The Cinema Corner – March 23rd

Movie of the week – The Third Murder

Over the past decade, few filmmakers can match Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda for consistent quality output. Having established himself as the modern master of the family drama, Kore-eda now steps outside his comfort zone to deliver a legal thriller. The Third Murder follows a lawyer’s investigation into his client, who has confessed to the murder he’s charged with committing. Kore-eda uses the setup to critique Japan’s legal system while exploring the nature of storytelling, and it’s the best thriller of its type in decades.

Unsane

Ever experimental, director Steven Soderbergh shot his latest, Unsane, in secret, using iPhones rather than traditional cameras. Claire Foy is excellent as a young woman who finds herself committed involuntarily to a dubious psychiatric institution. The film is fascinating while exploring America’s healthcare for profit system, but it devolves into a run of the mill thriller in its final act.

Pacific Rim Uprising

I wasn’t a fan of 2013’s Pacific Rim, but I found its new sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, far more tolerable. This time out the giant robot on monster action is filmed in a far more comprehensible manner, and the film resembles a live action Saturday morning cartoon. Hard to recommend to adults, but kids will love it.

A Wrinkle in Time

Kids won’t enjoy the awful A Wrinkle in Time so much. Based on a 1960s children’s novel, it’s an absolute mess on every level, incomprehensibly staged and edited, and it’s the worst type of kids’ movie, one more interested in lecturing its young audience than in entertaining it.

By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com