Rian Johnson has found time between “Star Wars” films to drop a savvy whodunnit mystery. “Knives Out” is the latest fan service flick from this fanboy filmmaker. The writer/director has assembled one of the year’s most impressive casts to reinvent “Clue” or modernize “Murder on the Orient Express.” In fact, Johnson even compares Daniel Craig’s […]
A fascinating part of history, hypothetically a good movie, cast all wrong and handed to the wrong filmmakers. Jake Gyllenhaal was originally cast as George Westinghouse, which would have balanced the star power of Cumberbatch. Going out on a limb here and suggesting why the film feels so lopsided and told from all the wrong
There are a lot of great heartfelt moments in Elizabeth Chomko’s directorial debut, including the opening scene where the musical score and images really settle you into your seat. What follows is an intimate look at Alzheimer’s through the eyes of the children dealing with their mother. Oscar winner Hilary Swank is mounting a slow
Jerry Bruckheimer and Warner Bros are trying to sell their military ordered January placement film 12 Strong as something we haven’t seen before. True, last year’s Megan Leavey was a different spin on a war movie with a female marine and a German Shepard, but this film is no more about horses than Black Hawk
Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak) aims for romance in his new fantasy film The Shape of Water. Unlikely lead Sally Hawkins (Maudie) delivers a quiet performance, literally, where her full talent is finally on display for the rest of the world to discover how amazing she is. Fans of del Toro’s will eat this up
To say that fashion designer Tom Ford has grown as a filmmaker since A Single Man (2009) would be a dangerous understatement. Ford delivers a masterful thriller adapting Austin Wright’s “Tony & Susan” into not just one of the best films of the year, but an infectious presentation of art and noir. Nocturnal Animals is
If you didn’t know anything about Jeff Nichols’ Loving, the first few minutes of the film wouldn’t look any different than the beginning of a 1960’s love story between two people from small town Virginia. In his 5th film, Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter) tackles his first historical story, “an important story”, he says. While Loving
It’s a good time to be a Rachel Weisz fan. Just this week she has not one, but two films opening. It’s been a while since the Oscar winning actress had been the lead of a film, but Ms. Daniel Craig is certainly overdue and talented enough to hold a film together. Joshua Marston is
Director Liza Johnson’s previous film Hateship Loveship with Kristen Wiig was a mixed bag of quirky comedy and unusual romance. Her latest, Elvis & Nixon is a perfect blend of history and comedy. With all things being considered, Elvis & Nixon is the funniest film of the year. It’s smart and clever as it works
Midnight Special answers the question of what a “Jeff Nichols film” might look like on a larger budget. “It’s still a Jeff Nichols film,” he said at the packed North American premiere at SXSW. He wasn’t kidding, there are major notes from his two previous films Mud and one of my all-time favorites Take