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Reviews
The Light Between Oceans (2016)
Over-Rated
Overly long movie that seems even longer than it is. Mawkish sentimentality prevails in this bit of treacle. Excellent photography and a fairly good score cannot save this film from itself. The women are so self-possessed it is hard for them to generate much sympathy from the audience. Editing as also quite weak and obtrusive. One must wonder if there was a story-board of any kind.
The morality play might even have left some viewers with questions about their own motivations if it had ended earlier. As it is, the movie falls flat. I would definitely not have gone to see it if I had known.
Be warned, this is a waste of time.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Less than it could have been
Raising 6 children, three boys and three girls, in the wilderness would be hard enough. Training them to be skilled hunters, gifted at self defense and schooling them effectively would be beyond the skills of most parents. But this Dad isn't most people. His oldest son speaks 6 languages and is accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown and M.I.T. His youngest girl can recite or explain the Bill of Rights. All six children are able rock climbers and very fit. In keeping with the politics of the day they are followers of Noam Chomsky and more than just a little left of Bernie Sanders. All of this already strains credulity and is it really necessary?
So, when the children and their father decide to leave their retreat in the woods to attend their mother's funeral, we are sure that there will be a culture clash. The excesses of this clash are to be expected after the excesses of the characterization of the children. The mere fact that these children grow up in the wilderness does not mean that their parents would have failed to provide any social skills whatsoever. This makes the culture clash setup less believable and true to life. If there might have been any issues that the audience is expected to think about, the way the characters are drawn detracts so much that any serious issues that could have been raised are no longer relevant.
Perhaps this is the reason this movie is listed BOTH as a comedy AND a Drama. But it succeeds at neither. My long car trip to see it was really not worth the effort.
Testament of Youth (2014)
Flawed Adaptation
I refrained from reviewing this movie until it was possible to view the BBC TV version made in the late 70s. While that series consists of 5 parts lasting over 4 hours it is not simply length that makes it far superior. The BBC version is never mawkishly sentimental or histrionic as this Hollywood version is. My first reaction to Vera, in the Hollywood version, is that she is petulant in a way not that is not befitting to her character. After all, this is a well brought up girl, living in England, in the early 20th Century. Strong opinions are one thing but temper tantrums are quite another. There are also a lot more tears shed in the movie than in the TV series. Not that there aren't enough tragic events to warrant tears but, sometimes, less is more - and this is one of them.
Apart from the above there are factual differences between the movie and the TV series. Does she speak German, or not? Does her father thrust an unwanted piano upon her or not? How does her mother take the pressures of the tragedies? All of these things are presented differently in the movie and the TV series. Also, though I will not explain how, the endings are quite different.
One could hardly believe both of these were adaptations of the same book. And which do you believe is more accurate? No, even though this movie can be enjoyed as a melodrama it really does not deserve even to share the same title as the book.
Love & Mercy (2014)
Dark Movie Line That Leaves out Much
Perhaps a biographical movie should not be expected to be a comprehensive story. Nevertheless, when flash-backs are so abundantly used that even the exact time period being recounted is unclear, and when many important details of the characters life (though important) are omitted (such as the weight gain, alcohol and drug abuse - which are referred to but not depicted), the viewer may start to wonder how much of this movie is presented as it is for dramatic effect. And drama is the one thing the movie certainly has, even though it is a very dark tale. After watching it you have to wonder if the missing parts were deliberately excised because they would not further the drama and if scenes were added that were not part of Brian's life.
Maybe those of us who have a compelling interest should just go out and read a book. But for those not quite so interested a more accurate portrayal might have improved the movie.
A Most Violent Year (2014)
More Conflict Than Violence
This is the story of a man trying to stay true to his principles. The title, as such, is misleading. Of course, you start off on the wrong foot when you suggest one type of movie and deliver another. You can recover if the movie you deliver is exceptional. This movie is not. The reason? The biggest conflict is the internal one. This requires a very gifted actor. One who can communicate the torment of the decisions he has to make. We have seen performances like this from some of the great actors of the past, those who can communicate a range of feelings without saying a word. Oscar Isaac is not such an actor. Nor does the husband wife conflict ever result in more than raised voices but certainly not raised emotions. Nor is the prospect raised that the father-in-law could easily get them money they need based on his mob connections. If it had, would have turned this down? We'll never know. I'm afraid I see the acting as wooden. Jimmy Stuart conveys more torment in "It's a Wonderful Life" even though that is certainly not one of my favorites. It's too bad that the concept was poorly acted, poorly titled, and not fully fleshed out.
Gone Girl (2014)
Tedious and Unsatisfying Ending
The FBI is stupid and so are the local police both of whom also let a murderer go free apparently only for reasons of bad publicity. Does this strain credibility? OK, lets strain it some more. Where was Amy Dunne being held before the time of the security tapes at the lake house of Desi Collins and wouldn't this time gap arouse the slightest suspicion? And why would the Secret Service agents Tanner Bolt employed not even think to follow Desi Collins when Nick Dunne already has approached him suspecting involvement? Then, how about the press? Yes we all hate them but you notice how most journalists refer to a person a suspect, or a person of interest. If you think this is an accident, they have lawyers too and owners with big pockets that would rather not lose slander suits. So we have a movie weighted toward an ending, deliberately bleak, clearly unjust and for what? For entertainment? Entertainment of whom, those who go to dog fights to see one animal mangled by another? This movie ought to have a special rating - for sadists and masochists ONLY - you know who you are!