NEW THIS WEEK
Based
on the best selling novel of the same name, The Light Between Oceans tells
the story of Tom (Michael Fassbender), a WWI vet content with his life of
manning a light house off the coast of Australia with his wife, Isabel (Alicia
Vikander) by his side. One day an abandoned child washes ashore near their
house, and in taking her in and caring for her, everything changes for the
couple. Isabel wants nothing more than a family, whereas Tom is uncomfortable
raising a child that isn’t theirs. Their troubles only intensify when the
biological mother is eventually located on land, forcing the couple to confront
if their actions where appropriate or selfish, while questioning what exactly
makes a family.
We Said: “The film is a work
of high class and prestige, exquisitely shot and acted by Michael Fassbender
and Alicia Vikander, continuing [Director Derek] Cianfrance's ability to stir
untold passions in his stars. But whether it's the ML Stedman source material
or simply Cianfrance's adaptation, there's a quiet yet steady desperation to
make us feel something that the story never quite nurtures to fruition. […] From
the performances to the presentation there is much to like about The
Light Between Oceans, but little that makes us want to fully embrace
it.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The
third in director Ron Howard’s trilogy of thrillers based on Dan Brown’s best
selling books, Inferno reunites audiences with Harvard professor Robert
Langdon (Tom Hanks), who is now suffering from memory loss in the heart of
Italy. Along with his doctor, Langdon attempts to put his life back in order,
while simultaneously uncovering the truth of a dangerous conspiracy based on
Dante’s Inferno.
We Said: “At some point in a
movie series the overall feel comes together.
By around the third installment, you either know what you're going to
get, or you just don't care. For Inferno
-- the third of Ron Howard's adaptations of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels starring Tom Hanks as the art history
professor turned potboiler action hero -- this means contrived medieval- and
Renaissance-inflected puzzles and absurd plotting. […] If we don't want to be
constantly distracted by the absurd, swiss-cheese plot, we turn off our brains
to be able to enjoy a movie that spends so much time congratulating us for
having them in the first place.” Rating: 2
out of 5
BBC’s
modern take on the Sherlock Holmes mythology returns with three new episodes,
each of which set the internet ablaze with fan theories and shocked reactions
to major plot twists. Series Four returns Sherlock Holmes (Benedict
Cumberbatch) to his home country of England for a new set of intense and
hostile mysteries. Alongside him once more is the newlywed John Watson (Martin
Freeman) prepared to help Holmes once again faceoff against his greatest enemy.
