 |
| Courtesy of Disney |
(Rated
PG for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive
material.)
The
cast: James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Meryl Streep and
Johnny Depp.
What
it’s about: Based on the classic musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine,
this story interweaves several beloved fairy tales into a single narrative. A
baker (Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) want to start a family, but first
they must lift the curse a witch (Streep) has put on them. To do so, they must
journey into the woods to collect several items that should be familiar to
viewers. Along the way, they run into Cinderella (Kendrick), Prince Charming
(Pine) and the Big Bad Wolf (Depp), among others.
The
good: Fans who were afraid the Disney partnership would dull Sondheim’s sharp
edges can rest easy. Several of the songs still raise eyebrows and the second
half of the story is as dark as you remember. The cast is stellar, even if the
material lets them down from time to time, with each getting their chance to
shine.
Corden,
perhaps the least-known actor to American audiences, is the biggest standout,
bringing humanity to a story that grows a bit too otherworldly at times. Streep
is also great (a much-welcome rebound from her August: Osage County
performance), but Pine will probably be the audience favorite. He steals every
scene he’s in, as the prince who confuses charm with smarm. Director Rob
Marshall films most of his entrances in slow-motion and he gets to sing
“Agony,” the movie’s best song. His hilarious performance, in which he and his
brother compete over their lovesickness, had me in tears.
The
not-so-good: Much like the stage version, the tale starts to deflate about an
hour in. It seems to equate darkness with depth, which isn’t true at all – the
much more energetic first half is far superior. Kendrick does her best with her
character, but there’s not much there to work with. None of the characters get
much time to wrap up their arcs, as they’re quickly elbowed out of the movie as
soon as the script is done with them.
Grade:
B-
 |
| Courtesy of The Weinstein Company |
The Imitation Game
(Rated
PG-13 for some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical
smoking.)
The
cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong.
What
it’s about: Inspired by the true story of brilliant cryptanalyst Alan Turing
(Cumberbatch), the film chronicles his team’s (including Knightley and Goode) nonstop
effort to crack the Nazi’s complex Enigma code and end World War II.
The
good: Cumberbatch is wonderful as Turing, portraying the genius in a much
different way than he plays Sherlock Holmes (the character he’s most famous
for), even though the two men have quite similar personalities on the surface. Knightley
is also solid, continuing her 2014 trend of playing far more effervescent roles
than she has over the last few years. As such, the two performers elevate what is
otherwise standard Oscar bait. I was pleasantly surprised by the witty film’s
reliance on tension-relieving humor. Screenwriter Graham Moore deserves credit for
keeping the movie from becoming too morose, despite the grim subject matter.
The
not-so-good: Making his English-language debut, director Morton Tyldum seems to
have studied every British biopic cliché imaginable. That doesn’t mean they’re
not effective, but he doesn’t break any new ground whatsoever. The biggest
mistake Tyldum and Moore make is inventing entire chunks of the story when the
real events are far more interesting. And the most tragic aspect of Turing’s
life, how England “thanked” him for saving the free world, is relegated to a
brief postscript at the end of the film. It’s a weird, disrespectful move for
filmmakers who claim to revere their main character.
Grade:
B
 |
| Courtesy of Fox Searchlight |
Wild
(Rated
R for sexual content, nudity, drug use and language.)
The
cast: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gabby Hoffman and Thomas Sadoski.
What
it’s about: After a traumatic event causes Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon) to
spiral into years of drug abuse and reckless sexual behavior that destroy her
marriage, she decides to walk away from her old life and start fresh. She wants
to do it with a bold statement, so she makes the crazy decision to hike the
entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail – which stretches more than 2,600 miles,
from Mexico to Canada – alone, with absolutely no experience. During her
journey, the audience learns the extremes that brought her to this point, and
why she believes this is the only way she can heal.
The
good: Witherspoon delivers a bold, fearless performance that easily justifies
the Best Actress buzz that has been revolving around her for months. Instead of
“capital-A acting,” she dials everything back, communicating her pain and
revelations from an internal place instead of shouting them from the
mountaintop (well, aside from the opening scene, when she literally does just
that). She’s not afraid to be an intensely unlikeable protagonist for large
portions of the narrative.
Dern,
who plays Strayed’s mother, is fantastic as well, turning in nuanced,
heartbreaking work in what could’ve otherwise been an overly-sentimental role.
Their scenes together are the strongest parts of the movie. The other big
selling point is the scenery Strayed encounters on her journey – it’s
absolutely stunning, and cinematographer Yves Belanger deserves kudos for
showcasing the natural beauty instead of trying to drown it in glitter and
gloss.
After Dallas Buyers Club and this film, I’m becoming a big fan of Jean-Marc
Vallee’s no-nonsense direction, which forms a brilliant partnership with Nick
Hornby’s screenplay. The movie perfectly captures what it’s like to be alone
with your thoughts – only to have them wash over you in both good ways and bad.
The
not-so-good: The ending arrives quickly, in an anticlimactic fashion. It caught
me off guard, but the more I think about it, the more I understand that’s what
real life is like. Rarely do we finish a major accomplishment to great fanfare
or adoring crowds. It’s also tough to buy Witherspoon as a 26-year-old,
Strayed’s age when she began her hike. Don’t get me wrong – she’s a stunningly
beautiful 38-year-old woman; but it takes a while to settle into the idea of
her playing someone 12 years younger. Granted, that’s a shallow element to
gripe about, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t break the movie’s spell on me
at times.
Grade:
A-
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