Jupiter Ascending

Review by Matt Finley

It’s hard to imagine a bigger success than the Wachowskis' over-indulgent, ridiculous, confounding and gorgeous JUPITER ASCENDING, though I doubt the film’s ultimate financial take, review aggregator scores or pop cultural legacy will agree. As a movie, this latest sci-fi confection from THE MATRIX siblings Andy and Lana is maybe not so good. As a wild, drippy, impassioned love-letter to the classic space opera, though, it's outstanding.

Cloud Atlas

Review by Matt Finley

Unfilmable. It was an adjective often invoked in fan discussions of David Mitchell’s Booker Prize-nominated 2004 novel Cloud Atlas – a delightful, time- and genre-spanning puzzle box that uses a deceptively simple structure to tell six interlocking stories spanning four centuries. Now it’s 2012, and Wachowski brothers Lana and Andy (THE MATRIX) along with Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN) just filmed that puppy. The result, also titled CLOUD ATLAS, is a strange, richly imagined mosaic comprised of equal parts filmmaking expertise, well-intentioned soapbox philosophizing, and consummate self-absorption.

I wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys movies, but there’s a good chance that you’ll absolutely hate it. I know. A ringing endorsement.