This week at the movies, we’ve got a telekinetic teen (Carrie, starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore); a pair of jail-breakers (Escape Plan, starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger); and a document leaker (The Fifth Estate, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl). What do the critics have to say?
The original Carrie holds a special place in the hearts of horror buffs, so a remake is inherently fraught with peril. And critics say that while director Kimberly Peirce turns in a respectable effort, there’s little in this new Carrie that feels necessary. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as the title character, a teenage outcast with a demanding mom and telekinetic powers. Will the snobby kids at Carrie’s school learn not to mess with her? The pundits say Carrie is competently made, but does little to distinguish itself from Brian De Palma’s beloved original film. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we run down some memorable horror movie remakes.)
God bless Sly and Arnie; it’s pretty inspiring to see the 1980s’ two biggest action stars still slugging it out well into their sixties. That said, critics feel Escape Plan isn’t the best vehicle for their talents; despite a few decent thrills, it’s a middling action flick with a flimsy plot and an overall lack of panache. Stallone stars as a security expert who’s been wrongly imprisoned, so he teams up with a fellow inmate (Schwarzenegger) and devises a plan to bust out. The pundits say the stars keep Escape Plan watchable, but they’re ultimately defeated by inert pacing and a by-the-numbers script.
Like The Social Network, The Fifth Estate is a ripped-from-the-headlines drama about how new technology is impacting our lives. Unfortunately, critics say that despite an impressive performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, this dramatic retelling of the WikiLeaks story is ill-prepared to tackle the issues it raises. Julian Assange (Cumberbatch) and hacker Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) create a site to publish clandestine information. However, when WikiLeaks scores a series of big scoops that infuriate the powerful, the site’s founders become divided on their mission and motives. The pundits say The Fifth Estate is a mostly skin-deep examination of the ethical questions that Assange raised, one that fails to bring its characters to life, despite the best efforts of a strong cast.
Steve McQueen‘s 12 Years a Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender in a drama about a free man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery, is Certified Fresh at 97 percent.
All Is Lost, starring Robert Redford as a man whose boat is lost at sea, is Certified Fresh at 94 percent.
An American Promise, a documentary about a pair of African American students in an exclusive and predominantly white private school, is at 89 percent.
Big Ass Spider!, a creature feature about two guys trying to stop a huge arachnid from destroying Los Angeles, is at 80 percent.
Kill Your Darlings, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan in a drama about a murder within the circle of associates that would become the Beat Generation, is at 76 percent.
Camille Claudel, 1915, starring Juliette Binoche in a biopic of the great sculptor, is at 67 percent.
Haunter, starring Abigail Breslin in a ghost story about a teenager forced to relive the same day for eternity, is at 56 percent.
2 Jacks, starring Danny Huston and Sienna Miller in a recreation of a Leo Tolstoy short story set in the golden age of Hollywood, is at 44 percent.
Paradise, starring Julianne Hough and Octavia L. Spencer in a comedy about a small-town girl who attempts to broaden her horizons after surviving a plane crash, is at 24 percent.
I’m In Love With A Church Girl, starring Ja Rule in a romantic drama about a tough guy who softens when he meets a churgoing lady, is at zero percent.
