BODIES BODIES BODIES
3.5 out of 5 stars
Spoiled rich kids live it up by playing a game they’ll soon deeply regret in this slick & snarky dark comedy of superficial friendships & relationships. Sharp, viscous, & funny – director Reijn & writers DeLappe & Roupenian execute an exuberant LOL thriller that satirically slashes the contemporary culture we find ourselves submerged in. The central female cast is terrific, exerting themselves from one scene to the next. They’re a hoot to watch as their true feelings come spewing out while shaking in their skin from deadly consequences they never see coming. A wild whodunit w/ a killing final twist that shuts down the party perfectly.
DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS
3 out of 5 stars
Feeding off of DC superhero history, it’s quite formulaic w/ average animation, & is certainly more cutesy than clever. Coming to the rescue of this story about superpowers & companionship is the topflight irreverence & humor & the star-studded voice cast, McKinnon & Lyonne being the standouts. It’s what ultimately saves the day. The family comedy flick has a not so super bark or bite, but kids & adults won’t leave dissatisfied.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
4.5 out of 5 stars
This hybrid of stop-motion animation & live action is a sweet, gentle, & adorable little gem w/ a big heart & sensational humor. It quietly sneaks up on you w/ its delicate emotion & endearment that comes from the most unlikely subject imaginable: A pocket-sized stop-motion shell w/ a googly eye, a mouth, & polished pink shoes. Voicing the titled character – Slate is marvelous, giving Marcel a true sense of innocence, wonder, confidence, & infinite adorability. It’s a beautifully poignant look at life & the changes that scare us, but we must choose to see what’s waiting on the other side. A total pleasure to watch. (Full Review)
FIRE OF LOVE
3.5 out of 5 stars
Katia & Maurice Krafft, two French scientists whose fears took a backseat to curiosity when endlessly exploring red & grey volcanoes, are the subjects of a sweltering love story that flourishes inside an eruption of breathtaking imagery. With excellent editing backing her up, director Dosa employs astonishing archival footage from & of the Kraffts that make it effortless in becoming entirely enthralled in their passion, obsession, & no hesitation in flirting w/ the dangers of nature. This beautiful & beguiling doc expresses a unique romance of an emboldened couple who would never leave each other’s side – spending the time they had together doing what filled them w/ absolute joy.
SPIN ME ROUND
1.5 out of 5 stars
This new comedy from the director of The Little Hours has a promising premise about self-discovery, but the more it plunges into absurdity the more pointless & forgettable it gets. Co-written & starring Brie, she gets to escape to Italy on a work retreat & starts to live out this fairytale romance w/ a restaurant chain’s CEO. Though, it quickly succumbs to jealousy, disappearances, & orgies. Sounds exciting but it’s not.
The supporting cast is delightful w/ Shannon being by far the most hilarious. Unfortunately, the laughs are left behind for this sort of dumb thriller that doesn’t deliver whatsoever. Likewise, there’s a constant craving within the storytelling to be weird & awkward, but too much of writer/director Baena’s attention is spent on that & not nearly enough on making a cohesive movie. Before too long, it’s nothing but a lost cause.
PREY
4 out of 5 stars
Director Trachtenberg skins the Predator franchise back-to-basics, & in return crafts a brutal, bloody & badass survival tale. With a fascinating focus on the Comanche Nation way of life & a fierce Midthunder not backing down – it’s a primal, implacable hunt for the ages. Inarguably the best since Schwarzenegger & Predator rumbled in the jungle back in 1987. Providing a big time resurgence, the sci-fi/action flick is free-swinging & constantly tense w/ creative kills that’ll have you hooting & hollering. This excellent new addition is a much-needed reminder of why Predator scared the shit out of us.
FREE CHOL SOO LEE
3 out of 5 stars
Directors Ha & Yi, w/ the help of Lee’s very own words, shape this straightforward yet empathetic doc of injustice as Lee is convicted of a San Francisco murder he didn’t commit back in 1973. While his story deserves to be brought to light, serving as another infuriating indictment of systematic racism & the failures of our court system – the filmmakers’ presentation is rather uninspiring. It’s when the film’s focus shifts to Lee & the demons he had to face for so much of his life that it’s at its most fascinating & heartbreaking. More conventional than compelling, this is still commendable in its showing of activism at its finest & the tragedy of trying to live up to unfair expectations.
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING
1.5 out of 5 stars
Having not read the best-selling novel, one can only hope what’s on the page is a lot more impassioned & involving than what director Newman & writer Alibar translate for the big screen. Aside from a strong atmosphere & a keen Edgar-Jones performance, it’s a standard, lifeless melodrama about sex, murder, & survival. The main characters as well as the romance between them feels superficial, & the murder mystery/courtroom elements contain zero suspense. A lagging & wearisome adaptation that’s plenty dutiful but very much unconcerned in making the tiniest effort to carve out something considerable for itself.
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS
3.5 out of 5 stars
There’s no losing that loving feeling when watching the fabulous Manville in this enchanting, elegant fairytale of rediscovery & ceaseless dreaming w/ a little help from a fancy Dior dress. Encompassed by exquisite costume & production design, writer-director Fabian’s soothing storytelling provides a heavenly escape that we know is too good to be true, yet is quite easy to fall head over heels for anyway. An old-fashioned, whimsical British comedy/drama sporting fetching couture w/ a heart of gold seams together one joyous affair.
LUCK
2 out of 5 stars
Skydance’s first animated flick is a tepid quest where the unluckiest girl jumps in to a world inhabited by leprechauns, creatures, dragons, & a talking Scottish black cat to find a lucky penny. There’s the mandatory sweet message that comes w/ these family friendly exercises & this one is no exception w/ lessons about family & bad luck getting a bad rep. But w/ subpar animation & uninspiring voice performances – its luck runs out fast.
RESURRECTION
3 out of 5 stars
What this psychological thriller has in store for its audience won’t soon be forgotten, even if what emerges can hardly be explained. With two stellar performances by Hall & Roth, it’s instantly intriguing, deeply disturbing, & frustratingly obscure. Havoc & hysteria arise as writer/director Semans sends us on a fucked up & disoriented journey where we’re left to our own assumptions of what’s real & what’s not. The issue is when it decides to fly off the rails, it becomes less gripping & more farcical & confusing.
The unfaltering love for a child, the power of having control, feeding on another’s open wounds, & gender empowerment are explored in a unique way that’s never been shown like this. Unfortunately, by the end, the film becomes unclear as to what it’s trying to accomplish thematically, all the while succumbing to a surreal yet failing finale that provides next to nothing once finally reaching our central character’s retribution. (Full Review)
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Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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