Author: tlkabtmovies
-
Spy [2015] ★★★
As far as spoof movies go, “Spy” is one of the funniest I’ve seen in years. It’s also a perfect vehicle for Melissa McCarthy, who gives it her very best and succeeds with flying colors. And yet I have to admit: I feared that we might have seen all the funniest bits in the trailer; fortunately, I was wrong.…
-
-
Woman In Gold [2015] ★★★
When a film covers subject material that is highly emotional there is always the chance that the director and actors will overplay it and eventually ruin it. Luckily for us, “Woman in Gold” dodges all of that with a moving story that serves as a perfect vehicle for the incomparable Helen Mirren as well as Ryan Reynolds. Based on…
-
Insidious: Chapter 3 [2015] ★½
I’m calling bullshit on “Insidious 3”. Ten minutes into this cash in “prequel” (because let’s face it: it has no reason to exist), I knew it would suck. But I had no idea it would suck this bad. Director Leigh Whannell, in for the gifted James Wan (if you haven’t seen “The Conjuring” yet get on it), takes…
-
Entourage [2015] ★★½
Let’s face it: Big screen adaptations of popular TV series rarely work. Remember “The X Files”? Or maybe “Sex and the City?”. Well, here’s the good news: “Entourage” does work. Not all the time, but for someone who wasn’t expecting much, I actually had a good time watching it. I knew I would derive some pleasure from…
-
San Andreas [2015] ★★
History has taught us that disaster movies rarely rise to their potential. “Armageddon” and “Deep Impact” in the 90’s (sue me), “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012” in the past decade, and now “San Andreas”, directed by Brad Peyton and starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson”. Despite its impressive visual effects, this earthquake popcorn flick fails…
-
The Lazarus Effect [2015] ★
Here’s a horror flick about bringing the dead back to life (how original!). Mark Duplass (“The One I Love”), in mad-professor mode, wants to perform this procedure on his dead girlfriend (Olivia Wilde), with disastrous consequences (pun intended). Director David Gelb, in his feature debut, is transparently trying to rip off every Frankenstein movie ever made. Fat chance. Every…
-
Danny Collins [2015] ★★★
If you like, you can think of “Danny Collins” as the anti-blockbuster. It’s the opposite of an Event Movie for the summer season; instead, it’s an old-fashioned star vehicle, fashioned for the particular screen persona of Al Pacino, who can usually play these roles in his sleep, but adds something special every single time. As such, the movie…
-
Tomorrowland [2015] ★★½
Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland” has so many good ingredients, including a solid performance from George Clooney and some eye popping visual effects. Another good thing is the mystery of it all: Bird doesn’t play his cards too early and keeps us guessing at every turn. But I’ll say this much: George Clooney plays Frank Walker, a grumpy inventor who…
-
Poltergeist [2015] ★★
Do we really need a remake of Tobe Hooper’s 1982 horror classic that spawned several sequels? Not really. But the people behind this remake knew that a few more bucks could be squeezed out of the Bowen family, whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. You know the drill, unless you’ve never seen a horror movie before.…
-
-
Ex Machina [2015] ★★½
Don’t get me wrong. Alex Garland’s “Ex Machina”, starring Domhnall Gleason as a coder who’s been chosen to spend a week with his reclusive billionaire boss (Oscar Isaacs, almost unrecognizable) in order to test his latest artificial intelligence invention (Alicia Vikander) is a major accomplishment. It relies more on thought provoking ideas than eye popping visual effects and…
-
Wild [2014] ★★★
Took me some time to finally watch Reese Witherspoon’s Oscar nominated performance in “Wild”, but I’m glad I did. She is the focal point here and the reason the film is worth seeing. The picture itself is earnest and well-made, but it remains earthbound while its leading lady soars to greatness. Based on Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling book, “Wild” tells…
-
Pitch Perfect 2 [2015] ★★½
It doesn’t break any new ground, but “Pitch Perfect 2” provides lively entertainment as it builds on a template that’s familiar to anyone who’s seen such movies as “Bring it On” and “Step Up”. Once again, the people behind this comedy use an engaging cast and a selection of popular songs (energetically recreated by several choral groups)…
-
Mad Max: Fury Road [2015] ★★★
Maybe you never heard of Mad Max, the 1979 cult movie starring Mel Gibson. Or maybe you think a big-ass reboot isn’t worth your time and money. Snap out of it. “Mad Max: Fury Road” does the impossible. Through dazzle and spectacular action scenes, it turns the cliche of Hollywood reboots on their heads and…
-
Suite Française [2015] ★★★
If there can be such a thing as a sweet, reflective fable about love during WWII, “Suite Française” is it. Based on the best selling novel by Irène Némirovsky, who perished in Auschwitz in 1942 before she could finish her book (her daughter finally took care of it and published it in 2004 to worldwide acclaim), the film…
-
La Famille Bélier [2014] ★★★
I’m a bit late coming to this movie, but having heard good feedback, I was looking forward to it. It’s easy to see why now. “La Famille Bélier” is a charming, funny film with winning performances; in short, a crowd-pleaser. Louane Emera (a semi-finalist in the second season of The Voice France) plays Paula, a young girl…
-
Hot Pursuit [2015] ★★
Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family”) can be funny. Reese Witherspoon is a great actress who can play comedy or drama equally well (see “Walk The Line”). They both deserve a better vehicle than this mildly funny, forgettable comedy that shamelessly rips off every road movie ever made. Witherspoon plays Cooper, a by-the-book San Antonio cop assigned to escort Daniella (Vergara),…
-
It Follows [2015] ★★★
If you’re a sucker for horror movies, then “It Follows” is the scarefest for you. It’s one of the best and most original horror flicks I’ve seen in a very long time. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell has clearly been inspired by the likes of John Carpenter and Wes Craven. But Mitchell adds something extra special to this…
-
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet [2015] ★★½
Khalil Gibran’s timeless masterpiece is among the most popular poetry books ever written, selling over 100 million copies in forty languages since its publication in 1923. And when people talk about it with affection and even passion, one could always hope that a screen adaptation can find some way to replicate those feelings. But let’s face it: even good…
Let's Talk About Movies 