Movie Review: Money Monster

I have to admit, Money Monster is not a movie that really made sit up say “Wow! I really need to see that!” It didn’t look all that bad, but hardly a must see in this day of flashy blockbusters and trendy indie offerings. It is a movie being marketed on old school star power, a method that doesn’t seem to hold the cache that it once did. There was a time when you could sell a movie based on the names Clooney, Roberts, and Foster, but I think that time is gone. It is not that they are not talented performers that deserve at least some attention, it is just that the movie does not really have a strong hook outside the stars’ names.

Movie Review: Unbroken

Unbroken has arrived in theaters and while I feel it is a competently made film, I did not find it to be a particularly good film. It is a movie that feels emotionally manipulative rather than genuine, it tells a slightly disjointed tale that covers its subject in broad strokes while never really digging beneath the surface. I will say nothing bad about the real subject of the film, what Louis Zamperini was forced to endure and his efforts to retain his humanity, his morals, and fight through incredibly adverse conditions. His is not the only tale like this, but it is an amazing one nonetheless. Unfortunately, the movie is not nearly as engrossing as the reality is.