Opening Everywhere: Ghostbusters, As Above/So Below, The November Man
Opening Somewhere: Starred Up, The Congress
FilmDrunk Suggests: Take the kids to see Ghostbusters on the big screen while you have the chance. When Bill Murray shows up, point and tell them, “That man is a legend.” When Dan Aykroyd appears, say, “He did way too much cocaine.” That’s all they’ll ever need to know about 80s comedy.
Ghostbusters
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 97% critics, 88% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
Essentially a $30 million version of Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy but not at all a bad time, thanks mainly to Bill Murray’s incredibly dry line readings and director Ivan Reitman’s maintenance of a moderately coherent tone and plotline. – Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Whoever thought of having evil’s final manifestation take the form of a 100-ft. marshmallow deserves the rational mind’s eternal gratitude. – Richard Schickel, TIME
Armchair Analysis: I’m not trying to be mean, but anyone who doesn’t like Ghostbusters, can choke on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s dong.
As Above/So Below
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 29% critics, 58% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
One of the world’s top disturbing tourist attractions is now finally getting the spooky film it deserves. – Jordan Hoffman, New York Daily News
For those hoping to find some truly disturbing secrets buried for generations beneath the surface, track down Gary Sherman’s 1972 “Death Line” (aka “Raw Meat”) instead. – Peter Debruge, Variety
Armchair Analysis: Oh good, another generic horror mo-FARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT NOISE.
The November Man
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 33% audience, 60% critics
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
There’s nothing terribly wrong with The November Man in a serviceable late-night cable TV sort of way but neither is there anything terribly right about it. It’s unnecessary and derivative. – James Berardinelli, ReelViews
The November Man is one of those thrillers that grows progressively more incoherent, and it simply isn’t fast enough to glide over its gaping narrative holes. – Liam Lacye, Globe and Mail
Armchair Analysis: Normally, I’m all for a movie that features Pierce Brosnan kicking ass while trying to protect Olga Kurylenko, who should just be named Queen of the World now, because she’s ridiculous. But every time I see the commercial, and the guy says, “You know what we used to call you? The November Man. Because once you passed through, no one lived.” I groan so loudly that my TV breaks.
Starred Up
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 98% critics, 85% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
Starred Up is an edgy, teeming thriller, brilliantly disorienting, making strange a world we thought we knew, at least from other movies. – David Edelstein, Vulture
Starred Up has three powerful advantages: a realistic setting, fierce performances and the insight brought by scripter Jonathan Asser, who was an Oliver-like counselor in a tough London jail. – Mark Jenkins, NPR
Armchair Analysis: Never heard of it, but it sounds awesome and has drawn rave reviews.
The Congress
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 76% critics, 66% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
There’s something to be said for a movie that manages to baffle and dazzle in equal measure. If Daffy Duck had taken up political and media theory, his brain might look like this. – Geoff Pevere, Globe and Mail
The Congress will thrill some but proves more often to be frustrating and lacking in emotion, especially when it comes to Wright. Even a sex scene feels devoid of passion. – Linda Barnard, Toronto Sun
Armchair Analysis: This one looks fancy and smart, like porn with plot.