Review: "Unbroken" (**½)

Jack O'Connell stars in "Unbroken"

Watching Jack O’Connell’s performance as the raffish, far-reaching World War II bombardier Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken,” you can’t help but admire and relish in the unbreakable resilience of the human spirit. People are rather extraordinary, and this film is a testament to those people who push the boundaries of what’s possible. Because, at the heart of it, beyond the bawdy and often unforgivable wartime treatments and mistreatments, “Unbroken” is a story saturated with sincerity. O’Connell enlivens the material while still leaving room for periphery characters to hem themselves in. But, to me, the film itself often felt more angular than fluid, more forceful than purposeful, and more eager to embolden the highlights of Zamperini’s life than simply allow us explore them ourselves.

Savannah review bundle: "Violet & Daisy" (**½), "On the Road" (***), "Hyde Park on Hudson" (***)

Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan star in "Violet & Daisy"

"Violet & Daisy" is the directorial debut from screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. Fletcher burst onto the scene in 2009 with his Oscar-winning screenplay for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire." "Violet & Daisy" is a pulpy and cute assassin flick, as weird as that may seem. With leads like Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan, 'cute' has to be included in the description somewhere. Despite the film being a little uneven as a whole, fine performances from the two young actresses, as well as co-star James Gandolfini, push the film along. Unfortunately, all of the texture is stripped out of New York City, a setting that usually carries a huge presence in any film. "Violet & Daisy" comes with the intention to knock you off your seat, but is a little too light to get the job done. Gandolfini was in attendance alongside Fletcher, who picked up the Cinevation Award at the Savannah Film Festival. Fletcher manages to show some promise and diversity as a filmmaker, as this is about as far from "Precious" as you can get, but might still be a bit of a tenderfoot. Not quite as radical as it wants to be, "Violet & Daisy" is a trifle, albeit a cute one. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

"On the Road" and "Hyde Park on Hudson" after the jump.