Friday, April 1, 2016

Arch Campbell's Weekend Movie Guide (4-1-16)

Jaeden Lieberher stars in Midnight Special

From our friend, Arch Campbell...

Hail, Caesar! - 4 Stars. The Coen brothers lampoon the golden age of movies.

Spotlight - 4 Stars. The Boston Globe's investigation of abuse in the church leads to global change. Wonderful celebration of newspaper reporting in its humanity.

The Big Short - 3½ Stars. Makes the 2008 financial meltdown understandable and even funny, although there’s nothing funny about it.

Arch with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r)

Best New Bet Midnight Special - 3 Stars. Michael Shannon as father of an unusual child in a great science fiction chase mystery with a better than usual payoff.

Remember - 3 Stars. Christopher Plummer escapes his nursing home, to kill a Nazi.

Eye in the Sky - 3 Stars. Helen Mirren as British officer with opportunity to target (i.e. kill) several terrorists with a drone, but what about collateral damage? Gripping.

Race - 3 Stars. Respectful biography of four-time Olympic gold winner Jesse Owens.

The Witch - 3 Stars. Historical horror story in Puritan New England. Hint: It didn't start with Salem. Creepy with a wallop of an ending.

The Lady in the Van - 3 Stars. Maggie Smith as a crusty old coot, who parks her van in a writer’s driveway and stays 15 years.

Deadpool - 2½ Stars. Foul mouth, wise-cracking superhero curses his way into our hearts for a guilty pleasure.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - 2½ Stars. Tina Fey as war correspondent.

The Revenant - 2 Stars. Leonardo DiCaprio's bid for an Oscar is a painful slog to watch.

Everybody Wants Some!! - 1 Star. Tiresome college coming-of-age comedy.

How to Be Single - 1 Star. Sad, foul mouthed single life comedy.

I Saw the Light - 1 Star. Dreary musical biography of Hank Williams Jr..

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.