December brings to cinemaphiles its usual array of big rep films. Most this year are over-hyped and overblown. Marketing can get us in the theater but can’t make us love one.
I use a 5-finger (high-five) rating system where 5 is outstanding, 4 very good and worth seeing, 3 is mediocre, with 2 not worth paying to see. Since decency prevents a one-finger rating, a truly bad film scores a zero — the dreaded fist of badness. We have none this month but will probably see a few emerge in January and February, the time of year when bad movies wither and die.
To each his own, so feel free to share you thoughts if you disagree. Everyone’s opinion matters equally, which is the blessing and curse of film.
Here are my nine one-sentence reviews for December:
Exodus: Gods and Kings – 2 fingers (by a fingernail). Director Ridley Scott overdoses on computer graphics and forgets a story and script (4 writers always a danger sign) in this epic mess about Moses and Ramses, sloppily and loosely interpreted from somebody’s theoretical Bible.
The Homesman – 4 fingers. This offbeat old west drama written, starring, and directed by Tommy Lee Jones about a drifter coerced into wagon-training three crazy women across the Missouri, is not for everyone – but thanks to Tommy’s deft talent – manages to work well for me.
Top Five – 2 fingers. Only Chris Rock’s likeability and Rosario Dawson’s two hours of close-ups prevent a worse rating in this sloppily made mess of a take on a has-been’s tenuous grasp on celebrity in New York City.
Foxcatcher – 3 fingers. This disturbing drama about wrestling benefactor John E. duPont’s fixation with Olympic gold medalist brothers Dave and Mark Schultz is highlighted by a surprisingly eerie performance by Steve Carell.
Wild – 2 fingers. This boring, plodding, and disjointed star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon as a dysfunctional woman hiking alone for a thousand miles suffers from too many problems to make it worth sitting through.
The Imitation Game – 4 fingers. The sad story of emotionally conflicted World War II code-breaker Alan Turing is told via intercut flashbacks in this fine drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.
Big Eyes – 3 fingers. Tim Burton respectfully directs Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz in this fact-based story about popular “Big Eye” artist Margaret Keane and her lunatic second husband Walter.
Unbroken – 3 fingers. This remarkable true story deserves far better treatment than this mediocre effort from aspiring director Angelina Jolie, whose inexperience behind the lens is at times painfully apparent.
Into the Woods – 3 fingers. Nice idea—a musical about intertwined fairy tale legends with issues—is unevenly executed and slogs to a long overdue and unfulfilling finish.
That’s it for this month. Best to all for a wonderful 2015. I’ll see you at the movies!