The Babadook - Hailed by all as the new benchmark for 21st century horror, ‘The Babadook’ is a masterclass in both psychological terror and old-fashioned jumps. About a mother dealing with the death of her husband and her hellion of a child, the film digs deep into the disturbing mindset of a woman driven to the edge. The performances from Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman will blow you away. Our standards are so low for horror films these days that having a film that is worth our time feels like a true blessing. Read my full 4.5 review in the “B” album.
Unbroken - For her second feature, Angelina Jolie upped her scope and ambition to tell the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who was captured and tortured by the Japanese during WWII. It’s a sweeping story that could not possibly be fit into one film. ‘Unbroken’ ends at the end of the war, but Zamperini’s remarkable story continued with PTSD, substance abuse, and Christian salvation. Jolie may spend a little too much time in the torturous prison camp, but she has nonetheless proven her chops as a blockbuster director. MVP? That would be on-the-rise Jack O’Connell, playing Zamperini like a man possessed. Read the full 4 review in the “U” album.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - By the third film in the series, Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit’ series had long begun to show its stretch marks. ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ was thrilling, with its inspired dragon voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Everything good about that film wraps up in about the first thirty minutes of ‘TBOTFA’, leaving us to spend two hours with a large-scale between orcs and elves and dwarfs and one hobbit. It’s all jumbled and confusing, but Jackson’s love the material still shows. Let’s just hope he leaves Middle Earth for good this time. Read the full 3 review in the “H” album.