maybe take the week off?
This Week's Reviews: 'Megalopolis,' 'The Strangers,' 'IF' And 'Back To Black'
With only a few TV shows returning, but nothing new premiering, we turn our eyes to the start of summer movie season. Blockbusters and indies galore are releasing all at once — and, honestly, most of the ones out this week seem... awful.
'Megalopolis' (Wide release TBA, recently premiered at Cannes)
In the same way that George Lucas chose not to listen to anyone who might have had some concerns about "The Phantom Menace" before it was made, there was clearly no one in Mr. Coppola's life who might have been able to stop him and save us.
Sarah Manvel, In Their Own League
A bunch of ideas smashed together into a garish, baffling, dazzling, kind of atrocious, and totally audacious rejection of the cinematic form. It should never have been made. And yet, now that it has, we should be so grateful that it exists.
"Megalopolis" is stilted, earnest, over the top, CGI ridden and utterly a mess. And yet you can picture a crowded theater shouting along with Jon Voight as he says in one key scene, "What do you make of this boner I got?"
Esther Zuckerman, The Daily Beast
"Megalopolis" might be the craziest thing I've ever seen. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every single batshit second of it.
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture
This is the junkiest of junk-drawer movies, a slapped together hash of Coppola's many disparate inspirations. What really tanks the movie, though, is its datedness.
Consensus: This thing sounds like a ridiculous, silly, preposterous disaster that must be seen to be believed. Or, it's "so bad it's good"-type trash that will go down in infamy.
'IF' (Out May 17, in theaters everywhere)
Simultaneously exploits childhood grief while cloyingly indulging the inner child of grown-ups.
Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
In exploring the fantasy world of imaginary friends, writer/director John Krasinski delivers a decisively tepid, underwhelming attempt to capture the magic of early Pixar... Not bad as a family time killer but the film is eminently forgettable.
Had there been a stronger sense of imagination — ironic — and a more structured narrative, "IF" could have truly been the whimsical experience Krasinski so clearly believes he's created.
It's hard to understand what Krasinski is going for with this endeavor.
Krasinski is a V16 engine of ideas. Too many. Too much clever. And the ideas conflict. The ideas go to very adult, complicated places. But they can't go there because it's a family movie. So they keep lighting fires that can't be allowed to burn.
Consensus: Go if you have kids, wait for streaming otherwise.
'Back to Black' (Out May 17, in theaters everywhere)
How could so many people be so inept? Winehouse deserved far better.
Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Festival Today
"Back to Black" shows a basic degree of compassion and respect for its subject ... but it stops far short of actually investigating and engaging with her and that tragedy.
"Back to Black" is the worst type of biopic, one that made me feel little and offers next to nothing truly personal about the singer or her inner life.
While this sanitized and superficial Amy Winehouse biopic flounders around in search of focus, new star Marisa Abela gives her blazing all to capturing the late singer's short, turbulent life and lasting art with stunning ferocity and feeling.
The film doesn't glamorize the star's success or recount her rags-to-riches story with the sheen of a Hollywood spotlight, but despite this earnest attempt at authenticity, "Back to Black" lacks the spark needed to effectively chug things along.
Jesse Doppelt, Spectrum Culture
Consensus: This seems tone deaf, ill-conceived and not the kind of punk-rock thing Amy would have wanted for her image.
'The Strangers: Chapter 1' (Out May 17, in theaters everywhere)
"The Strangers: Chapter 1" is everything WRONG with the horror genre.
Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily
The rest of the trilogy is already filmed; with a first movie this bad, how exactly do they plan to convince audiences to come back to theaters in a few months for more?
Eric Langberg, Everything's Interesting
The trade-off for forgoing an excessive body count and squeamish kills is a drawn-out cat-and-mouse ordeal that is more tiresome than tense. And if the film intends to stick to the brand, we know where things are heading.
Despite decent acting and sound direction, "The Strangers: Chapter 1" is one of the new films to skip... Otherwise, expect to leave the movie theater unhappy, confused, and perhaps resentful of having wasted an hour and a half.
Harlin's film thinks it's "improving" on the original by filling in blanks that are blank for a reason, scrubbing away what "The Strangers" fans hold dear about Bertino's remarkably revolting mirror to humanity.
Consensus: Maybe just leave the original alone. This doesn't need to be a brand new franchise.
'Babes' (Out May 17, in select theaters)
Stands out as one of the biggest bundles of joy this year has to offer.
A touching buddy comedy that is able to deliver true emotional moments, while simultaneously making the audience crack up.
Ever wonder what being pregnant is really like? Glazer, Buteau and Adlon let it all hang out — literally and make you howl with laughter along the way.
Carla Renata, The Curvy Film Critic
"Babes" is a celebration of their resilience as individuals and the time, effort and love each has poured into their shared life.
"Babes" offers keen insights into pregnancy, parenting and longtime friendships, although many get lost in the movie's bodily function-joke jamboree.
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
Consensus: Pamela Adlon has been doing tremendous work her entire career, and she deserves for this to become a hit — especially since it has Ilana Glazer in it.
[Image: YouTube]
