Critics Consensus: The Words Doesn't Know What To Say
Plus, The Cold Light of Day is largely incomprehensible and implausible.
This week at the movies, we've got a literary fraud (The Words, starring Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana) and a kidnapping plot (The Cold Light of Day, starring Henry Cavill and Bruce Willis). What do the critics have to say?
The Words
22%
The Words is an ambitious film with an undeniably intriguing premise: how does someone rationalize reaping the rewards of a big con? Unfortunately, critics say The Words is mostly a missed opportunity - despite the best efforts of its talented cast, the film is elaborately structured but rarely emotionally fulfilling. Bradley Cooper stars as Rory Jansen, a celebrated author with a secret: he passed off someone else's book as his own. As his star rises, Jansen is intoxicated by fame, but is soon forced to deal with the moral consequences of his deception. The pundits say The Words has enough appealing elements to sustain interest, but it's undone by its needlessly complex narrative and lack of character development. (Check out this week's Total Recall, in which we run down some noteworthy films featuring imposters and fabulists.)
The Cold Light of Day
5%
Not all globetrotting spy thrillers are created equal. Take, for example, The Cold Light of Day, which critics say borrows liberally from the Taken and Bourne playbooks without adding such essential elements as comprehensibility and plausibility. Henry Cavill stars as a young man whose parents are kidnapped while on holiday in Spain. The plot thickens when our hero finds himself on the run from shadowy intelligence agents in pursuit of a mysterious briefcase. The pundits say The Cold Light of Day is largely bereft of surprises or even general coherence, and the stars -- including Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver -- mostly look exhausted.
Also opening this week in limited release:
- Beauty Is Embarrassing, a documentary about cartoonist and Pee-wee's Playhouse co-creator Wayne White, is at 100 percent.
- Girl Model, a documentary about the trafficking of underage girls in the modeling industry, is at 89 percent.
- Keep the Lights On, a drama about two men in an up-and-down long-term relationship, is at 86 percent.
- Detropia, a doc about the crumbling infrastructure of the Motor City, is at 80 percent.
- Las Acacias, a drama about an Argentine truck driver who bonds with a mother and her daughter over the course of a long drive, is at 73 percent.
- The Eye of the Storm, starring Geoffrey Rush and Charlotte Rampling in a drama about a dying rich woman whose adult children are squabbling over their share of her fortune, is at 66 percent.
- The Inbetweeners, a British comedy about four geeky guys who go on a wild Mediterranean vacation, is at 62 percent.
- Hello I Must Be Going, a dramedy about a newly-divorced woman who finds romance with a teenager, is at 61 percent.
- For Ellen, starring Paul Dano and Jena Malone in a drama about an aspiring musician dealing with a painful divorce, is at 54 percent.
- Bachelorette, starring Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher in a comedy about three bridesmaids who share a night of debauchery before their friend's wedding, is at 53 percent.
- [REC] 3 Genesis, a horror flick in which zombies rudely crash a wedding, is at 42 percent.
- Serving Up Richard, horror film about a married couple who attempt to cannibalize a Wall Street banker, is at 17 percent.
Kadeem Stewart
No movies for me this week, but tomorrow I'll see Raiders of the Lost Ark in IMAX. I haven't seen the movie in years, but thank goodness it's in IMAX.
Next week, it's Milla time!
Sep 6 - 05:06 PM
Sean James
i think milla is the worst actress ever and her movies are usually a disaster when she associates with her godawful director husband. so i wont be willing to see that pile of cinematic feces
Sep 6 - 05:17 PM
Kadeem Stewart
Oh please, she has a great career so far and Resident Evil: Retribution hits theaters next week. So I don't know what's your problem, but you need to stay out of this.
Sep 6 - 07:51 PM
Aaron Thomas
Resident Evil: Retribution looks just as terrible as the previous ones
Sep 6 - 07:57 PM
King Crunk
I would not say she is the worst actress ever, but she seriously is pretty one note. Her most memorable role was in The Fifth Element, and that had just as much to do with the outfit as it did her acting. Other than that, her biggest claim to fame are the Resident Evil films, and those are horrible.
Sep 6 - 10:17 PM
Big Brother
I don't know if she's really a bad actress. She's been good in some of the Indie stuff she's done. She just doesn't choose the best projects. Being her husbands muse has done her no favors.
Sep 7 - 02:19 AM
Brad Hadfield
She should've stuck to singing, IMO. "Gentleman Who Fell" was a cool song.
Movie-wise, the only one I remember being good (besides the aforementioned Fifth Element) was The Perfect Getaway, a very underrated film.
Sep 7 - 06:36 AM
Dave J
I don't think those "Resident Evil" movies were that bad some of the action bits are pretty good, one does have to differentiate between the films and the game itself since they do go toward different directions.
Sep 7 - 02:04 PM
Infernal Dude
The problem with the RE movies is that they rip off previous, better action and sci-fi movies that came before them. Paul W. Anderson doesn't have an original bone left in his body. Where's the guy that made Event Horizon??
Sep 7 - 02:49 PM
Dave J
I have no idea what you're talking about "Infernal Dude", as I recall on one of the Resident Evil films (I forgot which one) has Milla crashing her motorcyle into a church and shooting zombies- Now what I like to know is what movie did you see that in because I want to see it!
Sep 7 - 03:54 PM
Dave J
I mean, they're somewhat similar to the "Underworld" films since the female is the leading protagonist with plenty of special effects around them! I originally didn't care about the first one very much at all but as they put more action scense into them, they're still labelled as escape entertainment direction very similar to "The Book Of Eli" starring Denzil Washington.
Sep 7 - 03:59 PM
Lance Reeder
I thought she was good in He Got Game and in a minor role in Dazed and Confused. and Dave J. as usual you pick a certain tree and try to paint the entire forest by it.
Sep 8 - 07:15 PM
Dave J
"you pick a certain tree and try to paint the entire forest by it"
So sue me, I love movies with a lot of action in them!
Sep 10 - 12:06 PM