KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Is “Patriots Day” worth celebrating? “Live by Night,” “Silence,” “Bye Bye Man” too? Popcorn Bag movie reviews!
1) PATRIOTS DAY (R)CBS Films/Lionsgate
RUSS
Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg give the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing incident the same treatment they gave the “Deepwater Horizon” explosion. “Patriots Day” is a docudrama that employs handheld camerawork and location shooting to create a realistic reenactment of the events.
SHAWN
Peter Berg has proven to be a very consistent director. He’s never flashy and always workman like in execution much like “Patriot’s Day” star Mark Wahlberg.
RUSS
Partially fictionalized, “Patriots Day” is a well-produced tribute to the victims and first responders.
SHAWN
But just not that great. Not bad. However, really lacks the type of emotion you would expect considering the news incident it recreates.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 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 gorgeous film. It’s a fantastic looking period film that deserves a better story and much inspired cast. A gangsta classic this isn’t.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
3) SILENCE (R)
Paramount Pictures
RUSS
Director Martin Scorsese’s passion project “Silence” tells the story of 17th century Catholic missionaries who travel to Japan, where Christianity is strictly prohibited, to find a missing priest. While impeccably filmed, it’s a very bleak story of faith, apostasy and martyrdom that is nearly torturous to sit through.
SHAWN
Nearly? This movie is flat out horrible. It’s a tedious bore that attempts to suck you in with it’s nothing. Which is too bad. It’s a fascinsting subject but even the greats flop sometimes.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
4) THE BYE BYE MAN (PG-13)
STX Entertainment
RUSS
“The Bye Bye Man” is a well made but derivative horror flick about a homicidal boogeyman who invades people’s minds when they utter his name. It travels familiar territory but generates a few creepy moments for genre fans.
SHAWN
“The Bye Bye Man” is smart and scary. I love the premise and most of the movie works even if you have seen it all before.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
4) ELLE (R)
SBS Distribution
RUSS
Isabelle Huppert gives a Golden Globe-winning performance in the controversial French language thriller, “Elle.” Huppert plays a woman who is raped and then develops a twisted relationship with her attacker. Huppert elicits some sympathy for her borderline repellant character, but the movie’s ethics are dubious at best.
SHAWN
A terrific performance helps overcome what could be an off-putting film.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
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