Cinema Roundup January 22nd

It’s a packed week of releases with movies that are good, movies that are bad, and movies that are so bad they’re good. The must see is The Assassin, a stunning Chinese period martial arts drama. If, like me, your knowledge of Chinese history is limited, you may struggle to pick up on the plot details, but it really doesn’t matter; this movie is all about the beautiful visuals and a beguiling atmosphere that just sucks you right in.

The 5th Wave is the latest Young Adult adaptation to hit the screens in this post Hunger Games world, and this one mines so many clichés it plays like a parody of the genre. As such it’s a lot of fun, just the sort of bonkers trash we need in the midst of all these ‘serious’ awards contenders.

Speaking of which, we have the Oscar nominated The Big Short, which looks at some of the individuals who profited from the 2008 housing market collapse. This one is a mess that can’t decide if it’s a comedy or a drama, and as you might expect from the subject matter, it’s painfully dull.

A would be awards contender that didn’t make the final cut is Our Brand is Crisis. Sandra Bullock stars in this based on true events tale of a Bolivian presidential campaign and the American PR gurus who managed the candidates’ campaigns. Bullock is miscast in a role that seems more suited to Melissa McCarthy, but she gives a strong performance regardless, and while the movie is misjudged, it has its moments.

An early contender for worst movie of 2016 comes in the form of Ride Along 2, the sequel to the equally bad 2014 buddy cop movie. Kevin Hart is as annoying as ever and the film is packed with racism and misogyny. You might excuse all that if the film were actually funny, but this is laugh free garbage of the lowest kind.

With The X-Files about to return for a new series on the small screen, you can catch The X-Files Movie, followed by a themed party, at the Lighthouse late Saturday night.

By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com