Take Two

Is the new feminist take on superhero movies really super? Susan and Russ take on the DC Comics adaptation that stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine and was directed by Lawrence, Kansas native Patty Jenkins.

Susan and Russ take a break from reviewing current movies to discuss the difference between today’s cinematic fare and that of the depression era. Fantasy is still the focus, but it plays out in different ways.

Susan and Russ have different takes on “Norman,” a character study starring Richard Gere, Michael Sheen, Steve Buscemi. Gere plays a wheeler dealer who uses his relationship with an Israeli government official to ingratiate himself with the Jewish business elite …

Susan and Russ check out “The Circle,” a high tech thriller adapted by screenwriter Dave Eggers from his own novel. Emma Watson and Tom Hanks star in the story of a powerful Silicon Valley company (think Google) that may have …

Susan and Russ review the raunchy comedy, "Snatched," a farce about a mother-daughter trip to Equador that goes terribly awry. The cast includes Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack.

“The Promise” is the second war drama to open in the last few weeks that’s set in Turkey during the run up to WWI. The earlier film, “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” gives the Turkish point of view, minimizing the cost of the conflict to the Armenian people. “The Promise” supports the view of an Armenian genocide. “The Promise” is a romantic triangle about an Armenian medical student, played by Oscar Isaac, who falls for an Armenian nanny, played by Charlotte Le Bon. Problem is, the nanny’s boyfriend is an American journalist, played by Christian Bale, and the Turks are about to wipe them all out.

Susan and Russ check out the new comedy from director Zach Braff. "Going in Style" is a loose remake of the 1979 comic drama that starred George Burns. This new version is much lighter, starring Oscar winners Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin as three retirees who, faced with financial difficulties, decide to rob a bank. The film also features Ann-Margaret in a supporting role.

A Danish Oscar nominee is the focus of this week's segment. Susan and Russ share their thoughts on this bleak post WWII drama based on actual events. The story is about German soldiers captured by the Danish military, forced to deactivate the thousands of mines that the Germans had placed along Danish beaches. This was, essentially, a suicide mission and the German soldiers were teenagers, most too young to shave. The film was directed by Martin Zandviet.

Susan and Russ take on a comic drama based upon a popular graphic novel. "Wilson" stars Woody Harrelson as a misanthrope whose ex-wife informs him that he has a teenage daughter. Director Craig Johnson ("The Skeleton Twins") and the story's creator, Daniel Clowes ("Ghost World") stay true to the story's dour tone.

Can a youthful mistake be amended in one’s old age? What if the memory of it is unreliable? These are the central questions behind the British art house entry, “The Sense of an Ending.” Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent plays a man whose former girlfriend’s mother leaves him a mysterious diary in her will. Problem is, the old girlfriend refuses to give it to him. While the movie never quite mines the depth it seeks, it’s an interesting effort that’s impeccably acted.