‘Vol. 2’ not as good as first, but with new and different merits

Posted on May 5, 2017 by reelentropy

Images courtesy Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios.

7/10 In August 2014, the first Guardians of the Galaxy burst into theaters as a wildly different offering from the MCU. From the formula that was finally beginning to grow stale — and kept right on doing so with its next offerings — came this vibrant, disco-Star Wars movie drenched in ’70s and ’80s nostalgia that swept movie goers and ticket tearers alike right off their feet. Its influence was felt almost immediately in the marketing campaigns for Suicide Squad and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, writer/director James Gunn brings us another radically different creation. Where the first was a gleeful romp across the stars, Vol. 2 is an introspective movie with surprisingly difficult themes about family and regret. It’s a much more subdued but no less ambitious movie.

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‘The Circle’ trades complex plot for atmospheric chills

Posted on April 28, 2017 by reelentropy

One of The Circle’s most subtly creepy aspects are the sometimes-chilling comments that follow Holland everywhere she goes after she goes transparent. There’s a remarkable attention here, though it doesn’t quite descend into the horrifying reality of the Youtube comments section. Images courtesy STX Entertainment.

7/10 The Circle could have been better in several ways, but mostly gets where it wants to go.

The movie follows Mae Holland (Emma Watson), a recent college graduate who is hired by The Circle, an Orwellian vision of Facebook and Google. Holland is initially skeptical of the organization, but after the company picks up her father’s multiple sclerosis treatments and saves her life with its constant surveillance, she warms up to some of its more radical ideas. Eventually, she becomes the first person to go “completely transparent” by having a camera on her person at all times streaming live to the Internet. Continue reading →

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Remaking ‘The Raid’ is a stupid, self-defeating idea and it’s never going to work

Posted on April 27, 2017 by reelentropy

The original movies are some of the most exhilarating ever made, and maybe they’ll reach a broader audience with future headlines. Image courtesy Sony Pictures Classics.

The American remake of 2011 cult classic Indonesian martial arts film The Raid: Redemption seems to finally be getting underway. All the paperwork was done way back in November 2011 — the movie didn’t even release in the U.S. until the next March — and it’s gone through several start-and-stop preproductions, with Chris and Liam Hemsworth in talks and Taylor Kitsch and director Patrick Hughes both attached and dropping out in 2014.

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‘Free Fire’ a major disappointment

Posted on April 24, 2017 by reelentropy

Free Fire mostly wastes a terrific cast, headlined by Larson. With reaction shots not where the should be and lines getting muffled at random, in most cases, they’re simply not allowed to perform. Copely is the only one who really rises above it. Images courtesy A24.

4/10 After a blockbuster-a-week March, April has mostly been quiet, with studios giving a week’s deference to The Fate of the Furious and two weeks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, sure to be two of the biggest movies of the year. While Fate was the month’s highlight for casual moviegoers, most of the excitement for cinephiles was around Free Fire. It had recent Oscar winner Brie Larson backed up by Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copely and Cillian Murphy, A24 distributing, Martin Scorsese attached as executive producer and a trailer that looked like that group having all the fun in the world-

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Also go see ‘Your Name.’

Posted on April 20, 2017 by reelentropy

Image courtesy Toho.

7/10 A week after a major Sony investment became a flop in part because of a white-washing controversy, the highest-grossing anime movie of all time quietly expanded to American theaters.

It deserves a much noisier reception.

Your Name. is an enchanting love story about rural Japanese woman Mitsuha Miyamizu (Mone Kamishiraishi) and brash Tokyo boy Taki Tachibana (Ryunosuke Kamiki). Under the tail of the Tiamat Comet, they begin to intermittently Freaky Friday into each other’s bodies for days at a time. Together, they nourish Tachibana’s budding office romance and bring Miyamizu closer to her family.

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