Movie Reviews

I've seen a lot of movies lately but haven't had time to do my usual reviews. Hopefully these short-shorts suffice.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ****   Not a perfect film but a sweet story of a group of older people looking for a retirement community, ending up at a less than spectacular residence hotel and finding a home. There are some unfortunate broadly-drawn stereotypical characters but it's an engaging two hours with a great cast.

The Intouchables ****  Francois Cluzet is one of my favorite French actors and his performance as a wealthy quadriplegic is wonderfully controlled. He moves nothing except his face, and that's enough to tell the story. And his smile lights up the screen. It's an unlikely situation where he hires an unlikeable petty thief to care for him. Not entirely believable but it works pretty well and becomes an odd-couple-turned-fast-friends type of story. Some scenes go too far and feel played just for laughs but if you overlook those it's an appealing movie. 

Marvel's The Avengers *** 1/2   This isn't my genre but it's gotten such great reviews that I had to see for myself, and it was a fun ride, held my interest, had some great comic moments. An entertaining two hours.

Moonrise Kingdom *** 1/2   Funky little movie with a stellar cast, most of whom are playing against type. Cute story, love the kitchy 1965 feel.




Safety Not Guaranteed ** 1/2   Interesting film - kind of funny, kind of stupid, kind of endearing. Goofy ending. And a whole story line is just dropped, unexplained. I wasn't knocked out about Mark Duplass's performance but he seems to be everywhere these days, so obviously I'm in the minority. Worth checking out.

Portrait of Wally **** 1/2   Documentary about a painting confiscated by Nazis in 1938 from a Jewish woman, and the court battle to determine the rightful owner. A lot of facts to sift through and a plethora of people telling their story - difficult to follow in places, but a fascinating story.

Rock of Ages - zero stars   Oh wait, I haven't seen it. That's okay,  I'm certain the combination of a stupid script (I saw the play and walked out) and Tom Cruise is something I'd hate.