The Light Between Oceans, Complete Unknown, Spa Night, Klown Forever

The Light Between Oceans

Complete Unknown

Spa Night

Klown Forever

Quick notes on a weak and light weekend of movies:

The Meddler, Elvis & Nixon, Hockney, A Hologram for the King

The Meddler

Elvis & Nixon

Hockney

A Hologram for the King

Capsules on a light late April week of movies:

Remember, My Golden Days, Krisha, The Clan, Midnight Special

Remember

My Golden Days



Krisha

The Clan

Midnight Special







Capsules on a mixed week at the movies:

The Martian, 99 Homes, Freeheld, He Named Me Malala, Labyrinth of Lies, National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead

The Martian

99 Homes

Freeheld

He Named Me Malala



Labyrinth of Lies

National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead

A Michael Shannon double feature highlights the week in film:

Man of Steel

Director Zack Snyder’s approach to the Superman saga in “Man of Steel” is probably the smartest: to pretend none of the other movies had been made.

The Iceman

Dating Edward Scissorhands undoubtedly helped Winona Ryder prepare for marriage to Michael Shannon in "The Iceman," a new film about the contract killer Richard Kuklinski, responsible for more than 100 hits before his arrest in 1986.

Premium Rush, Compliance

Premium Rush

Compliance

The bike-messenger race-against-time movie “Premium Rush” isn’t very premium – it gets every action movie cliché and stereotype stuck in its spokes – and doesn’t provide much of a rush. Having thoroughly enjoyed “Run Lola Run” and the similar Japanese import “Non-Stop,” I was surprised how little excitement this particular chase generated. The dialogue is mostly perfunctory, but some of what’s given to Michael Shannon to read borders on embarrassing. Shannon’s a talented actor, but he’s overdone it with the goggle-eyed nutbags. The time has come for him to rein it in, to find a quality role of nuance and subtlety. The leading player, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, still hasn’t found his star vehicle. He’s obviously gotten himself in great shape for this picture (homeboy looks fiiine), but the most enjoyable moments in “Premium Rush” involve watching his cheeks (all four). Its fundamental lesson is that bicyclists are as much a scourge and a plague in New York as they are here.

Return

"Return" is a showpiece for the actress Linda Cardellini, who plays Kelli, a soldier just getting back to Ohio from a tour of duty and trying to resume her life as a factory worker and wife and mother. The experience of the film is highly fragmented, at times logy, occasionally compelling, but always quiet, understated, free of movieish artificiality or hysterics. It's the lack of a prefabricated arc and easy resolution that gives it its lingering effect.