AT THE MOVIES
NEW IN TOWN
American Ultra: See review on F2, ★★
Boulevard: The final movie made by comic genius Robin Williams is anything but funny. Williams plays Nolan, a married man, who has lived a lie throughout his adult life. His day-to-day existence is turned upside down when he meets young Leo. (Calum Marsh) ★
The Diary of a Teenage Girl: See
review on F3, ★★★★½
Hitman: See review on F2, ★★
I Am Chris Farley: A documentary on the life of comedian Chris Farley, best known for starring on Saturday Night Live and in the film Tommy Boy. Downplaying the comedic actor’s actual death by drug overdose, it plays as more of a celebration of his life. Appearances by Adam Sandler, David Spade, Christina Applegate, Bo Derek and others. (Melissa Hank) Not reviewed.
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry: Director Mary Dore’s documentary digs into the history of the outrageous and often whip-smart women who founded the modern women’s movement between 1966 and 1971. Featuring Chude Pamela Allen, Alta, Judith Arcana and many more. (Melissa Hank) Not reviewed.
Sinister 2: See review on F2, ★★
OPENING WEDNESDAY
No Escape: Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan and Owen Wilson star in John Erick Dowdle’s action thriller centred on an American family that moves overseas, only to be caught in the middle of a coup. They desperately look for an escape from the turmoil, navigating an environment in which foreigners are being immediately executed. (Melissa Hank) Not reviewed.
STILL IN TOWN
Amy: Amy Winehouse is rescued from her public punching-bag image by Asif Kapadia, who presents the troubled singer-songwriter — dead of alcohol poisoning at age 27 — through her own music and the memories of friends and family. It’s
an (Chris astonishing, Knight) ★ beautiful★★★★ tribute.
Ant-Man: Paul Rudd stars in and cowrote this latest superhero flick, which is neither as joyously frantic as Guardians of the Galaxy nor as brooding as Batman. But the star and the script sell the slightly silly concept, proving it pays to look after the little details. (Chris Knight) ★★★ ½
Dark Places: Our guide through this mess is Libby Day (Charlize Theron), the survivor of a family massacre on a Kansas farm in the mid-’80s who’s now investigating the theory that her brother didn’t actually do it. It’s neither a story of reconciliation nor a particularly gripping thriller. (David Berry) ★★
Fantastic Four: The reboot of the 2005 film is quite possibly the least action-filled action movie in Marvel history. Miles Teller drags as Reed Richards, leader of a team that builds an inter-dimensional transporter and winds up with an array of super powers. Josh Trank directs, barely. (Chris Knight) ½ star
The Gift: Joel Edgerton writes, directs and stars in a film that could give vanity projects a good name. He plays Gordo, a socially graceless guy who used to go to school with Jason Bateman’s character. After a chance meeting, things get weird, but this thriller packs surprises. Don’t watch the trailer! (Chris Knight) ★★★★
Inside Out: Pixar’s latest takes place inside the mind of 11-year-old Riley, who must deal with a move to a new
city with the help of five emotions, chief among them Joy and Sadness. It’s funny, but for adults there are unexpected, welcome reserves of depth and thoughtfulness. (Chris Knight)
★★★★★
Jurassic World: Twenty-two years after the original Jurassic Park, this summer popcorn movie features onenote acting from Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard; the Apatosaurus delivers a nice deathbed scene though. But go for effects and dino-on-dino fighting action and you won’t be disappointed. (Chris Knight) ★★★★
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: In this Guy Ritchie reboot of the TV series, two warring superpowers come together to stop a rogue group of ex- and neo-Nazis from detonating an atomic bomb. Not that much happens for any reason than to put hot bodies in pretty locations and watch them do cool stuff. (David Berry) ★★★ ½
Minions: Third time’s the harm in this ill-advised ‘60s-set prequel. The yellow jelly-bean shaped assistants from Despicable Me and its sequel go looking for an evil master and imprint on a villain (Sandra Bullock) who wants to steal the British monarchy. (Chris Knight) ★★ Mission Impossible — Rogue Nation: The fifth in the series feels farfetched yet drably derivative. Director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie gives us great locations and a shadowy international criminal organization. Yet the underwater stunts, while thrilling, are inventive to the point of being ludicrous. (Chris Knight) ★★ ½
Mr. Holmes: Ian McKellen gives a nuanced performance as an aging Sherlock Holmes, who struggles with failing memory and acuity in Mr. Holmes. Though the film suffers from a lacklustre plot, director Bill Condon entertains by playing with the clichés of the Holmesian sub-genre. (Chris Knight) ★★★
Paper Towns: Lovestruck Quentin follows the clues left by Margo in this teen romance based on the novel by John Green. Not quite as subversive of normal teen tropes as it wants to be, it nevertheless has a bead on the misplaced melancholy of youth, and is generally clever enough to be reasonably charming. (David Berry) ★★★
Ricki and the Flash: Over 60 and rocking out, Ricki Randazzo is a slightly pathetic figure; playing the character, Meryl Streep is an Oscar-baiting sensation. Director Jonathan Demme stocks his cast with real musicians and Streep’s real daughter playing Ricki’s. The pieces mesh in near-perfect harmony. (Chris Knight)
★ ★ ★½
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Old-fashioned stop-motion animation meets even older-fashioned dialogue-free filmmaking in this delightfully simple frolic from the Wallace & Gromit studio. Basically, it’s the story of a sheep farmer who gets lots in the big city, and his ovine charges who rescue him. (Chris Knight) ★★★★½
Southpaw: Jake Gyllenhaal excels in the story of a boxer who loses everything and has to claw his way back. But the real surprise is Oona
Laurence, the 12-year-old acting phenom who plays his daughter. Antoine Fuqua’s direction also benefits from great editing and a score by the late James Horner. (Chris Knight) ★★★½
Straight Outta Compton: The biopic often must chose between reality and licence — keep to the facts or tell a more compelling story. Straight Outta Compton does a little of both in telling the origins of rappers N.W.A Despite some glossing, its energy and anger still resonate today. (Calum Marsh) ★★★★
Terminator Genisys: Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in what feels like the original Terminator movie for about six minutes before it veers excitedly into a new timeline. Emilia Clarke is a remarkably badass Sarah Connor in what feels like both a reboot and a fitting conclusion to the franchise. (Chris Knight) ★★ ★ ★
Testament of Youth: Based on the 1933 memoir by Vera Brittain, this film respects the life of its subject without veering into hagiography. A headstrong woman in 1915, Brittain (Alicia Vikander) quit Oxford to become a nurse, and found her politics shaped by the horrors of war. (Chris Knight) ★★ ★ ★
Trainwreck: Amy Schumer turns the rom-com gender roles on their heads but keeps things funny in this story of a commitment-phobe (Schumer) who falls for a sweet doctor (Bill Hader) who makes her become a better person in spite of herself. Dirty but sweet. (Chris Knight) ★★ ★ ★
Vacation: This sort-of sequel to, kind of reboot of 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation features Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold, grown up and deciding to take his own family to Walley World. Loses points for excessive gross-out humour, but gains most of them back for sheer dedication. (Chris Knight)
★ ★ ★