Crisp Criticism - "Doctor Strange", "Julieta", "Take Me to the River", "Certain Women"

by

Julien Faddoul

Doctor Strange *

After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under his wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

Stunning visual effects and an energetic cast help enliven the latest Marvel episode to a moderate level of distinction from its relatives. But, ultimately, it remains a Marvel movie and therefore suffers from incoherent fight scenes, dull villains, rampant sarcasm and a metaphysical logic that completely falls apart if one comprehends it for longer than 10 seconds.

d – Scott Derrickson

w – Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill   (Based on the Comic Book by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko)

ph – Ben Davis

pd – Charles Wood

m – Michael Giacchino

ed – Sabrina Plisco, Wyatt Smith

cos – Alexandra Byrne

p – Kevin Feige

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Stuhlbarg, Scott Adkins

Crisp Criticism - "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back", "Cafe Society", "Shin Godzilla", "Keeping Up with the Joneses"

by

Julien Faddoul

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he's now accused of a 16-year-old homicide.

Dull, visually flat sequel that feels so inconsequential it just about evaporates before your eyes. It’s star seems even more miscast than before and Zwick seems to have lost all the aptitude he once had.

d – Edward Zwick

w – Richard Wenk, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz   (Based on the Book by Lee Child)

ph – Oliver Wood

pd – Clay A. Griffith

m – Henry Jackman

ed – Billy Weber

cos – Lisa Lovaas

p – Don Granger, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh, Patrick Heusinger, Holt McCallany, Austin Hébert

Crisp Criticism - "The Girl on the Train", "Masterminds", "Inferno", "Other People"

by

Julien Faddoul

The Girl on the Train

A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that may involve her more than she realizes.

A thriller that invites one’s laughter at every opportunity: Ridiculously plotted and hysterically directed, it attempts to soak its audience in the misery of its characters so aggressively that all seriousness feels abrogated.

d – Tate Taylor

w – Erin Cressida Wilson   (Based on the Novel by Paula Hawkins)

ph – Charlotte Bruus Christensen

pd – Kevin Thompson

m – Danny Elfman

ed – Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker

cos – Michelle Matland, Ann Roth

p – Jared LeBoff, Marc Platt

Cast: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Laura Prepon, Edgar Ramírez, Allison Janney, Justin Theroux, Lisa Kudrow, Marko Caka, Darren Goldstein

Crisp Criticism - "Deepwater Horizon", "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children", "Storks", "Hillsong: Let Hope Rise"

by

Julien Faddoul

Deepwater Horizon *

A story set on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded during April 2010 and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Savage disaster film, focusing less on the environmental consequences of the oil spill and more on the men who lost their lives due to managerial corruptness. It works best when its director revels in workman-like sequences of the day-to-day operations. But in all the ultimate chaos and bravado, the film never reaches any reflective point; content to merely shake its audience with illustrations of catastrophe.

d – Peter Berg

w – Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand   (Based on the Article by David Rohde, Stephanie Saul)

ph – Enrique Chediak

pd – Chris Seagers

m – Steve Jablonsky

ed – Gabriel Fleming, Colby Parker Jr

cos – Kasia Walicka-Maimone

p – Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, David Womark

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien, Kate Hudson