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Showing posts from 2017

Movie of the Week: Bright

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Alexa:  My reaction when the credits finally rolled on “Bright” was, “Well, that’s two hours of my life I’m never getting back.” This movie is a complete mess. It makes “A Christmas Prince” look like a Best Picture contender. On paper, the concept has potential. It juxtaposes fantasy and contemporary cop thriller genres, but it’s not a strong example of either one. I completely agree with Jason that great fantasies hinge on their world building, and I think “Bright” fails miserably in that regard. The writing is awful and the story convoluted. After a pivotal event about a third of the way through the film, the action descends from mildly interesting to painfully boring. It wants to be an allegory about racism and police brutality but its treatment of both subjects is contrived and tone-deaf (i.e. “Fairy lives don’t matter today.” Seriously?!). It’s excessively gritty to the detriment of the story. For a concept like this to work, the movie has to have at least a little fun with i

Movie of the Week: Christmas Prince

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Alexa:  I originally picked a different movie for this week, but as soon as Netflix started actively trolling repeat viewers of “A Christmas Prince” on Twitter, I had to see what all the fuss was about. Objectively, this movie is garbage. But it’s snow-dusted garbage dipped in sugar and wrapped in a big red bow. It is tailor-made for watching curled up by the fire in cozy pajamas with a glass of chardonnay. Thus, I loved every minute of it. This movie has everything – picturesque European scenery and royal makeovers, whirlwind romances and conniving ex-girlfriends, “Beauty and the Beast”-style wolf showdowns and egregious journalism ethics violations. Yes, the acting is wooden and the writing is crap and the whole thing absolutely overflows with schmaltz. It checks all the stereotypical romance boxes. But the world is kind of a dark place right now in a lot of ways. And for 90 glorious minutes, “A Christmas Prince” encourages you to give in to the Hallmark-level silliness and bas

Movie of the Week: The Dinner

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Alexa:  Somewhere in “The Dinner” is a riveting morality tale about the lengths to which parents will go to protect their children. Unfortunately the titular dinner - where four parents meet to figure out how to deal with a crime their sons have committed - is too often interrupted by cumbersome flashbacks. The four main actors all deliver stellar performances, and watching their true selves come to light over the course of the evening makes for tense, intriguing viewing. And the flashbacks certainly serve a purpose in providing some context for the protagonists’ motives and their fractured relationships, but there are too many of them and some drag on far too long. We spend lengthy stretches away from the drama at the restaurant, which ultimately diminishes the impact of those scenes. I think “The Dinner” would almost be more effective as a play with its action more contained. The characters are all flawed people - particularly Steve Coogan’s Paul - but the amount of time we spen

Movie of the Week: Rogue One

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Alexa:  “Rogue One” was a bit of a gamble for the “Star Wars” franchise. It’s the first “anthology” film of the series that doesn’t fit neatly into the Skywalker saga. But if Disney was hoping to prove the potential of an expanded “Star Wars” cinematic universe with a wealth of unexplored territory, “Rogue One” was the perfect place to start. It’s clearly a part of the “Star Wars” world we all know and love, but it has its own unique tone and aesthetic. It’s peppered with some charming comedic moments, but at its heart it’s a true war story. It doesn’t sugarcoat or gloss over altogether the consequences of war or the sacrifices people make for the greater good, which is refreshing for a major tentpole movie. The cast is fantastic, and the characters every bit as expertly crafted as those in the flagship series. The strongest part of the movie by far is the third act, the actual mission to retrieve the Death Star plans. Some of the best performances occur during this sequence, and

Movie of the Week: Mudbound

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Alexa:  “Mudbound” deserves plenty of praise, but by far its greatest asset is its incredible cast. I can’t speak highly enough about the superb performances in this movie. We’re barely into awards season and “Mudbound” has already garnered two special prizes for its ensemble, which includes Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan and Carey Mulligan. I was most blown away by Hedlund, who I primarily know from “Tron: Legacy,” and Mitchell, who I’ve never seen in anything. But this is a true ensemble film and the entire cast pulls their weight, which is crucial for a story as character-driven as “Mudbound.” I wasn’t surprised to see the movie is based on a book. Its use of multiple narrators felt like a device from a novel brought to life, and for the most part I thought that choice translated well on screen. The movie is essentially divided into three acts: one about the white McAllan family, one about the black Jackson family and

Movie of the Week: Spotlight

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Alexa:   I’m a former newspaper journalist, and I’ve always been fascinated by the portrayal of the profession in popular culture. “Spotlight” is hands down the best modern journalism movie I’ve ever seen. It’s an impeccably executed film in its own right, and its depiction of investigative journalism is among the most accurate I’ve seen onscreen. The film follows the Spotlight investigative team at The Boston Globe in the early 2000s and their work to expose the Boston Archdiocese’s attempts to cover up ongoing child sex abuse by Catholic priests in the area. The movie doesn’t embellish the job with overly dramatic monologues or unnecessary action sequences. It’s all developing relationships with sources, poring through documents and making connections, fighting for access to public records and fact checking. It’s a refreshingly no-frills approach to journalism movies, and the stakes still feel high. Tackling systemic injustice head-on is just as pressing today as it was in 2002.

Most of (Last) Week: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

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Alexa:  I’m a pretty big foodie and an avid sushi lover, so I would honestly be entertained by artful shots of sushi alone. But even if Michelin three-star cuisine is not your cup of tea, you’ll find plenty to love in “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” The renowned chef at the center of the documentary is an endearing character, and his quest for perfection is fascinating. Jiro embodies the beauty of doing something really, really well. His meticulous attention to detail, dedication to the process and respect for the ingredients and the vendors that supply them prove impeccable cuisine doesn’t have to have a ton of bells and whistles. His sushi is simply rice and fish, but it’s the most expertly crafted medley of those ingredients, each component its own work of art. His restaurant has just 10 seats and it’s located in a subway station because the food speaks for itself. Director David Gelb captures Jiro the man and Jiro the master chef beautifully. And Jiro’s sons are equally compelling – t

Box Office Analysis - Justice League

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We live in interesting times. Justice League grossed 96 million dollars in its opening weekend, yet all of the box office analysis of this past weekend are talking about it like Justice League is a disaster financially. How can this be? In what world can 96 million dollars be considered a flop. Sure maybe it performed below expectations or desires, but a disaster? A flop? How is that possible? So, it’s worth it to take a little bit of time and break down the box office results of Justice League this past weekend, to see exactly where it sits. (Note: nothing in this article is meant to be a review or commentary on the actual quality of the movie itself. Just a look at the business side of the movie) First of all, we need to take a look at the budget of Justice League . Justice League reportedly had an estimated budget of $300 million. And keep in mind that this is just the production cost. If you want to include the advertising budget, distribution cost, etc., traditional rul