This week at the movies: a fairytale, an action flick, and a horror story.
Cinderella
Lily James, the charming young actress who plays Rose in Downton Abbey, inhabits the role of Cinderella, and from the looks of the trailers, she is perfect. It is the faithfully told fairytale of the girl who must contend with the evil stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and two mean stepsisters. There’s the fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) that uses her magic wand to bestow a gown, glass slippers, and a carriage so that she can attend the ball with the handsome prince. As the director is Kenneth Branagh, it’s no surprise the movie is stacked with great actors, including Stellan Skargard (the Grand Duke.)
Perfect For: The whole family, even the adults.
What the Critics Say: 82 percent on the Rotten Tomato meter rating: not bad for a fairytale. Rolling Stone writes: “Cate Blanchett is perfectly marvelous. Nothing steals a scene from her, except Sandy Powell's costumes and Dante Ferretti's production design, which are all kinds of wonderful.” And says USA Today: “Cinderella enthralls with its ravishing style and timeless message of resilience, decency and kindness triumphing over evil.”
Our Take: Looks great!
Run All Night
A heartwarming father-son movie that stars Liam Neeson and Joel Kinnaman as father-son assassins on the run. They are fleeing crime boss Ed Harris, because Neeson, trying to protect his son (he only plays good-bad guys now), killed Harris’s son, and Harris vows an eye for an eye.
Perfect For: You are waiting for Taken, part 400. (No kids.)
What the Critics Say: Too samey, nothing you’ve never seen before. Writes the San Jose Mercury News: “We've been up and down this road before, and even though Kinnaman, Neeson and Harris make interesting passengers, the overused tires in "Run All Night" go bald.”
Our Take: Skip.
It Follows
A psychological/possession horror movie, about a presence that follows a chosen victim until they die or pass it along to someone else (by having sex), It Follows is low budget, but effective. The demon spirit takes different shapes, different personas, and renders everyone paranoid.
Perfect For: Fans of Paranormal Activity, Cabin in the Woods, Blair Witch Project. You get the idea.
What the Critics Say: In world-class shocka, It Follows is getting rave reviews, even earning a spot in the New Yorker. Writes Rolling Stone: “Name a good recent horror movie. After The Babadook, you're stuck, right? It Follows ends the drought.” Writes the New Yorker: “’It Follows’ is a fine title, blending a logician’s briskness with the job description of a stalker, and David Robert Mitchell, the writer and director, has fun with his various predators.”
Our Take: I’d see it, if you hold my hand.
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