NEW THIS WEEK
From the mind of writer/director Sean Baker (Tangerine)
comes a film that’s just as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. The
Florida Project follows a young mother and her daughter, struggling to
make ends meet in the outskirts of Orlando. Set in a knock-off Disney hotel
managed by the kind yet overworked Bobby (an Oscar nominated Willem Dafoe), the
film revels in the scraps of beauty in life, as seen through the imaginative
eyes of the little girl, unaware of the hardships surrounding her.
We Said: “This isn't a happy
film; for all of the awe, wonder, and childhood innocence [director Sean] Baker
is able to craft, there is sadness lurking and sometimes it bubbles up to the
surface. But it also wouldn't be fair to call this a sad or even a depressing
movie. There are just as many moments of boundless joy to be found in what I
think is one of the best movies of the year.” Rating: 4.5 out of 5
In this sequel to the recent comedy hit, the dads, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and stepfather Brad (Will Ferrell), are back, setting aside their former rivalry to make Christmas the best it can be for the kids. Unfortunately, their plans soon get muddied, when their fathers (John Lithgow and Mel Gibson) arrive for the holidays as well, bringing with them all the baggage and chaos they grew up around.
We Said: “The first film
dialed it up to 11 with Farrell doing Farrell the whole movie, so it’s no
surprise that a sequel would be commissioned.
However, would the sequel, Daddy’s Home 2 get a case of
“sequelitis” (as most comedy sequels do) and be as bland and forgettable as The
Hangover 2 by not bringing anything new to the table? Well… yes, and no.”
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Nicolas Cage at his Nicolas Cage-iest! The new comedic
thriller Mom and Dad is set in a world where a sudden mass hysteria
causes parents, (in this case Cage and Selma Blair) to violently turn on their
own children in a fit of mad rage. Cant heir kids survive the day? If it means
more Nic Cage screaming nursery rhymes while swinging an axe, let’s hope so!
We Said: “This is a movie
that was tailor made for Cage. We've come to expect a high level of lunacy from
him but it's hard wired into every fabric of this movie. I couldn't imagine Mom
and Dad without Cage, but I don't want to overlook Blair's part in
this. She's fantastic, too, as the earnest and eager Kendall, who is as sweet
as can be when she's not trying to gas her children to death. […] Everyone acclimates
themselves to [director Brian] Taylor's wild extremes in tone and editing. Taylor's frenetic, unpredictable style is
what makes this film click, only failing him in the sudden, unsatisfying
conclusion that just comes out of nowhere and snaps you out of the 80-minute
long sugar high you've been riding.” Rating:
3 out of 5
