Passengers

Review by Bob Ignizio

A spaceship filled with colonists from Earth is en route to a new planet. The voyage will take 120 years, so the passengers and crew are kept in suspended animation, with the ship's computer running things while they sleep. But when a meteor gets through the shields and causes systemic damage to the ship, one of the passengers is awakened from his slumber 90 years too soon. This is the promising set-up for the science fiction drama PASSENGERS, directed by Morten Tyldum from a script by Jon Spaihts.

The early riser is engineer Jim Preston (Chris Pratt). Jim quickly finds that the ship's computer is no help, and there's no way for him to go back to sleep. He tries to make the best of things, taking advantage of the ship's amenities and chatting with android bartender Arthur (Michael Sheen). But after about a year of this, Jim's at the end of his rope.

Joy

Review by Pamela Zoslov

Back in the '90s, I became addicted to home shopping TV channels. In hindsight it seems tacky, but as an over-thirty law student under crushing pressure, I found solace in the patter of the smooth, charismatic hosts hawking gold jewelry, fake diamonds (“Diamonique”), clothes and household gadgets, each piece of merchandise flattered by star-filtered lights and the caresses of the well-manicured presenters. I came to know the hosts and their stories — witty New York-bred Kathy Levine; Judy Crowell, briefly married to a rakish fellow host, who asked her for a divorce just before airtime; Lisa Mason, fashion-model gorgeous but charmingly self-effacing; David Venable, the handsome ex-news anchor whose Southern charm could coax the bark off a Magnolia tree.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Review by Matt Finley

When last we saw two-time Hunger Games competitor Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), she had just broken out of the arena and found sanctuary with a group of District 13 rebels under the leadership of game designer-turned-revolutionary Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman).  THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE director Francis Lawrence's THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1, an adaptation of the first half of the final book in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, picks up several weeks later, and chronicles the final steps in Katniss' transformation from The Girl On Fire - would-be political plaything of the odious President Snow (Donald Sutherland) - into the Mockingjay - propaganda icon for a political revolution led by newly introduced rebel general, President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore).

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Review by Bob Ignizio

With X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, filmmaker Bryan Singer reminds us that before Marvel started taking cinematic matters into their own hands, he had already shown that super hero movies that treat their source material with respect can be successful with fanboys, general audiences, and critics alike. The X franchise is where the modern super hero film truly began, and while the series lost its way when Singer left to pursue other projects, the situation for the team of mutant heroes improved considerably with his return (in the capactiy of producer) for 2011's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. That film was a step in the right direction, and things have only gotten better now that Singer is back in the director's chair.

American Hustle

Review by Bob Ignizio

AMERICAN HUSTLE is based very loosely on the FBI ABSCAM sting operation that, back in 1978, took down 6 members of congress and a Senator, not to mention a few smaller fish. The bureau did this in part by utilizing the services of a convicted con artist who helped create a convincing set-up involving a phony middle eastern sheikh.

That much, at least, does make it into the film. But there's a reason AMERICAN HUSTLE begins with the onscreen disclaimer, “some of this actually happened” rather than the usual “based on a true story”. Not only have names been changed, but characters and situations have been invented, and director David O. Russell intentionally rewrote Eric Warren Singer's screenplay to make it more comedic. The costumes, hair, and make-up further push the film into camp territory, with the amped up performances by just about everyone in the cast pushing the movie completely over the top.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Review by Pete Roche

The girl on fire is back.

In the wake of the events depicted in 2011’s HUNGER GAMES, Katiss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutchinson) return to their impoverished District 12 home.  They’re celebrities now, having survived Panem’s 74^th annual kill-or-be-killed contest thrust—but neither enjoys playing puppet for an evil oligarchy whose Big Brother cameras broadcast their every move.  Katniss feels especially awkward acting out her contrived romance with bread boy Peeta because her heart still belongs to hunky Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). 

Or so she thinks; we aren’t sure either.