The Equalizer
If I were the kind of guy who gave scores, I’d add bonus
points for the Chloë Grace Moretz's turn as an actress affirming that, yes, she
is the next Jodie Foster. Further, I’d
add points for casting Marton Csokas as the villain. He’s kind of a stock Russian baddie, but he
was in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. And I really love Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
About halfway through Into the Woods, I paused it checked to IMDB to learn whether the guy who wrote the music is the same guy who wrote Cats. I hate Cats.
Lone superman eliminates the entire Russian Mafia in
Boston. I don’t get it – it’s not like
they killed his dog.
Yes, The Equalizer
is basically John Wick with Denzel
Washington. I’m actually ok with that,
because I liked John Wick and I like
Denzel Washington. I liked The Equalizer, but I didn’t love it for
two reasons. First, it was so bleak that
I felt depressed while it was on.
Second, the fight choreography and photography weren’t particularly
compelling.
If I were the kind of guy who gave scores, I’d add bonus
points for the Chloë Grace Moretz's turn as an actress affirming that, yes, she
is the next Jodie Foster. Further, I’d
add points for casting Marton Csokas as the villain. He’s kind of a stock Russian baddie, but he
was in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. And I really love Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Into the Woods
About halfway through Into the Woods, I paused it checked to IMDB to learn whether the guy who wrote the music is the same guy who wrote Cats. I hate Cats.
That said, Into the Woods does provide yet another example of why Meryl Streep is enjoying such a long and lauded career. Frankly, it's as if she were in a different movie. While the rest of the performers seem to be there to make one of two statements ("I may be a movie/tv star, but I can do musical theater!" "I may be a Broadway star, but I can do movies!"), Streep is assaying an actual character. Yes, she sings and dances, but she's alive and she brings the movie alive whenever she's onscreen.
Perhaps I'll remember Into the Woods as the move that made me think, 'Maybe I will queue up Ricki and the Flash, after all.'
Going Clear
One day, my college roommate came home with a copy of Dianetics. I threw a fit, warned him not to get involved
with that evil cult, and convinced him to toss the book. Going
Clear, a documentary exposing Scientology, proves me right nearly thirty
years later. I’m just glad my roommate
listened to me way back when.
While the film lingers a bit too long on celebrity scandal for my taste, it succeeds in making its case that Scientiology is an evil, rapacious swindle. It does so in a careful, compelling way that makes it succeed as entertainment, as well. I recommend this one without reservation.
While the film lingers a bit too long on celebrity scandal for my taste, it succeeds in making its case that Scientiology is an evil, rapacious swindle. It does so in a careful, compelling way that makes it succeed as entertainment, as well. I recommend this one without reservation.
