'Second Best Marigold Hotel' among Dann Gire's weekend movie picks
Will the sequel “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” really be second-best? Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire looks at the senior citizen romantic comedy about “outsourcing old people” in Friday's Time out! section. Other openings include “Chappie” and “Unfinished Business.”
Movie guide
Four stars: superior. Three stars: good. Two stars: average. One star: poor. D (drug use), L (language), N (nudity), S (sexual situations, references), V (violence). Ratings by Dann Gire, Daily Herald Film Critic, unless otherwise noted.
Picks
“Birdman” — Winner of best picture and best director Oscars, this original, moving and fascinating movie features a stellar performance by Michael Keaton as a former superhero movie star, now a Broadway actor/director attempting a major comeback to redeem his artistic soul. With Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. (R) L, S, V. 119 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Black or White” — A young girl (Jillian Estell) becomes involved in a custody battle between her maternal grandfather (Kevin Costner) and her paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer). Reviewed by Jordan Mintzner, Hollywood Reporter. (PG-13) D, L, V. 121 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” — Wes Anderson's delightful comic romp won Oscars for best production design, score, makeup and costumes. A hotel manager (a comical Ralph Fiennes) seduces much older women to stay financially afloat. (R) L, S, V. 99 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“The Imitation Game” — Chicago writer Graham Moore won an Oscar for this wonderfully wrought fact-based drama about brilliant British mathematician Alan Turing (cool chameleon Benedict Cumberbatch) and his mission to break the Nazi Enigma code and win World War II. Keira Knightley and Mark Strong star. (PG-13) S. 114 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” — Matthew Vaughn directs a seriously violent but goofy parody of 007 movies with dapper Colin Firth as a spiffy agent bringing a promising street kid (newcomer Taron Egerton) in to fight a megalomaniac techie (Samuel L. Jackson) bent on destroying civilization. (R) L, N, V. 115 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“A Most Violent Year” — J.C. Chandor's excellent examination of a moral man's strength as the new owner (Oscar Isaac) of a New York oil company threatened by corruption and greed in 1981 deals with violence, legal persecution and family threats. With Jessica Chastain. (R) L, V. 110 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Paddington” — A delightful, witty family comedy about a lovable bear (voiced by Ben Wishaw) who moves in with a human family in London. Nicole Kidman plays a 21st century version of Cruella de Vil. Starring Hugh Bonneville. (PG) 95 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“Selma” — Ava DuVernay's portrait of the civil rights movement avoids mythmaking and steers toward focused realism and continued relevance. As Martin Luther King Jr., David Oyelowo leads Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tim Roth. Oscar winner for best song, “Glory.” Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S, V. 127 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
“The Theory of Everything” — Superb performances by best actor Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne and nominee Felicity Jones highlight this conflict-challenged drama based on the romance (and marriage) between British physicist Stephen Hawking and fellow Cambridge University student Jane Wilde. (PG-13) S. 123 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“Whiplash” — J.K. Simmons won an Oscar for his performance as the obsessed, self-centered conductor of a conservatory jazz band. Miles Teller plays the student drummer pushed to the edge by the manipulative teacher. Excellent work all around. (R) L. 106 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Wild” — Oscar nominee Reese Witherspoon stars as a troubled woman who hikes 1,300 miles on a journey of self-discovery to find peace and redemption from a life of loss and emptiness following the death of her mother. Based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed. A time-shifting drama directed with aplomb by Jean-Marc Vallee. (R) D, L, N, S. 115 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
“Wild Tales” — Argentine filmmaker Damian Szifron connects six short stories about regular folks wigging out of control with violent consequences. Shrewd, sharp and visually mounted well. Oscar nominee for best foreign language movie. Great opening, good ending, adequate in-between. In Spanish with subtitles. At Chicago's River East 21 and Century Centre, plus Evanston's Century 18. (R) L, S, V. 122 minutes. ★ ★ ★
Passables
“American Sniper” — Clint Eastwood's technically well-crafted bio-drama about SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) starts out strong, then launches into context-challenged conflicts while his worried wife (Sienna Miller) waits at home. Winner of the Sound Editing Oscar. (R) L, V. 134 minutes.