The Wall is a tense, though ultimately flawed, war movie with a twist. A couple American soldiers are called to a possible sniper situation in Iraq. The sniper gets the upper hand, taking one of them out and pinning the other behind a small wall. The Iraqi sniper and American soldier converse over a short wave radio, while the American tries to think of a way to get out of the situation. There are some pretty implausible actions that take place before it is all over, and while the premise is a good one, the script doesn’t offer enough to really grip you and keep your attention.
The Fate of the Furious is the newest in the franchise, and perhaps they should have stopped after the last. I really enjoyed # 7, Paul Walker’s last, and while the series has continued to feel like nothing more than a money grab for awhile now, at least they’ve been mostly entertaining. I can’t quite say that about this one. Granted, the plots have always been ridiculous, and stunning, impossible-to-believe action sequences have always followed cliche-riddled dialogue, but this newest installment takes it to the absurd. The banter between the leads is nearly always eye-roll worthy with such classic lines as “Speak of the devil” and “You are going to have to take me out too” as the standard fare. And the aforementioned action is beyond the fathomable. The 9thmovie in the series will probably find the team on the moon.
Gifted is about a 7 year girl, Mary, who is a math prodigy, able to advanced college level equations. She is being raised by her uncle Frank (Chris Evans), as her mother committed suicide when Mary was a baby. Frank wants Mary to grow up with a normal life without the pressures of being a genius, but Frank’s mother, Evelyn, wants to push Mary just as she did her mother. The adults end up fighting it out in court. Evans is great as the well meaning protector, letting him show a different side than his normal Captain America role. The movie is just ok though, a little too predictable and heavy handed.
Colossal is a strange film, and you have to ride it out to the end to make the trip worthwhile. Anne Hathaway plays Gloria, an alcoholic who moves back to her hometown after being kicked out by her boyfriend. She reconnects with a boy she grew up with, Oscar, played by Jason Sudekis. At the same time, a giant Godzilla-like creature begins showing up in Seoul, Korea, stumbling around and smashing buildings. Turns out the creature shows up in Seoul every time Gloria is in the park in her town, and it follows her actions (her drunkenness stumbling). It is a silly premise, but since the movie chooses to focus more on Gloria’s reaction to this, and the guilt from killing those people during her rampages, it becomes a much deeper film than the superficial science fiction backdrop. A very good movie with fine acting as usual by Hathaway.
Based on a book by Daphne du Maurier, who’s Rebecca I read a couple years ago, My Cousin Rachel has the same kind of feel as that novel. Philip is a young man who stands to inherit a fortune from his recently deceased older cousin (who had no children of his own). It is revealed however that Philip’s cousin had recently married Rachel, but had not changed his will to leave her anything. Rachel comes to stay with Philip in her mourning, and Philip starts to fall for her. As the story unfolds, the viewer is left to wonder if this infatuation is truly reciprocated, or if Rachel is simply looking to pry some of the fortune from Philip. Rachel Weisz steals the camera in every scene as cousin Rachel, but the film itself is a bit lacking in depth and development. I’m sure the book is better, as I did enjoy du Maurier’s Rebecca quite a bit.
Jons Movie Takes 