Hmm. This week’s release slate includes sequels to The Conjuring and Now You See Me … but aren’t magicians known as conjurers? Huh? We are through the looking glass here, people.
The American Dreamer: In 1971, Lawrence Schiller and L.M. Kit Carson followed their buddy Dennis Hopper around as he finished The Last Movie and rapped about whatever crossed his mind. This is the result.
The Conjuring 2: James Wan, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return for another round of ’70s hair and modern scares. It’s two and a quarter hours long. I’m out; Glenn‘s tapping in. [Review up later this afternoon.]
Khoya: Rad really wanted to like Sami Khan’s drama about a Canadian man (Rupak Ginn) searching for his birth parents in India, but found its reach exceeded its grasp.
Koneline: Our Land Beautiful: Susan swooned for Nettie Wild’s gorgeous documentary at Hot Docs, and she’s just as high on it now. I support this decision.
Maggie’s Plan: Rebecca Miller’s latest is a romance of sorts starring Greta Gerwig and Ethan Hawke. I like all of these people but still haven’t managed to catch up to the damn movie. Susan likes it, though.
Now You See Me 2: The title — not just uninspired, but genuinely insulting given the potential for audience-flattering — tells you everything you need to know about how low Jon M. Chu’s sequel sets its sights. Lizzy Caplan’s having a great time, though.
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt: Susan really likes Ada Ushpitz’ documentary about one of the foremost writers on the Holocaust. It’s on my list.
Warcraft: Duncan Jones’ expansive, expensive Tolkien knockoff isn’t as terrible as you may have heard … but as a very wise penguin once said, Lord, it wasn’t good.
And that’s everything! Well, except for all the film festivals in town this week, and the Roberto Minervini retrospective at TIFF, which I’m featuring in this week’s web column. Remember when the summer months meant everything slowed down for a bit?