The pairing of Matt Damon and writer/director Alexander Payne should have been a match made in heaven on paper to bring out the comedy side of Damon we seem to only see in snippets anymore or late night comedy bits. Crumble up that paper, dip it in gasoline, and light it on fire. By golly, if Matt Damon wasn’t Matt Damon Downsizing would be bad enough to sink a lesser star’s career. It is the worst film of his disastrous 2017 trio.
Read MoreAdd all of The Dark Tower up, the ineffective length, the nonsensical plot, threadbare mythology, leashed acting, and limited thrills, and you get the lowest sum of calculations. You get the sheer absurdity we started with. I'm sure it's all meant to be substantial and worthy of audience investment, but how is any of it supposed to give us gravity to grasp if it's all presented in such a cursory degree?
Read MoreMixing romance with science fiction always seems to be a dodgy proposition of preposterousness. The emotionality of love is not something readily explained by science, unless some smarty pants cites neurotransmitters, adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. The marketing and publicity push of “Passengers,” starring the hot ticket names of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, want you believe that you’re stepping into “Titanic in Space.” Hey now, come out of hyperdrive or drop out of warp speed (your choice, fellow geeks) and pump your space brakes! The only apt comparison between “Passengers” and “Titanic” is the metaphorical sinking.
Read MoreThe new animated musical “Sing” from Illumination Entertainment bills itself as containing more than 85 memorable tracks from legendary performing artists and one new original song collaboration from Ariana Grande and Stevie Wonder. When you divide the 110 minutes of the film by 86 songs, that averages out roughly to one song every 78 seconds. A mashup like that plays well as a recurring Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake bit on late-night television, but it’s exhausting and tiresome when stretched to nearly two hours.
Read MoreAs entertainment, movies are an ideally suited artistic medium to motivate or stimulate emotional responses. The smartly composed narratives among them can pull that off naturally. Others force it. When such happens, manipulation replaces motivation. For an example, look no further than “Collateral Beauty” starring Will Smith and directed by David Frankel. It is one of the most egregious miscalculations of filmmaking and marketing in recent memory.
Read MoreCommonly, there are only two general reactions to witnessing an elaborate intentional joke of dark comedy. You either admire the effort to relish the measured malice or you are appalled and disconnected to the sense of humor being exploited. There will be very little gray area between those reactions for Todd Solondz’s “Wiener-Dog.” Make no mistake. For lack of a better term, this is a filmmaker being an asshole on purpose because he can and he doesn’t care. You will either champion or loathe that supposed brilliance and brashness. Buyer beware, honest and true dog lovers need to stay far away from this film.
Read MoreFaithful and imaginative as “The BFG” may be, the proceedings lack contagious inspiration that should come from a film of this intended caliber. Other than “whizpopper” humor, the slivers of cuteness present are ineffectual and the intended themes on dreams are lost in yawns. The silliness misses any chance at meaning. The film is too ridiculous to be approachable and too bizarre to be endearing. Meet Steven Spielberg's worst film.
Read MoreHere's the worst part of what "Warcraft" tries to execute. With its riffs on exotic worlds, magic, warring factions, and monstrous creatures, it fashions its to be high fantasy and epic spectacle right there with "The Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars." Universal Pictures thinks it is sitting on a crossover franchise that will sells merchandise and recruit new gamers by the millions. You cannot make the bizarre endearing without substance behind it.
Read MoreThe title of "Knight of Cups" from polarizing filmmaker Terrance Malick refers to the tarot card of the same name, a symbol that represents someone "constantly bored, in constant need of stimulation, but also artistic and refined." You don't say? That label may just apply to anyone in the audience watching this film. Your copacetic taste is better than this film and you will be spiritless and dispassionate, matching the assigned astrology.
Read MoreFrench filmmaker Gaspar Noe's new film, "Love," demands audience acceptance of seeing art in the explicitness of sex. When you bring up the idea of explicit sex, the immediate label is "pornography." Lead by trio of unknown leads and shot in exploitative 3D, "Love" is going to have a hard time (go ahead and start inserting "that's what she said" at every opportunity) shaking that label of "pornography" in favor of "art."
Read MoreLike all of the failed live-action fairy tale remakes, the two largest missing components are restraint and charm. The timeless stories being attempted by films like "Pan" have no idea how to let a good narrative flow build or a poignant moment breathe before stepping to the next unrelenting set piece. The original written sources of these films have that restraint and quality. Blasts of action and sound have replaced subtle imagery and brevity. "Pan" lacks any and all charm to enamor the audience into what made Barrie's tale lovable and enchanting. Charm is replaced by dissonance and pandering.
Read More"No Escape," the rudderless and violent thriller can't muster a strong political statement to back up what it's selling. This is a horror film disguised as an expat drama. To its credit, the action is unpredictable, unnerving, and flies at a white-knuckle pace. However, its purpose and delivery is senseless and nearly reprehensible. It lacks the spine to make the proverbial wringer the characters are put through matter in some way, shape, or form outside of exploiting our fears and senses. "No Escape" undoubtedly has an edge, but it's a raw and misshapen one.
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