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Passengers (2016)
Fantastic acting saves plot with major holes in it.
Contains Minor Spoilers
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt both provide superb performances.
Jennifer Lawrence ranges from playful to sexy to smart to fierce... all on cue and in perfect rhythm with the character's story-line. She presents a truly believable character who seems whole, like a real person who is alive.
Chris Pratt's role, for the most part, requires a more subtle performance, which provides a solid foundation for his co-actor to build her performance on. He does get to show range when alone on the ship.
The plot, sadly has many holes in it (and I don't mean holes caused by asteroids). Other reviews have pointed to examples where we are asked to suspend disbelief where it is impossible to do so.
For me, it is the basic premise that is hard to believe. Would a ship on 120 year journey really not have any type of fail-safe for passengers who woke up early? Would there be absolutely no way to wake up a crew member? It would have been so easy to solve this by having the "on call" crew member killed by the same incident that woke up Chris Pratt's character.
The acting make this worth watching.
Brother (2011)
Two brothers haunted by the legacy of abuse by their father work out some issues.
Brother is beautifully shot, brilliantly acted, and perfectly edited. Director Timothy Sloat brings it all together to deliver a very well-told and compelling story. Bravo!
This film is a great example of how a short film can tackle a consequential story, and at the same time stay within the bounds of time-limited format. It delivers the proper balance between setting a tone, a sense of place, and plot-driven dialog and action.
Special mention must be made of the Cinematography. Each and every shot in the film has impact. It feels as if you could take any frame from this film and print a showcase photograph to hang on your wall... but that would deprive you of the beautiful motion that unfolds on the screen in every scene. Brother is just plain beautiful.