It’s been a very busy summer at the movies. I’ve seen nearly 40 films and reviewed most of them on TV, in the newspaper and/or on this site. But some movies simply fell through the cracks – and I wasn’t able to give them my full attention at the time I screened them. Here are mini-reviews of five such films:
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (PG-13) Young Quvenzhane Wallis plays Hushpuppy. She’s determined to do right as she goes along on this fantasy journey about life in a flooded community in Southern Louisiana. Her narration throughout the film includes vocabulary and adult phrases that a six-year-old would not use and hurts the story, which is simple, with a little depth. Not sure what the film is trying to say. B-
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (PG-13) Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith are among the older actors who decide to travel to India and stay at this hotel, which isn’t what they were expecting. The owner (played by “Slumdog Millionaire”‘s Dev Patel) is desperate to become successful, so he can marry the girl of his dreams. His character is played way over-the-top and ruins the main focus of the movie, which is about these seniors on the last great adventure of their lives. The performances are solid, but the script doesn’t provide the emotional impact that was intended. C+
“Hope Springs” (PG-13) – Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones star in this cheesy romantic dramedy co-starring Steve Carell in a one-note role. This film is incredibly simple and predictable, and contains only a few genuine laughs. Technically there are too many close-ups and the music is sappy and overpowering. Jones overacts and I was embarrassed for Streep several times during ther film. Utterly forgettable. D+
“Ted” (R) I’m not a huge fan of Seth McFarlane’s animated TV shows. But his first feature film is hysterically funny. Ted, the walking/talking toy bear is one of the funniest and sharpest comic characters in years. He provides some memorable wisecracks and gags. Unfortunately Ted’s the only funny character in the film so things slow way down when he’s not around. But the story works for the most part and it’s a real crowd-pleaser. B
“Your Sister’s Sister” (R) Emily Blunt stars along with Rosemarie Dewitt and Mark Duplass in this love triangle drama, that is basically a three person off-Broadway play on the big screen. The performances are solid, but the story isn’t deep enough and doesn’t include any twists and only one surprise, which comes to late to save things. In the end you really don’t care who ends up with who or if they’ll live happily-ever-after. C+