Film Review -- Interstellar

The much-anticipated new film from Christopher Nolan stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, and Matt Damon. In the not-so-distant future, the Earth will have been rendered practically inhospitable, both by mankind's actions and by a devastating blight that has affected most of the world's crops. Murph (Mackenzie Foy), ten-year-old daughter of Cooper (McConaughey), a space pilot-turned-farmer, senses a mysterious force in her bedroom, which she initially believes is a ghost. It reveals coordinates that lead Murph and Cooper to the top-secret NASA headquarters, which must now operate in complete secrecy because public funding for space exploration would be viewed as lunacy in a famine-stricken world. There, Cooper reunites with his old colleague, Professor Brand (Caine), and his daughter, Dr. Amelia Brand (Hathaway). They convince him to pilot an ambitious mission to try to save the human species. A wormhole discovered near Saturn (which, since they are artificial, no one knows who places there) leads to another galaxy that hosts three potential habitable planets. Cooper and Dr. Brand, along with physicist Romilly (David Gyasi), geographer Doyle (Wes Bently), and two intelligent robots, TARS and CASE (voiced by Bill Irwin and Josh Stewart, respectively) must travel to these planets, already inhabited by one scientist each, who were sent on an earlier mission, to determine if any of them is capable of being humankind's new home. In accepting this mission, Cooper must come to terms with the fact that time is relative, and therefore that by the time he returns - if he ever returns - he will have missed most of his children's lives, something that grown-up physicist Murph (Chastain) deeply resents. The ambitiousness of Interstellar is undeniable. It is truly a groundbreaking visual masterpiece, and just gorgeous to watch (and absolutely worth the extra cost to be seen in XD/IMAX). The plot itself has some obvious problems, and although I am a stickler for good storytelling, plot inconsistencies are usually easier to forgive in well-done sci-fi, and even easier when it packs such an incredible visual punch as this film does. Even so, the story does impressively hold its own throughout the three-hour running time, and for that I had no problem suspending my disbelief. Interstellar is a breathtaking film that will certainly rank among my favorite films of the year. 

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A-

Film Review -- The Judge

The Judge is a 2014 drama directed by David Dobkin and stars Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dax Shephard, and Jeremy Strong. Successful Chicago lawyer Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.) reluctantly returns to his small hometown of Carlinville, Indiana to attend his mother's funeral. The sad event forces Hank to confront his strained relationship with his family, mainly his brothers Glen (D'Onofrio) and Dale (Strong), and his father, Joseph (Duvall), the town's beloved judge. Only a couple of days later, Joseph is accused of running over a recently released convict whose case was the judge's biggest regret. It is up to Hank to defend his father and save his legacy. The film's premise is very interesting, as it is both a mystery/thriller as well as a family drama. However, I thought that these elements were poorly executed; the plot was predictable and there was just too much family drama, almost to the point of unbelievable (it plays out as a male-driven August: Osage County, since there's everything from secrets to betrayal to incest). It isn't all bad though, with the excellent performances being the standout, especially from the central Downey Jr.-Duval duo. With a running time of almost two-and-a-half hours, The Judge is ultimately an over-long, soap opera-ish melodrama that doesn't quite live up to its potential.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B-