Fur of Flying (2010)
As is the case with other recent efforts involving Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, this 3D, CGI short feels flat compared to the original Chuck Jones films. It’s too brief and feels like going through the motions.
It’s okay as nostalgia, or a gateway to introduce children to the Looney Tunes oeuvre, but it’s a lesser entry in the series.
Trance (2013)
Art auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) steals a painting to pay off his gambling debt, but after he’s hit by a car following the heist, he cannot remember where he hid the painting. His co-conspirator in the robbery, Franck (Vincent Cassel), sends Simon to a hypnotherapist, Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson), to help him remember, but she’s got an agenda of her own.
This film can’t decide if it’s a heist film, a layered meta narrative, or a character study. It’s too chaotic, and the seeds for the trick ending are never planted. The only thing I enjoyed were some of the discussions about the nature of art.
Roasrio Dawson is forgettable and bland. I liked Men in Black II (2002) and 25th Hour (2002), but barely remember her. Likewise, she failed to make a huge impression in Sin City (2005). She’s adequate as Elizabeth, but doesn’t possess the toughness or charisma this role required.
Vincent Cassel was a likable in the Ocean’s movies and believable as the unstable son of a Russian mobster in Eastern Promises (2007). He’s the best of the three leads, but the movie is such a mess it doesn’t matter.
I like James McAvoy as a young Charles Xavier, but his involvement with this film makes me like him less.
Danny Boyle has made some really good movies. Trainspotting (1996) is an excellent exploration of addiction, 28 Days Later (2002) reinvigorated the slumping zombie genre, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) is an inventive Bollywood homage, and 127 Hours (2010) is a compelling film about willpower; this is an overindulgent piece of crap.