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USA TODAY - L awrence J ournal -W orld FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015
MOVIES
Compiled from reviews by USA TODAY film critics
Rating; the good and the bad
The 33
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Plot: The film version of the dramatic rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped for 69 days after a mine collapse that captured international attention in 2010. Director: Patricia Riggen
2 hours, 5 minutes
Love the Coopers
Rating: PG-13 Upside: The film adaptation of the real-life story taps into every bit of drama and euphoria. Downside: As a mine leader, Antonio Banderas jackhammers dramatic acting so intensely it could cause a mine collapse on its own.
Plot: Interwoven tales of a dysfunctional Pittsburgh clan lead to the annual family get-together on Christmas Eve at the parents’ (Diane Keaton, John Goodman) place. Director: Jessie Nelson
2 hours, 21 minutes
The Martian
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Plot: At the height of the Cold War, an insurance lawyer (Tom Hanks) is tasked with defending an accused Soviet spy (Mark Rylance). Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13 Upside: Rylance is a revelation to mainstream audiences. Downside: Spielberg’s latest isn’t phenomenal, though it hits the spot.
Plot: An astronaut (Matt Damon) stranded on Mars has to use his knowledge as a skilled botanist to stay alive until NASA can mount a rescue mission. Director: Ridley Scott
1 hour, 59 minutes
Our Brand Is Crisis
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Plot: A dapper British gentleman (Tom Hiddleston) whisks an American ghost story writer (Mia Wasikowska) away to his haunted manor, presided over by his menacing sister (Jessica Chastain). Director: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: R Upside: Just in time for Halloween, del Toro’s latest sinister film is both visually sumptuous and stacked with talent. Downside: Del Toro die-hards may find it a tad soft on extreme terror.
Plot: A talented political strategist (Sandra Bullock) gets her groove back when she’s tapped to head up a campaign for a Bolivian presidential candidate. Director: David Gordon Green
1 hour, 43 minutes
Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension
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Plot: Horror author R.L. Stine (Jack Black) finds his hideous creations have come to life to wreak mayhem on a leafy suburban town. Director: Rob Letterman
Rating: PG Upside: Black shows his dark, fully camp side while stopping the worst monsters of all time and nemesis Slappy the Dummy. Downside: Too much boy (Dylan Minnette) moving to town, falling in love. Could use more Black, more monster.
Plot: Final chapter of the found-footage franchise follows a new family capturing the horrors of the demon Toby on film. Director: Gregory Plotkin
1 hour, 29 minutes
The Peanuts Movie
Rating: PG Upside: Despite reteaming Sandler with David Spade and Kevin James, it doesn’t get as bad as a ‘Grown Ups’ film. Downside: Not even Brooks can save this alreadyexhausted monster premise.
Plot: Charlie Brown has to get past his own crippling self-confidence to win the heart of his beloved Little Red-Haired Girl. Director: Steve Martino
2 hours, 1 minutes
Spectre
Rating: PG-13 Upside: De Niro and Hathaway work their chemistry well. Downside: The dramedy is relentlessly fluffy.
Plot: Rogue missions and beautiful women are on tap for James Bond (Daniel Craig) while on a collision course with an evil organization and its shadowy leader (Christoph Waltz). Director: Sam Mendes
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Plot: Dracula (voice of Adam Sandler) is a proud grandfather but worries if his halfhuman grandson will be accepted by his hardcore vampire father (Mel Brooks). Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Rating: PG-13 Upside: Damon’s nearly one-man show is humorous and compelling. Downside: No space botanist is this good at his job.
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Plot: A senior citizen (Robert De Niro) is hired as an intern to work for the stressed-out head of an online fashion company (Anne Hathaway). Director: Nancy Meyers
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1 hour, 28 minutes Rating: R Upside: Some scares and Ivy George is freaky as a young girl possessed by the finally revealed Toby. Downside: Predictable, right down to the exorcism priest. It’s ready to retire after a great run.
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1 hour, 33 minutes Rating: G Upside: Lovable beagle Snoopy steals every scene he’s in. Downside: Story isn’t as clever or nuanced as its characters.
BLUE SKY STUDIOS
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION
The Intern
1 hour, 47 minutes Rating: R Upside: Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton thrive as a pair of political rivals. Downside: The movie is stuck between edgy drama and broad comedy, and misses any biting commentary entirely.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
SONY
Hotel Transylvania 2
2 hours, 21 minutes
WARNER BROS. PICTURES
LEGENDARY PICTURES/UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Goosebumps
Rating: PG-13 Upside: Olivia Wilde and Jake Lacy have great chemistry as a pretend couple. Downside: The plot is a trite, predictable and unfunny mess.
20TH CENTURY FOX FILM
DREAMWORKS
Crimson Peak
1 hour, 45 minutes
CBS FILMS/LIONSGATE
WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Bridge of Spies
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2 hours, 28 minutes Rating: PG-13 Upside: Mendes and Craig continue to make magic as 007’s dynamic duo. Downside: The story recycles too much past material without adding anything to the decades-old lore.
WARNER BROS. PICTURES
STEPHEN VAUGHAN
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
LIFELINE HOW WAS YOUR DAY? GOOD DAY ‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ Donald Trump drew huge ratings when he hosted ‘SNL’ last Saturday — but it wasn’t enough to beat a Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake combo. The Trumphosted show, which featured Sia as the musical guest, averaged 9.3 million viewers, according to final Nielsen figures released Thursday. It ranks as the mostwatched episode of ‘SNL’ since December 2013, when Fallon guest-hosted and Justin Timberlake was the musical guest.
DANA EDELSON, NBC
USA SNAPSHOTS©
Putting stock in vitamins
STYLE STAR Now that’s how you command a red carpet! Rita Ora made a splash in an ombre textured tulle ball gown by Marchesa at the Bambi Awards Thursday in Berlin.
JOERG CARSTENSEN, EPA
THEY SAID WHAT? THE STARS’ BEST QUOTES “I am lonely every Saturday night. Guys are so mean to me. I know where it’s coming from, I know they’re trying to establish dominance, but it hurts my feelings. I’m just a girl who wants you to be nice to me. I am straight as an arrow. I feel like I need to meet a guy, with all due respect, who has been living in Baghdad for five years who has no idea who I am.” — Jennifer Lawrence in the December issue of ‘Vogue’ (hits newsstands Nov. 18)
8 in 10 Americans have great confidence in dietary supplements. Whose advice they trust on taking them:
Doctor
55%
Pharmacist
33%
Dietitian
23%
Source Council for Responsible Nutrition’s 2015 “Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements” TERRY BYRNE AND PAUL TRAP, USA TODAY
Compiled by Cindy Clark
Bieber finds his ‘Purpose’ JUSTIN BIEBER Purpose
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DOWNLOAD Sorry, Company, The Feeling
Six months ago, no one could have predicted that Justin Bieber would have one of 2015’s best albums. Yes, you read that right. The bleached-blond tattooed bad boy — who just last year made headlines for landing behind bars rather than singing them — has made his most self-assured, and spiritual, effort yet. Purpose, out Friday, builds on the lush, tropicalhouse foundation laid by his summertime smashes Where Are Ü Now and What Do You Mean? and hits the sweet spot of multigenre appeal. With songs that would feel just as at home on Top 40, R&B, hip-hop, and even Christian radio, Bieber is making music for everybody that also feels like it’s just for himself. Purpose kicks off with the woozy, hypnotic Mark My Words, which sets the tone for the rest of the album as he vows to give it all he’s got and “show you more than I could ever say.” Bieber keeps his promise as he wades into alreadyreleased territory: crooning softly over a towering electronic beat on the vulnerable I’ll Show You before gliding into smooth falsetto for the moombahton-inspired Sorry. After Ed Sheeran co-write Love Yourself, he shifts into overdrive for a string of potential hits, including pulsing come-hither Company, dreamlike Halsey duet
PETER YANG
Justin Bieber, 21, releases his fourth album, Purpose, on Friday.
The Feeling and the bass-heavy No Sense with rapper Travis Scott. But it’s the album’s second half that’s sure to raise the most eyebrows among fans and clickbaitmongers, thanks to Bieber’s cometo-Jesus balladry. The 21-year-old mulls redemption and forgiveness on the piano-led Life Is Worth Living — saying you can crucify him but “only God can judge me.” The album’s title track is even more revealing as Bieber recounts a time that he was at the end of his rope but God blessed him with purpose, “the best gift that I’ve ever known.” He makes his boldest statement with a voiceover on the second-to-last track of the deluxe edition, owning up to his mistakes on All in It and ending with the line: “God is perfect and he never disappoints, MORE MUSIC REVIEWS LIFE.USATODAY.COM
so I just get my recognition from Him and give Him my recognition.” At times, the heavy preaching can feel more like aggressive damage control as Bieber and his team work to rectify his image after bouts of bratty behavior and run-ins with the law in the last few years. But you can’t fault a guy for putting out positive messaging in mainstream pop music, no matter how heavyhanded it sometimes gets. Plus, Bieber’s collaborative muscle and confidence always win out, showing an artist who is unafraid to reinvent himself and create the very definition of a comeback album. Sure, many people will still refuse to listen for the sole reason that it’s Bieber, but ultimately, that’s just their loss. With Purpose, he proves himself as one of today’s most forward-thinking pop stars, and because of that, we’re newly converted Beliebers.