Gambit

— With Michael Hoffman directing a Coen Brothers’ script and actors like Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, and Stanley Tucci, “Gambit” (Netflix) should have been more than mediocre. When the opening titles paid homage to 1960’s caper films, you knew something was off but it ended up that almost everything was “off”. Nearly everyone was miscast and the pacing was off most of the time. It wanted to be a sophisticated caper comedy but really missed the mark. I suspect everyone involved is still shaking their heads, wondering how they ended up associated with the mess. Sad too since I vaguely remember liking the original version with Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine

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[2012. 89 min. Directed by Michael Hoffman. Screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, and Stanley Tucci.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/28/movies/gambit-stars-colin-firth-and-cameron-diaz.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

Divergent

— A focus on finding your identity, embracing your complexity, and remaining watchful of those in charge leaves no doubt that “Divergent” (DVD) is a film for young adults. A cast of people who all look like personal trainers, plenty of empowered women, lots of interesting tattoos, and a fair amount of questioning of authority leaves no question that it’s meant for today’s young adult. “The Hunger Games” does outshine it and, even though Shailene Woodley does a decent job, she’s just not Jennifer Lawrence. Even so, I still kind of liked it and I was happy to watch something that didn’t focus on oversexed vampires or spoiled, shallow, rich kids. Oh, and Kate Winslet is in it too, and she’s always a worth seeing.

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[2014. 139 min. Directed by Neil Burger. Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, and Miles Teller.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/22/would-divergent-be-getting-such-bad-reviews-if-the-hunger-games-didnt-exist/

Magic in the Moonlight

— I like Woody Allen. Sure, not every film of his is a winner, and lately it seems like every other film isn’t, but even his less stellar films can still be fun. “Magic in the Moonlight” is definitely not up to the caliber of “Blue Jasmine” or “Midnight in Paris”, but it’s still entertaining. Maybe a little slow. Maybe more stage play than film. Maybe dialog that is a little off and a script that's not up to Woody’s cleverness. Maybe a little light on theme and on believability, but people in the audience were guffawing and I was one of them. I wanted to like it more than I did. The best part was Colin Firth and the rest of the cast, all of whom were more than able if only they’d had a bit more to work with.

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[2014. 97 min. Directed by Woody Allen. Starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Eileen Adkins, Hamish Linklater, and Simon McBurney.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/25/magic-in-the-moonlight-woody-allens-film-is-as-airy-as-they-come-first-look-review

Guardians of the Galaxy

— I had no idea who the“Guardians of the Galaxy” were since these guys are not among my limited universe of superheroes. Most of the time—spaceships, planets and odd species aside—I almost forget I was watching “superheroes”. The quintet was more like a ragtag group of bickering outlaws operating behind a decidedly unhip but catchy soundtrack of '60s and '70s pop hits. Oh, and they were genuinely funny, or at least quirky. I liked it a lot, but I’ve liked almost all the Marvel movies in the past 4-5 years. Too bad Guardians 2 isn’t slated for release until 2017. Meanwhile, I may pick up the soundtrack of oldies everyone knows, which reached number 1 (Billboard 200) the second week of its release.

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[2014. 121 min. Directed by James Gunn. Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel (voice), and Bradley Cooper (voice).]
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/one-2

Get On Up

— I’d probably like “Get On Up” for the music alone, but I was happy that Chadwick Boseman was able to give us an unforgettable James Brown, even if Brown’s ego is depicted to be as big as his talent. The script is a little irritating at times (I’ve grown tired of actors turning to talk to the audience) and it feels a little tame and over-directed, but I still enjoyed it.

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[2014. 138 min. Directed by Tate Taylor. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Nelson Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, and Viola Davis.]
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/one-2

A Most Wanted Man

— Philip Seymour Hoffman is the reason to see this film. He stands out in this adaptation of the John le Carré novel. I didn’t read the novel but the script is fairly linear which doesn’t exactly jive with my view of le Carré’s usual style. There are quite a few characters and the director sometimes loses track of the reasons behind the espionage so he can deal with personalities and power plays. It still holds up even if it isn’t among the best thrillers, because Hoffman is among the best actors.

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[2014. 122 min. Directed by Anton Corbiun. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Grigoriy Dobrygin, and Homayoun Ershadi.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-a-most-wanted-man-1201064200/

Boyhood

— I missed “Boyhood” at the True/False Festival in February 2014 but I’m happy I finally got to see it! The film chronicles a Texas boy’s adolescence while his mother cycles through a few unsuitable husbands and his father takes a long time to become a responsible adult. The remarkable thing is that it was filmed over twelve years, using the same cast. We watch everyone grow, moving in and out of each other’s lives, and it’s a remarkable evolution, filled with lots of questions, with sadness and happiness, and with a sense of real time unfolding, sometimes too slowly and sometime too fast. It really is unlike anything I’ve seen before and it’s well worth seeing. I’ve always liked both Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette and they’re perfect as the boy’s parents. It’s hard to imagine how director Richard Linklater picked a 5-year-old boy who’d be up the 12-year task, but Ellar Coltrane certainly was.

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[2014. 165 min. Directed by Richard Linklater. Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, and Ethan Hawke.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/movies/movie-review-linklaters-boyhood-is-a-model-of-cinematic-realism.html?_r=0