Category: 2.5 Stars
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Criminal (**1/2) Good, but sometimes horrible
It’s not often one goes to a Gary Oldman film and ends up preferring anyone else’s performance.
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Charley Varrick (**1/2) A simpler, more horrible time
Matthau’s line about this is better than any line in the film “I have seen it three times, and am of slightly better than average intelligence but I still don’t quite understand what’s going on. Is there a device we can use to explain to people what they’re seeing?”
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3 Questionable Choices: Velocipastor, Porno and Jiu Jitsu
Two films that you might watch if you have nothing else to do and expect to live long enough to even out the waste of time. And Jiu Jitsu.
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Criterion: Theatre of Blood (**1/2) Burning down the house
This film is one of the better Price performances. If you want to see him for what made him famous enough to be on Thriller, start with this.
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Criterion: Sisters (**1/2) doing it for themselves
What it lacks is a compelling 2nd or even 3rd act to tie the buildup together with a satisfying conclusion.
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The New Mutants (**1/2) is an old film by now
As the film fades from memory, The New Mutants will be remembered as not much more than a footnote for a franchise that flew atop of the cinematic world for a brief time.
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Criterion: Further downstream of The Virgin Spring to The Last House on the Left
…it’s remarkable how far a medieval ballad can reach through time, even if what comes out on the other side holds little resemblance to the significance of the tale.
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The Jesus Rolls (**1/2) to nowhere
…the movie just serves to let us know Turturro connects one of his most famous characters to his love of an aimless French film.
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Another Look: Casino (**1/2) is a stale imitation
It’s one of the fruits of the labor of a great career that he’s been able to keep remaking the same film over and over. This doesn’t make the stale fruit taste any better.
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Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 