By Michael Diambri, A&E Writer
Lucy
Rated R
Run Time: 1 hr 29 min
Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is a young American woman who’s pressured by her boyfriend into carrying a mysterious briefcase to a Taiwanese gang leader. The contents of the suitcase are revealed to be a super-powerful drug called CPH4.
After being forced to take CPH4, Lucy is given access to a greater capacity of her brain than a regular human, slowly building up to 100 percent brain capacity throughout the movie.
Lucy finds she needs the drug to survive and hunts it down. Lucy finds professor Norman (Morgan Freeman), an expert on the brain, to tell him all about her new abilities and knowledge. The action and intense pace continue to build as Lucy gains access to the powers of her brain.
This is the type of movie that might be better after smoking weed. “Lucy” captivates viewers with its great visual effects and intense action scenes, but the story line comes off as hollow, flawed, and bizarre. “Lucy” tries to make sense out of too many things at once, leaving much unexplained.
In addition, it’s certainly not the best acting we have seen from co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman.
Overall, the film was entertaining but failed to meet the possibly great potential it possessed. It is worth seeing, but it’s better saved for a Netflix night.
2/5 Stars
The Skeleton Twins
Rated R
Run Time: 1hr 33 min
As Maggie (Kristen Wiig) is about to down a deadly dose of sleeping pills, she receives a call from her estranged twin Milo (Bill Hader), who’s in the hospital after a suicide attempt.
Maggie hesitantly makes room for Milo to come stay with her and her husband (Luke Wilson) in upstate New York. Realizing their lives are total messes, Maggie and Milo start looking for the reasons their lives went so wrong.
Those who like indie flicks will find this an enjoyable film, but it will not make sense for everyone. If you have never been estranged from someone who once meant the world to you, it’s highly probable you will find no personal connection to the film.
Despite relating to it or not, one should be able to notice Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids,” “SNL”) and Bill Hader (“Tropic Thunder,” “SNL”) manage to achieve a great balance of both perpetual sadness and quirky humor throughout the movie.
Along with the film’s great stars comes great writing and a well-rounded supporting cast. “The Skeleton Twins” brilliantly portrays the bond of siblings and how familiar our dysfunctions seem.
One statement, made by Wiig’s character, Maggie, sums up the melancholy vibe of the film: “Few people are stars, the rest of us are just walking around wondering how our lives got so bad.”
Despite its sad premise, “The Skeleton Twins” shows us that sometimes when our lives fall apart, the most unexpected sources can be the ones to help put it back together.
4/5 Stars
