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A Family Man (2016)
Generic writing and pedestrian performances
I had seen some early reviews from professional critics for A Family Man (The Headhunter's Calling) and they seemed exceptionally harsh, but after seeing the film for myself, I would have to say they were actually being too kind. The writing is extremely weak, tedious, and formulaic. It was sad to see Gerard Butler buried beneath its lackluster and generic weight. While some critics do miss the mark in their reviews, I would have to agree with their early assessment on this one.
The Judge (2014)
Poorly written script can't be saved by the stellar cast.
A lot of long-winded praise being bestowed upon a film that, in and of itself, is both long-winded, as well as a cliché-ridden mess. While I won't make the accusation (I suppose I just did) that the rave reviews are studio driven, I must have witnessed a different movie watching experience altogether. While RDJ does his best with what he's given to work with, and Robert Duvall proves, yet again, that he can turn in a great performance regardless of the screenplay, it is the screenplay itself that pulls the legs out from under what could have been a nice little film. A weak and poorly written script can only be elevated so high by its actors before it becomes obvious that it's a machine with no engine beneath the hood to carry it over the finish line with anything more than a whimper. The previous long-winded reviews I've read here left me with the same feeling of fatigue after reading them that I felt after watching the film.
Safe House (1998)
Empty House
I have admired every role Patrick Stewart has accepted since first seeing him behind the wheel of the Enterprise. Until now. I somewhat find myself at a loss of words over this film. Suspenseful? Mystery? Humor? Well written? I must have seen a different Safe House starring Patrick Stewart than others have seen. I found myself cringing at so many lines of dialog in this film, my neck had a cramp the following morning. Mr. Stewart is a very talented actor so he must have had reasons other than the script to do this film. The failed attempts at pulling in shadows of other films fails miserably. The character development gets left behind somewhere. I felt like I suffered from Alzheimer's as I tried to remember the reasoning behind some of the characters actions in his film. This film seemed to drag on for an eternity. The forced attempt at romance between the Patrick Stewart character (Mace) and that of Kimberly Williams (Andi) was quite possibly the most painful movie watching experience of my life. If I ever suffer from Alzheimer's, I pray that the memory of seeing this film will be one of the first things to go. I enjoyed seeing Patrick Stewart outside of the Enterprise and Xmen roles but I cannot suggest this film to anyone other than as an example to film making students of what not to do in a movie.