Chris Luckett

This week’s releases on home video: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Only Lovers Left Alive, and The Quiet Ones.

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THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

Running Time: 142 mins.
OFRB Rating: PG (violence)
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Felicity Jones, and B.J. Novak
Verdict: It crams itself with as many plots and characters as it can bear, but mostly remains afloat. The action is intense, the visual effects are impressive, the humour is well-timed, and the performances are pitch-perfect. By trying to be a jack of all plots, though, it can’t truly master any of them. But at least it’s better than Spider-Man 3. (4 stars out of 5)

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ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

Running Time: 123 mins.
OFRB Rating: 14A (coarse language)
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Anton Yelchin, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, and Jeffrey Wright
Verdict: Director Jim Jarmusch always seem to go out of his way to keep his movies from being mainstream in any way, and his take on vampires is no exception. There are a few moments of refreshing comedy, but the movie is mostly one long, very artfully shot bore. The cast does their work with aplomb, but with no script of interest, the movie simply sputters along for two hours. (2 stars out of 5)

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THE QUIET ONES

Running Time: 98 mins.
OFRB Rating: 14A (language, disturbing content)
Starring: Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Erin Richards, Rory Fleck-Byrne, and Olivia Cooke
Verdict: Derivative, pedestrian, and instantly forgettable. It resorts to cheap scares and sudden jolts in the soundtrack within its first five minutes, and never aims higher than that for the rest of the movie. Every scene has been done countless times before and almost always to better effect. Twenty minutes after the movie’s done, you won’t even remember it. (1 star out of 5)