For me the saving grace of this movie were the lead characters: Chris Evans of Snowpiercer fame as Capt. America, and Scarlett Johansson (Her, Lucy, Under the Skin, Chef) as Black Widow.
Jon Favreau's "CHEF"
The director (and star) masterfully manages multiple and entertaining threads without losing focus on the main story focus.
Luc Besson's LUCY
Still, the movie is worth a watch especially for the first half or so. But eventually the silliness overwhelms the acting, editing, and wonderful production values. Lucy at the end reaches for spectacular profundity but lands with the thud. We’ve seen it all before.
Thaddeus O'Sullivan's INTO THE STORM
What would have happened had England not had a Churchill to guide it the war?
Alexandre Aja's HORNS
There is nothing subtle about this film. Everything seems done to excess.
Morten Tyldum’s THE IMITATION GAME
The Imitation Game might oversimplify at times but it does represent the work of real people and that’s a good thing for modern audiences to see.
Hiroyuki Okiura's LETTER TO MOMO
What a lovely, gentle, and funny film this is!
Jonathan Glazer’s UNDER THE SKIN
It’s like no place on earth I’ve ever seen.
Spike Jonze’s HER
It’s an oddly sterile middle class urban future that’s presented here and one where all annoying visual corners seem to have been knocked or sanded off.
Gabe Ibáñez' “AUTOMATA”
This is a highly original spin on both the dystopian and the robots-becoming-human themes.
Claire Danes’ performances as Temple Grandin in this biopic is a stunner.
Peter Jackson's “THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES”
Peter Jackson and crew should be proud of what they and WETA have created.
Stuart Beattie’s “I, FRANKENSTEIN”
If you want to put your mind in “park” for 90 minutes this is the film for you!
Wes Anderson's THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Highly entertaining, consistently funny, and quite charming overall with a healthy dose of craziness.
Paul Thomas Anderson's THE MASTER
The bond between the two characters is never clearly understood. Master and pupil (as the title implies)? Or two dissimilar peas in a pod, one reflecting the other?
Dustin Hoffman's QUARTET
It’s a feel-good movie beautifully produced with a heart and a conscience.
Steven Knight's REDEMPTION
This is not your typical Stathan action movie. I enjoyed it along with the excellent direction and beautiful nighttime photography. The thick English accents are a bit tough to follow at times but if you just follow the movement and the eyes you’ll be fine.
Roger Michell's HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON
Does FDR come through as a major cad in how he relates to women? Absolutely. But also portrayed is how the women respond and adjust while still managing to pull strings. It’s a fascinating view of a time and place and reminds us that these gods of our history were human too.
Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR
The only other movie within recent memory that packed a similar emotional wallop for me was TREE OF LIFE
Romanovskiy Mikhail's LONELY SOULS OF MICROBES
My favorite line of dialog: “She devours them like plums.”