Mother and daughter as protagonist and antagonist is a common theme in film. “The Truth” is different from the rest because, among other things, it’s directed by the brilliant Hirokazu Koreeda who caught lots of attention last year with “Shoplifters.” It’s his first film in a language other than Japanese and some of the discourse […]
House of Hummingbird is a mood piece, beautifully filmed, teeming with depth of feeling, and a story that keeps you guessing. It’s clearly from a culture so different from my own, but so engaging it felt like I was in that country (Korea). Penned, directed, and produced by young filmmaker Bora Kim, it’s remarkable in its sophistication,
Comedian and former talk show host Jon Stewart’s sophomore film “Irresistible” is a far cry from his 2014 directorial debut, “Rosewater.” Both his script and direction lean more towards political satire (“Wag the Dog,” “The Campaign”), but more specifically the modern age of spin stories and media as seen in “Our Brand in Crisis.” Steve Carell
“Jurassic Park” and “Panic Room” are two scripts penned by David Keopp that stand out in a dedicated screenwriting career. Koepp’s directing credits however are some of the worst movies most have had the displeasure to experience (or review). Remember those awful Johnny Depp films “Secret Window” and “Mortdecai”, Koepp’s fault. Kevin Bacon and Koepp
This romanticized fabrication of the cancer experience is likely to dismay those who have actually gone through it—especially when the patient is a child. As someone who worked in a cancer center in Pediatrics as a psychologist for almost 25 years, I found little in the film that resembles any of the hundreds of families I
With most feature films still holding onto hope for a theatrical release, “7500” will likely be the most suspenseful and edge of your couch thriller of 2020. Like most thrillers that find a way to isolate the protagonist and build a story around one or two people, “7500” limits the audience’s view to the cockpit
Saturday Night Live and tabloid sensation Pete Davidson plays Scott Carlin like a cartoon character that’s been brought to life for the first time. The King of Staten Island is written by Davidson, based on his own misadventures of losing his father who was a firefighter. Judd Apatow’s niche is taking serious subjects like Unexpected
Scenes from a man’s life. The Italian writer/director Abel Ferrara has written an apparent partial autobiographical account of his life—seemingly (my interpretation) as expiation for things in his past about which he has/is experiencing guilt. The story moves rather slowly across events, with forays into past events and, presumably, symbolic and metaphorical fantasies that encompass external
Shirley” is an unsettling biography focused on the reclusive American writer Shirley Jackson. Elisabeth Moss portrays Jackson before she penned her most well known work The Haunting of Hill House. Moss’s performance also happens to be the year’s first opportunity to talk Oscar potential. Josephine Decker’s film based on Susan Scarf Merrell’s novel isn’t a
What a delightful surprise to see a winner from a relatively new filmmaker, Prentice Penny, writer and director. We don’t usually think of a black middle-class young man with a future in his father’s business wanting to become a sommelier (not a Somalian, as envisioned by some in his circle). But Elijah (Athie) is a dreamer, and something