Black Mass: Johnny Depp is officially back. Depp makes a horrifying transformation into feared James "Whitey" Bulger in Scott Cooper's (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace) biopic on the feared South Boston mob boss. Depp manages to be menacing and imposing throughout without veering into cartoonishly over-the-top territory. With all of the crap he's starred in of late, it's easy to forget just how talented he is and his performance serves as a striking reminder of how brilliant of an actor he can be when he's on the top of his game. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn't live up to Depp's stellar performance. The script feels rushed with its lack of substantial character development and the film's portrayal of Bulger is nowhere near as damning as it could've been. Black Mass is well-acted and relatively entertaining, but it's lack of depth and power prevent it from being the true crime epic it so desperately wanted to be .
3.5/5 Stars
Sleeping with Other People: When Sleeping with Other People premiered at Sundance this past January, writer/director Leslye Headland described the film as "When Harry Met Sally for assholes". While it's certainly a valid comparison, it also kind of sells the film short. Headland is able to build off the flashes of potential she showed as a filmmaker in her competent albeit uneven debut Bachelorette and make a romantic comedy that's refreshingly blunt, hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt. Headland's great script is brought to life by a top-notch cast anchored by a pair of star-making performances from Jason Sudekis and Allison Brie. Their chemistry is absolutely electric and both of them perfect the balance of charm and comedic chops needed to be a lead in this genre. It's a shame that Sleeping with Other People was so scarcely released because it's the type of crowd-pleasing fare that could've really flourished if it was seen by a wider audience.
4/5 Stars
The Martian: Legendary director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator) has been going through a bit of rough strech of late. His last two films, 2013's The Counselor and 2014's Exodus: Gods and Kings, were two of the biggest commercial and critical misfires of the last few years and left many of his fans (myself included) wondering if his days as one of the most important directors in Hollywood were over. Thankfully, The Martian puts an end to Scott's cold streak and is by far his best film since 2007's American Gangster. The Martian will surely generate comparisons to other recent space tales Gravity and Interstellar, but in reality, the only thing it shares with those films is a setting. The Martian is a straightforward survival tale about an astronaut named Mark Watney (Matt Damon) attempting to survive on Mars after his crew (Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie) reluctantly leaves the planet after he goes missing during a severe Martian storm. The film plays out exactly like you'd expect it to, but Damon's commanding performance, Drew Goodard's sharp script and the infectiously uplifting tone makes The Martian a journey well-worth taking.
4/5 Stars
Sicario: The fall movie season marks the glorious time of the year where studios pump out their awards-season fare. Denis Villeneuve's (Prisoners) crime thriller Sicario is the first potential awards-contender I've seen this year and if it's quality is any indication of what's to come over the next three months, 2015 is going to end on a really high note. This film is a tense, murky look at the complex nature of the war between law enforcement and drug cartels in North and South America. Sicario will likely alienate some audiences with its incredibly bleak resolution, but it's a powerful and insightful look at how deep the roots of the cartel spread in Mexico and Colombia and the drastic measures law enforcement takes to try and interfere with their operations. While the film's intelligence and edge-of-your-seat tension take center stage, the acting is also remarkable. Emily Blunt is excellent as the FBI agent recruited by a CIA SDA officer (Josh Brolin) to aid in the takedown of a powerful Mexican cartel leader (Julio Cedillo) and Benicio Del Toro gives arguably the finest performance of his illustrious career as a mysterious Colombian intelligence officer aiding the CIA with the cartel takedown. It'll be a sin if they aren't both recognized for their work come awards season. Sicario is easily one of the best and most important films of 2015 so far and I fully expect it to pick up a boatload of nominations at every major film award this winter.
4/5 Stars
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