Brian Farvour

It’s hard not to smile as Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget wraps things up, even if said smile comes unexpectedly; admittedly, this is the sort of surprising delight that serves to both remind an audience why the original remains such a gem while acting as a worthy successor.

The effort deserves a nod, but the execution stumbles, falls, and, whether intentional or not, can’t be saved.

This is as middle-of-the-road as it gets, something no one will remember minutes after it wraps and, for this reason, will likely prompt very few to express anything overwhelmingly negative or the opposite.

It’s only when you realize that this is indeed an aimless feature film where any symbolism or real-life commentary isn’t going to make much of a mark. That and the fact that this fearless director sees this oddly flat, though congenial, project as a comedy quickly all fall into a narrative hopelessly lost in a sea of tedium.

Even when it tries to swing for the fences as some commentary on what motivates hate speech, it may not always work, but Macdonald does the best with what he’s been given, and that’s enough to warrant a look, at least.

It’s inoffensive, possibly even heartwarming, and an undeniably terrific story in terms of adversarial triumph, and as history looks back on “A Million Miles Away” as much as it remembers the real Hernández, unlike the man himself, the movie will likely find itself forgotten.

What is certain is that there’s at least something here everyone should find appealing, even if the film that houses these special moments isn’t quite there.

They Cloned Tyrone is far from bad, but does require patience and the ability to shed those feelings of “I’ve seen this before” that pop up from time to time. Fortunately, the cast is here to help usher one along and maintain some sort of momentum before the film starts propelling forward on its own.

It’s hard to say if this is worth a view, as die-hard Cage fans might not see anything necessarily new, nor does the overall arc of the plotline break any new ground other than to offer a platform for Cage to again roll out his usual bag of acting tricks.

Whether a viewer might be a fan of Wham! or not is ultimately irrelevant, as Chris Smith has produced something as incendiary as any of Wham!’s hits.

It’s not a bad movie by any means, but in its attempts to plant a seed audiences may remember in years to come, it’s a misfire.

No matter how one tries to unpack the curious contents of “Big Gold Brick,” they’ll likely be unable to find much of anything outside of an unintelligible failure.

One Shot is merely an experiment in filmmaking chutzpah, and a failed one at that.

With nary a poor performance to be found and a tone that engages as much as it might cause one to shift uncomfortably in their seat, Bull is an engrossing experience. It’s not an instant genre classic but never strives to be, and in hitting such a simple goal, it, like Bull himself, somehow succeeds.

For those expecting information capable of blowing the doors off the Containment Unit, it’s nothing more than a big Twinkie.

There’s something present here, something perhaps even brilliant, but whatever that may be; it’s just not enough.

Settlers is ultimately little more than a bit of style and a smattering of substance.

Though Séance is mercifully brief, it’s also painfully forgettable, hopefully, nothing more than a fleeting, disposable misfire in Barrett’s otherwise strong filmography.

Oxygen may not be the most unique film, but its terrifically panicky and suffocating qualities will leave you breathless nonetheless.

The beautifully animated road comedy The Mitchells vs. The Machines manages to take the genre and, while admittedly dipping its toes in the murky waters of cliché more than a few times, offers enough of a fresh take to provide a breezy escape during the near-two hour journey that unfolds.