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Friday, May 8, 2015
Movie Reviews: Hot Pursuit, Maggie, The D Train
Also: 5 Flights Up, The Salt of the Earth, Welcome to Me
Posted By Scott Renshaw on May 8, 2015, 9:00 AM
Oddball comedies, Schwarzenegger vs. zombies and an Oscar-nominated documentary are among the new releases in Utah theaters this week.
Scott Renshaw appreciates the chemistry in the comedic pairing of Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara in Hot Pursuit (pictured), but wishes they'd been given anything funny to do. Jack Black gets a great darkly-comedic role in the high school reunion-set comedy The D Train, but the story loses commitment to its outrageous portrait of mid-life crisis. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a dad whose daughter is turning into a zombie in Maggie, in a grim story that gets distracted from its allegory for parents dealing with a child's terminal illness. Kristen Wiig plays a mentally ill lottery winner who uses her winnings to launch a talk show in Welcome to Me, where the filmmakers don't know quite what to do with the character beyond the wild situation. Earnest Morgan Freeman narration doesn't lend gravitas to 5 Flights Up, the rambling tale of an elderly couple considering a move from their long-time Brooklyn apartment. The stunning images by photographer Sebastião Salgado—along with his fascinating commentary—elevate the Oscar-nominated profile The Salt of the Earth, which loses momentum only when the focus turns to other material besides the work itself.
For all current Utah movie releases and movie times, visit City Weekly's film section.
Scott Renshaw appreciates the chemistry in the comedic pairing of Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara in Hot Pursuit (pictured), but wishes they'd been given anything funny to do. Jack Black gets a great darkly-comedic role in the high school reunion-set comedy The D Train, but the story loses commitment to its outrageous portrait of mid-life crisis. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a dad whose daughter is turning into a zombie in Maggie, in a grim story that gets distracted from its allegory for parents dealing with a child's terminal illness. Kristen Wiig plays a mentally ill lottery winner who uses her winnings to launch a talk show in Welcome to Me, where the filmmakers don't know quite what to do with the character beyond the wild situation. Earnest Morgan Freeman narration doesn't lend gravitas to 5 Flights Up, the rambling tale of an elderly couple considering a move from their long-time Brooklyn apartment. The stunning images by photographer Sebastião Salgado—along with his fascinating commentary—elevate the Oscar-nominated profile The Salt of the Earth, which loses momentum only when the focus turns to other material besides the work itself.
For all current Utah movie releases and movie times, visit City Weekly's film section.
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