NEW THIS WEEK
When
Jim (Chris Pratt), a traveler in suspended animation on a spaceship, wakes up
decades before he was supposed to, he has to make difficult decisions.
Together, he and Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) try to balance their budding
romance with their new mission: saving the lives of their fellow passengers.
We Said: “Unquestionably,
how much weight one puts behind Pratt's mechanic Jim Preston and his
indefensible actions will determine the level of enjoyment. For me, Passengers
is the most purely enjoyable sci-fi movie of the season. It's not Arrival,
which tickles the brain in ways few movies can, but Passengers has an
undeniable cool factor and a pair of stars in a romance hotter than a thermal
reactor.” Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Set
in 1950’s Pittsburgh, garbageman Troy (director Denzel Washington) continues to
harbor resentment toward the racist systems that stymied his baseball career.
Meanwhile, his long suffering wife Rose (Oscar winner Viola Davis) is still
putting her family’s needs above her own… until she reaches her breaking point, in this Academy Award winning film of August Wilson's classic play.
We Said: “While much of the
film takes place in the Maxsons' backyard, only occasionally does it feel
stagey and a little stiff. It's the strength of the talented cast that carries Fences
to greatness, and every time Denzel and Viola square-off it's us who are left
breathless in their wake. The film is a true labor of love, with Denzel
fulfilling [Playwright August] Wilson's
wish to have the story adapted by a black filmmaker. You can tell he and the
entire cast took that responsibility seriously, assuring Fences is as
emotionally raw on screen as the stage experience.” Rating: 4 out of 5
After
losing what was most important to him, an ad executive (Will Smith) loses all
interest in his life. When he starts to write letters to the concepts of Love,
Time, and Death, his friends concoct a complex plan to help him.
We Said: “There will be
frowning! Oh so much frowning in Collateral Beauty, an overly
sentimental, unintentionally hilarious weeper that arrives like an ugly
Christmas sweater over the holidays. […] Tears are jerked, heartstrings plucked
trampled, and the performances are sincere all around. Mostly the cast is asked
to cry rivers of tears but there are brief moments of levity […] Collateral
Beauty isn't without emotion; far from it. There's simply too much of
it for things to play out as easily as they do. That's not how life works. The
dominoes just don't fall that way.” Rating:
2.5 out of 5
