Green Lantern

A superhero movie that comes with an ironic undertone: beauty is equated with heroism and virtue, lack thereof not so much. No wonder Ryan Reynolds made more of an impact as the antihero Deadpool. The garish nature of that vibe makes it difficult to root for the people you're supposed to like, because you get a distinct impression that they wouldn't like you (unless you're one of them, of course). This story might have been strengthened if it had been more directly tied to an extended universe, a la later flicks in the genre, but there's little evidence of that sort of overarching thinking here. (Released in 2011, this may be the last superhero movie that was designed to be, at least somewhat, a standalone piece.) As it is, the film is mildly entertaining, but with too many stretches that are not engaging--and the climax is somewhat lame, if not downright dumb. We may be safe from seeing a sequel to this one, though a reboot is always threatened in this genre. I think this one effort is more than enough.

A Simple Favor

Your mother was right: naughty people are naughty, and you shouldn't play with them. Though it can be fun to watch others play with those proverbial matches. Despite the ethereal presence of Blake Lively here, Anna Kendrick is the shining star--and not just because I've crushed on her since forever. Her slightly-goofy, next-door-girl appeal provides interesting and entertaining relief against this story's noirish aspects and lifts the proceedings into rarer air than this flick would probably otherwise attain. A couple of demerits must be noted due to the use of one particular old cliched trope, plus some mild predictability in the climax, but those are quibbles. All in all, this flick is a fun watch.

The Town

Apparently, that Affleck boy can make a movie. With the newly crowned Best Picture Argo still hanging in the award-season air, I watched this other, earlier case in point. What the man offered here was a well-crafted film, one with a good visual sense and excellent pacing, both of which served well an otherwise pedestrian story. A lot of what's in that story has already been well covered in other films, though I do appreciate the touch of ambiguity in the ending. One bit of absurdity, or at least a questionable choice: would any Bostonians, even Charlestown bank robbers, actually try to rip off the Red Sox? Seems highly implausible. But that doesn't spoil the movie--it's still worth a look.