June 2015
WOMAN IN GOLD
GENRE: DRAMA
Tempo Prediction: 4.5 stars
Maria Altmann, a refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family. Based on a true story.
Gossip: Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spiderman) was originally cast as Randol Schoenberg, but after he dropped out Ryan Reynolds replaced him.
Directed By: Simon Curtis
Cast: Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Bruhl
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3
GENRE: HORROR
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3.5 stars
A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.
Gossip: James Wan was unavailable to return as director for the third installment due to his scheduling conflict with Furious Seven (2015).
Director: Leigh Whannell
Stars: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson
PAPER TOWNS
GENRE: Adventure, Mystery, Romance
TEMPO PREDICTION: 4 stars
A young man and his friends embark upon the road trip of their lives to find the missing girl next door.
Gossip: This film is based off of the popular novel by John Green, which was published almost seven years ago!
Director: Jake Schreier
Cast: Cara Delevingne, Nat Wolff, Halston Sage
JURASSIC WORLD
GENRE: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
TEMPO PREDICTION:4.5 STARS
Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly.
Gossip: This is the first film in the Jurassic franchise that doesn’t star the original cast of Jurassic Park.
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Cast: Chris Pratt, Judy Greer, Ty Simpkins.
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Tempo Reviews
By Aleece Smith
Cut Bank
What can you say about small towns? Small towns are quirky. Small towns are close knit. Small towns have their secrets. All of those traits make for an ideal place to set a murder mystery and Cut Bank does not disappoint. Director Matt Shakman unwinds this yarn at just the right pace, making for a suspenseful and twisty ninety-minute tour through all that quirkiness, closeness and secrecy.
Murder in a small town is likely to shake up a lot of lives, but in Cut Bank’s first murder, it most notably affects John Malkovich’s Sheriff Vogel, who has trouble stomaching this kind of death, and Dwayne McLaren (Liam Hemsworth), the young mechanic who has been itching to get out of town for years. There are several other satisfying performances from everyone on the cast, from Michael Stuhlbarg playing the town recluse all the way down to minor supporting roles like kids playing in the street.
Cut Bank probably isn’t a movie one relates to on a personal level, nor is it one to think too hard about after leaving the theatre. However, it is definitely a must-see movie to catch some Hollywood heavyweights puzzle through a charming tale of small-town intrigue.
Catch it on Blu-Ray: Chappie
In this latest release from Neill Blomkamp, the director stays in his wheelhouse of Earth-based, science-fiction with clear social commentary. Set in Johannesburg in the near future, the opening scenes of Chappie make you think it’s going to be a cautionary tale warning against relying too heavily on computer technology and militarized solutions. While the movie’s premise does make it hard to escape those particular points, Chappie is so jam packed with other social commentary that you quickly push that topic to the back of your head.
Chappie is a simple yet fun examination of the human condition. Blomkamp and co-writer Terri Tatchell have crafted a good story about artificial intelligence, humanity and the gray area separating the two. This is especially true if you get past the laughable security protocols at the globally-recognized weapons developer and just about everything concerning office tough-guy Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman).
Even if Sci-Fi isn’t your favourite genre, this film offers a lot of good jumping off points for engrossing conversations ranging from the militarization of local police forces, to spirituality, to approaches to child-rearing. With that in mind, it might be a great option for a date night in with someone you’ve been wanting to get to know better.
