Dustin Putman's Movie Reviews |
Opening This Week (Part Two): Elysium ★★½ (out of ★★★★) Nationwide - Gorgeous, sturdily paced, and involving. "Elysium" has a number of problems, many of them related to not fulfilling the premise's full aptitude. At the same time, a film that brings to the table this many great aspirations shouldn't be marginalized when so many major summer movies are content to act on autopilot. Read the Full Review >> Jug Face ★★½ (out of ★★★★) VOD & Select Cities - A well-acted, genre-busting curiosity, "Jug Face" is bold of premise and disquieting in its low-key mounting. The sound directorial debut of Chad Crawford Kinkle, the film treats its out-there flights of fancy with such a naturalism it often seems weirdly plausible. Read the Full Review >> The Lifeguard ★★½ (out of ★★★★) Sharing an alarming number of similarities with 2012's more insightful Melanie Lynskey-starring "Hello I Must Be Going," "The Lifeguard" doesn't exactly win points for originality, but it is affecting all the same, scripted with care and showing that Bell is fully capable of diversifying the types of film roles she takes on. Read the Full Review >> Passion ★★½ (out of ★★★★) VOD Now, Select Cities Aug 30 - Uplifts the routine with an artistic savvy and two wickedly good performances from Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams. "Passion" doesn't really break any new ground for Brian De Palma, and yet as a technical exercise it's nice to see him back in his element. Read the Full Review >> Planes ★½ (out of ★★★★) Nationwide - Cursed with a mundane script and computer animation that looks like a subpar imitation of Pixar's sterling, detail-oriented work. Is it wrong to expect more from the Disney brand when they've proven they can do so much better than this disposable trifle? Read the Full Review >> The Spectacular Now ★★★ (out of ★★★★) Select Cities - By the sound of the setup, prospective viewers of "The Spectacular Now" probably think they've seen this all before and could guess the trajectory of the plot and all its conflicts in their sleep. They'd be wrong. The film is rough, honest and accurate, its emotional beats hitting at unanticipated moments. Read the Full Review >> The latest additions to this new section of the site include: "Q: The Winged Serpent," "X-Ray/Schizoid," "The Muppet Movie" and "Under the Bed." Dustin's Blu-ray Reviews >> |
© 2013 Dustin Putman |
Friday, August 9, 2013
Movies
