Crisp Criticism - "Jason Bourne", "Lights Out", "Love & Friendship", "Sing Street"

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Julien Faddoul

Jason Bourne **

The most dangerous former operative of the CIA is drawn out of hiding to uncover hidden truths about his past.

Some may find this lean and nonessential entry in the Bourne series to be formulaic, covering both style and story that we’ve experienced before. But it is none the worse of that, with Greengrass cementing his position as the superior taut actioner to others in Hollywood, utilizing his typical strobe-like editing and shaky camera to enrich rather than fluster.

d – Paul Greengrass

w – Paul Greengrass, Christopher Rouse   (Based on the Characters by Robert Ludlum)

ph – Barry Ackroyd

pd – Paul Kirby

m – John Powell, David Buckley

ed – Christopher Rouse

cos – Mark Bridges

p – Paul Greengrass, Matt Damon, Frank Marshall, Jeffrey M. Weiner, Ben Smith, Gregory Goodman

Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahmed, Ato Essandoh, Scott Shepherd, Bill Camp, Vinzenz Kiefer, Stephen Kunken

Crisp Criticism - "Star Trek Beyond", "Swiss Army Man", "Knight of Cups"

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Julien Faddoul

Star Trek Beyond **

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Solemn yet breezy, pulpy yet ample, dealing with anticipated philosophical dilemmas such as death, leadership, allegiance and nationalism. It isn’t always particularly substantial, but the film is filled with visual ideas that keeps one engaged, no doubt served well by a change in director. As with the previous two films since the series’ reboot, some decisions seem problematic and compromised, but this is about as good as we’re going to get from big-budget sci-fi nowadays.

d – Justin Lin

w – Simon Pegg, Doug Jung   (Based on the Series by Gene Roddenberry)

ph – Stephen F. Windon

pd – Thomas E. Sanders

m – Michael Giacchino

ed – Greg D'Auria, Dylan Highsmith, Kelly Matsumoto, Steven Sprung

cos – Sanja Milkovic Hays

p – Bryan Burk, Roberto Orci

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Deep Roy, Shohreh Aghdashloo

Crisp Criticism - "Ghostbusters", "The Shallows", "Demolition"

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Julien Faddoul

Ghostbusters

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, 2 paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

Wretched, lame-brained remake of the 80s comedy that switches the gender of its main characters for no real reason other than to fuel civic agendas that exist outside of the movie. Feig’s grasp of comedic rhythms and stereotypes remains utterly clumsy.

d – Paul Feig

w – Katie Dippold, Paul Feig   (Based on the Screenplay by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis)

ph – Robert D. Yeoman

pd – Jefferson Sage

m – Theodore Shapiro

ed – Melissa Bretherton, Brent White

cos – Jeffrey Kurland

p – Amy Pascal, Ivan Reitman

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Andy García, Michael Kenneth Williams

Crisp Criticism - "The Legend of Tarzan", "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates", "The Neon Demon"

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Julien Faddoul

The Legend of Tarzan

Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

Dull and confused adaptation of Burroughs’ stories that bungles his observations on racism and the vulnerability of life in favor of the dark, brooding action of modern-era cinema, peppered with unconvincing visual effects.

d – David Yates

w – Adam Cozad, Craig Brewer   (Based on the Novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs)

ph – Henry Braham

pd – Stuart Craig

m – Rupert Gregson-Williams

ed – Mark Day

cos – Ruth Myers

p – Jerry Weintraub, David Barron, Alan Riche, Tony Ludwig

Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent, Christoph Waltz