Criminal Activities isn’t a half bad crime-drama especially by direct-to-video standards. The performances from Michael Pitt and Dan Stevens were good and even John Travolta in his limited appearance gives the film some weight.
It might be too simplistic to call Crimson Peak style over substance, but I couldn’t quite embrace this gothic-romantic in spite of some incredible production designs and a couple fine performances by Hiddleston and Chastain.
Man Up is on the better and all around fun surprises of 2015 in a genre that doesn’t very often surprise. The chemistry, both romantic and comedic, shared between Simon Pegg and Lake Bell really propels combine that with some genuinely funny scenes, even surreal, it makes for a breezy brit-rom-com.
I realize there are many fans of the French original, however as someone who has not seen it, I found the Martyrs remake to be darkly entertaining if not thin on plot. The performances from Troian Bellisario and Bailey Noble are both well done.
Hellions is easily one of the worst films I’ve come across in the past few years, and only a smidge above the truly hellish Muck. I’m sure the filmmakers had the best intentions in giving a Troll-like film but unlike that one, which was bad but fun, this one is just plain bad, in spite of a decent enough performance by lead actress Chloe Rose.
Burnt isn’t a bad little drama-comedy, propelled more on the performances by Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and Daniel Brühl than the culinary-centric plot itself. I don’t know if it’s worth a purchase (unless you like Cooper) but certainly worth a Redbox or Netflix rental.
The Intern has its problems for sure, specifically in the screenplay department where it is a half baked plot and gets sidetracked with semi-subplots that don’t amount to very much and are a bit too outlandish. That said, I did like the core cast, particularly Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway who made this far more entertaining than it really deserved.
Jem and the Holograms doesn’t have very much going for it, save maybe for Juliette Lewis who hammed it up well enough, and doesn’t even crossing into the so bad its good territory, and I’m not entirely sure if it’s even worth a Netflix/Redbox.
Sicario is one of the best movies of 2015 thanks to the direction, cinematography and Del Toro’s brilliant performance which bizarrely was overlooked by the Academy. Beyond that, it’s just a well paced thriller that never lets up yet still some nice character moments.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is another dud of a sequel in a franchise that should’ve stopped at #3 in making for at least a endurable enough trilogy. While this entry is tolerable, it’s still really bad and tedious with little actual scares and once gain relies on jump scares more than anything.
Smooth Talk is an interesting albeit imperfect drama that culminates with a dark and creepy finale that, even though it went on a bit too long, still was incredibly effective. The performances from Laura Dern and Treat Williams also stand out and make it worth checking out.
Irrational Man is not nearly one of Woody Allen’s greatest films, a far cry from Midnight in Paris which was a magical film or comes close to his older classics, but it’s got its certain dark charms especially with the performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone.
Needless to say, Everest isn’t exactly a lighthearted adventure flick but in spite of that, and some so-so writing, the performances from the ensemble cast, Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin especially, makes it worthwhile, though for myself, I’m not sure if I’d ever revisit it. The Blu-ray released by Universal offers excellent video and audio transfers and a fine selection of bonus material.
The Walk, technically speaking, is a well done biographical drama. However, I really didn’t find Petit’s past all that interesting in spite of a nice performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, French accent and all. But as one would expect, the highlight of the film is the prep and actual walk across the Twin Towers.
Sinister 2 has to have been one of the duller horror films I’ve come across and unlike the original this has no mystery, suspense or, laughably, anything remotely scary. The cast actually isn’t terrible considering what they had to work with but there’s nothing else that’s redeemable.