St. Vincent

BRYCE **1/2
Bill Murray is one of the most gifted comedic actors of all-time and his presence alone can elevate almost any film he appears in.  This is certainly the case with "St. Vincent."  Murray plays the title character, a low-life Vietnam vet who unexpectedly finds himself tending a young boy each day after school.  A predictable chain of events unfolds as Vincent and the boy form a bond that helps them overcome each other's life challenges.  Amidst the formula, writer/director Theodore Melfi attempts to ground the proceedings in reality by not having Vincent change all that much during the process.  The boy ends up loving this man despite his faults and his unwillingness to change.  Unfortunately, what was meant to be a profound message about love and acceptance, comes across as cynical and enabling.  Vincent has no significant arc which makes the story feel useless and uninspiring (a fair criticism I think as the filmmakers are clearly going for an inspirational story).  Bill Murray is very good in the film as usual and he really does quite a bit to lift the material, but he can't overcome the faults of what is ultimately a flawed narrative.

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

The Theory of Everything

In 2001, Ron Howard gave us "A Beautiful Mind," a part-biopic, part-love story concerning economic genius John Nash.  In 2014, James Marsh presents us with the same type of film, this time with theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the spotlight.  While Ron Howard's classic manages to make both the biopic and love story elements work together to create a great film, the same can't necessarily be said about "The Theory of Everything."  It tells both parts pretty well, but you never quite feel that it all connects.  That's not to say this is a bad film however.  Eddie Redmayne is phenomenal and gives one of the best performances in a long while.  He not only plays the mastermind Stephan Hawking in great fashion, but is incredibly convincing as a man with motor neuron disease.  His performance could be compared to Daniel Day-Lewis' Oscar-winning performance in "My Left Foot."  Bring in some other great performances (Felicity Jones) and a beautiful score and you have what is, in it's own right, a fairly enjoyable film.  It's not a home run, but it's worth seeing for Redmayne's terrific performance alone.

Chase **1/2
Landon ***
Logan ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***