This week at the movies, we’ve got real American heroes (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Channing Tatum); body snatchers (The Host, starring Saoirse Ronan and Diane Kruger); and a passionate marriage counselor (Temptation, starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Lance Gross). What do critics have to say?
The Joes are back, but not necessarily better than ever, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which critics say boasts a couple strong action set pieces but mostly traffics in frenetic, logic-free plotting and mayhem. This time out, Cobra shape-shifter Zartan has occupied the White House, and Cobra Commander has escaped from prison, so it’s up to Roadblock (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and the rest of the Joes to save the world from chaos. The pundits say G.I. Joe: Retaliation is essentially a loud, over-the-top cartoon that might get your adrenaline pumping but is unlikely to stimulate your intellect. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we run down memorable movies based on toys and games.)
Now that The Twilight Saga has concluded, Hollywood needs new Stephenie Meyer works to bring to the big screen. Unfortunately, critics say The Host does not make a good first impression, squandering a strong cast on a dull, poorly-paced sci-fi rehash. Aliens inhabit the bodies of earthlings, but a headstrong teenager named Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) refuses to let her mental faculties be overpowered before she locates and helps her loved ones. The pundits say The Host lacks even the goony passion of the Twilight movies, and the result is a supernatural bore. (Check out this week’s 24 Frames for a gallery of films about alien possession, as well as our video interviews with members of The Host‘s cast.)
Tyler Perry‘s films are rarely screened prior to their release in theaters, and Temptation is no exception. Jurnee Smollett-Bell stars as a marriage counselor whose dissatisfaction with her own marriage pushes her into an affair with a tech mogul; ethical and emotional complications ensue. Time to guess the Tomatometer!
Room 237, a documentary that presents a number of fascinating interpretations of Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining, is Certified Fresh at 95 percent.
Blancanieves, a silent take on Snow White set in 1920s Spain, is at 88 percent.
Violeta Went to Heaven, a biopic of Chilean folk singer Violeta Parra, is at 83 percent.
Renoir, a historical drama about the relationship between painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his son, director Jean Renoir, is at 79 percent.
Wrong, a dramedy about a man whose life takes a number of strange turns as he looks for his missing dog, is at 77 percent.
The Place Beyond The Pines, starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper in a drama with three interconnected stories about the fates of two families over the course of 15 years, is at 76 percent (check out director Derek Cianfrance’s Five Favorite Films here).
Welcome to the Punch, starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong in a thriller about a detective who uncovers a conspiracy while trailing a master criminal, is at 55 percent.
Mental, starring Toni Collette and Liev Schreiber in a comedy about a woman tasked with taking care of five children when their mother is institutionalized, is at 44 percent.
Family Weekend, starring Kristin Chenoweth and Matthew Modine in a comedy about a a high-achieving teenager who takes her parents hostage to protest their indifference to her life, is at 25 percent (check out Chenoweth’s Five Favorite Films here).
