Friday, September 25, 2015

Arch Campbell's Weekend Movie Guide (9-25-15)

Johnny Depp & Joel Edgerton (r) star in Black Mass

From our friend, Arch Campbell...

Best Bet > Mr. Holmes - 4 Stars. Ian McKellen as 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes, wrestling with the memory of a case gone wrong.

Black Mass - 3½ Stars. Impressive gangster epic with Johnny Depp reviving his acting chops and Joel Edgerton as good cop, turned bad cop.

Inside Out - 3½ Stars. Pixar examines the emotional life of a young girl. A worthy companion of “Up” and the “Toy Story” series.

Arch with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r)

Trainwreck - 3½ Stars. Hilarious "R" rated relationship comedy, and a perfect showcase for the very funny Amy Schumer.

Rosenwald - 3½ Stars. DC Documentarian Aviva Kempner tells the story of the President of Sears, who in the early 20th century devoted his fortune to building schools for blacks. Great story and showcase of 20th century African-American culture.

Mistress America - 3 Stars. Greta Gerwig delights in a comedy about female friendship.

Ricki and the Flash - 3 Stars. Meryl Streep as a complicated musician, chasing her dream and facing the consequences of leaving her family.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - 3 Stars. Works overtime to provide thrills and a twisty plot. Tom Cruise aided by fearless double (or triple) agent Rebecca Ferguson.

Sicario - 3 Stars. Mysterious law enforcement officers join Benicio Del Toro in the Arizona border drug wars. Emily Blunt plays an FBI innocent, tricked into compliance. Put my stomach in a knot for the entire movie.

The Intern - 2½ Stars. Robert De Niro comes out of retirement to learn and teach Anne Hathaway. Sweet. Sometimes too sweet.

Ant-Man: 2½ Stars. Winning extension of Marvel comic formula with likable Paul Rudd as a superhero who turns insect, with the aid of a special suit.

Jurassic World - 2½ Stars. Better than expected reboot of “Jurassic Park.”

The Gift - 2½ Stars. Better than usual stalker thriller, with a nice twist.

Sleeping with Other People - 2 Stars. "When Harry Met Sally," it ain't.

Learning to Drive - 2 Stars. Patricia Clarkson gets lessons from Ben Kingsley.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - 1 Star. Spy dud.

Fantastic Four - Zero Stars. Fantastic botch.

Didn't see it, Don't wanna see it...

No Escape - Oh yes there is.

Visit Arch's website for his (unrivaled) take on movies. He remains the only other (we're not self-hating) critic, whose opinion we admire and respect.