The Room Next Door. Based on the novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, the screenplay by Pablo Almodóvar is dull and undercooked with stilted dialogue. What could've been a unflinchingly moving and profound movie that explores life, death, friendship and happiness, it barely scratches the surface. There are far more powerful films about assisted suicide like The Sea Inside. Almodóvar seems more concerned about engaging the audience's eyes with stylish set designs, cinematography, and costume designs rather than providing a window into Martha and Ingrid's heart, mind and soul. Why leave the audience at such a cold distance from them? There's a hint of suspense during the last thirty minutes as Ingrid tries to figure out how to avoid getting into trouble for knowingly allowing Martha to take the euthenasia pill. Of course, she claims that she was unaware and lies that Martha didn't tell her the real reason why Martha asked her to be with her in her upstate NY home. The ending, with its heavy-handed use of symbolism, feels anticlimactic and rushed. No matter how hard Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore try to breathe life into their roles, they don't quite manage to accomplish that task because they're undermined by the weak screenplay. At 1 hour and 46 minutes The Room Next Door is shallow, contrived and sugar-coated with style over substance. It opens in select theaters via Sony Pictures Classics.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
      Sonic (voice of Ben Schwartz), Tails (voice of Colleen O’Shaughnessy), and Knuckles (voice Idris Elba) team up with Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to defeat their new nemesis, Shadow the Hedgehog (voice of Keanu Reeves) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington is mildly amusing, but for the most part silly while lacking the wit and thrills found in the last two films in the series. So, the third film in the Sonic series basically runs out of steam and eventually becomes more exhausting than fun. Does it really need to clock at nearly 2 hours? Just when you think it's over, it goes on and on and on perhaps to show off its big budget. Yes, the CGI effects are solid and there's plenty of action sequences, much more than the previous films, so this one feels more like an anime movie or a long video game. Jim Carrey does his best to enliven the material with his over-the-top performances, but he's undermined by the dull screenplay that aims for low-hanging fruit. In a cringe-inducing scene, it even breaks the fourth wall. Other cringe-inducing scenes include an attempt for poignancy in the third act between two characters after an intense action sequence. If you're coming into Sonic the Hedgehog 3 without watching the other Sonic films or if you're not already a fan of Sonic, chances are that this film won't give you much of a convincing reason to become a fan. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, directed by Jeff Fowler, opens nationwide via Paramount Pictures.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3