The Equalizer 2

Sophisticated menace. That's what Denzel seems to bring so expertly to roles like this, as in the first of this duo, and Man on Fire, and Training Day (another Antoine Fuqua flick). If that's your thing--and I think a lot of movie watchers can get into that--you'll probably enjoy this outing. Certainly, there are moments of intensity that your average thriller fan will appreciate, including one or two incendiary instants largely provided by Washington's great acting skill. There are demerits: the film takes its time getting its threads to come together, and one wonders, if you pause to consider the matter, why any of this is happening at all; there seems to be little in the way of overarching theme beyond the hero's somewhat sordid past. It works, overall, but if they want to come back for a third outing, I strongly suggest they make it work better.

Snowden

Regarding tangled webs we weave: we give a great deal of thought to the webs, but we tend not to consider much about the weaver. If we do give consideration, it's usually to condemn and judge--nothing particularly positive. Oliver Stone set out to shift against that with this biopic of both the man and his actions. The attempt was not entirely successful; there are enough inconsistencies that nagging feelings about the verdict are inescapable. Some of the problems are simple movie-making issues. For instance, Shailene Woodley portrayal of Snowden's girlfriend starts off sharp and smart, but devolves into a hyper-emotional almost-bimbo. (Though it may be the best testimony to Snowden's integrity, that he was willing to forgo his hottie for the sake of personal freedom.) The best work here is probably from Rhys Ifans as young Ed's mentor in the spook world; he covers the whole gamut from menace to nobility in an excellent performance. So is Snowden a hero or traitor? There's no point in saying in a review of this movie; the answer is largely a matter of personal viewpoint (though the film's coda, with various media reports of government action to curb surveillance, seems to present a pretty good case in his favor). You'll just have to judge for yourself.

Oblivion

This one seems to be a near miss. There’s a lot to like here: Cruise is good (he never isn’t, really), the look of the thing is wonderful, the twist is pretty good as movie twists go, and there’s even some good science that’s important to the movie’s reality (i.e., the presumed effects on Earth if our Moon were destroyed). But there’s one bit of dumbness that cancels out that good science: the story relies on the by-now well-worn clone fallacy (that clones would somehow share memories with the original organism). Probably not a bad rental, now that it’s out of theaters, certainly worth watching for free. But no surprise this wasn’t a big hit at the googolplex.

Red State

So this is what Kevin Smith's now-perpetual cloud of weed smoke hath wrought--a genuinely good indie film, with surprising philosophical depth, storytelling skill, and an almost oddly sympathetic engagement with its central crazies. If this really is his penultimate film (preceding the forthcoming Hit Somebody!), one could argue Smith is going out with a bang--and maybe just when he's finally figured out this whole film-making thing.

The Fighter

A revelation, gleaned from this movie: it actually helps not to be a fan of the real-life sport being depicted in a movie; that way, you don't already know the outcomes, thus heightening the drama. That's how this film played for me; I never knew if Micky Ward was going to win his big bout or not. Credit too must go to director David O. Russell for his canny decision to make the filmed fights look visually like the original HBO broadcasts, heightening still further the verisimilitude of the proceedings. Those facts, combined with terrific performances by Wahlberg, Bale and the rest of the cast, make for a deeply satisfying, deeply engaging film.