This week in theaters, we celebrate the end of the summer movie season with the period romantic drama "The Light Between Oceans" and the sci-fi thriller "Morgan". In limited release, we have Kevin Smith's most recent disaster, "Yoga Hosers", and Alexandre Aja's first foray into non-gory films, "The 9th Life of Louis Drax".
Synopses, details, critical reception, trailers, clips and more after the jump.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
Official Synopsis
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
Film Details
- Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Caren Pistoriu, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown, Benedict Hardies, Emily Barclay
- Director: Derek Cianfrance
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Running Time: 132 min.
- Rating: PG-13 for thematic material and some sexual content
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 59% (48 fresh, 33 rotten, score: 6.1/10)
- Metacritic: 61 out of 100 (22 positive, 16 mixed, 0 negative).
"The Light Between Oceans" could be summed up as tear-jerker entertainment, but despite its lack of subtlety and occasional contrived melodrama, the film offers wonderful performances from Fassbender and Vikander, whose chemistry easily carries the film, and plenty of emotion for those seeking an antidote for the summer blockbuster season.
Trailers, Clips, Posters and More
MORGAN
Official Synopsis
A corporate troubleshooter (Kate Mara) is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent "human," who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger.
Film Details
- Starring: Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Toby Jones, Rose Leslie, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Giamatti
- Director: Luke Scott
- Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Running Time: 92 min.
- Rating: R for brutal violence, and some language
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 47% (36 fresh, 41 rotten, score: 5.1/10)
- Metacritic: 48 out of 100 (10 positive, 12 mixed, 5 negative).
Director Luke Scott makes a decent debut with "Morgan", but despite its interesting premise (which owes a lot to last year's "Ex Machina") and solid cast, the film ultimately becomes nothing more than a run-of-the-mill sci-fi thriller. However, despite its shortcomings, genre fans might still enjoy it for what it is.
Trailers, Clips, Posters and More
YOGA HOSERS
Official Synopsis
15-year-old yoga-nuts Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie love their smart phones and hate their after school job at Manitoban convenience store Eh-2-Zed. But when an ancient evil rises from beneath Canada's crust and threatens their big invitation to a Grade 12 party, the Colleens join forces with the legendary man-hunter from Montreal named Guy Lapointe to fight for their lives with all seven Chakras, one Warrior Pose at a time. Depp, Depp the younger and Smith the younger are returning in the roles they created for TUSK.
Film Details
- Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Austin Butler, Tyler Posey, Haley Joel Osment, Ralph Garman, Adam Brody, Justin Long, Jennifer Schwalbach, Genesis Rodriguez, Tony Hale, Vanessa Paradis
- Director: Kevin Smith
- Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
- Running Time: 88 min.
- Rating: PG-13 for crude humor, sexual references, comic violence, and brief drug material
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 22% (8 fresh, 29 rotten, score: 3.4/10)
- Metacritic: 23 out of 100 (1 positive, 2 mixed, 12 negative).
Anyway you might look at it, Kevin Smith's "Yoga Hosers" is a huge failure. The film has drawn all kinds of negative reactions from critics, most of whom have expressed their bitter disappointment with the director's latest effort. Unfunny and unfocused, the film plays more like a home movie that fails to justify its existence on the big screen.
Trailers, Clips, Posters and More
THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX
Official Synopsis
After surviving eight near-death accidents throughout his unlucky life, Louis Drax [Aiden Longworth] plunges off a steep cliff on his ninth birthday. While police investigate the cause of Louis' near-fatal fall and the whereabouts of his violent father Peter [Aaron Paul], acclaimed neurologist Dr. Allan Pascal [Jamie Dornan] uses unorthodox techniques to try to tap into the boy's unconscious mind and reveal the truth about the events that led to his condition. But as he's drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery of Louis' seeming ability to cheat death, the doctor finds himself falling for Louis' mother, Natalie [Sarah Gadon]. As new clues emerge in the case, a shocking revelation changes the fates of Louis Drax and everyone around him.
Film Details
- Starring: Jamie Dornan, Aiden Longworth, Aaron Paul, Sarah Gadon, Molly Parker, Terry Chen
- Director: Alexandre Aja
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller
- Running Time: 108 min.
- Rating: R for some disturbing images and brief strong language
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 43% (10 fresh, 13 rotten, score: 5.1/10)
- Metacritic: 38 out of 100 (2 positive, 3 mixed, 5 negative).
"The 9th Life of Louis Drax" is a difficult movie to pull off with its complex structure and mixture of whimsical fantasy and dark, disturbing drama, and it seems that critics are split on whether or not Alexandre Aja succeeded in balancing all of these elements. Some say it's clever and memorable, while others are saying it's off-putting and unimaginative. Either way, it's an interesting enough experience to try at least once, especially if you enjoy complexly surreal thrillers.
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