This week at the movies, the long-awaited arrival of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey and the considerably better movie about budding spies that the rest of the world might like.
50 Shades of Grey
At long last, it is here – the Twilight fan fic that became an unexpected international phenomenon. The story of Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) set in Seattle, involving a submissive and a dom, who after a round of sado-masochistic sex, eventually (spoiler alert) fall in love. It’s the classic tale of boy meets girl, boy ties up girl, you know rest…
Perfect For: The eleven million people who inexplicably read this book and liked it.
What the Critics Say: Bad things, bad things!! On the one hand, it’s not as awful as it could be; but it’s not as good, either. Dornan is the film’s weakest link and Johnson is the strongest. Writes Entertainment Weekly: “The movie Fifty Shades of Grey is considerably better written than the book. It is also sort of classy-looking, in a generic, TV-ad-for-bath-oil way.” And says New York magazine: “The eagerly awaited/dreaded film adaptation of the best-selling BDSM romance Fifty Shades of Grey is nowhere near as laughable as you might have feared (or perversely hoped for): It’s elegantly made, and Dakota Johnson is so good at navigating the heroine’s emotional zigs and zags that you want to buy into the whole cobwebbed premise.”
Our Take: Oh, we’re totally going. Ironically.
Watch the Trailer:
Kingsman: The Secret Service
It’s quite fitting that Matthew Vaughn is the director of this movie about a group of young spies-in-training. Vaughn was also the director of the X-men: First Class, about young superheroes-in-training. And spies in the movies are basically the same thing as superheroes, minus the silly outfits. Set in England (please read the rest of this review in a British accent), Colin Firth plays the headmaster/spy trainer. As expected, he’s dapper, dressed nattily and suffers no fools. His star hooligan and hopeful spy is Taron Egerton, who has charisma to burn. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a baddie and Michael Caine as another member of the secret society.
Perfect For: You like Bond movies, but with a little sense of humor injected.
What the Critics Say: Mixed to positive (the negative comes via a sexist joke near the end). Writes the New Yorker: “The template is early-to-mid James Bond, as borne out by the trappings: exploding cigarette lighters, poisoned pens, and a villain’s lair, complete with a landing strip, hewed into the side of a mountain.” And says Entertainment Weekly: “Pure fanboy ecstasy- a muscle-flexing spectacle of cartoon violence and cheeky attitude, which announces its cleverness at every turn.
Our Take: Looks fun, and who doesn’t love Colin Firth?
Watch the Trailer:
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