Last week we got two major-studio sequels that were far better than they had any right to be.
This week, we pay for it with a string of big-ticket busts — though the indie fare is strong. So that’s something.
I’ll Follow You Down: Richie Mehta’s unorthodox time-travel movie isn’t entirely satisfying as a genre work, but there’s something grimly compelling in its heart.
Jersey Boys: Forty-seven years ago, Clint Eastwood co-starred in Paint Your Wagon … and it appears he’s been waiting to get back at musicals ever since. So, well played on the whole destroying-a-Broadway-smash thing, I guess.
The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne: Not all criminals go down in a blaze of glory. Some of them, like master jewel thief Payne, live to a ripe old age and get to be the subjects of documentaries. Andy explains.
No Tears for the Dead: Rad is mixed on Lee Jeong-Beom’s hitman thriller, which is kinda how I felt about his last one, The Man from Nowhere. But if you’re in the mood for Korean shoot-em-ups …
Obvious Child: Jenny Slate’s knockout performance is getting the bulk of the attention, but the rest of Gillian Robespierre’s indie comedy is also pretty damn great. Go see it, would you? Thanks.
The Rover: Animal Kingdom‘s David Michod takes another run at an Australian family study — only this one takes place a decade after an unspecified global collapse, with Guy Pearce going the full Mel Gibson as a relentless pursuer of them what’s wronged him and Robert Pattinson, for some reason, as a simpleton who gets in his way. Glenn was unmoved.
Think Like a Man Too: Everyone seems pretty disappointed in Tom Story’s sequel to his 2012 ensemble sleeper, and somehow I am not surprised. (I had to see Jersey Boys instead, which was half an hour longer, so I am still pretty sure my suffering was far more profound.) UPDATE: Rad positively loathed it.
Uvanga: I was not a big fan of Before Tomorrow, so it’s nice to see Marie-Helene Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu make an actual movie this time around instead of repeating themselves. And yes, that’s Marianne Farley from La Peau Blanche in there.
In summary, go see Obvious Child. Oh, and if you haven’t seen 22 Jump Street and/or How to Train Your Dragon 2, go see those. And maybe catch Rope outdoors on Sunday evening. There, you’re sorted.