Bad Grandpa

As impressed as I am with Johnny Knoxville and his willingness to don the make-up, play a character, and humiliate himself, I never really believed I was watching a crazy, old man. It always just seemed like a 40-year-old in an old guy suit. That doesn’t mean the movie isn’t funny. There are several big belly laughs thanks in large part to the kid, Jackson Nicoll, who’s a little firecracker. It’s a bit like "Borat", but less mean-spirited. While it’s worth seeing, it could easily wait for home video.

The Counselor

** SPOILER-ISH **

Ridley Scott seems determined to pilot this flaming heap straight into the ground in a blaze of glory. With a great cast led by Michael Fassbender, beautiful shots, and a driving pace, it just couldn’t be more unpleasant. And rather than try to tell a somewhat realistic noir/crime tale like American Gangster, The Counselor ventures into weird, "Saw" movie, torture-porn territory. I blame the screenplay, written by “it” noir novelist Cormac McCarthy, whose mania seemed to go unchecked here. There’s no conclusion, there’s no resolution. It’s just Fassbender curled up into a ball crying after all the main characters are killed. Bah! Maybe he needs some counseling??

The Fifth Estate

I’m not sure how to feel about this movie. The themes about truth and journalism are strong, but the execution is scatterbrained. Filmmakers try to use visual metaphors to tell the story. Rows of desks with computers sit on a sandy beach, and this is symbolic for some reason. Of course there are the old clichés, too. Computer screens reflecting in the faces of their users. Dollies circle around desks mid-hack. Anything to make a movie about computers more interesting. But they didn’t really need the gimmicks. The story of Wikileaks and the sudden impact on the world is enough of a story. So I didn’t hate it, but I’m not endorsing it either.

Captain Phillips

What’s with all the tense movies lately? Even though it’s a true story and you know how it’s going to end, Paul Greengrass and company manage to milk as much suspense out of Captain Phillips as they can. It’s effective, and when the ordeal is finally over you can feel the weight being lifted from Captain Phillips’ shoulders in a strong piece of acting from Tom “I-can-do-anything” Hanks. The filmmaking here is admirable. The bare-bones editing, the lack of unnecessary shots, and the sporadic music score keeps the momentum driving while you wonder when in hell are the Navy Seals finally going to show up? I also appreciated that the movie doesn’t have a “Rah-rah-rah, go America!” tone to it, as it respectfully depicts the harsh and desperate life of the Somalis and their lack of reasonable life choices.

Gravity

There are only a few ways we can really measure the success of a movie: Box office, awards, and the critics and their star ratings. Gravity has all of those things locked down and adds one more category to the list: pulse. Filmmakers have basically made this movie in real time. There are only a few obvious cuts because lengthy stretches unfold second by second and minute by minute. It has an obvious psychological and visceral effect. As one beholds Sandy Bullock and all of her space problems, one is always aware of the deadly ticking clock and the dread that another disaster could happen at any moment. So take your heart pills before you go. Everything about this movie is awesome. Even the obvious casting choices are welcome since you’re invested so much in their survival, they sure as hell better be likable. Alfonzo Cuarón has always been a filmmaker who raised the bar. He absolutely outdoes himself here. Sci-fi savvy, rollercoaster thrilling, emotional, masculine, feminine, perfect tension and release. Gravity is a blast. See it in 3-D.