HollywoodandFine.com “Ex Machina” is both tastily minimal and frustratingly simplistic. Alex Garland’s directing debut (he wrote “28 Days Later” and “Sunshine”) is, in essence, a three-hander about three people in a house. OK, a high-tech mansion, but you get the point. Yet, after tantalizing us with increasingly imaginative developments and …
HollywoodandFine.com Certainly the pedigree of “Child 44” makes it seem promising. Directed by Daniel Espinosa (“Safe House”) from a script by Richard Price, it features a sturdy, heavily British international cast led by Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman, Vincent Cassel and Noomi Rapace. But the timing of the release …
HollywoodandFine.com The directing debut of actor Chris Messina, “Alex of Venice” is as notable for what it doesn’t do as for what it does. This is the story of a married parent suddenly forced to realign priorities when their spouse walks out. Think “Kramer vs. Kramer” – and then make …
HollywoodandFine.com “True Story” is not a bad movie; indeed, it’s a creepy little tale that has moments that will unnerve you. But the limitations of its script and of Jonah Hill’s performance in the central role keep it from transcending its shortcomings. Based on actual events, “True Story” feels like …
HollywoodandFine.com Does it matter that “Woman in Gold,” Simon Curtis’ moving drama about a woman seeking the return of art the Nazis stole from her family 50 years earlier, seems stenciled from a familiar template? If the plot of this film – with its tale of a young professional man …
HollywoodandFine.com Sean Penn is a global activist who puts his money – and, more important, his physical self – where others barely pay lip service. His advocacy on behalf of the voiceless is stirring, but it obviously is also time-consuming and costly. So when a paycheck role like “The Gunman” …
HollywoodandFine.com Writer Bruce Wagner’s script for David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” is of a piece with his other work. It blends a cynical vision of people with an even darker examination of the worship of the superficial that is Hollywood life. But instead of the kind of roiling tale …
HollywoodandFine.com Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s “Focus” brings to mind Tony Gilroy’s similarly complex but more fun “Duplicity,” from a couple of years ago: a tale of love among the con men, in which emotion – considered weakness in this trade – becomes a factor. “Focus” works hard and does …
HollywoodandFine.com Sports movies starring Kevin Costner: It could be a category on “Jeopardy.” But that’s not really a bad thing. While the Costner oeuvre has its share of titles devoted to athletic themes, he hasn’t made many bad ones. He has a solidity and an honesty on screen that make him …
HollywoodandFine.com When James Bond rebooted with Daniel Craig in “Casino Royale,” the blend of old-school spy tale and modern-action sensibility seemed right – if still a little restrained. Imagine now what would happen if James Bond were put in the hands of someone who was willing to not just rethink …