Crisp Criticism - "Sully", "The Secret Life of Pets", "The Club", "Disorder"

by

Julien Faddoul

Sully ***

The Miracle on the Hudson: January 15^th 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing on the Hudson River. Led by Cap. Chesley Sullenberger, all 155 passengers and crew miraculously survive unharmed.

Riveting, tight, quiet procedural of a real event that works more like an alienating meditation on duty and strategy. It is made with its director’s typical classicist treatment, proving here that he (when he pulls it off) is singular is his construction of dramatic panache and making it seem effortless. It is a superb example of plainspoken cinema, assembled by a master craftsman.

d – Clint Eastwood

w – Todd Komarnicki   (Based on the Book by Chesley Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow)

ph – Tom Stern

pd – James J. Murakami

m – Christian Jacob, Tierney Sutton Band, Clint Eastwood

ed – Blu Murray

cos – Deborah Hopper

p – Clint Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart, Tim Moore

Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Autumn Reeser, Holt McCallany, Mike O’Malley, Jamey Sheridan, Jerry Ferrara, Molly Hagan, Max Adler, Sam Huntington, Wayne Bastrup, Valeria Mahaffey, Jeff Kober

The Secret Life of Pets

The quiet life of a terrier is upended when his owner takes in a stray whom he instantly dislikes.

Bland and predictable animated feature with Illumination Entertainment’s usual lowbrow humor.

d – Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney

w – Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch

pd – Eric Guillon

m – Alexandre Desplat

ed – Ken Schretzmann

p – Christopher Meledandri, Janet Healy

Cast: Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Bobby Moynihan, Albert Brooks, Ellie Kemper, Hannibal Buress, Dana Carvey, Steve Coogan, Tara Strong

The Club ***

A crisis counselor is sent by the Catholic Church to a small Chilean beach town, where disgraced priests and nuns live secluded, after an incident occurs.

Taut, rather angry chamber drama on the existential dilemma of insight vs. illusion. Often superbly bleak in its direction and performances; its considerably violent ending will irk some.

d – Pablo Larraín  

w – Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larraín, Daniel Villalobos  

ph – Sergio Armstrong  

pd – Estefania Larrain

m – Carlos Cabezas  

ed – Sebastián Sepúlveda  

cos – Estefania Larrain

p – Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín

Cast: Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers, Alfredo Castro, Alejandro Goic, Alejandro Sieveking, Jaime Vadell, Marcelo Alonso, José Soza

Disorder *

An ex-soldier with PTSD is hired to protect the wife and child of a wealthy Lebanese businessman while he's out of town.

Intriguing but ultimately underwritten examination of the effects of the system. Intermittent jets of action keep one invested despite its coyness.

d – Alice Winocour

w – Alice Winocour, Jean-Stéphane Bron

ph – Georges Lechaptois 

pd – Samuel Deshors

m – Gesaffelstein

ed – Julien Lacheray

cos – Pascaline Chavanne

p – Emilie Tisné

Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Diane Kruger, Paul Hamy, Victor Pontecorvo, Zaïd Errougui-Demonsant, Percy Kemp