Midway

A whole lot of bombing going on here, and not just from the planes. That assessment is probably too harsh, but it's undeniable that this film not only didn't hit its mark at the box office, but it also missed its target from a cinematic standpoint. Despite the urgency of the story--from both perspectives--and decent to good work from the cast (interesting to see Ed Skrein, for once, not playing a villain), this work never really comes across as urgent and dramatic. There's another problem, too, that hangs over the film: it was the result of a joint Chinese and American production, a fact (obvious from the start) that demands of the responsible viewer an awareness of the possibility that he's watching propaganda. In fairness, the filmmakers seem to have walked that line and showed understanding to each of the principal sides involved (though the follow-through on the Doolittle story line has obvious implications). Perhaps the joint production team led to a watered down movie. Whatever the cause, this flick sinks when it should have flown.

I, Frankenstein

You know why we love movies? Because it's in movies where a smokin'-hot, blonde, twentysomething chick can be a world renowned scientist. Yeah, this is that kind of movie. Not necessarily a bad movie; it's certainly watchable enough. But it aims for low-hanging fruit, so it isn't really a win when it gets a handle on anything. The pluses are some good actors who don't particularly shame themselves, and the fact that the writers get a lot of the backstory right. (Attention to detail matters, folks.) And the silliness isn't so silly that you can't just hand-wave it away and get on with watching the flick. Also, brevity helps. The downsides are the aforementioned silliness, plus the musical choices. (Movies like this are like a jobs program for heavy metal bands.) Overall, the balance sheet barely reaches up toward the positive. Not worthy of a PURR, but hey, it could have been much, much worse.

Sully

Reliving one of the most extraordinary events of recent times -- the water landing of US Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River -- certainly makes for an interesting time at the movies. But that's not all that's going on here; the investigation of the incident, which forms the bulk of the movie's plot, raises the interesting philosophical question about just how much we should rely upon analysis by our computer tools -- especially in light of the fact that, like Captain Sullenberger's skill piloting an aircraft, a computer's knowledge is only as extensive as the human experience of the person who programs it. Perhaps AI will change that equation, but, as this film emphatically makes clear, we're not there yet, and sometimes it's human intuition that must rule the day for everything to work out OK. Tom Hanks gives a solid yet restrained performance in the title role, while Aaron Eckhart gets in most of the good lines as his co-pilot Jeff Skiles; and excellent supporting work is done by everyone portraying the first responders who got out to that plane and drew the dramatic story to its happy ending. Good stuff, important stuff, and worth thinking about long after the film's relatively short running time comes to a close.

Thank You for Smoking

A good satire that doesn’t bog down too much in delivering its message. The numbers are there, figures on cigarette deaths and all that--but the data is delivered so smoothly that you never feel like you’re being preached at. And, despite the evident progress made against smoking (in this country, at least) this film’s message still remains relevant today (especially for the broader picture about the incest between death merchants, their lobbyists, and our government).

The Dark Knight

Holy shit. This is what you'd have if William Blake had drawn comic books: not just an action hero story, but a true vision of Hell--a realistic vision of Hell, an all-too-possible vision of Hell. The mayhem in Gotham City is what happens when the "terrorists" stop having rational motivations; when it's all about madness & randomness, when the violent act is the only end in and of itself. No wonder this movie has affected so many people (to the tune of so many millions of dollars). I too was blown away, not so much by this film as a piece of moviemaking; more so for the deep waters in which it treads. There's so much here that you can almost forget the amazing performance by Heath Ledger (if not for the publicity, you simply wouldn't know it was him under that make-up) and forgive the few minor faults. I wouldn't necessarily call it a masterpiece, but this is truly a film worth seeing. Posted .

The Missing

Half of a good movie. It's most interesting during the scenes between Tommy Lee Jones's "gone native" old man and his estranged rancher daughter, played by Cate Blanchett. That tense dynamic always keeps it interesting. Less successful are the scenes involving the missing daughter/granddaughter and her captors. Rather than add to the drama, the plain presentation of the captors and their evil leader actually detracts from the movie--it's much more intriguing when the girl just vanished into thin air. But it's not a total loss. Call it a toss up--watch if you have the time.