Unbroken, The Imitation Game, Big Eyes, Into the Woods, The Interview, Foxcatcher, Men, Women, and Children

As it's the last day of December and I have been slipping in putting up reviews of these late December releases (Thank you Christmas) I've decided to compile the reviews for Unbroken, The Imitation Game, Big Eyes, Into the Woods, and The Interview.

Unbroken: An inspirational true story that is unabashedly Oscar bait. But it is good Oscar Bait. It's basically Rescue Dawn meets Chariots of Fire. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A 

The Imitation Game: Stellar performance by Benedict Cumberbatch. A heartbreaking true story of a man with secrets who had to unravel the greatest secrets of World War II. Some great twists and turns. A

Big Eyes: Another true biographical film. No less compelling than the previous two. Much more light but still pretty sad. Career best performance by Amy Adams and another great performance by Christoph Waltz. Good, solid, storytelling. A-

Into the Woods: Started great, about twenty minutes too long. Never saw the Broadway show but an average musical. Johnny Depp is spectacularly creepy as the wolf. Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen have a duet as princes and it's the greatest musical moment in years. B 

The Interview: A controversy stole all the thunder from the actual movie when theaters and Sony pulled it's release after terrorist threats. It became a patriotic statement to just watch the Interview. It's probably a good thing for Seth Rogan and James Franco though, because without the controversy the only people who would watch it is people who like the type of comedies Seth Rogan puts out. Crass, crude, and obscene...but enough comedic moments to satisfy those who like crass, crude, and obscene. C-

Foxcatcher: A prestige, true story, drama with career best performances by Channing Tatum and Steve Carell. With all the hype I expected something more. A slow burn of a film with strong performances. If you don't love drama's you probably will find this too boring. B+

Men, Women, and Children: A dark, stark look at the influence of technology on our world today. Pornography, infidelity, bullying, and gaming are all addressed. A timely film that is strengthened by strong performances but handicapped by an over convoluted script and an excess of characters. Also narration is annoying, even if it's by Emma Thompson. C+