KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Is “Sing” worth crooning about? What about “Live By Night,” “Miss Sloane” and “Assassin’s Creed?” FOX 4’s Russ Simmons and Shawn Edwards share their thoughts in this week’s Popcorn Bag Home Video reviews!
1) SING (PG)
Universal
RUSS
If you like “American Idol” and animated comedy “Sing” is for you. Smart, tune-filled and light-hearted, “Sing” isn’t up to the standards of other animated releases we’ve seen recently, but it’s awfully hard to dislike.
SHAWN
“Sing” is fantastic. Not much of a story. Just pure entertainment. It’s energetic, funny and just a delightfully sweet movie loaded with a ton of catchy pop tunes.
RUSS: 4 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 5 Popcorn Bags
2) LIVE BY NIGHT (R)
Warner Brothers
RUSS
Ben Affleck handled the writing, directing and acting duties in his handsome adaptation of the sprawling gangster novel, “Live By Night.” The production values are first-rate and the story is involving, but Affleck just seems too clean-cut and heroic to play a hardened gangster.
SHAWN
“Live by Night” is a clichéd affair, lazily directed by Ben Affleck. You’ve seen it all before and care little about anything happening.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bag
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
3) MISS SLOANE (R)
EuropaCorp
RUSS
Jessica Chastain stars in “Miss Sloane,” an involving political suspense thriller about a hard-edged Washington, D.C. lobbyist who takes on a seemingly invincible organization. Chastain is solid as always and the setup is provocative, but the wheels nearly fall off when the plot takes an absurd turn near the film’s finale.
SHAWN
This is a great movie loaded with great performances. Chastain is at her very best delivering a sincere and engaging performance. The problem is tje film’s subject matter. It’s overtly political and a bit too heavy which for many will mute the entertainment factor.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 4 Popcorn Bags
4) ASSASSIN’S CREED (PG-13)
20th Century Fox
RUSS
The first-rate cast, terrific stunt work and strong production values of “Assassin’s Creed” aren’t enough to break the video game-to-movie curse. Ultimately, the non-stop action becomes mind numbing.
SHAWN
I never played the game. So from a movie stand point I had fun with “Assassin’s Creed.” True gamers had problems with it. It is well made and gorgeously shot. But adapting video games into movies has never really worked.
RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
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