“A larger-than-life collision of conflicting tones, gargantuan set-pieces and unsubtle social commentary, the film follows in the footsteps of the South Korean writer-director’s extraordinary English-language debut Snowpiercer with another series of hairpin stylistic curves and barn-sized performances, at once both heartbreaking and ghoulishly funny.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 06/28/2017
“It’s got vision and atmosphere to burn, yet feels strangely hollow and incomplete. Amirpour picks up characters and ideas only to drop them a few minutes later and go chasing after something else. The Bad Batch is the kind of oddity that arrives early in promising careers, leaving the viewer bewildered but nonetheless eager to see what comes next.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 06/23/2017
ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE * 1 / 2
Starring Bruce Willis, John Goodman, Thomas Middleditch, Jason Momoa and Adam Goldberg. Screenplay by Mark Cullen and Rob Cullen. Directed by Rob Cullen.
“Alas, the film never regains the happy-go-lucky, frolicsome spirit of this early euthanasia and only grows more grindingly unpleasant as it wears on. This movie ruined my afternoon. It made me feel awful, which then made me angry because I didn’t feel like the movie had earned the right to do so. It doesn’t provide enough in return for how arduous it is to watch.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 06/16/2016
THE MUMMY * *
Starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson and Russell Crowe. Screenplay by David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman. Directed by Alex Kurtzman.
“In documentaries like The Tillman Story and Happy Valley, this prickly and inquisitive filmmaker has investigated the ownership of American myths, and the ways in which people can never be fully in control of what they represent to others. Long Strange Trip ultimately becomes a movie about Jerry Garcia’s imprisonment inside his own legend.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 06/05/2017
WONDER WOMAN * * 1 / 2
Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis and Danny Huston. Screenplay by Allan Heinberg. Directed by Patty Jenkins.
“The second hour keeps the camera locked firmly on Gere. We watch with morbid fascination as he talks up, down, around and in circles trying to stave off the inevitable. It’s a bravura turn made even more impressive when realizing his Woody Allen mannerisms should by all rights seem silly coming from such a handsome goy.” – North Shore Movies, 05/26/2017
ALIEN: COVENANT * * * *
Starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Amy Seimetz and Danny McBride. Screenplay by John Logan and Dante Harper. Directed by Ridley Scott.
“As sure-footed and satisfying an entertainment as I’ve seen so far this year, Lone Scherfig’s backstage screwball romance set during the London Blitz balances ensemble comedy and wartime tragedy with sturdy, old-fashioned aplomb. It’s the kind of movie you can point to when people say they don’t make ‘em like they used to.” – North Shore Movies, 05/18/2017
SPLICED PERSONALITY 