AFTER WORLD WAR II, THE MISSION FOR JUSTICE BEGAN. In 1960, Israeli agents learn that one of the architects behind the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), is hiding in Buenos Aires; a mission is set up to capture him. This version of how Eichmann was finally brought to justice was inspired by Mossad agent Peter … Continue reading Operation Finale
WE’RE GOING TO LIBERATE THE SHIT OUT OF YOU. After a successful tour in Iraq, four-star general Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt) is relocated to Afghanistan to help steer that war in the right direction. Former documentary filmmaker David Michôd adapted the book that chronicled General Stanley McChrystal’s time in Afghanistan (which ended in his dismissal), … Continue reading War Machine
HEROES COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES… EVEN RECTANGLES. In a small town where rumors persist that cardboard-wearing subterranean trolls are kidnapping children, a pest exterminator strikes a deal to kill all the boxtrolls. A 3D stop-motion adventure from the studio that brought us Coraline (2009), retaining that darkly comical look. Featuring a story about … Continue reading The Boxtrolls
EVERY DREAM BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP. In the early 1970s, French street performer Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) sees a picture of the newly built World Trade Center in a magazine and decides that the goal of his life is to walk a tightrope between the Twin Towers. Petit’s story was first told in the … Continue reading The Walk
ONE FINAL NIGHT TO SAVE THE DAY. When Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) learns that the magical tablet that makes everything in the Museum of Natural History come alive at night is corroding, the race is on to save it. The third film in the franchise is very similar to its predecessors, but still has greater … Continue reading Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
ONCE BROTHERS, NOW ENEMIES. Moses (Christian Bale) is raised by the Pharaoh of Egypt (John Turturro) together with his son Rhamses (Joel Edgerton), but when the truth about Moses’s heritage emerges, everything changes… Ridley Scott returns to epics, a genre he commands well, this time inspired by a biblical story rather than Roman or Medieval … Continue reading Exodus: Gods and Kings
THE END OF AN EMPIRE… THE BEGINNING OF A LEGEND. In 460 AD, Rome is invaded by Goths and the new, very young Emperor (Thomas Sangster) is exiled to Capri where he’s protected and guided by a druid (Ben Kinsgley) and a Roman general (Colin Firth). An adventure in classic style, featuring at least one … Continue reading The Last Legion
THIS IS NOT A GAME. Years into the future, after an alien attack on Earth that left millions dead, young Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is among the bright teenagers recruited to fight a decisive, future war. This adaptation of the classic novel suffers from the same problems as The Host and After Earth, two other … Continue reading Ender’s Game
UNLEASH THE POWER BEHIND THE ARMOR. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has started to suffer from panic attacks at a time when the world is threatened by an international terrorist organization headed by the mysterious Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). The man who once wrote Lethal Weapon (1987) stepped into the directing chair for this one and … Continue reading Iron Man 3
After falling victim to a scheme hatched by his uncle (Ben Kingsley), Admiral General Aladeen of Wadiya (Sacha Baron Cohen) lives incognito in New York City where he’s plotting his comeback. Made “in loving memory of Kim Jong-Il”, this third movie from the Larry Charles-Cohen team is a straight fish-out-of-water story without any of the … Continue reading The Dictator
DEFY THE FUTURE. After attacking the sacred city of Alamut, the Persian King is poisoned to death; the adopted prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) is blamed and escapes together with the princess of Alamut (Gemma Arterton). There are times when the visual effects in this adaptation of the video game look dazzling, and the filmmakers have at … Continue reading Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
When I first saw the previews for Steven Spielberg’s War Horse and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, I was sorely disappointed and thought that these films will hardly be counted among the masters’ greatest. The first one looked awfully sentimental, the other one too kid-oriented. I still haven’t seen War Horse, but boy was I wrong about Hugo. Admittedly, the film is … Continue reading Hugo: Reinventing Méliès
YOU CAN’T ESCAPE YOUR LIES. After finishing a humanitarian mission in China, Roy and Jessie Nusser (Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer) are taking the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow but an encounter with another couple onboard creates a nightmare. There is undeniably a romantic luster to the Trans-Siberian as travelers of different nationalities gather on a train … Continue reading Transsiberian
