*Previews of these movies and all the ones I haven't had a chance to see yet can be found here.
May 1st
Opening Weekend: $191.3 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Review: The first Avengers film was an epochal moment in cinematic history, assembling characters from independent films together in a way never done before and setting incredible box office records. It was also a ton of fun, but the well-known tendency for sequels to fall far below expectations set by their predecessors seemed inevitable for a second Avengers, even if both were directed by genre-master Joss Whedon (Firefly). Some critics and fanboys alike have proclaimed this to have come true yet again; I disagree. While not more entertaining than the first movie, Avengers: AoU is not also not less so, providing audiences with more visually-fantastic superhero brawls, an interesting villain, and engaging character development that pushes the Marvel franchise forward. Yes, that push is a not always graceful inclusion and can feel more like a forced shove than a natural propulsion, but the construction of an inter-connected universe is what I find most fun about Marvel productions; if you're less interested in that, I can understand greater a greater frustration with the ever-growing cast of characters (though I would never understand if anyone didn't like the new character, Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen). Ultimately, Avengers AoU may be a bit overstuffed, but I'm not one to complain too much about an abundance of satisfying comic-book riches and I'm more excited than ever to see this franchise continue to evolve.
Opening Weekend: n/a; limited release
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Review: A Victorian-era romance-drama based on a novel from the late 1800s may not sound like the type of film a blogger who also posts about football and politics might like, but I actually really enjoyed this adaptation of the classic novel from Thomas Hardy. As the protagonist, Bathsheba Everdene, Carey Mulligan (An Education) continues her quiet run as one of the very best young actresses in films today, largely without popular recognition by average movie-goers. Mulligan gives undeniable strength to a uniquely self-reliant woman learning about life and love in an age largely unfamiliar with and unfriendly to female independence. Director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt), carries the film speedily - for the most part - through the plot of Hardy's novel, effectively creating an atmosphere in which the audience contemplates along with Bathsheba the passion and utility of relationships. A film which is very much alive and untouched by the dust and rust coating other historic adaptations, Far from the Madding Crowd is able to utilize a pastoral quality of both aesthetic and mood to rouse our attention and stir our thoughts.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket.
May 8th
Maggie
Opening Weekend: n/a; limited release
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger in a zombie movie sounds ridiculous, rightly so based on the actor's mixed-bag of film choices, with his recent projects much less critically-appreciated than his past action classics. Yet, first-time director Henry Hobson really slows things down in Maggie for Schwarzenegger, allowing the former California governor to quietly ruminate in a more complex role than we've seen him in recently. Admittedly, I may be confusing a lack of over-acting for actual acting, which aren't the same, but I still give kudos to Schwarzenegger for this character work. I'm more critical of Hobson's directorial choices. As the film begins, long, brooding camera shots seemingly intend to capture a particular atmosphere, but as the movie progresses they are revealed as an obvious crutch to conceal that the plot, as is, should not really stretch the duration of its 95-minute length. While it would have been much more well-packaged as a solid 45-60-minute short-film, Maggie is still a neat movie that effectively re-imagines the zombie genre as a relationship-drama and shows us an oft-unseen side of Schwarzenegger's talents.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
May 15th
Mad Max: Fury Road
Opening Weekend: $45.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Review: It was way back in 1979 that director George Miller (Happy Feet) first brought Mad Max to the big screen. American audiences weren't quite sure what to think of the graphic Australian film - or it's unknown leading man, a certain Mel Gibson (Braveheart) - but savage car-chases through a bizarre dystopia was successful enough to warrant two sequels. A fourth film in the franchise gestated so long that when it was finally greenlighted, a now-older Gibson was dropped in favor of rising star Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises). While Hardy brings a fierce intensity to the role, the character of Max is of little concern to Fury Road, which focuses all of its passions in creating an adrenaline-soaked, rapturous movie. The film is still filled with insane racing stunts, but Max is simply less in control and more along for the ride, though ready to lend a violent hand when the need arises. Ultimately, Fury Road is breathlessly exhilarating and odd in a way that "berserk" feels like a more appropriate adjective than "absurd," but it all works somehow to provide one of the most unique experiences of the summer.
The Final Word: 3/4 - Buy a matinee ticket.
Pitch Perfect 2
Opening Weekend: $69.2 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Review: Having enjoyed moderate big-screen success, and even more popularity on DVD & digital outlets, 2012's Pitch Perfect was always going to continue as a franchise; the only question was one asked of most movie follow-ups: Will it be any good? In almost an exact replication of how last year's self-aware sequel 22 Jump Street described the predictable path of second-in-the-series films, Pitch Perfect 2 relied almost solely on jokes that worked in the original for its biggest laughs, included characters who returned for no explicable reason (how they're going to justify returning roles in the announced Pitch Perfect 3, I have no idea), and seemed to operate on the assumption that a bigger production budget would somehow boost returns. There are some funny moments, to be sure, but the longer its been since viewing, the less and less I think fondly of a film about acapella singing that somehow manages to have numerous, obvious plot-holes and stretches itself so thin between various ideas (exploring international music, singing original songs, returning to fundamentals, growing into new phases of life, etc., etc.), that every one feels like a wasted opportunity. Capped off with a boring finale performance, Pitch Perfect 2 is plainly not all it could have been. *Credit to my friend Stephen for the 22 Jump Street-Pitch Perfect 2 association.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
May 22nd
Poltergeist
Opening Weekend: $22.6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Review: I was initially excited for the idea of a remake of Steven Spielberg's (Saving Private Ryan) classic 1982 Poltergeist; advances in digital effects and a great cast in Sam Rockwell (Moon), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), and Jared Harris (Mad Men) seemed poised to create a menacing update. Unfortunately, this remake had few scares and was really more of a supernatural thriller/adventure film than the scarier horror movie it sold itself as. More than that, the movie was simply uninteresting, offering nothing before unseen, and the dialogue and plot both were cliche and at times even cheesy. Perhaps scary for the 10-15 year old crowd who will likely enjoy it the most, older audiences will do well to rent/download the original than to sit, uninterested, through the 2015 Poltergeist.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Catch it on tv if you're bored.
Tomorrowland
Opening Weekend: $33 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Review: "Have you ever wondered what would happen, if all the geniuses, the artists, the scientists, the smartest, most creative people in the world decided to actually change it? Where could they even do such a thing? They'd need a place free from politics and bureaucracy, distractions, greed - a secret place where they could build whatever they were crazy enough to imagine." So says George Clooney (The Descendants) in director Brad Bird's (The Incredibles) new film, inspired by the futuristic, utopian-minded theme locations at Disney parks. Do we want to go? Of course! But the film never takes us to what we learn is a now all-but abandoned metropolis. We get glimpses, but the origins of Tomorrowland (founded by Edison, Tesla, Verne, and Eiffel), it's development, and it's abandonment are always more told to us than shown, by far the biggest disappointment the film could have mustered. Without getting to truly experience the city as it was, we never get to ask questions like: How would all those differently minded geniuses work together? Can they really avoid distractions and greed? Are we actually okay with declaring that some people are so much better than others that they consist of a "master" group of people who get to direct the future of existence for the rest of us? Why can't everyone get to go to Tomorrowland and recognize their own unique potential? None of those questions are asked or answered, which is particularly odd considering the two main characters, played by Clooney and a very impressive Britt Robertson (The First Time), are geniuses trying to get there - you'd think those sorts of things would come up as Robertson's character learns from Clooney's. So while Tomorrowland is visually impressive and boasts an original idea in a summer of sequels, it also gets ahead of itself in high-mindedness, skipping more fundamental questions which, if addressed, would have given audiences more of what was promised in trailers; more of what we wanted to see.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
May 29th
Aloha
Opening Weekend: $9.7 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 21%
Review: Director Cameron Crowe may have been the inspiration for those most interesting man in the world ads (you know, with the guy who doesn't always drink beer, but when he does, he prefers Dos Equis); Crowe doesn't always direct movies, but when he does, he wins awards. His first film was the iconic romance Say Anything in 1989. Between then and this year's Aloha, a period of 26 years, Crowe has only directed 6 other movies, but those include the Oscar-nominated Jerry Maguire, the Oscar-winning Almost Famous, and other critically acclaimed films like Singles, Vanilla Sky, and We Bought A Zoo. If you're counting, I've left one movie from his filmography out, Elizabethtown, which was largely panned for having rather lackluster direction and performances. Aloha is no Elizabethtown - Crowe's new film boasts both an interesting plot and eclectic array of characters brought to life by an effective cast - but it still occupies a clear second-to-last ranking among Crowe movies, tangled up in a convoluted narrative structure that seems more lost and wandering than advancing with clear navigation. There are nuggets of delight hidden within the beautiful, Hawaiian-set film, which are of moderate interest, but they fail to collectively create a movie that makes a whole lot of sense, much less inspires.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
San Andreas
Opening Weekend: $54.6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Review: The popularity of Dwayne Johnson continues to grow, as he's in no shortage of films and the films he's in has no shortage of viewers. Yet Johnson is still a tough commodity to completely understand; he revitalizes franchises (Fast & Furious, G.I. Joe - it won't be long til he's in a Transformers movie, I'm sure), but while his solo films are filled with just as much spectacle, they seem to fall flatter with critics and audiences alike. San Andreas is not as blindly boisterous as last summer's Hercules, but amidst all the thrilling destruction it still falls short of developing characters worth caring about or a plot that makes total sense. It's a fine way to unplug your brain for a bit, but San Andreas offers nothing particularly novel or engaging, other than perhaps counting how many different modes of transportation Johnson's character manages to steal throughout the film for his own use.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Catch it on tv if you're bored.
May 8th
Opening Weekend: n/a; limited release
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger in a zombie movie sounds ridiculous, rightly so based on the actor's mixed-bag of film choices, with his recent projects much less critically-appreciated than his past action classics. Yet, first-time director Henry Hobson really slows things down in Maggie for Schwarzenegger, allowing the former California governor to quietly ruminate in a more complex role than we've seen him in recently. Admittedly, I may be confusing a lack of over-acting for actual acting, which aren't the same, but I still give kudos to Schwarzenegger for this character work. I'm more critical of Hobson's directorial choices. As the film begins, long, brooding camera shots seemingly intend to capture a particular atmosphere, but as the movie progresses they are revealed as an obvious crutch to conceal that the plot, as is, should not really stretch the duration of its 95-minute length. While it would have been much more well-packaged as a solid 45-60-minute short-film, Maggie is still a neat movie that effectively re-imagines the zombie genre as a relationship-drama and shows us an oft-unseen side of Schwarzenegger's talents.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
May 15th
Opening Weekend: $45.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Review: It was way back in 1979 that director George Miller (Happy Feet) first brought Mad Max to the big screen. American audiences weren't quite sure what to think of the graphic Australian film - or it's unknown leading man, a certain Mel Gibson (Braveheart) - but savage car-chases through a bizarre dystopia was successful enough to warrant two sequels. A fourth film in the franchise gestated so long that when it was finally greenlighted, a now-older Gibson was dropped in favor of rising star Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises). While Hardy brings a fierce intensity to the role, the character of Max is of little concern to Fury Road, which focuses all of its passions in creating an adrenaline-soaked, rapturous movie. The film is still filled with insane racing stunts, but Max is simply less in control and more along for the ride, though ready to lend a violent hand when the need arises. Ultimately, Fury Road is breathlessly exhilarating and odd in a way that "berserk" feels like a more appropriate adjective than "absurd," but it all works somehow to provide one of the most unique experiences of the summer.
The Final Word: 3/4 - Buy a matinee ticket.
Opening Weekend: $69.2 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Review: Having enjoyed moderate big-screen success, and even more popularity on DVD & digital outlets, 2012's Pitch Perfect was always going to continue as a franchise; the only question was one asked of most movie follow-ups: Will it be any good? In almost an exact replication of how last year's self-aware sequel 22 Jump Street described the predictable path of second-in-the-series films, Pitch Perfect 2 relied almost solely on jokes that worked in the original for its biggest laughs, included characters who returned for no explicable reason (how they're going to justify returning roles in the announced Pitch Perfect 3, I have no idea), and seemed to operate on the assumption that a bigger production budget would somehow boost returns. There are some funny moments, to be sure, but the longer its been since viewing, the less and less I think fondly of a film about acapella singing that somehow manages to have numerous, obvious plot-holes and stretches itself so thin between various ideas (exploring international music, singing original songs, returning to fundamentals, growing into new phases of life, etc., etc.), that every one feels like a wasted opportunity. Capped off with a boring finale performance, Pitch Perfect 2 is plainly not all it could have been. *Credit to my friend Stephen for the 22 Jump Street-Pitch Perfect 2 association.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
May 22nd
Opening Weekend: $22.6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Review: I was initially excited for the idea of a remake of Steven Spielberg's (Saving Private Ryan) classic 1982 Poltergeist; advances in digital effects and a great cast in Sam Rockwell (Moon), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), and Jared Harris (Mad Men) seemed poised to create a menacing update. Unfortunately, this remake had few scares and was really more of a supernatural thriller/adventure film than the scarier horror movie it sold itself as. More than that, the movie was simply uninteresting, offering nothing before unseen, and the dialogue and plot both were cliche and at times even cheesy. Perhaps scary for the 10-15 year old crowd who will likely enjoy it the most, older audiences will do well to rent/download the original than to sit, uninterested, through the 2015 Poltergeist.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Catch it on tv if you're bored.
Opening Weekend: $33 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Review: "Have you ever wondered what would happen, if all the geniuses, the artists, the scientists, the smartest, most creative people in the world decided to actually change it? Where could they even do such a thing? They'd need a place free from politics and bureaucracy, distractions, greed - a secret place where they could build whatever they were crazy enough to imagine." So says George Clooney (The Descendants) in director Brad Bird's (The Incredibles) new film, inspired by the futuristic, utopian-minded theme locations at Disney parks. Do we want to go? Of course! But the film never takes us to what we learn is a now all-but abandoned metropolis. We get glimpses, but the origins of Tomorrowland (founded by Edison, Tesla, Verne, and Eiffel), it's development, and it's abandonment are always more told to us than shown, by far the biggest disappointment the film could have mustered. Without getting to truly experience the city as it was, we never get to ask questions like: How would all those differently minded geniuses work together? Can they really avoid distractions and greed? Are we actually okay with declaring that some people are so much better than others that they consist of a "master" group of people who get to direct the future of existence for the rest of us? Why can't everyone get to go to Tomorrowland and recognize their own unique potential? None of those questions are asked or answered, which is particularly odd considering the two main characters, played by Clooney and a very impressive Britt Robertson (The First Time), are geniuses trying to get there - you'd think those sorts of things would come up as Robertson's character learns from Clooney's. So while Tomorrowland is visually impressive and boasts an original idea in a summer of sequels, it also gets ahead of itself in high-mindedness, skipping more fundamental questions which, if addressed, would have given audiences more of what was promised in trailers; more of what we wanted to see.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
May 29th
Opening Weekend: $9.7 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 21%
Review: Director Cameron Crowe may have been the inspiration for those most interesting man in the world ads (you know, with the guy who doesn't always drink beer, but when he does, he prefers Dos Equis); Crowe doesn't always direct movies, but when he does, he wins awards. His first film was the iconic romance Say Anything in 1989. Between then and this year's Aloha, a period of 26 years, Crowe has only directed 6 other movies, but those include the Oscar-nominated Jerry Maguire, the Oscar-winning Almost Famous, and other critically acclaimed films like Singles, Vanilla Sky, and We Bought A Zoo. If you're counting, I've left one movie from his filmography out, Elizabethtown, which was largely panned for having rather lackluster direction and performances. Aloha is no Elizabethtown - Crowe's new film boasts both an interesting plot and eclectic array of characters brought to life by an effective cast - but it still occupies a clear second-to-last ranking among Crowe movies, tangled up in a convoluted narrative structure that seems more lost and wandering than advancing with clear navigation. There are nuggets of delight hidden within the beautiful, Hawaiian-set film, which are of moderate interest, but they fail to collectively create a movie that makes a whole lot of sense, much less inspires.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
Opening Weekend: $54.6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Review: The popularity of Dwayne Johnson continues to grow, as he's in no shortage of films and the films he's in has no shortage of viewers. Yet Johnson is still a tough commodity to completely understand; he revitalizes franchises (Fast & Furious, G.I. Joe - it won't be long til he's in a Transformers movie, I'm sure), but while his solo films are filled with just as much spectacle, they seem to fall flatter with critics and audiences alike. San Andreas is not as blindly boisterous as last summer's Hercules, but amidst all the thrilling destruction it still falls short of developing characters worth caring about or a plot that makes total sense. It's a fine way to unplug your brain for a bit, but San Andreas offers nothing particularly novel or engaging, other than perhaps counting how many different modes of transportation Johnson's character manages to steal throughout the film for his own use.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Catch it on tv if you're bored.
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