Director F. Gary Gray calls back to his days as an acton-thriller filmmaker with Lift, a heist movie that aspires to be an airborne version of Gray’s remake of The Italian Job. However, that former influence was an entertaining and accessible thrill ride with enough charisma to boot. Lift , the complete opposite, is an expensive-looking, self-serious knockoff; hampered by a convoluted plot and absent camaraderie among the cast. The only thing this empty-headed flick…
Passive-aggressive movie goers could easily lump Disney’s live-action rendition of Beauty and the Beast with the studio’s recent catalogue of modern facelifts (Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book). After all, it’s a current trend that’s obviously working for them. According to a recent Collider article, there are 13 remakes/retellings either currently in the shop or enduring early stages of production.
Solid pacing and a talented cast make up for a struggling script in Miss Sloane, director John Madden’s political thriller that has been generating Oscar buzz in recent weeks.
Free State of Jones is inspired by real events that took place in Jones County, Mississippi following the United States’ civil war. As expected, Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club) is impressive as Newton Knight, a former army medic who lead an armed rebellion against the confederate army. The film also features strong performances by Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a freedwoman named Rachel, and Mahershala Ali as a former slave named Moses who joins Knight’s movement.