The Messenger movie review: voices from the other side
This he-sees-dead-people drama slathers on the moping misery with a trowel, and indulges in a wishy-washy ambiguity that serves no purpose.
2015 theatrical releases
Containment (aka Infected) movie review: no place like home
There’s nothing groundbreaking in this low-budget sci-fi thriller, but newbie director Mcenery-West makes excellent use of his claustrophobic setting.
Listening movie review: plug your ears
Naive, hamfisted, and amateurish indie sci-fi… but as hilarious as the clumsy, clichéd execution is, it still isn’t even worth it for the laughs.
How to Change the World documentary review: the path to Greenpeace
A warts-and-all history of Greenpeace full of colorful characters and beset by twists and surprises. An inspiring, even exhilarating tribute.
Everest movie review: peak experience
A spectacular, heart-stopping adventure that has you catching your breath and gasping in shock. See it in IMAX 3D for an enrapturing you-are-there feeling.
Legend movie review: badfellas
Tom Hardy is fab, but this is GoodFellas-lite, depicting violent sociopaths as glamorous, even amusing, and lacking all understanding of what made them tick.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials movie review: apocalyptic pile-on
The only slightly original element of the first film — the Maze — is gone, and now we’re in not simply a generic afterscape but every sci-fi afterscape.
Welcome to Leith documentary review: when hate comes to town
An uncomfortable, essential documentary that takes no sides as it raises questions about American ideals that are almost unanswerable but demand exploration.
The Second Mother movie review: cleaning house
Sharply observant and always surprising; mixes dry humor, aching drama, and stinging social commentary in its clashes between classes and generations.
The Visit movie review: grandma’s house (of horrors?)
Over the river and through the woods to yet another banal, anticlimactic attempt at storytelling from M. Night Shyamalan. And this time, it’s found-footage.
