To quote the well-worn expression used in many frank judgments of character, “I didn’t think he had it in him.” Be ready to color yourself surprised. Thanks to heightened stakes and those aforementioned honest themes, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish gallups beyond the flashy shell of a cash grab sequel opportunity for Dreamworks Animation. This valuable new journey massages and improves the mettle of this excellent character without losing a whisker of derring-do.
Read More51st Chicago International Film Festival Highlight special presentation
In the hands of someone more bombastic, the finished product of "The 33" would be far more cliche and erroneously over-dramatized. Director Patricia Riggen certainly still employs a plentiful creative license to dramatize and compress this trauma into two hours, but the lionizing on one end and the vilifying on the other is remarkably low. "The 33" is a winning survival film where the people come before the stereotypes and theatrics.
Read MoreI can’t get away with the same review re-write gag for “The Expendables 3” that I did for “The Expendables 2.” I know it’s a stretch to say this, but Stallone went back to the drawing board, even if it’s an Etch-A-Sketch, to actually formulate *GASP* the semblance of an actual plot. It’s not a pretty one, but the third film, for the most part, departs from the hearty rerun missions of the first two films.
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