He’s a Bad Medicine Man. He’s the…
Vidiot
Week of March 3, 2017
Legalize antidepressants…oh wait. First up…
Doctor Strange
The worst part of being a medically trained
super-hero is everybody wants a free diagnosis.
Thankfully, the villain in this fantasy
film is keeping their moles to themselves.
When an accident leaves his hands mangled,
noted neurosurgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) seeks out a powerful
mystic (Tilda Swinton) in hopes of regaining mobility.
Instead, the conceited clinician is
introduced to an ancient magic that imbues him with the ability to cast-spells,
travel between realms and astral project.
Elsewhere, an embittered ex-student (Mads
Mikkelsen) gathers the numinous articles needed to summon a dormant evil from
the dark dimension and release it on New York.
Intriguing enough for amateurs and faithful
enough for diehards, this mind-bending adaptation of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme
is a masterpiece. A visual feast paired with formidable actors and a whimsical
script, this origin story is absolutely original.
Unfortunately, doctors who practice magic
tend to stitch rabbits into their patients.
Green Light
Allied
Canadians received little recognition
during WWII because everyone just assumed they were educated Americans.
Admiringly, this thriller recognizes the
Canucks contribution to the war-effort.
Max (Brad Pitt) is a bilingual RCAF
intelligence officer posted in Casablanca with instructions to assassinate the
German ambassador. Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) is the French rebel
posing as his wife, helping him carry out his orders.
Married after the war, Max is shocked to
learn one day that his now-pregnant wife is suspected of being a German spy.
Convinced otherwise, Max helps the army conduct a sting operation in order to
prove her innocence.
While the story is a serviceable one with a
scattering of half-decent action sequences and minor blips of post-war
intrigue, it is Pitt’s ham-fisted performance that undermines it all with his
dopey French accent and incessant reference to Medicine Hat.
Besides, why go to Medicine Hat when Nazis
Germany is closer? Yellow Light
Moonlight
The number one thing that young black males
want to be when they grow up is alive.
Followed closely by loved, as confirmed by
this drama.
When a drug dealer (Mahershala Ali) and his
girlfriend (Janelle Monáe) take pity on Chiron (Alex Hibbert) due to his
circumstances, their kindness ends up influencing the person he will become.
As a teen, an act of intimacy with a
childhood friend (André Holland) results in humiliation that finds Chiron
(Ashton Sanders) incarcerated and repressed.
As an adult, Chrion (Trevante Rhodes) has
become a dealer himself with the need to reunite with his first love.
A brave rendition of the acclaimed stage
play, this cinematic interpretation does the theatrical one justice in terms of
acting and direction. Nevertheless, neither of these add-ons can quicken the
story’s sluggish pace.
Incidentally, since it is no longer a play
the audience may now text throughout the performance. Yellow Light
***Doctor Estranged***
Dr. Strange
Historically, any super-powered being with
the Dr. prefix was considered a villain.
Uncharacteristically, the medicine man in
this action-fantasy is actually the good guy.
Wong (Clyde Kusatsu), manservant to the
Sorcerer Supreme (John Mills), visits psychiatrist Stephen Strange (Peter
Hooten) with wild claims that Strange is set to receive his dying master’s
magical powers, including spell-casting and astral projection.
Elsewhere, in an attempt to bring a demon
from the fourth dimension to Earth, sorceress Morgan Le Fay (Jessica Walter)
seizes possession of Clea (Eddie Benton), one of the doctor’s mental patients.
To save her, Strange must project his mind
to a mystical realm and thwart evil.
The 90-minute pilot for a scrapped
television series based on Marvel’s mystic man, this laughable made-for-TV
movie drastically alters his origins, costume and profession, but does include
many friends and foes from the comic.
Be forewarned, however, most insurance
policies do not cover exorcisms.
He’s a Doctor Assisted Suicide Mission.
He’s the…
Vidiot
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