Retreating from life after a tragedy, a man questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.
A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.
Director:
Morten Tyldum
Stars:
Jennifer Lawrence,
Chris Pratt,
Michael Sheen
A holiday gathering threatens to go off the rails when Ned Fleming realizes that his daughter's Silicon Valley billionaire boyfriend is about to pop the question.
When his uptight CEO sister threatens to shut down his branch, the branch manager throws an epic Christmas party in order to land a big client and save the day, but the party gets way out of hand...
When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.
Director:
Justin Kurzel
Stars:
Michael Fassbender,
Marion Cotillard,
Jeremy Irons
An African-American father struggles with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life.
Director:
Denzel Washington
Stars:
Denzel Washington,
Viola Davis,
Stephen Henderson
In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. But when taking on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds winning may come at too high a price.
Director:
John Madden
Stars:
Jessica Chastain,
Mark Strong,
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.
When a successful New York advertising executive suffers a great tragedy, he retreats from life. While his concerned friends try desperately to reconnect with him, he seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time and Death. But it's not until his notes bring unexpected personal responses that he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived, and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty Written by
Warner Bros
When Howard and Madeleine are taking on the sidewalk of the street in Manhattan, traffic is moving swiftly while the camera is in one direction, and traffic is completely stopped when the camera is in the opposite direction. See more »
"As I suspected, you're a rank sentimentalist." Captain Renault to Rick Blaine in Casablanca.
Depending on Louis Renault's definition of Rick's quiet generosity, Collateral Beauty may rely heavily on the notion that its hero, Howard (Will Smith), is so sentimental about the loss of his five-year-old daughter that he is a non-functioning human being. Such role requires Will Smith to cry and brood excessively.
After more than an hour of Howard's introspective boredom, some relief comes in the Twilight Zone, Christmas Carol, and It's a Wonderful Life motifs starring the abstractions Love (Keira Knightley), Time (Jacob Lattimore), and Death (Helen Mirren). They visit Howard at different times to question his withdrawal from a responsible life a full two years after his daughter's death.
With a leitmotif of cascading domino pieces, it's hard to miss the implicit connection of all living things with a nod to the swift passage of time. Having seen George Bailey's redemption, we should not expect such a powerful transformation of Howard, for this film lacks the attachment to life that Wonderful Life indulges at its end.
Collateral Beauty is a small film with big ideas of connecting itself with the great Christmas stories of the past, but it indulges so many troubled minor characters that it dares to miss the single necessary transformation of Howard in any depth. Watching him ride a bicycle is not my idea of thematic or character development.
Collateral Beauty at best is a diversion from the season's numbing good deeds messages. Its sappy story numbs on its own.
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"As I suspected, you're a rank sentimentalist." Captain Renault to Rick Blaine in Casablanca.
Depending on Louis Renault's definition of Rick's quiet generosity, Collateral Beauty may rely heavily on the notion that its hero, Howard (Will Smith), is so sentimental about the loss of his five-year-old daughter that he is a non-functioning human being. Such role requires Will Smith to cry and brood excessively.
After more than an hour of Howard's introspective boredom, some relief comes in the Twilight Zone, Christmas Carol, and It's a Wonderful Life motifs starring the abstractions Love (Keira Knightley), Time (Jacob Lattimore), and Death (Helen Mirren). They visit Howard at different times to question his withdrawal from a responsible life a full two years after his daughter's death.
With a leitmotif of cascading domino pieces, it's hard to miss the implicit connection of all living things with a nod to the swift passage of time. Having seen George Bailey's redemption, we should not expect such a powerful transformation of Howard, for this film lacks the attachment to life that Wonderful Life indulges at its end.
Collateral Beauty is a small film with big ideas of connecting itself with the great Christmas stories of the past, but it indulges so many troubled minor characters that it dares to miss the single necessary transformation of Howard in any depth. Watching him ride a bicycle is not my idea of thematic or character development.
Collateral Beauty at best is a diversion from the season's numbing good deeds messages. Its sappy story numbs on its own.