Here to take a look at the films coming out in wide and limited release this coming weekend. In this weekly Film Guide, I’ll give you my thoughts to help you decide what’s worth checking out.
- Money Monster– A man screwed over by Wall Street takes hostage a set of a show about finances.
Directed by Jodie Foster (The Beaver)
Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell, Dominic West
The idea of this movie sounds a lot more interesting than the trailer makes it look. It’s like a modern day Network story, but looks to have almost none of the bite that makes that film so great. A man taking a TV show personality hostage on air seems so ripe for some great thriller material, but it’s really just a very on-the-nose parable about the economy. It seems like almost a self-congratulatory movie where you just nod along with how liberal you are and how the wealthy really do screw everyone over – it’s like a liberal version of American Sniper with a different message. Not that I’m necessarily against the idea, but when your movie screams “I have a message!” without any subtlety it’s grating. - The Darkness– The time old tale of the young child of a family awakening an evil spirit that attacks his family.
Directed by Greg McLean (Wolf Creek)
Starring Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz, Lucy Fry
Has it been awhile since a horror movie was in theaters? It feels like it, although The Witch has left me quite satisfied for the year. This certainly is more The Forrest than The Witch, but it could be fun. The fact that Kevin Bacon is present completely elevates my interest of course. It’s like Ethan Hawke starring in Sinister, which turned out to be pretty good. Who’s to say this won’t?
- High-Rise– A self contained society in a high-rise building falls into chaos.
- The Lobster– Siblings must deal with their parents (who have a history of performance art) disappearance.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth)
Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden
I was quite taken by the trailer (which I feel like I watched so long ago) and have been waiting to check it out since. This looks really interesting and offbeat, with a lovely pairing between Farrell and Weisz. This looks right up her alley, but it’s nice to see him doing something more left field. I feel like he’s been trying a lot of things the past few years that I’ve enjoyed. Since this coming from the director of Dogtooth you know it’s going to be bonkers, and at the very least a unique story.
Directed by Ben Wheatley (A Field in England, Kill List)
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elizabeth Moss
This past weekend was the Maryland Film Festival, and High-Rise was one of the more high profile films available to check out. It seemed like a worthy option even if it was just one week earlier than its release. Coming out of the theater there was a consensus that this movie was really weird, but not in a good way. Wheatley certainly took a lot of time to develop the look of this movie, which is its strongest feature, but when your plot and characters, especially their motivations, are nonsensical, visuals don’t count for much. We all remember Sucker Punch, don’t we? I really did not care for this movie, and wouldn’t recommend it for any reason. It was so aggravating that I just can’t see a bright side. It did remind me that I’m overdue for watching Snowpiercer though.
