TAGGED AS: Certified Fresh
This week at the movies, we’ve got a fallen soldier (American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller), a marmalade-loving bear (Paddington, starring Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins), an ex-con hacker (Blackhat, starring Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis), and a best man for hire (The Wedding Ringer, starring Kevin Hart and Josh Gad). What do the critics have to say?
As a director, Clint Eastwood is one of cinema’s greatest chroniclers of troubled tough guys. Critics say American Sniper is a tense, kinetic drama that has much to say about the emotional toll of war — even if it fudges some of the facts about its real-life subject. Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL sniper who achieved near-legendary status for his fearlessness and shooting accuracy. But when he left the service, Kyle’s place in the world became less certain. The pundits say American Sniper avoids some of the more controversial aspects of Kyle’s life, but it’s still a bracing, tense, powerfully acted portrait of a supremely talented soldier at war with himself.
The bear from darkest Peru is one of the brightest lights of the young movie year. Critics say Paddington is the best kind of family film — it’s funny, thoughtful, deeply heartfelt, and filled with strong characters. After stowing away on a boat, the titular bear arrives in London and is discovered by the Brown family, who bring him into their home. Paddington is a stranger in a strange land, but he does his best to adjust to city life; unfortunately, he also draws the attention of a devious taxidermist. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Paddington maintains the cheer and whimsy of Michael Bond’s books, while teaching children a gentle lesson in tolerance. (Check out star Hugh Bonneville’s Five Favorite Films, as well as our interviews with the cast and crew.)
It’s tough to make computing look cool on the big screen. Critics say even a talented director like Michael Mann can only add so much to something like Blackhat, a cyberthriller that’s long on visual razzle-dazzle but short on tension and believability. Chris Hemsworth stars as Nick Hathaway, a brilliant hacker who’s serving prison time. However, when U.S. intelligence agents team up with the Chinese government to investigate a devastating act of cyberterrorism, they spring Hathaway from the joint to help solve the case. The pundits say Blackhat squanders its timely premise on a silly plotting and dialogue, though it does have a sense of visual panache.
Kevin Hart is one of the funniest men on the planet, but critics say his comic exuberance can’t save The Wedding Ringer, a thoroughly so-so bromance with a few good gags but a whole lot of dead spots. Hart stars as Jimmy, who provides an unusual service: he serves as the best man for socially awkward, soon-to-be-wedded guys. While giving Doug (Josh Gad) instructions on how to act cool, Jimmy stars to actually like the big galoot. The pundits say Hart tries his best, but the pace is slack and too many of the jokes are of the gross-out variety. (Check out our interviews with Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, and Kaley Cuoco.)
Critics say Togetherness (Certified Fresh at 94 percent) is a delightful surprise that interweaves day-to-day life with moving, dramatic characters who have an affinity for deprecating, squirmy humor.
The critics say Man Seeking Woman (92 percent) is easy to fall for, taking a ridiculously funny approach to a common theme with amusingly surreality and enjoyable oddness.
The pundits say Girls (Certified Fresh at 86 percent) is familiar after four seasons, but its convoluted-yet-comical depiction of young women dealing with the real world still manages to impress.
Appropriate Behavior, a comedy about a film teacher trying to pick up the pieces after being dumped by her girlfriend, is at 94 percent.
Gangs of Wasseypur, a drama about the rise and fall of an Indian crime family over the course of several decades, is at 93 percent.
Still Alice, starring Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart in a drama about a linguistics professor who is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, is Certified Fresh at 83 percent.
Human Capital, a thriller about two prominent Italian families whose fortunes take an unfortunate turn after a devastating car accident, is at 76 percent.
Match, starring Patrick Stewart and Carla Gugino in a drama about a legendary Juilliard dance professor who agrees to be interviewed by a grad student, is at 72 percent.
Three Night Stand, starring Sam Huntington and Emmanuelle Chriqui in a dramedy about a guy who takes his wife on a weekend getaway only to run into his ex, is at 71 percent.
Joy of Man’s Desiring, a cinéma vérité portrait of factory workers and their feelings about their jobs, is at 71 percent.
Still Life, starring Eddie Marsan and Joanne Froggatt in a drama about a beaurocrat who develops a bond with the daughter of a man who died alone, is at 62 percent.
Little Accidents, starring Elizabeth Banks and Josh Lucas in a drama about a small town reeling from a mine disaster, is at 53 percent.
Spare Parts, starring George Lopez an Marisa Tomei in a drama about a robotics club from an inner city high school that took on Ivy League schools in a national robot competition, is at 50 percent.
Loitering With Intent, starring Marisa Tomei and Sam Rockwell in a comedy about screenwriters who are rudely interrupted while working on a script in a rural cabin, is at 40 percent.
Vice, starring Bruce Willis and Thomas Jane in a sci-fi action film about a cyborg who seeks revenge against the owner of a robot-staffed resort, is at zero percent.
