LISTEN FOR THE WHISPERS. In 1977, American ballet dancer Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) arrives in Berlin to study at a famous dance academy, but it harbors dark secrets… A truly imaginative way to remake a film, Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977). Gone are the giallo ingredients, replaced with ludicrous references to 1970s far-left terrorism and the … Continue reading Suspiria
COMEDY. EXPOSED. It’s unbelievable that so many talents would be willing to work on and off on this collection of raunchy sketches for ten years and come up with so little. The title has nothing to do with the movie itself and there doesn’t seem to be much of a theme, even though Peter Farrelly’s … Continue reading Movie 43
TAKING THE WORLD BY FARCE. This sequel to the 2011 reboot begins immediately after its last scene, with a big number called “We’re Doing a Sequel”, followed by the introduction of a villainous agent (Ricky Gervais) who sets up a European tour for the Muppets. It turns out to be a scheme where a criminal … Continue reading Muppets Most Wanted
WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME? When retired government operative Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) tries to help a prostitute (Chloë Grace Moretz) that he has befriended, he makes dangerous enemies in the shape of Russian mobsters. A clichéd adaptation of the 1985-1989 TV series that featured Edward Woodward as a gentlemanly but … Continue reading The Equalizer
A COMEDY ABOUT ACTING YOUR AGE AND OTHER ADULT DECISIONS. Ten years after graduating from high school, Megan (Keira Knightley) still doesn’t know what to do with her life, but a chance encounter with a teenage girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) is the first step toward change. Sometimes it feels like every American indie film follows … Continue reading Laggies
YOU WILL KNOW HER NAME. Bullied teenage girl Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz) discovers that she has telekinetic powers, but her mother (Julianne Moore) believes it is the work of the devil. This remake of the 1976 classic was made by a director who usually doesn’t engage in anonymous projects like this. The script remains … Continue reading Carrie
LIVE FOR LOVE. After a wintry car crash, 17-year-old Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) wakes up in the snow and realizes that she has left her comatose body; as she watches herself and her family fight for their lives, she also recalls a love affair… Documentary director and Nashville producer R.J. Cutler’s narrative feature film … Continue reading If I Stay
YOU CAN’T FIGHT YOUR DESTINY. When Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) joins a team of other friendly, masked crime-fighters, he wants Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) to be a part of it; meanwhile, a former enemy creates a new alias for himself. The sequel hooks up with our heroes a few years later and gives a lot … Continue reading Kick-Ass 2
EVERY FAMILY HAS ITS DEMONS. In 1972, a vampire (Johnny Depp) is accidentally freed from his buried coffin and returns to his Maine family mansion; a lot has changed in 200 years, but the witch who turned him into a bloodsucker is still around. A very Tim Burton-esque adaptation of the classic 1966-1971 horror soap, … Continue reading Dark Shadows
HAVE FEAR. THEY’RE HERE. New York teenager Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) buys a bodysuit and turns himself into a superhero; his first attempts at creating justice are pitiful, but he eventually gets caught up in a battle between a crime boss and an 11-year-old avenger. A story that is partly grounded in reality as it … Continue reading Kick-Ass
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
INNOCENCE DIES. ABBY DOESN’T. 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is bullied in school, but finds strength and solace in his friendship with Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz), a peculiar girl who’s been 12 for ages. Purists may frown upon moving a vampiric, Swedish coming-of-age tale to New Mexico, but this remake of Let the Right One In (2008) comes very … Continue reading Let Me In
BOY MEETS GIRL. BOY FALLS IN LOVE. GIRL DOESN’T. Greeting card writer Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls in love with the new girl (Zooey Deschanel) at work… but she doesn’t believe in love or relationships. That simple plot summary should make anyone feel like moving on to more original fare, but this is in fact … Continue reading (500) Days of Summer
