Sing 2

Sing 2; Another fully stuffed animated explosion of symphonic colour that somehow manages to offer many characters their own tidy storylines. Movie works best operating in music video style montages and pantomime. New voices are welcome alongside the returning stars. Very fun; A-

Interstellar

Interstellar; Nolan gives us a thought provoking, emotionally driven, visual tour de force. His vision is unmatched & trendsetting; A-

Sing

Sing; Impeccably animated, infectiously fun, music driven film flies fast through each character's storyline w/humour & heartfelt moments; A

Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings; @wearelaika prove they are the leaders in animated film. Exciting, enticing and exhilarating storytelling; A

Contact

Directed by:  Robert Zemeckis
Starring:  Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerrit, James Woods
Running Time:  2h 29min

Foster is once again the focal point of two hours of thought provoking filmmaking.  She's in almost every scene and her talent does not bore.  We want more.  All the circumstances seem realistic, enough so that a vivid discussion can follow the movie.  However, at times I thought I was watching Forrest Gump all over again.  The music swelling at the right moments, the grand shot placed at the right time for the perfect amount of time.  The filmmaking is so precision that it lacks vision.  Except the "journey" sequence, which gave a whole lot more than I expected, yet still leaving plenty to the imagination.  Another problem is the intensity of the two stars' relationship, stemming from a one night stand!  This movie gets better as time passes though.

Grade: B

EDtv

Directed by:  Ron Howard
Starring:  Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harellson, Ellen DeGeneres, Elizabeth Hurley
Running Time:  2h 00min

An interesting depiction of what would happen if someone's life were broadcast live 24 hours a day.  The commentary on our hypermediated society is both thought provoking and entertaining.  Woody and Matthew appear to be brothers, and are cast well.  In fact, the whole casting is tremendous, apart from Hurley, who though great in her role, would have been better if her character was an unknown (or on the level of Elfman at least). Howard, as always, mixes humour, family, and drama into a tight slice of real life.  The take is both realistic yet reflexive, as camera for the film and in the film are edited together perfectly, never alienating the audience.  Some reactions to EDtv could have been different but I really enjoyed the path they did choose.

Grade: B