Doug's Favorite Movies of 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road
Inside Out
The Martian
Amy
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
The Big Short
Kingsman: The Secret Service
What We Do in the Shadows

The Hateful Eight

Lots to admire about this 70mm print. It's beautifully filmed; you can practically see every snowflake in dazzling detail. Sam Jackson is great here, and is so much more memorable than the "Avengers" movies or "Kingsman." Walton Goggins and Jennifer Jason Leigh are also captivating, as they bite into this three-hour Mexican standoff. But as fun as it was to watch, I’m not sure if it was ABOUT anything. There doesn’t seem to be a point or a theme. Revenge? Redemption? Violence is bad? The old west was terrible? Women had it rough? My favorite of Tarantino’s is still Kill Bill, in which the themes of revenge and motherhood are so strong.

The Big Short

If you told me that Adam McKay, SNL writer and director of numerous Will Ferrell comedies, would make one of the most biting, interesting, and incendiary movies of the year, I probably wouldn’t believe you. But here you have it: a comedy/tragedy, happily missing traditional narrative structure, featuring multiple protagonists, no real good guys, scheming, wheeling, and dealing to bet against the U.S. economy. There are frequent laughs as the ensemble breaks down the fourth wall to explain banking things to the audience. But it’s not like they’re heroes, right? They’re kind of scumbags. So, it’s morally very confusing, but also brilliant. Because the filmmakers know that most of us don’t understand these banking terms and this jargon. But the characters in the movie do, and they take advantage of this superior knowledge to make fools out of everybody for their own financial gain. The experience of watching it is light, breezy and funny. But the ride home is a little different, when we start to realize how much we all lost during the housing crisis. Purely original and creative filmmaking by everyone involved, this is guaranteed to garner a best picture nomination.

Revenant

I have never been crazy about Alejandro Iñárritu. I have found most of his movies to be irritating, self-indulgent, and derivative. I didn’t like Birdman. So I’m not a fan to begin with. While there are beautifully directed sequences, it just felt like a Terrence Malick rip-off to me. The New World meets John Ford. The acting is strong especially from Leonardo DiCaprio, who absolutely delivers, with full commitment, to his role as a tracker, surviving and bent on revenge. The moving camera is amazing. But this movie is histrionic and it lacks subtlety. It’s just not that entertaining. I found myself making wise-cracks in my head about the “bombast” of it all. I kind of wish Terrence Malik had actually directed it. It might’ve had some more quiet and interesting moments.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

** SPOILERS INCOMING! **

Volumes and volumes and volumes could be written about this. I don’t really know where to begin. Suffice it to say, I loved watching it, but felt let down at the end by the unanswered questions. I felt like the filmmakers were jerking the audience around a little bit by omitting key details to create suspense. A small example: the giant Sith lord was revealed to be a hologram. Then why did he have to be giant? Why couldn’t he have been the same size as the other holograms in the series? This kind of misdirection permeates throughout the movie, and after a while it gets frustrating.

It’s clearly Rey’s story, and Daisy Ridley is a revelation. It’s too bad the filmmakers leave much of her back-story off screen. Star Wars taught us more about Luke Skywalker in 30 minutes than this movie teaches us about Rey in two hours. Director Abrams is known for his TVish cliffhangers and ambiguities. I think he uses them as a crutch. It’s time to answer some questions, JJ.

The release of this movie has people in the media pissing on the prequels. The bad acting. The dumb stories. Jar-Jar. But there were positives to the prequels that people forget: Lucas never let you forget that you were in a galaxy far far away. The different planets and the different worlds were always foreign and beautiful. Giant, otherworldly buildings, waterfalls, oceans, and ships flying by painted the backgrounds in a way that the current movie does not. In The Force Awakens, efforts to set the scene were meager, and settings often just look like a field somewhere in England.

My other problem: How the hell do you make a Star Wars movie without R2-D2 in it?? The hero of the WHOLE SERIES as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, I could go on and on. I plan on seeing it again, and a lot of people say that the second viewing is better. I’m happy that Star Wars is back, but the jury is still out on JJ Abrams and the gimmickry of this particular chapter.

Legend

Ever-present Tom Hardy acts up a storm as the twin, British gangsters. His technique is fascinating, the differences and similarities between the two brothers. The post-production effects and editing team deserve some credit for this, melding the two performances together. But the device of the story, that it’s narrated by Frances, Reggie’s (spoiler alert) dead wife, feels confusing and gimmicky. That is not to say that Emily Browning doesn’t turn in an interesting performance either, especially since she’s up against the scenery-chomping Hardy. Worthwhile as a little slice of mafia history, but not remarkable.

Trumbo

Finally a movie about this ugly period of American history. It took long enough, but I can see why filmmakers might be reluctant to expose Ronald Reagan and John Wayne for the myopic hatemongers that they were. The movie itself is very conventional, almost intentionally so, as though it were made in the 50’s. Performances are all solid, especially Cranston, who embodies his noble screenwriter with technique and aplomb. I like the movies when the screenwriter is the hero.

Once Upon a Crime: The Borrelli Davis Conspiracy

A very powerful doc surrounding the frame-up of a restaurant owner and former NYPD cop, Mike Borelli, by the Denver Police. Not only did Denver police frame Borelli, mainly because he was Italian, but they framed his old friend Bob Davis, too, also a cop. It’s infuriating and an absolute travesty of injustice what happened to these men. The film is very well-made and highly emotional. Confusing at first, because of the barrage of names the audience is hit with early in the film. But the story becomes clear as Borelli and Davis emerge, both incredible models for patience and forgiveness. A highly admirable work of art, as it sets out to change minds and right wrongs. It will make you sad and it will make you angry, and that’s the point.

The Peanuts Movie

Many clever ideas went into this reboot/update of the beloved comic. Filmmakers understand the essence of Charlie Brown and Snoopy and give them each subplots capturing the innocence of Schulz's original strip but with modernized visuals. As much as people say they love the old cartoons, visually speaking, let's face it: they were a bit 2D and boring. Animators give this incarnation some dimension, some zip, and it works without robbing the world and characters of their timelessness. In fact, there are several very cool sequences incorporating the old comic strip look as a new device, which I won’t give away, but it’s very cool. Bottom line, this is a great kids movie. But by kids movie, I mean kids. 3-6. They’ll be moving on to superheroes after age 6. For nostalgic purposes, adults will see this, but studios won’t always be able to bank on that.

The Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Competent zomedy. Could have been worse.

Spectre

** SPOILERS. LOTS OF 'EM **

... starts out with an amazing action sequence in Mexico, delivering all you could ever want in a Bond movie. But the rest of the movie is kind of by-the-numbers, never blowing the lid off of the genre the way Mission Impossible did over the summer. There are moments of levity that feel like throwbacks to the Roger Moore era, which is nice. But Craig seems like he’s playing it too deadpan, bored with his job, as an actor and a spy. The casting of Christoph Waltz and the guy who plays Moriarty in Sherlock feels lazy. Cast guys who have already played famous villains as villains? Meh. If you’ve got Mission Impossible and Mad Max to compete with, you’re going to have to surprise me a little.

Bridge of Spies

With Spielberg directing a Coen brothers script, you would think this would be a fireball. Instead, it’s a muted drama about negotiation. Hanks embodies his insurance lawyer expertly as he confidently negotiates with badass, cold-war spies and diplomats. What’s nice about this, too, is learning a little piece of American history that I never knew.

Unfortunately for Spielberg, Janusz Kaminski, and the rest of the highly talented artists who worked to depict the cold war era as moodily as possible, the projectionist at the AMC Cherry Creek mall cinema didn’t care enough to focus the projector in the theater, mostly ruining the look of the movie. It’s no wonder everybody’s staying home and watching Netflix these days. I should go on Yelp and complain. Yep. That’s what I should do.

The Walk

Joe Levitt is the consummate and dedicated professional, willing to fully commit to his roles, emotionally and physically. (50/50, Inception) When you’re listening to his French accent, you just have to trust that it’s accurate and he didn’t learn it from watching Peppy LePew, even though sometimes he sounds a bit like Peppy Lepew, and/or Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

Because we know the World Trade Center doesn’t exist anymore, every frame of this movie has to be made digitally from scratch. An amazing feat, and an emotional tightrope of sorts. Because this movie intends to move the audience to reimagine the twin towers as new, amazing pillars of architecture. Filmmakers attempt to help us forget, for a while, the images of the burning, crumbling, ground-zero targets that are constantly being used to re-justify the war in Iraq.

 So there’s a sense of child-like wonder here. Of optimism. And it’s a nice sentiment. As for the plot and characters, that’s all secondary to the experience of watching the movie. Having your knees buckle in the theater as the “camera” swoops up, down, and all around the high-wire act. It’s more like a ride than a movie. Don’t bother watching it on video, it won’t work. Ultimately, it’s an achievement in technology, not story-telling. There’s nothing wrong with that, I suppose. But just remember, you can’t complain if you watch this on Netflix and it seems fluffy and a little boring.

Pan

Doing another adaptation of "Peter Pan" is tricky business, but if ever there was anybody to do it, it would be Joe Wright. The imagination here is incredible. Flying ships, flying children, and shit-ton of visual fairy dust. Unfortunately, the script and some of the choices are weird. There’s an awkward use of modern music that sticks out like a fart in church. The plot, and Peter’s "quest," is baffling and goes unfulfilled. The CGI is the star here, which is not enough.

The Martian

** SPOILER ALERT! **

 Ridley Scott has been hit and miss lately, but this is a hit and I recommend it. In a perfect, beautiful, laser-guided plot-point, 15 minutes into the movie Matt Damon’s character Mark Watney declares, “I’m not going to die here.” Filmmakers choose to avoid this astronaut’s personal life, and instead focus their terrestrial b-plot on the NASA scientists determined to get him home, but also avoid what seems like an inevitable P.R. disaster. Meanwhile, Watney’s Castaway on Mars adventure is tense and watchable; surviving with potatoes, duct-tape, and disco music. (There’s a surprising amount of levity in these scenes…) While it’s true you never think he’s going to die, it’s fascinating watching him stay calm as he leaps the next hurdle by the skin of his teeth. I’m happy for Sir Ridley, who’s made a couple of duds lately. (The Counselor, etc.) At 78, he’s still a maestro of science fiction, attempting projects most of his contemporaries would never touch, and occasionally succeeding far more visibly than his prodigy. (think Interstellar.) Nominations are forthcoming.

Pawn Sacrifice

... made me think a lot about mental illness. The movie implies that Bobby Fisher may have been mentally ill, but also that maybe some of his episodes were strategic ways to distract his opponents. Either way, like a lot of depictions of successful, money-making schizophrenics, the people around them seem to ignore the symptoms just to make more money. Toby McGuire’s strong portrayal of Bobby Fisher isn’t a cute and cuddly version of mental illness; he’s kind of a dick and he’s almost dangerous. It’s a worthwhile biopic about an interesting subject. It’s well-acted, well-directed, perfectly paced, and a strong think-piece about exploiting the mentally-ill. Kudos to McGuire, Knight, Zwick, et al.

Sicario

Another cop fable with lots of morally ambiguous characters. Cops in bed with criminals and cops breaking the law, but only to cut off the head of the snake. Lots of law enforcement clichés. It’s well-shot, and there are several really exciting sequences. Emily Blunt is like a new action hero, bringing a fully-formed character to the table; confused by the grey areas she’s been pulled into. Unfortunately, the story steers away from her for a while, and there’s a noticeable shift of who is the protagonist and what is the tone. It’s worth seeing for Blunt and the photography, but there’s no real resolution at the end, which is like being in the shower and running out of hot water, but still being covered in shampoo.

Black Mass

This movie wants so badly to be a Scorsese movie. Every frame feels lifted from Goodfellas or The Departed. But just copying Scorsese’s style may not be enough, despite of the best efforts of all involved. Turns out, the story may also be a factor. The story feels hacked-up, episodic, and never builds or crescendos into any kind of emotional climax. So what if the acting is good and the accents seem authentic? If there isn’t a satisfying ending, you’re going to feel… meh.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of spy movies lately, which is not necessarily a bad thing. This particular Guy Ritchie yarn is more of a comedy than an action movie, which is fine. Not that the spies here aren’t formidable or the action isn’t actiony. Superman and The Lone Ranger make for imposing agents, but the best moments are the ones that are going for laughs. Droll moments of physical shtick while the fuzes are lit. It’s unique, too, that it’s a re-boot, or re-hash, but it takes place in its original time period. So there’s a lot of 60’s clothes and 60’s tech. Will audiences like that? I’m not sure. (It reminded me a little bit of X-MEN: First Class.) Anyway, it’s a likeable and watchable movie. Ritchie cheats a bit by rewinding the timelines a little and showing you scenes from other characters viewpoints, so as to explain confusing plot-points. As long as you trust him, I suppose, he can do what he wants. The bottom line is, every summer movie should be AT LEAST this good.  

Straight Outta Compton

This music bio-pic starts out well, depicting how the members of NWA form and become hugely influential. The emphasis is more on the lives of the players rather than the music, which is fine because the drama is high, but I wish there was more music, too. Performances are all solid, especially from a relative unknown, Jason Mitchell, as Eazy-E, the drug-dealer turned record label owner who hates doing the paperwork. Important, also, seeing the reminders of the 1992 L.A riots, and how similar it was to current police protests in Missouri, etc. The way the police hassled people back then is infuriating. How much has changed?? It runs long and some of the arguments about contracts can get a little tedious. So, it doesn’t deviate that much from a typical music biopic, but during the too infrequent times when it is musical, the audience was rapping along.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

This was awesome. It’s not like we haven’t seen a car chase through the Moroccan streets. And it’s not like we haven’t seen a fight in the rafters while the opera is going on, but there’s just something better about this. I think it’s the directing by Christopher McQuarrie. He’s not the most experienced director, but he seems to care a LOT about where the camera is to make sure we can follow the action and that nothing is disorienting. "Mad Max" and "Mission Impossible" have made an old school return to continuity; a huge relief when most action movies are so shaky and cutty that you can’t follow what’s going on. There’s also a counter spy, played by Rebecca Ferguson, who essentially steals the show right out from under Tom Cruise. She’s a badass and never a damsel in distress, and either Cruise lucked-out by having her, or he’s a genius for getting her. Either way, we all know that Tom is batshit crazy. It’s all you can think when he’s clinging to the side of a plane mid-flight. But he aims to please. And if movies are going to be $19, they better be worth the money. This was.

Trainwreck

There are a couple of big laughs here, but I didn’t find this to be the mind-blowing, trail-blazing feminist masterpiece that the world thinks it is. There are bits in the movie that have nothing to do with the “story” and were clearly inserted just to be funny, which is fine. But when this supposedly raunchy comedy starts to get all serious and there’s group hugging, I start to tune out. No raunchy comedy should have crying and/or group hugging. Also, the cynic in me realizes that adding male sports stars brings in more of a male audience, which evens out the demographics in what would otherwise be a very female-skewing movie about sisters and dying parents and stuff. So I don’t feel like the comedy is coming from a place of real honesty. Anyway, I liked Spy better.

Ant-Man

The super-hero stakes here are small, no pun intended. The world is not about to end, and the super-villian isn’t a God trying to rule multiple dimensions. What this means is, thankfully, this is a comedy. Meaning it’s paced like a comedy. The action is light and quick, and the word play is snappy. It wouldn’t have worked without Paul Rudd, the least-likely super hero, who glides through the story like drinking a smooth, cold beer on a summer day. A likable movie that won’t really resonate in the Marvel lexicon, but there’s worse ways to spend an evening.

Amy

Unbelievably sad doc about Amy Winehouse, the singer whose only crime was that she was born too talented. Relentlessly hounded by the British paparazzi, her life lives-out like a cliché of a rockumentary: fame-hungry parents, drugs, abusive boyfriends, comebacks, and finally, the body bag wheeling away from the home. Great doc with great music and poignant insight. But sad. The wrong movie was called Train Wreck. When are we going to stop letting the tabloid press torment people to death?

Spy

We laughed. Melissa McCarthy’s spy character must suffer numerous indignities as she makes her first foray as a field agent. The script does everything it can to embarrass her, and in the wrong hands this could have been miserable. But like any good comedy, it’s a high wire act. The embarrassing things only work because of McCarthy’s funny and impatient reactions to them. And she never gives up, which makes her a hero. Also, thankfully, she’s a competent spy. She doesn’t accidentally stumble on solutions, the way they might in Get Smart or Spies Like Us. We went to see Train Wreck, which was sold out, so we saw this instead. It was a fine alternative.

Session Man

A screening at the memorial service of my screenwriting guru Seth Winston. It’s the look of glory in James Remar’s eyes when he realizes he might go on tour with his rock and roll heroes. And it’s the look of resigned disappointment in his eyes when he accepts that he may never be more than a session musician. A poignant, Oscar-winning short made by a funny, cantankerous, and deeply respected AFI prof.

Terminator Genisys

** So, So, So many SPOILERS!**

Time-travel machines are versatile. Not only can you travel through time to change the past, but they also allow you to change old movie plots. So somebody thought that the plot of the Terminator wasn’t good enough so they needed to change it. But this nullifies all of the other Terminators after the original Terminator. Meaning: T2, T2-3D (the ride), T3, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Terminator: Salvation are all nullified. Meaning that ANY time anybody wants to change anything, they can just hop in the ol’ time machine, go back, and change it. Meaning that these movies are devoid of suspense and are becoming more and more like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I was always willing to accept these paradoxes as dramatic license as long as the fights and effects were cool. Cameron’s movies were mind-blowingly innovative and beautifully cut, which raises expectations. But this. This is more like a b-movie with money. I kept waiting for the Carolco logo to roll up. There’s no risk, no innovation. It’s not a disaster, but… It’s so bereft of fun or drama, it’s like it was made with an action movie algorithm programmed by Skynet.

Inside Out

** SPOILERS **

For anyone who has seen this, it should come as no surprise that I wept like an Italian widow during the third act. It’s a profound metaphor interpreted beautifully by the Pixar studios. It’s not so much that we’re seeing anthropomorphized emotions. That’s been done before. It’s the realization that all of the human emotions deserve equal play. Riley is an eleven-year-old forced to move cities. Not really an Earth-shattering tragedy, but it is to her. Watching the emotional hierarchy in her mind is fascinating. At times there’s some chasing and hijinks in the middle that seems unnecessary. But by the final third, when the leader of the emotional core, Joy, excellently voiced by Amy Poehler, realizes that she can’t always be in charge, it’s an epiphany; a life lesson. Because she’s only eleven, Riley hasn’t yet learned that the instant she voices her sadness, she’ll feel better. To make a movie for general audiences (this is PG, which is weird) that aspires to have this much emotional resonance, Pixar not only deserves a best picture nomination, but they also probably deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.

Jurassic World

So, it turns out, Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg, Michael Kahn, and John Williams actually bring something to the table. If you want proof, check out Jurassic World, a movie that looks like it was written, produced, and edited by a nine-year-old. All the science of Crichton’s science fiction is gone. The characters are dumb, have no common sense, and act like they’ve never seen a movie before. Bryce Dallas Howard fares the worst here, forced by filmmakers to run through the jungles in her high heels and deny that live dinosaurs are anything other than “assets.” It’s embarrassing. But she gets to do the bravest and coolest thing in the movie. Too bad Ian Malcolm did the exact same thing in Jurassic Park. It’s making a fortune, so clearly I’m out of touch.

Being Charlie

A work-in-progress by my employers. Sensitively directed by Rob Reiner based on a script written by his son Nick Reiner and his writing partner Matt Elisofon. Really strong performance by Nick Robinson as the kid with problems. And expertly edited by Bob Joyce.

San Andreas

"The entire state is collapsing in on itself, but let’s take a brief interlude to talk about our relationship. Why didn’t it work between us?"

"I don’t know. But let’s get to San Francisco where there are millions of people evacuating, so we can search for our daughter."

"Hey! Look! There she is!"

"Oh, no! A tsunami. Why is it moving toward the earthquake instead of away from it?"

"No time for questions! Just drive over it in the boat we “borrowed!”"

Journey to the South Pacific

Imax doc following a boy who fishes a lot and goes to school on a boat. Technically awesome, as always, but a dull subject.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Third viewing.

The last movie I saw three times in the theater is Casino Royale, so "Fury Road" is special. One of the topics that keeps coming up is that this movie is secretly a piece of feminism. “We are not things,” the breeders declare, as they try and escape. One of them cuts off a brutal looking chastity belt. Uttering two simple lines, you can easily conclude that Imperator Furiosa was one of those breeders; a sex slave who found a new job as a warrior when she reached a certain age. In this movie, women represent all things good. And they free the world from the tyranny of man. And Max helps out a little, but only when needed. Is it a piece of feminism? Ask yourself that after you tune into Jurassic World and watch Bryce Dallas Howard run through the jungle in high heels.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Second viewing. Spoilers galore.

There has been an uncharacteristically high number of people who have pulled me aside to talk about this movie. With both positive and negative comments, George Miller has made a big splash. You don’t hear these kind of passionate arguments, yay or nay, about Avengers 2. George Miller has lit a fuse, and it’s exciting. The second viewing helped me notice a lot more of the post-apocalyptic weirdness in the script. Many of the lines made me crack up with delight. Describing anything tragic or unfortunate as, “mediocre!” The warboys obsession with Valhalla and chrome. The slave drummers, and the slave with the flaming guitar. The cancer. Those kinds of quirks are forbidden by big studios. Which makes me think that Miller and company received less studio interference than normal. Which is great. I hope this movie makes a billion dollars.

Mad Max: Fury Road

**SPOILERS**

Boom. Here it is. The trailers promised us something, and behold. Like a shot of nitrous oxide straight into the pleasure center of the brain, George Miller and his wife, editor Margaret Sixel, deliver the daring, balls-to-the-wall summer movie we all so desperately needed. This makes Fast and the Furious look like "Winnie the Pooh." The minimal dialogue and complicated set pieces are exhilarating. But the people who say this movie is just one big chase are wrong. There is inner logic. There is cause and effect. There are bursts and lulls. During the brief periods of respite, filmmakers use their screen time judiciously giving us small tidbits of backstory; refreshingly simple and all we need to know. Maybe the best and most surprising thing about it: Mad Max isn’t even the hero! Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is driving the war machine and the plot. Armless, covered in grease, and saving the slaves, she’s the best action hero, male or female, to emerge from the dust in a long while. She literally rips off the villain’s face!! Awesome. Thank you George Miller.

Avengers: The Age of Ultron

Enjoyable and entertaining to watch, but there’s nothing new or surprising here. I kept waiting for a big twist, or the introduction of a new superhero. Or a cameo. Something. It might be a while before a superhero movie surprises me with something different, but I’ll still keep buying tickets until then. 

Ex Machina

A nifty, little thriller with some familiar sci-fi tropes, but strong performances and a willingness to follow through on its themes.

Furious 7

This reminded me of a loony toons roadrunner cartoon. Physics and reality are left in the dust as the cars fly out of airplanes and through buildings, all while Vin Diesel gives speeches about how important family is. But at least it’s not about drag racing anymore, because that’s dangerous. That could kill you.

What We Do In the Shadows

This kiwi mockumentary about vampires is a confection that wants nothing more than to be as silly as possible. We laughed all the way through it. There are send-ups of specific vampire movies, send ups of reality shows, but also just jokes about vampire lore. There’s no gravitas, and it won’t win any awards, but Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi derserve kudos for aspiring to do nothing more than to make the audience laugh.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Spoofing James Bond to the hilt, the "Kingsman" supposes that the world can only be safe if we’re secretly protected by polite, well-dressed, extremely violent British dudes. The set-up and behind-the-scenes exploration of this secret spy organization is fun and hilarious. But it’s when the brawling starts to happen that director Matthew Vaughn really spreads his wings. Action scenes are incredible. Combining slow-motion and fast motion in violent and bloody mêlées 10 times more gruesome and visceral than his hyper-real, stunt-filled, splatter-fests in Kick Ass. The famous British dudes in the cast are all top-notch and play their dead-pan, dry-humored assassins with aplomb. Samuel L. Jackson was good as the villain, but I never really understood his plan. Lots of confusing villain rules made me enjoy him less than I should have, which is too bad. Nevertheless, one hopes for a sequel to this as well as many, many more head-exploding montages and berserker brawls from the talented Vaughn.

Jupiter Ascending

The visuals are amazing, but the story is goofy. The Wachowskis deserve major kudos for making original, big-budget, non-sequel sci-fi movies. But this movie becomes more about the action scenes, movement, and color than it does about the ideas. Without well-explored ideas about worlds beyond our own, sci-fi becomes more about the “fi” and less about the “sci.” One hopes that in the future, and maybe if they’re forced into a lower budget range, the siblings will continue to push the envelope without seeming pressured to fill the screen with action.

Big Eyes

There’s some squandered potential here. Amy Adams is always good, but Christoph Waltz misses his mark. As an abusive, sleazy, and domineering husband, he plays the part too comedically and never comes off as menacing as he should be. Without feeling like she’s in true peril, Amy Adams’ plight never seems harrowing enough. But the story of Margaret Keane is worthwhile. How often do we get to see a movie about a modern painter?

The Hobbit

It’s called the Hobbit, but it really about a bunch of dwarves, humans, elves and orcs and not much about Hobbits. Peter Jackson’s taste is still unsullied, though. Battle scenes are exciting and tense, staged in beautiful, rocky landscapes or crumbling castles. Warriors are noble, villains are evil, and the whole affair is worthwhile. This particular chapter is anticlimactic, though, and that might be the fault of the book. Bilbo’s journey is swallowed up by the various warriors and his triumphant return to the shire is a disappointment. It’s unfortunate that such a major achievement would end with a thud, but maybe that’s the cliffhanger that Tolkien intended.