The Summer is such an awful time for movies. With all the kids on Summer vacation, the warmest months of the year have historically been reserved for the big blockbusters which sacrifice filmography and subtlety for explosions and big budget, instantly forgettable garbage. But the Fall is always the harbinger of good things to come as directors and producers look ahead to the Academy Awards in just a few shorts months. Now is the time to head to the theater and this year has some truly exciting flicks to get in line for. From Johnny Depp's portrayal of Whitey Bulger in
Black Mass, to Ellen Page's powerful lesbian rights film
Freeheld there is something for everyone and plenty in between. I'm very excited to see Matt Damon in
The Martian AND Hugh Jackman at the helm in the new Neverland film
Pan. Of course there is yet another Steve Jobs biopic coming out, this time with Michael Fassbender in the titular role and Tom Hanks is back on the big screen in a spy thriller that looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Last but not least, let us not forget that STAR WARS comes out in December!!!! So excited. PLUS new James Bond AND new Hunger Games?! What isn't coming out this season?! Check out Rolling Stone's list below and read about all these films and MORE as we all get excited to overpay for popcorn and sit next to a bunch of people we don't know just to say we saw it first.
RS Fall Movie Preview!
Eh. That sums it
up. The highly anticipated crime drama Black Mass directed by Scott Cooper was
good but ultimately, could have been significantly better. Living in the Boston area, everyone and their
mothah was wicked excited about the movie about South Bawston’s own Whitey
Bulgah. Many in this area have vivid
memories of the notorious crime boss and his penchant for violence. After the media storm surrounding his capture
and trial in 2011, it made sense for Hollywood to cash in and the result is a film
that follows all the standard “mafia movie” tropes. As a result, the movie comes across as an
amalgam of themes, scenes, and dialog that feels straight out of BETTER
organized crime dramas of the past. That
being said, the film is essentially a story about the character of Whitey
Bulger – a man whose brutality has become myth.
In this respect, it was well done.
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Bulger while over the top at times felt
authentic and conveyed the deep seated madness behind the family man from
Southie. Regardless, you’re always aware
that it’s Johnny Depp (the problem with such recognizable actors) and you’re
even more aware that Depp’s accent is false.
Given, he does a pretty phenomenal job as fake Boston accents go but it’s
still a hurdle to get over that distracts you from the dialog (which admittedly
has its ups and downs). Supporting
actors Benedict Cumberbatch as Billy Bulger and Joel Edgerton as dirty cop
John Connolly are shadowed by Depp and feel almost unnecessary. It would have been nice to focus solely on
Bulger himself and not get bogged down with the story of Connolly’s role in
getting Bulger set up as an informant for the FBI. Overall, the film was OK but disappointing in
that it could have been great.
