Adam Graham Detroit News Film Critic Published 8:06 PM EST Dec 13, 2018 The unruly "Mortal Engines" plays out like the lamest "Star Wars" spinoff story, told as a runaway steam punk version of "Mad Max: Fury Road." This visionary mess is this year's "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," a big budget bust that was somehow financed by a major studio despite being made for an audience of, well, who, exactly? Maybe 11-year-olds who play "World of Warcraft" will like it. No one else will, at least not un-ironically. The premise should require its own Wikipedia entry. At least 1,100 years in the future, "traction cities" — think London as a giant tank — roam the Earth and swallow up smaller independent settlements, which are also on wheels. The communities on board London have museums filled with ancient junk from our current times; known as "The Screen Age," our era is reduced to statues of Minions and a couple of cracked … [Read more...] about Movie review: ‘Mortal Engines’ goes nowhere fast
Movies
Movie review: Willem Dafoe is impassioned van Gogh in fascinating yet frustrating biopic
'AT ETERNITY'S GATE' Starring Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mathieu Amalric; directed by Julian Schnabel; 111 minutes; PG-13 for brief strong language and some mature thematic material. Grade: BJulian Schnabel's fascinating and at times frustrating drama about Vincent van Gogh, "At Eternity's Gate," exists, as its title suggests, in a liminal space. Much like the painter, who died without the recognition he deserved, the movie approaches greatness without quite achieving it.Set in the final 2½ years of van Gogh's life — beginning with his meeting the painter Paul Gauguin in late 1887, and ending with the artist's death in the summer of 1890 — the film, which stars an uncannily convincing Willem Dafoe, is at its best when it shows rather than tells. Despite being 25 years older than van Gogh was when he died, Dafoe delivers an impassioned and believable performance, his deeply lined face capturing the mix of agony and ecstasy — … [Read more...] about Movie review: Willem Dafoe is impassioned van Gogh in fascinating yet frustrating biopic
Four inches of snow, three pigs in blankets and Christmas movies top list for ‘perfect Christmas’
FIVE Christmas movies, four inches of snow and three pigs in blankets have been revealed as the formula for the perfect Christmas. A survey of 2,000 adults delved into the nation’s would-be perfect Christmas day and discovered Brits think the ideal occasion requires receiving seven presents on average. Time plays a significant factor, with the majority of adults believing the best time to wake up is 7:56am and the optimal time to enjoy Christmas dinner is 2:33pm. According to the research, the most important aspects for an impeccable Christmas are getting all the family together, having a real tree and eating turkey. The survey also revealed how money loving Brits consider cash to be the ideal gift to receive on the big day. A fragrance, a book and alcohol were also considered faultless gifts. Sophie Barton of Marks & Spencer said: “The Christmas season is a particularly important time of the year as customers are on the hunt for the perfect gifts to impress their … [Read more...] about Four inches of snow, three pigs in blankets and Christmas movies top list for ‘perfect Christmas’
‘Little Miss Sunshine’ at Family Movie Month
Road trip: A scene from the comedy Little Miss Sunshine. — Photo wordpress.comViet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) will open its ‘Family Movie Month” with a screening of the Little Miss Sunshine tomorrow night (Friday). An American comedy-drama road trip film, the 2006 movie is also the directorial debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is desperately trying to sell his motivational success program with no success. Meanwhile, "pro-honesty" mom Sheryl (Toni Collette) lends support to her eccentric family, including her depressed brother (Steve Carell), fresh out of the hospital after being jilted by his lover. Then there are the younger Hoovers – the seven-year-old, would-be beauty queen Olive (Abigail Breslin) and Dwayne (Paul Dano), a Nietzsche-reading teen who has taken a vow of silence. Topping off the family is the foul-mouthed … [Read more...] about ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ at Family Movie Month
‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ was only the second most rewatched movie on Netflix
Netflix's year-end rankings reveal the most binged movies. Any guesses on the flick that topped the list? The mega-hit "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," starring Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky and Lana Condor as Lara Jean Song Covey, came in second.Following the teen romance is "Roxanne Roxanne," which tells the story of hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shanté.It was "The Kissing Booth" that placed first, another teen romance adapted from a book like "To All the Boys." The movie stars Jacob Elordi and Joey King, who have a sweet love story in the film and a relationship in real life.Netflix notes that the ranking has no relation to overall viewing. It only names the three movies that were rewatched with the highest frequency.The streaming service also revealed the top 10 series that were the most-binged, meaning had the highest average watch time per viewing session.1. "On My Block"2. "Making a Murderer: Part 2"3. "13 Reasons Why: Season 2"4. "Last Chance … [Read more...] about ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ was only the second most rewatched movie on Netflix