Phantom Boy
⋆⋆⋆ out of four stars
Rating: Not rated. In French with English subtitles.
Theater: Uptown.
Little Leo is seriously ill — he is in the hospital with an unnamed illness (he has lost his hair), and his life hangs in the balance. Suddenly, his soul has the power to leave his body; on his nighttime prowls, he finds that the fate of New York City is similarly in peril. Leo's soul joins forces with a cop and a reporter to battle a supervillain in this delightful, though slight, animated film from the directors of the Oscar-nominated "A Cat in Paris." "Phantom Boy'' has a cute comic-book vibe, a visually pleasing style and a fast pace. It's fun, for sure. Nonetheless, here's a movie that should have been longer. Perhaps the sweetest part of the movie is Leo's relationship with his sister. The movie opens and ends with the pair together, and his sister shines at an important moment, yet their relationship — much more interesting than the silly plot — is badly in need of fleshing out.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Nerve
⋆⋆½ out of four stars
Rating: PG-13 for thematic material involving dangerous and risky behavior, some sexual content, language, drug content, drinking and nudity, all involving teens.
This romantic teen cyber thriller makes for a fascinating double feature with another release this weekend, "Jason Bourne." Both films want to debate the ways in which online surveillance affects our everyday lives, but while "Bourne" wrestles with the state and corporate America, "Nerve" throws caution to the wind and exchanges privacy for cold, hard cash proffered by a bloodthirsty, anonymous mob. The jittery, colorful film is directed by the team behind the 2010 documentary "Catfish." It feels like existing inside a smartphone, as the actors like, swipe, tap and livestream their way through the game. The game is called Nerve; it's truth or dare on steroids for millions of online viewers. It demands: Are you a Watcher or a Player? Reserved Staten Island teen Vee (Emma Roberts) signs up as a Player after a blowup with her wild best friend, Sydney (Emily Meade). Vee's finally ready to break out of her shell and take life one dare at a time. On her first assignment, she connects with Ian (Dave Franco), and the horde demands that the two team up to tackle their dares, which escalate dangerously. But as "Nerve" builds to a roaring Thunderdome climax, it starts to lose its grip.
Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
