Bugonia

Well, they never showed that on the history channel. Those of us who are well-versed in the various themes of paranormal paranoia will have little trouble navigating this narrative, but I suspect many others will find this story to be a real head-spinner, possibly so much so that it may take them out of the movie. If one focuses on the dynamics of the performances, that should steady the metaphorical ground under the viewer’s feet—and that is a good strategy, given that the verbal and emotional duel between Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons forms the core of this movie’s appeal. Admittedly, there isn’t a lot else to work with here, as the film is a study in interiority, but the leads do such a good job of giving their characters life, detail and plausibility that you can ignore the bits of the plot that are clearly telegraphed and the ones that don’t entirely add up. (You'll be helped in that if you don’t have a rigidly logical mind, and most people don’t). So, good acting, a brisk pace, and a tolerable amount of preachiness add up to a solid cinematic trip—whether you’re of this earth or not. 

Cruella

Well, no—it’s not that exhausting rooting for the antihero. If, indeed, you do wind up rooting for her. That’s the tough trick to pull off in this outing: making a most iconic villain into something resembling a sympathetic character. It undermines the mission when, in the midst of these goings on, the henchmen start complaining about the nature of the lead character. It shows just how wide a span there is for this story to bridge. In this case, the program is helped a lot by Emma Stone’s work in the title role. She inhabits the personage to the maximum extent while still leaving room for the audience to give the well-known criminal a bit of a break. The rest of the rehabilitation is accomplished through transference: the movie introduces a new villain who takes up the mantle of vileness, and indeed, Cruella earns points by being the new monster's victim. It’s a fine line to walk, but it is mostly accomplished successfully here. As an added bonus, the film’s music—an aural travelogue of the 1960s and ‘70s—really helps put the viewer in a sympathetic (or at least neutral) mood. So does it all work in the end? Mostly, yes. All of the positives listed above, along with some fine humor and a solid (and admirably consistent) storyline make for a piece that, in certain respects, exceeds its inspiration and stands as a success in its own right. For once, Disney mined the back catalogue without going to the dogs.

Battle of the Sexes

A rebel and a rogue, in a different kind of star war. Given the tide of history, we all know going in not only who won the match, but whom we are supposed to root for. And, by just about any measure, that notion is correct on its face. But watching this movie, one must recognize--assuming an honest and intelligent assessment--that the victory won and the progress made necessitated both players; there could not have been the rebel without the rogue. That's something interesting to ponder. So too is the notion that this film actually seems to undermine its own point, in a way; maybe he lost simply because he didn't take it seriously enough. All in all, it's a good sign that such a movie makes you think that much about its premise and conclusions, and it definitely helps that it's wildly entertaining and expertly performed. A victory for sure.

La La Land

My first, immediate impression upon watching this movie: if all the most popular kids in your high school got together and made a movie--a movie celebrating the most popular kids in your high school--it would look a lot like this. Later in the show, my impression...was pretty much the same thing. Admittedly, these would be fairly talented popular people making this movie, particularly the ones doing the art direction; this film always looks good, from start to finish. But it's just a little hard to believe Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as strugglers, especially long-term strugglers; they--he in particular--are just too pretty to make convincing losers. Yeah, that's right: if you strip away all the bright and sunny, or even the drama, this really is a story about losers who only eventually become winners. It's all a little hard to digest. Especially all the people that happy about being stuck in traffic. But there's entertainment here; certainly some good songs and music. It's just not the work of genius it was made out to be.

Birdman (or, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Hollywood loves Hollywood, more than anything else. Even when it's an adjunct of Hollywood, like Broadway. That's a big reason why this movie, like Argo and The Artist before it, won Best Picture. The rest of us would prefer to judge a film on its actual merits--but even that's hard to do here, because this one is so steeped in its appreciation for film-making, and acting, and creativity and artistic effort in general. From the ostentatious camera-work to the passionate soliloquies about doing "something meaningful" creatively, this story practically browbeats the viewer into loving (or at least respecting) the cinematic arts, to the point where it's almost annoying. Thankfully, there's enough humor, professional performances, and flights of fantasy to redeem the film's worst excesses. I'm not sure it's statuette quality on its plain merits, but it's at least worth checking out on the viewing medium of your choice.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Everybody else seems to be on board with this go-around as better than the first set. I'm not so sure. I can fairly vividly remember certain scenes from those earlier movies; I can't say much the same about the first in this series. And while this and its predecessor are certainly entertaining in the moment, it is the long term impact that makes for a great movie, or even a very good one. I liked this flick, but I'm just not sure how much. I guess you're on your own here.

The Amazing Spider-Man

In many ways this film reflects the state of the art of superhero movies. Gone are the days of the genre's cheesy, low-rent flicks; the template is now well-established, and every entry in the field is competent (at least), entertaining, a little bit funny, action-packed, and a certain crowd-pleaser. But once we've gone through that ride a certain number of times, it's bound to grow a little old. So it is here--you can like this movie, but you also can see the template getting stale, too. I certainly won't say this film isn't worth watching, but I'm not sure you're missing anything if you skip it either.

Easy A

I didn't want to like this movie. Early returns showed a flick that was way too clever and full of itself; the all-too-pretty setting and characters screamed "Disney movie," and all that entails; and the device of a webcast narration looked a little too self-consciously modern and present-day. But it all turned out for the best, paying off with a very sharp, funny and ultimately charming work. This one earns its good grade.

Zombieland

This is hardly earth-shatttering stuff. No one was going to be played off at the Oscars for their work in this film. But it's exactly the kind of movie that even the snootiest, most elitist film buff needs to see every so often--a weird, violent, somewhat unhinged work of straight-up cinematic fun. Special props for one classic cameo, and for a closing sequence at an amusement park which is just the kind of inspired, mayhem-packed payoff everyone was waiting for. Indeed--besides zombies, who needs brains?

Superbad

This one comes out of the gate like a house afire, then glides down the back stretch and final turn with a little bit of fade. Still, you get a comedy that delivers a lot of great, laugh out loud moments and finishes near the top of the leader board. For a teen comedy, it's hard to expect more than that.