Crisp Criticism - "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows", "Money Monster", "Hunt for the Wilderpeople"

by

Julien Faddoul

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows *

As Shredder joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang.

Agreeable, at times even engaging piece of schlock that certainly eclipses its predecessor in everyway. It achieves this by substituting ersatz grit for simple cartooniness. Despite this, it still remains unsatisfactory due to its reliance on expected bombast and crassness.

d – Dave Green

w – Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec   (Based on the Characters by Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman)

ph – Lula Carvalho

pd – Martin Laing

m – Steve Jablonsky

ed – Bob Ducsay, Jim May

cos – Sarah Edwards

p – Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, Scott Mednick, Galen Walker

Cast: Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Tony Shalhoub, Tyler Perry, Brian Tee, Gary Anthony Williams, Stephen Farrelly, Alessandra Ambrosio, Brad Garrett

Money Monster *

A Financial TV host and his producer are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes over their studio.

Slack, mollycoddled thriller with a very off perspective on financial victims. It works best when focusing on plot mechanics rather than character or its ridiculous agenda.

d – Jodie Foster

w – Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore, Jim Kouf

ph – Matthew Libatique

pd – Kevin Thompson

m – Dominic Lewis

ed – Matt Chesse

cos – Susan Lyall

p – Lara Alameddine, George Clooney, Daniel Dubiecki, Grant Heslov

Cast: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Caitriona Balfe, Dominic West, Lenny Venito, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Meade, Chris Bauer

Hunt for the Wilderpeople **

A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

Boldface yet elliptical coming-of-age comedy with typical humor from both its director and its country. It suffers from over-length and maybe little too much sweetness, though its consistently funny throughout.

wd – Taika Waititi   (Based on the Novel by Barry Crump)

ph – Lachlan Milne

pd – Neville Stevenson

m – Lukasz Pawel Buda, Samuel Scott, Conrad Wedde

ed – Tom Eagles, Yana Gorskaya, Luke Haigh

cos – Kristin Seth

p – Carthew Neal, Matt Noonan, Leanne Saunders

Cast: Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata, Julian Dennison, Rachel House, Oscar Kightley, Rhys Darby, Cohen Holloway, Mike Minogue, Stan Walker, Hamish Parkinson