Crisp Criticism - "Blair Witch", "Bridget Jones’ Baby", "Captain Fantastic", "The Confirmation"

by

Julien Faddoul

Blair Witch

Students on a camping trip discover something sinister is lurking beyond the trees.

Weak sequel to the treasured and influential 1999 horror film that updates the technology involved but little else. It is more aggressively frightening than its predecessor which, ironically, and perhaps unsurprisingly, makes it far less effective.

d – Adam Wingard  

w – Simon Barrett

ph – Robby Baumgartner

pd – Thomas S. Hammock

m – Adam Wingard  

ed – Louis Cioffi

cos – Katia Stano

p – Jess Calder, Keith Calder, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider

Cast: Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry, James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott

Bridget Jones’ Baby *

Bridget's focus on single life and her career is interrupted when she finds herself pregnant, but she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby's father.

Nothing new on offer here aside from some snappy one-lines and overall pleasantness. Its soundtrack – a large list of heavy-lifting hits – is beyond overkill.

d – Sharon Maguire

w – Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer, Emma Thompson   (Based on the Characters by Helen Fielding)

ph – Andrew Dunn

pd – John Paul Kelly

m – Craig Armstrong

ed – Melanie Oliver

cos – Steven Noble

p – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward

Cast: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey, Sally Phillips, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Emma Thompson, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Shirley Henderson

Captain Fantastic **

A father living in the forests of the Pacific Northwest with his six young kids tries to assimilate back into society.

Perceptive drama on the swings and roundabouts of family life, which penetrates despite the ridiculous behavior of most of its characters.

wd – Matt Ross

ph – Stephane Fontaine

pd – Russell Barnes

m – Alex Somers

ed – Joseph Krings

cos – Courtney Hoffman

p – Monica Levinson, Jamie Patricof, Shivani Rawat, Lynette Howell Taylor

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, George MacKay, Ann Dowd, Annalise Basso, Erin Moriarty, Missi Pyle, Samantha Isler, Shree Crooks, Nicholas Hamilton, Alan Humphreys, Elena Stecca, Charlie Shotwell, Trin Miller, Elijah Stevenson, Teddy Van Ee, Hannah Horton

The Confirmation *

While his mother and stepfather go on a catholic retreat, an eight-year-old boy must reluctantly spend time with his alcoholic father.

Some good performances liven-up this messy indie, though its predictability soon swamps attempts to portrayal any reality.

wd – Bob Nelson

ph – Terry Stacey

pd – Chris August

m – Jeff Cardoni

ed – Seven Rasch

cos – Sheila White

p – Todd Hoffman, Bob Nelson

Cast: Clive Owen, Jaeden Lieberher, Maria Bello, Tim Blake Nelson, Patton Oswalt, Matthew Modine, Stephen Tobolowsky