Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks are both in top form in Saving Mr Banks, as the two multiple Oscar winners command the screen in the roles of real life Mary Poppins author P. L. Travers and the legendary man who created Mickey Mouse and along with him an empire, Walt Disney.
Easily the weakest of Peter Jackson’s cinematic epics set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth fantasy realm, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug often feels leaden and belabored, as it lacks any of the dramatic intensity and momentum of its Lord of the Rings predecessors.
Though it has its entertaining moments, most of which feature Tom Hiddleston as the mischievous Loki, “Thor: The Dark World” fails to soar to the same heights as its 2011 predecessor. It’s a sequel borne of necessity, devoid of style and verve, all amounting to precious little.
Ender’s Game has eye-popping visuals and compelling story elements that can compete with any seen in the glut of science fiction films that hit theaters this year. But what makes it stand apart from the pack is its commitment to delivering a message, or at least adding to the conversation, about the ever-evolving methods and ethics of waging war in the name of preserving peace and security.
Last Vegas is hardly the finest work to ever come from the ensemble cast it features, and it doesn’t aspire to be. Instead, it aims at delivering a whole of charm and fun, and thanks to that veteran cast of screen legends, it succeeds.
Fans of the Jackass series and the previous films will no doubt love Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. For other viewers, it will depend entirely on how funny they find old people and kids being crude, and the looks on unsuspecting people’s faces as they get pranked.
It’s fair to say that Escape Plan is Sylvester Stallone’s most coherent, most consistent, and most enjoyable action film in years. Of course, that’s not saying a great deal.
