Damn it, this week really sucked. First Monday brought the news that David Bowie passed away, and now we’ve lost Alan Rickman as well. F**k cancer, am I right? Oh well, let’s see what’s on circuit this week to take our minds off of things.
-
The Big Short
When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: THE BIG SHORT. Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything. Based on the true story and best-selling book by Michael Lewis (The Blind Side, Moneyball), and directed by Adam McKay (Anchorman, Step Brothers) The Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling & Brad Pitt.
I read through and tried to summarise Kervyn’s lengthy review of The Big Short, but nothing I can say really gets to the heart of the matter more than: watch it. Seriously, just go watch it. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece with a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, and 5 Academy Award nominations to match.
-
Suffragette
A drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality – their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. Maud was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart-breaking and inspirational.
Suffragette is the kind of movie I think of as “Oscar-bait”. You can tell that any movie released at this time of year that calls itself “gripping”, “heart-breaking” and “inspirational” is angling for one (or more) of those golden statuettes. But, despite being an earnest, insightful and thought-provoking movie, Suffragette has garnered precisely zero nominations. More the pity, as Carey Mulligan’s performance is top notch. Oh well, at least it earned 3.5/5 stars from Alwynne.
-
Ride Along 2
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube lead the returning lineup of RIDE ALONG 2, the sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy that gave us the year’s most popular comedy duo. Joining Hart and Cube for the next chapter of the series are director Tim Story, as well as Cube’s fellow producers-Will Packer, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner-who will produce alongside Cube.
I’m not entirely sure what to say about Ride Along 2. I mean, opening this week we have a heavy-weight Academy Award contender and another critically acclaimed movie, both about serious topics like the devastating effects of financial mismanagement by powerful people and the brutal, never-ending fight for women’s rights. Then you have a movie about Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. In a car. Together. And they make an odd couple but they have to work with each other. Apparently, hilarity is supposed to ensue (spoiler alert: it doesn’t). Universally panned with a whole fat 5% on Rotten Tomatoes, I don’t know why you would want to torture yourself with this. I couldn’t make it halfway through the trailer.
Last Updated: January 15, 2016
