SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 15, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Of the three films hitting home video today, two were Oscar nominated, one is an Oscar winner, and the third was brave enough to open against “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
“The Big Short” took home a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award and was nominated for three other Oscars: Best Picture, Best Supporting actor (Christian Bale), Best Director (Adam McKay) and Best Editing.
“Brooklyn” was Oscar-nominated in three categories: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Adapted Screenplay.
“Sisters, ” which opened opposite “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” had an ad campaign that simply said “You can see them both.”
Sisters
Starring: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
Rated R
After their parents decide to sell their childhood home, two sisters decide to throw one last party to celebrate their youth.
Starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, “Sisters” simply works too hard for each joke.
It’s paced like an ’80s sitcom where every gag is shotgunned in rapid fire. The result is a series of unfunny, gross tired sex jokes thrown up on the screen — but nothing sticks.
It’s a shame because both Poehler and Fey are extremely funny comediennes and should know better than this. The DVD and Blu-ray do offer a very funny featurette, but the movie remains a flat, go-nowhere one-joke comedy.
The film gets a D and is rated R.
The Big Short
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling
Rated R
Focusing on the housing bubble that burst in 2008, the film does its best to explain what happened. Shot in a pseudo-documentary style but sometimes breaking the fourth wall, “The Big Short” focuses on the four men who “saw it coming.”
However, the story is so mired down in the world of stocks, banks, funds, bonds, financing and prime loans, it asks the audience to work too hard for the payoff. The film’s other problem is the acting that is superior is canceled out by the acting that is mediocre.
“The Big Short” is a good film, but not a great one. It gets a C and is rated R.
Brooklyn
Starring: Saoirse Ronan and Julie Walters
Rated PG-13
An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
Beautifully acted and filmed, “Brooklyn” is an emotional and romantic journey I recommend you take.
Saoirse Ronan carries the film squarely on her shoulders as she manages to show us a young woman taking her first few steps into a brave new world, far from the places and the customs she’s used to. Ronan offers up a strong character who becomes a confident and determined woman who meets life head on.
“Brooklyn” is one of those films that will stay with you long after it is over.
It gets an A and is rated PG-13.
