I will be the first to admit the filmmaking on Te Ata (pronounced Tay Ott-Ha )is a bit elementary. It plays like a historical instructional video at times, funded by a church or educational group. The most jarring introduction is the title card of 1906, yet the characters speak modern English dialect. After a slow […]
Israeli director Hany Abu-Assad might have missed more romance survivor films than he should, before undertaking The Mountain Between Us. There’s a lot of good work in the middle of this film, particularly thanks to Oscar winner Winslet (Steve Jobs, The Dressmaker) and Idris Elba (The Dark Tower, Beasts of No Nation). The remote isolation
It would be simpler to blame this dis-interesting film on Tom Cruise (The Mummy), but isn’t not all his fault. It’s true, Cruise’s prolonged stereotype of the “macho guy”, always cast along side the much younger blond, plays into the “been there, already seen it” feeling you get while watching American Made. But Doug Liman
No matter what Stephen Frears delivers, it’s always going to be different ingredients on the same menu. Previous collaborations, “Philomena” and “Mrs. Henderson Presents”, suggest that Dame Judi Dench is heading towards an 8th Oscar nomination, and her third under Frears direction. Of course, this isn’t the first time Dench has played a Queen or
I know this looks like a movie about tennis or gender equality. It’s both and neither at the same time. Battle of the Sexes has recent Oscar winner Stone very much in the lead, and Carell, once again teaming with his Little Miss Sunshine directors for another oddball supporting performance. Like the best movies seemingly
Friend Request isn’t going to benefit from It at the top of the American box office. Here we have a clear comparison of two films within the same genre, where one is an ambitious project and the other is filmed on a dime in hopes of tricking movie goers into the theater. Friend Request is
Brad (Stiller) is having a very bad time as he and his son Troy (Abrams) go visiting university prospects. It brings to Brad’s mind his own college days, his beloved mentor, and four close buddies. As he reminisces, he becomes more and more agitated, comparing himself and his life to his imaginings about his friends’
Another film I caught last week at the Toronto International Film Festival was Oscar nominated Jake Gyllenhaal’s new film. It seems like every year there is a Gyllenhaal vehicle, that’s supposed put him back in trophy contention. He might get his second nod for Stronger, but compared to his overlooked masterclass performances in “Prisoners” or
The Americans are here to ruin a promising franchise. Two years ago, director Matthew Vaughn made a star out of newcomer Taron Egerton (Eddie the Eagle) with a witty, sarcastic and intelligent script. Kingsman didn’t play as well in America, so for the sequel, everything from the pace, humor and Taron’s charisma is altered. The
In some of the early scenes of the film, we get a graphic picture of J. D. Salinger’s personality as a highly self-confident, even cocky, social climber in his flirtations with Oona O’neil (Eugene’s daughter, charmingly played by Zoey Deutch). He does capture her attention just by the way he introduces himself, and although she