Not sure which film to pick among the fray out in theaters or on streaming right now? Allow the members of the Houston Film Critics Society to assist you with their reviews below:
The Rhythm Section
Pete Vonder Haar (Houston Press) — “It’s hard not think one of the reasons things are so rushed here is because no one involved really believes there’s any hope of a franchise around a damaged heroine with Finn Wolfhard’s hairdo shooting guys in the kneecaps.”
Jason Escamilla (Eskimo TV) — “Fails to get the audience to care for the protagonist or her family (as we only see them through silent flashbacks), resulting in her revenge motive feeling fake.” [VIDEO]
Dustin Chase (Texas Art & Film) — “Different wig, same result. Blake Lively in another bland thriller.”
Donna Copeland (Dr. Donna’s Movie Reviews) — “As much as the filmmakers intended to portray Stephanie as a “bad ass”, they and she are not able to convince us.”
James Roberts (Glide Magazine) — “It is a film struggling with purpose, grasping for something stable enough to hold onto as it thrashes around in search of meaning.”
The Gentlemen
Nguyen Le (The Young Folks) — “Guy Ritchie’s back, even if that comeback sees him dialing up to 11 his worst tendencies as a storyteller and his best as a visualist. Think old souls in new suits, folks with ancient thoughts but runway-ready aesthetics.”
Pete Vonder Haar (Houston Press) — “It’s not clear what purpose casting the normally charming Golding in the role of primary antagonist serves. Dry Eyes is little more than an ambulatory sneer, and serves as the primary focus for the script’s throwaway racism.”
Donna Copeland (Dr. Donna’s Movie Reviews) — “This is an entertaining action movie with plenty of brawn, but one in which different wits are pitted against each other in a cat-and-mouse game.”
Dustin Chase (Texas Art & Film) — “‘The Gentlemen’ is a return to familiarity for Ritchie from casting, to violence and subject matter.”
Color Out of Space
Pete Vonder Haar (Houston Press) — “How you gonna keep ’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Yog-Sothoth?”
James Roberts (Glide Magazine) — “Stanley has concocted a true-to-feeling retelling of the bizarre classic that perfectly captures the atmosphere of Lovecraft while making the story more palatable for modern audiences.”
[INTERVIEW] Director Richard Stanley from Michael Bergeron for Byline Houston.
Coda
Joe Leydon (Variety) — “It helps a lot if the drama is as low-key and credible as “Coda,” a deliberately paced and stealthily involving saunter through familiar territory.”
Gretel & Hansel
Kevin A. Ranson (MovieCrypt.com) — “While a tedious watch for those expecting a running-screaming slasher-horror, this atmospheric slow-burn thriller suggests more than it shows, feigning complexity but doing it very well.”
