6 new movie reviews in brief: Beasts of No Nation, Freeheld, Beeba Boys and more

Beasts of No Nation

From the accents to the violence to thestoryline,Beasts of No Nationis an uncompromising look at child soldiers.IdrisElba may be the main attraction here, but AbrahamAttahis the standout. As an orphan-turned-warrior, he encapsulates the horrible destruction these children are capable of while simultaneously showing us the spark of innocence that flickers in a smile. DirectorCaryFukunaga'surgent, swirling cinematography immerses us in this tale of a boy and a charismatic leader capable of turning children into beasts.

4.5 out of 5 stars

It takes something significant to steal a scene from Julianne Moore, but that's exactly what Ellen Page accomplishes in Freeheld, a timely look at a same-sexcouple's fight for equality. Moore and Page portray lesbian partners in New Jersey in the early 2000s. What keeps the story from drowning in sap is the dynamic relationship at its core: the tough cop scared of losing her career and her younger lover frustrated at being relegated to the shadows. It's a power struggle between two strong women. Steve Carell and Michael Shannon fill out the excellent cast. ThatFreeheldis based on a true story makes it slightly predictable, but doesn't take away from the emotional conclusion. Let's be honest: I nearly lost it in the final few minutes.

4out of 5 stars

Steve Jobs

ScreenwriterAaron Sorkinhas taken Apple's "Think Different"slogan to heart with his bio-picabouttheloved and feared company founder. Directed by Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs is told in three acts: backstage at product launchesfrom thefirst Mac in 1984to theend at the iMac age in1998.The through line is Jobsthe difficult, dictatorial visionary continually pushing himself and his team forward.Michael Stuhlbarg,Kate Winslet,Jeff Daniels and Seth Rogenplayhis corporate family, reappearing like the Ghost of Christmas Past.Sorkin and Boyle have created a film as audacious and ambitious as the man himself. While it may overreach at timesboiling Jobs'behaviour down to a man struggling withdaddy-daughter issue the cross-talk, cinematicflashbacks andbursts of memory that appear like a blinking cursor all add up to a stimulating saga.

4 out of 5 stars

BeebaBoys

As much as I love the idea of a moviefilled with Indian grandmothers kibitzingduring aquafit class and Sikh gangsters cracking wise about David Suzuki,there's something about Beeba Boys that doesn't quite gel. Director DeepaMehta'sfilmabout an Indo-Canadian crime war filled withflashy characters and colourful clotheslacks subtlety. Instead of a noirishunderworld,we get garish gangsterswho strut like peacocks. The magneticRandeep Hoodaworks well as the ambitiousJeet Johar, whileAli Momengives a difficult role some swagger of his own.Mehta wasobviously entertained, if not energized, by toying around with this genre, but deeper insightson this ugly side of the Canadian immigrant experience are lost.

3out of 5 stars

Bridge of Spies

With this filmbased on atrue-life Cold War tale we have reached peak Hanks: Oscar-winnerTom Hanks has fully transformedfrom lovable, slightly amusing Everymaninto a deadly earnest,unstoppable force for human dignity.Directed bySteven Spielberg,Bridge of Spies serves upa slice of American Pie set in the Sixties, withevery character looking like aNorman Rockwell painting.Beneath all this,there is real tension as the Americans and Soviets rattle their sabres.The problem is Hanks asNew York lawyer James Donovan,who agrees to defend a Soviet spy (Mark Rylance) and attempts to swap him fora captured American. Despite adroll little script by the Coen brothers and Spielberg's immaculate recreation of Berlin cut in two, the weak link inBridgeofSpiesis Hanks. While there'scertainly a place for a story of how a regular joe from Brooklyn navigated this volatile situation,with Hanks in the lead, oursuspension of disbelief is permanently out of order.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Crimson Peak

Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak has a luridly lovely production design thinkthehaunted house of Walt Disney's nightmares. But whatit lacks are characters with enough complexity to compete with those surroundings: thismay be thefirst film everwhere a building steals the show. The haunted estate into whichEnglish aristocrat Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) lures his new bride (Mia Wasikowska)features walls that seep red clay and spectral visions that roam the halls at night. Sure there are scary ghosts and shadows that stab,but wasting Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain as a pair ofpredictably twisted siblings is the true horror in this beautiful mess of a movie.

2.5 out of5 stars