The Mission

The Mission; Spectacular filming of the brutal dichotomy of colonial powers valuing South American indigenous peoples and territory for their subjugation to religion and exploitation of labour. The efforts to depict the scope and scale are unfortunately not given to the writing of the script; B+
 

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Zach Snyder’s Justice League; If thought of as a six episode superhero series, this is an improvement on the original (can’t complain about more Flash & more Cyborg). Expands the characters & lives longer in the moments. Like we’ve grown accustomed to from premium television; B+

Justice League

Justice League; Sum of the parts not nearly as interesting as each individual character could be. Casting is great but assembly awkward and underwhelming. Not very memorable at all; B-

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; Bat bits are fantastic, Supes' angst complex, female roles fierce. Lex is lame. Comic lovers film; A-

Chinese Box

Directed by:  Wally Wong
Starring:  Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Reuben Blades
Running Time:  1h 35min

Irons gives an inspired performance in a film where Hong Kong itself is a lead character.  Irons is the foreigner trying to make sense of his place in life and in a strange land.  Struck with Leukemia, he shifts his focuses inward and changes himself so that he changes others.  The documentary style shooting gives the film historic realism, as Hong Kong is handed to the Chinese from the British.  Love, power and business must change hands and the takeover must truly affect every resident, it is altering the life of Irons.  The grittiness still can't make up for the slow pace however, and the film never seems to climax or pivot enough to truly move the viewer.  Great scenes of Hong Kong and Irons' acting are the highlights of a slow moving film.

Grade:  C+