Sherlock Holmes is a fun take on the classic character and while the pacing is a bit off and even after all these years not sure about RDJ’s portrayal, the actor does have charisma in spades helping to keep this as an entertaining mystery-thriller.
1917 is a rare movie in these times and even rarer ones taking place during World War I. The performance from George MacKay is great but the biggest takeaway is the one-shot concept from director Sam Mendes which was pretty impressive.
Shazam might not be a top tiered superhero movie and not near my personal top even amongst DC’s lineup, but it is still a lot of fun and Zachary Levi embodies the role so well and can’t wait to see what he and director Sandberg have in store.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a bit of a step down from the first film but thanks to the cast – primarily Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Julianne Moore – it does make for an entertaining enough sequel.
Kick-Ass is a fun, hard-knuckled comic book movie that came many years before Deadpool became a hit it did. The highlights, beyond the R-rating language and violence, are the performances from a very young Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage and Aaron Johnson.
It’s easy to see why Approaching the Unknown has received less than stellar reviews and if you’re not into slow moving, character-driven flicks, this one might bore you to tears. However, I found it mostly to be entrancing mainly for Mark Strong.
Closer to the Moon chronicles one of the more unusual heists in history and for the most part, it is a well made drama with two fine performances by Vera Farmiga and Mark Strong. The DVD released by MPI offers good video/audio transfers but falls flat in the bonus material department.
The Imitation Game probably gets a solid “B+” for sheer entertainment value but a “D+” for accuracy, something that is an unforced error as the real life story of Turing, as well as co-inventor Gordon Welchman, is interesting enough without having to introduce non-existent plot points and changing around characters to fit the dramatic story the filmmakers wanted to tell. Even so, the acting still is top notched especially by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.
Fever Pitch is a fun British romantic drama featuring solid performances from Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmell. It’s filled with good drama providing background into Firth’s character and his obsession with “football” over-layered with his personal drama as an adult, giving layers to what could’ve otherwise been a fluffy film.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy excels in the acting category, and more specifically an excellent performance from Gary Oldman, but the story doesn’t hold as much water as I’d hoped.