It's a common theme in films that Wall Street is largely corrupt. We've seen it played out countless times. Especially lately. And many of these films mesh together to become indistinguishable from each other. Money Monster may feel different. But is it maybe due to the ridiculously large ad campaign or because it says things that the others don't?
The former is most likely true, but it doesn't mean this film should be tossed aside. There's a lot to like about it.
George Clooney plays Lee Gates, the host of a stock market show where he advises people on what to stocks to buy and sell. In one situation, he advises everyone to buy shares of a specific company, saying it's a surefire bet. So many viewers do, but when the company's stock plummets, costing investors $800 million, everyone wants answers.
Most specifically, a young man named Kyle (Jack O'Connell), who sneaks onto the show's set and threatens everyone. Flailing a gun around and strapping a bomb around Gates' chest, he goes into a rant about losing his entire $60,000 life savings on the company because of Gates' advice.
Kyle and the script have a lot to say, but never quite hit the nail on the head in a grand way. It's well thought out, but doesn't play as so, instead giving us popcorn thrills and adrenaline rushes. Which, by no means, is a bad thing.
Bordering on transparent and cheesy a few times, its wittiness jumps back out of it quickly--and fortunately.
At a little over 90 minutes, the film is paced well. It keeps us awake on the edge of our seats pretty much the whole time, which is interesting considering almost the whole thing takes place on a television set with just a couple of people.
This may have to do with the fact that the point of view is all over the place--an odd decision for a thriller. We see what the filmmakers conveniently need us to see--not always what makes sense for us to.
Though not as big or impactful as it wants to be, it stands as a microcosm of the financial stresses most of the country is constantly going through. It's an important movie, but there are others that are slightly more important. Although, it doesn't hurt to watch this one and be thoroughly entertained in the process.
Twizard Rating: 85
The Jungle Book is one of those movies that we seem to remember in glimpses. We know the musical numbers and all the characters, but unless we've seen it as an adult, we can't quite remember exactly what happens.
But we know it's iconic. We know it's a Disney classic. However, this film may have benefitted from being a tad bit longer. There are too many characters we'd love to see more of and so many chances to build up the depths of our leads.
Although I do like this movie a great deal for nostalgia's sake, I wouldn't constitute it as one of Disney's best. The songs are top notch, and the characters are memorable, but it's missing a lot of heart compared to the studio's gems of the same era.
When Mowgli leaves his wolf family at the beginning of the film, there is no heartfelt goodbye. These are the creatures who raised him, and he barely bats an eye as Bagheera leads him on his way to the "man village" to escape the tiger, Shere Khan, who's trying to kill him. And without giving anything away, there are also a couple of key scenes towards the end that should have given us a little more sentiment.
Which leads me to the voice of Mowgli. The kid playing him has no feel or emotion. It sounds as though he's simply reading the lines (or having them read to him) straight off the paper. It's our main character, and his voice lacks any true conviction.
Granted, this was released in 1967, a year that marks, for many, the beginning of Disney's "dark period". It's still a beloved movie, and rightfully so. It's filled with some iconic scenes. The one with King Louie, for example. It's so good, you wish you had been treated with just a few more glimpses of the antihero.
It's the darker, more twisted, tone that drives this film the most between the catchy musical sequences. It encompasses the jungle-feel very precisely, and transcends through from Rudyard Kipling's original source material, despite Walt trying to prevent it. Everywhere Mowgli turns, there's someone out to kill him.
I know it sounds like I'm berating this film a lot, but I actually love The Jungle Book. It's one that I watched often as a kid and one that still makes me smile as I watch it as an adult. Luckily, this film won't face many new critics as mostly everyone has seen it by the time they are old enough to care. That's one of the beautiful things about these old epitomes of animation.
Twizard Rating: 90
To provide a totally new point of view for an extremely well known story is not only unique, but incredibly welcomed. It sure serves this Biblical-themed film well, as we get an entirely different perspective of the resurrection of Christ.
Pontius Pilate's right hand man, Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), must oversee the death of Jesus (Cliff Curtis) on the cross, as well as his rumored rising from the dead. The latter of which is insisted upon out of fear from the Jewish high priest.
In most Christian-influenced films, these antagonists-turned-protagonists already have a good-guy demeanor about them from the very start. You know he's going to have a change of heart, and it's just not believable that he would be that bad of a person. Fiennes totally bashes all of those stereotypes. His adamance is true in the beginning, and so is his conversion.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, or are really bad at figuring out what's going to happen, then stop reading. But what Risen does best is not making everything so black and white. Clavius isn't 100% gung-ho with this whole discipleship by the end. He's heading that direction, but he's still processing things. He just saw a guy come back from the dead, for Heaven's sake! (Pun intended).
While most faith-based films are very serious--often times taking themselves a little too serious--Risen has a bit more levity. Not too much as to alienate its truest followers, but just enough to grab the attention of the more indifferent. And the jokes aren't corny at all. In fact, they're always very much deserved each time.
If you think this film will be boring, you are mistaken. It's spiritual with good moral direction, but also comes fully equipped with chase scenes and gumshoe tropes. After all, Clavius is doing all that he can find a dead body that's gone missing.
Risen hearkens back to the classic Biblical epics of Hollywood's golden age--in a positive way only--without ever losing its fresh sensibilities. But unlike those old movies, this film knows what it's doing at all times--even when it comes down to the race of each character. It doesn't just throw a bunch of stereotypes at you. Everything is happening for a purpose.
The filmmakers know that most of its audience isn't going to be so credulous--and don't want them to be--so what we get is a brilliant reification of historical events to the point that even the most doubtful viewer may stop and reconsider.
Twizard Rating: 97
