Making its debut at the Austin Film Festival, Brad Silberling’s latest An Ordinary Man is yet another film spotlighted because of its male lead. While 73-year-old Sir Ben Kingsley isn’t the draw he once was, this feels like a resurgence for the Oscar winner. Silberling (Moonlight Mile, City of Angels) isn’t well regarded as a […]
What might look like another film about the world of an autistic individual struggling with the everyday norms of life, is actually a love letter to Star Trek fans. Please Stand By (the title is explained within the film) offers Dakota Fanning (American Pastoral) a role reversal from I Am Sam, the film that introduced
Remember that 2008 film Hero Wanted with Cuba Gooding Jr? Yea, me either, but that hasn’t stopped stuntman and occasional director Brian Smrz from delivering yet another forgettable action flick. Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Maudie, Boyhood) is the only element here that even provides this cheap action flick with a chance at a theatrical audience,
Actor turned director Joel David Moore’s film on the topic of legal human euthanasia isn’t the first of 2016 to cover such grounds. I point to Me Before You this past summer and of course the Oscar winning Amour in 2012. Moore (Savages, Avatar) directs the script by newcomer Andrew Eisen in the vein of
Producer Harvey Weinstein knew he had something good back at the 2015 Cannes film festival, where he showed raw footage of Lion to select journalists. When Garth Davis’ directorial debut made its big splash at the Toronto Film Festival in September, macho male journalists even admitted they were moved to tears by the compelling true
First time director Kelly Fremon Craig’s biggest mistake is assuming every teenager is having a similar experience to her main character. Craig’s script casts Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect 2, Barely Lethal) in another bratty role that has quickly become her institution as an actress. The Edge of Seventeen goes for jokes on topics that I am
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
Ben Younger’s boxing film Bleed for This is not an awards contender despite debuting at Toronto’s film festival. While the best actor race might be a bit on the weak side, it’s not weak enough to include Teller (Whiplash, Fantasic Four), who continues to struggle for his place in the American box office market. Ben
One of the most unusual films based on a true story, writer/director James Steven Sadwith turns his own experience of meeting famous author J.D. Salinger into a feature film. Sadwith typically works in television, but said at The Austin Film Festival, after years of retelling this story, was compelled to turn it into a motion
Man Up opens like an installment of Bridget Jones, complete with another American actress hurling an English accent. Whether it’s the talent of Lake Bell (In A World) as a comedian, or the goofy charm of Simon Pegg (Mission Impossible), Man Up is enjoyable because the script jumps outside the expected often enough to