Passengers

This is a difficult movie to read, and review. It's a very watchable film--especially so given the very liberal utilization of star Jennifer Lawrence's watchability; almost every scene of this flick shows off Lawrence's attractiveness to maximum effect. No wonder she is as ubiquitous in today's movie scene as she is--though of course she's outdone in ubiquity by her co-star here, Chris Pratt, who is in more films these days than that suite of production logos--film processing companies, teamsters, the Humane Society--that you see at the end of every credits roll. Pratt may be wearing out his welcome, as he has more screen time here than anyone, and not quite as much impact. And none of that even addresses the story itself, which seems to have a lot of holes in it--and verges into the preposterous in the last third of the film. But, again, this one held my attention throughout, thanks in large part to Lawrence and a really good visual presentation. It's a tough call: you can skip it, but if you're a fan of the principals involved, you probably want to see this one. You really have to know what you like to make this judgement.

The Queen

How accurate is the version of events depicted in this film? That’s impossible to know, of course, given the character of the personages who stand--or genteelly sit--at the center of this drama. Helen Mirren’s take on Elizabeth II is good, one supposes, though again how could you really tell? The surprising thing is, despite the title, how much this is Tony Blair’s movie, too--and it’s difficult at this remove to accept Blair in the almost entirely good light that shines on him here. (There is, after all, that whole Iraq War thing, which does actually get a slight nod towards the end here.) It does help that Michael Sheen does a terrific job of not just capturing Blair’s persona very well, but imparting him with much of the positive sheen (couldn’t resist) that appears on him here. Aside from those conundrums, viewing the movie strictly on its terms as a story, it’s much easier to say that it delivers an enjoyable, effective, and at times even moving drama. It’s certainly a film worth seeing--just don’t mistake it for a documentary.

Midnight in Paris

A work of singular irony, in that the most retro--some might even say backwards, or stuck in the past--of all filmmakers, Woody Allen, has made a movie that ultimately celebrates forward motion and moving on to new things in life. So much for context. The film itself, in terms of story, characters, and presentation, is fine, maybe even better than fine, though lightweight enough that it has little impact beyond a cute and clever way to kill a couple of hours. There is the barest subtext, fitting for these times, about the awfulness of rich people, and why Owen Wilson's protagonist is better off making the choice he eventually makes--but there's no ringing declaration made here. This is, after all, just a movie--one good enough that you should give it a look, if not an award.

Laws of Attraction

I wanted to rave about this one, because it starts out nice and nasty (or at least acerbic, and often that's enough), but then it kind of wimped out towards the end. Ah, well, it's still an enjoyable film to watch, largely on the strength of the leads. Pierce Brosnan once again demonstrates that he'd have a grand film career if he could just get away from that Bond stuff. And Julianne Moore gives a smart, vibrant performance (and looks just fabulous in the process). Give it a shot in one of your lighter moments.

Wilde

Tough to make an uninteresting movie when Oscar Wilde is your subject; just the dialogue alone should carry you through. Such is the case here. It's a bit poignant despite all the wit, though, given Wilde's misfortune in being gay in a not very tolerant time.