montiel.
We Said: “The biggest
problem appears to be that [Writer/Director Dito] Montiel and [Lead Actor Shia]
LaBeouf are making two totally different movies. Montiel seems to think he's
got a post-apocalyptic Red Dawn remake on his hands, with
scores of grimy, muddy soldiers fighting enemies on bombed-out native turf.
LaBeouf is engaged in a serious character piece about a soldier returned home
from Afghanistan with PTSD and his struggles to reconnect with the wife (Kate
Mara) and son he left behind. Never shall the two opposing approaches meet, or
at least not in any satisfying way.” Rating:
2 out of 5
Also Available: Incarnate, The Eyes of my Mother, Miss Hokusai, Trespass Against Us, Check Point, The Lesson, 100 Streets, Cold War II, and Tanna
