The Accountant – Released: 14th October (USA), 4th November (UK).
Ben Affleck stars as an autistic criminal accountant who can either cook the books or bust the skulls. The movie is well crafted and fantastically acted but ultimately a shaky story and jumbled pacing leave much to be desired from the film. The real shame here however is how expertly crafted the film is, the direction and cinematography is fantastic, the acting is stellar but all the different parts of the film come together to creating a confusing and beautiful mess. If you’re looking for an interesting study in a bad movie this is probably the best example this year, and it’s a massive let down that that’s the most honest compliment I can give it.
The Light Between Oceans – Released: 2nd September (USA), 1st November (UK).
Starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander; The Light Between Oceans tells the story of a couple who live off the coast of western Australia, the story follows them as they raise a baby that they rescue from a drifting rowing boat. The concept, cast and crew are all of a damned high pedigree but reviews are finding that towards the third act of the film a shift in the movies approach may divide audiences. It seems that The Light Between Oceans very much follows in The Accountant’s footsteps, being full of promise but a little light and unsatisfying in the execution.
A Street Cat Named Bob – Released: 4th November (UK), 18th November (USA).
A Street Cat Named Bob sounds like a perfect, hard hitting movie on paper, telling the true story of James Bowen a man who was turned away from a life of drugs and busking when he met an injured Street Cat (the eponymous Bob) in a shelter offered to him by his support worker. Couple that with the fact that it’s a hard hitting comedy film (which, when they work, have some of the hardest impact on an audience) and you seem to have a recipe for success. But the difference between forgettable but well meaning comedy and emotionally engaging masterpiece lies in a films balance and it seems that Bob just doesn’t have that balance quite right according to reviewers. None the less if you’re looking for a potentially funny and inspiring movie about Cats (because let’s face it, who isn’t) this could well be the ticket.
