Friday, May 27, 2016

Arch Campbell's Weekend Movie Guide (5/27/16)

Ethan Hawke & Greta Gerwig (r) star in Maggie's Plan

From our friend, Arch Campbell...

The Jungle Book - 4 Stars. Dazzling Disney live-action update of the classic animated cartoon.

A Bigger Splash - 3½ Stars. Tilda Swinton & Ralph Fiennes comedy-thriller with a jaw dropping Hitchcock-style twist.

Keanu - 3 Stars. Hilarious comedy with Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as two wimps caught in the middle of a drug war, while trying to retrieve a kitty.

Arch with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r)

The Meddler - 3 Stars. Susan Sarandon drives daughter Rose Byrne crazy, until they both deal with the loss of a love one.

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.

A Hologram for the King - 3 Stars. Tom Hanks as a wistful middle-aged sales guy trying for a big sale in Saudi Arabia.

Love & Friendship - 3 Stars. Jane Austen adaptation of seductive, conniving Kate Beckinsale looking for a new husband for both her and her daughter.

The Nice Guys - 2 1/2 stars. Private eye comic riff with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling as hapless detectives, chasing scandal in 1970’s Los Angeles.

Money Monster - 2½ Stars. The financial cable show, hosted by George Clooney & produced by Julia Roberts gets taken over by a gunman demanding answers from Wall Street. Tense and fun to watch, but never feels plausible.

Best New Opening Maggie's Plan - 2½ Stars. Greta Gerwig falls for Ethan Hawke, who leaves his wife Julianne Moore. Once together, Greta hatches a plan to give him back. Great plot, but talky and not as precious as it thinks.

Captain America: Civil War - 2½ Stars. Marvel Comics parade of superheroes. A fan's delight, even when it runs way long.

X-Men: Apocalypse - 2 Stars. Tiresome episode of a worn out series, set in the 80's this time. Argh.

The Boss - 2 Stars. Melissa McCarthy creates an outrageous Donald Trump-like business woman, who lands in jail for insider trading.  The first half is a guilty pleasure, but the ending runs out of gas.

Everybody Wants Some!! - 2 Stars. Tiresome college coming-of-age comedy.

The Huntsman: Winter's War - 2 Stars. Prequel to "Snow White" can't quite decide if it's action, comedy or spooky fairy tale.

Mother's Day - 1 Star. Garry Marshall cranks out another sentimental comedy drama, and tries to sell it with actresses Jennifer Aniston & Julia Roberts.

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.'