KANSAS CITY, Mo —
1) FURY (R)
Sony Pictures
RUSS
War is heck. And if you needed further evidence, there’s the Brad Pitt WWII drama, “Fury.” In this ultra-violent action flick, Pitt plays an emotionally hardened Army sergeant leading a 5-man Sherman tank crew deep into Nazi Germany during the waning days of the war.
SHAWN
“Fury” is well done and the action sequences are dynamite. The tank battles alone make this movie watchable. But the best moments happen when the ensemble cast is interacting with one another led by a more than adequate Brad Pitt.
RUSS:
Gritty, grimy and unflinchingly brutal, “Fury” almost revels in the ugliness of war. Pitt is terrific and the supporting cast is able. But their characters are sketchily written and the plot is melodramatic. While it doesn’t add anything new to the genre, “Fury” succeeds as a depiction of the savage nature of war.
SHAWN
Edgy, raw and dangerously realistic. “Fury” is a very good war movie. The extras include a whopping 50 minutes of deleted and extended scenes.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
2) THE JUDGE (R)
Warner Brothers
RUSS
A great cast can cover up a lot of a movie’s flaws, and “The Judge” has plenty of flaws to cover. Thank goodness Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall are on board to do the covering.
SHAWN
That is true but they only half way cover up the movie’s flaws. Just too many to cover entirely. Problem is this is the type of movie they use to make back in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Yep, it feels that dated and slightly out of touch.
RUSS
This courtroom thriller-slash-dysfunctional family drama is overlong, predictable and is saddled with too many irrelevant subplots. But it’s also got two terrific performances from Downey and Duvall, and that’s just enough to give “The Judge” a positive verdict.
SHAWN
For such a powerhouse cast it’s awfully bland. And yes, there are way too many subplots and ironically not enough drama. And not enough in the extras department.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
3) THE BOOK OF LIFE (PG)
20th Century Fox
RUSS
Mexico’s Day of the Dead holiday and its traditions provide the inspiration for the animated fantasy, “The Book of Life.” The colorful and vivid visuals are first rate, but the story is a bit stilted and teeming with too many characters.
SHAWN
“The Book of Life” may be over-populated but it’s a lack of story development that prevents this animated feature from soaring. It’s colorful, stylish fun but no classic.
RUSS:
There’s plenty of imagination on display, but it all may be a bit too convoluted for the pre-teen audience it’s obviously aiming for.
SHAWN
Loaded with extras which are what you expect with an animated feature release.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
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