BradWesley123's Movie Journal- September 2016

Respectable and often mildly stirring, The Man Who Knew Infinity can't ever break out of it's bloodless funk to create something intriguing. Sure, it's interesting, but it never lures the viewer. It's very much in line with that dull collection of biopics that goes through to much information, and not enough insight. Patel and Irons are very good throughout though, and it's quite well made.

It benefits for a set of committed performances for it's cast (though Law goes too hammy, often) and is a technically proficient picture, but Genius catches the all-too-common historical-biopic disease of plodding hagiography, rather than full-blooded portraits. It shows us how these people were, not who they were.

Equals is essentially a rehash of various different sci-fi and romance films, but it can't get the ingredients quite right. The romance side works, with Hoult and Stewart sharing strong, though quiet, chemistry and selling every movement with hidden emotion; the sci-fi elements can't help but feel stale, and eventually overtake the romance. If the story was better it would be a whole-hearted endorsement, as most all of the other elements work (well-acted and exceptionally well made).

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Cinematography- John Guleserian
Best Score- Dustin O'Halloran and Sascha Ring

While the story does get a bit too frantically tangled, and the film never reaches the sky-high satirical milestones that it aspires to, High-Rise is messy critique of class and social structures that hits many of its targets, and is, at the very least, never less that interesting. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, but the story until that point was strong, and the cast is excellent. Also of note is the production design, which strikes the tricky balance of a past time period trying to emulate a modern look; it's a real feat.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Adapted Screenplay- Amy Jump
Best Costume Design- Odile Dicks-Mireaux
Best Editing- Amy Jump & Ben Wheatley
Best Production Design- Mark Tildesley and Paki Smith
Best Makeup

It's amiable enough, well-made and the chemistry between Clarke and Claflin is charming, but Me Before You falls into too many genre cliches, and ends on a rather upsetting and tone-deaf note. It's not necessarily the end itself, but the handling of it that seems to mix things up. While it wouldn't be enough to sink a better movie, it certainly doesn't help with a movie as okay-ish as this.

Monthly Wesley AwardWorst Picture

A stirring and alarming look at the housing market and poverty in the U.S. with some great performances by Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon, direction that ramps up tension, and a script that deftly balances character work and market exposition. The middle portion does drag a little, and things do get I little too black and white, but it's still a strong feature.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Actor- Andrew Garfield
Best Supporting Actor- Michael Shannon
Best Original Screenplay- Ramin Bahrani & Amir Naderi and Bahareh Azimi

While it is, certainly, to precious for it's own good, and there are numerous dull stretches, I enjoyed Paper Heart more than most. Yi is solid throughout, and she's aided ably by Michael Cera and Jake Johnson, and there's an endearing made-on-the-fly charm to it. Maybe it's nostalgia on my part, for a time when these types of movies, slight but with charm, could be made, but I still liked it.

Terrifying and thrilling in equal degree, The Invitation is a terrifically made nightmare that will have you on the edge of your seat for the film's entire 100 minute runtime. Karyn Kusama's direction is key to this; while the cast and script are exceptional, the direction builds fear from the first frame, but also builds character dynamics that are as intriguing as the mysteries the film introduces.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Picture
Best Director- Karyn Kusama

I'll be honest, I enjoyed Out of the Shadows much more than I had expected. It's certainly quite stupid, and the writing is as sloppy as the editing, but there's a genuine energy to this one that was missing from the original. It also helps that the focus is more on the title characters, not on the humans (though they still take up more time than necessary). While I most definitely call it a great film, it may not even be a good one, I would say that there are worse studio blockbusters out there.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Sound
Best Visual Effects

Krampus is an intriguing mixed-bag of a film that has a lot of highs, but too many lows to endorse wholeheartedly. There are some very fun, inventive ideas, and the humor of the early-goings is pretty strong (the opening is quite funny). That said, the tone becomes something of a mess, with the black humor giving way to horror (not comedy-horror, just horror), to straight drama, the middle section also drags too much. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, and the result lands with a thud. There's a lot to like here, just not enough.

While it does fall into the all too common indie tradition of quirky preciousness, Sunshine Cleaning, luckily, is built on stronger foundation. The emotions don't feel particularly manufactured, though they do at times, and the cast is superb (Adams and Blunt, especially). An above-average Sundance flick.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Actress- Amy Adams
Best Supporting Actress- Emily Blunt

The story at the center of the movie is rife with possibility, and is easily the most compelling part of Truth. Problems arise when the script goes off on its own, making moments big and "important" that should've been played small. The last act, while important, also doesn't deliver the kick that this film needed. The cast is strong, with Blanchett and Redford giving strong performances, especially the former, and its pretty well made. It's an okay film that could've easily been a really good one, or at least a vital one.