Ireland’s submission to the 90th Academy Awards is by far the worst of the selections I have reviewed. Song of Granite is also one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. To be fair, Pat Collins black and white film is mixed media, combining documentary style interviews, recreations of characters and songs with archival footage. […]
What the trailer makes look like a comedy is surprisingly very sad. From writer/director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) comes another ambitiously vulgar, sarcastically brilliant script that audience’s familiar with his work will admire. His screenplays are always the highlight of the film, due to their provocative language, and I don’t just mean curse
If you combined Still Alice and Ex Machina, you might be able to imagine what Marjorie Prime is going for. On the one hand, Michael Almereyda’s drama based on Jordan Harrison’s play (which also starred Smith), is a fascinating look into the future use of artificial intelligence as a coping mechanism. The drama takes time
So much has been made about Woody Harrelson’s extensive makeup to become President Lyndon B. Johnson in Rob Reiner’s latest film. It’s true, that the first scenes of the actor’s face are shocking and curious. Harrelson (Three Billboards, The Glass Castle) settles into the role like oil and water, never quite losing his own persona
Blake Lively might be the new Cameron Diaz, both actors either have the worst taste in scripts, or simply little to no talent when movie must stand on their shoulders. In what sounds like a cheesy grocery checkout novel, All I See Is You is tailor made for the Lifetime channel. There is more drama
It’s not Peter Landesman’s first political drama, his failed Parkland remains a sting on his filmography, but he rebounded with the forgotten gem Kill the Messenger the following year. With Mark Felt, Landesman highlights the similarities between the Felt/Nixon and Mueller/Trump era. This, all talk and barely any suspense, drama has scene after scene of
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House Read More »
Andy Serkis has an interesting career and trajectory. He’s changed cinema with his motion capture expertise on The Lord of the Rings and The Planet of the Apes series. He is one of the most versatile filmmakers behind the scenes, even working as assistant director on The Hobbit trilogy. That experience has culminated in his
A recent renaissance of overlooked twilight-aged actors getting their overdue leading role, has almost formed a sub-genre. The never nominated Stanton (The Green Mile) is the most recent addition to the club that includes Blythe Danner, Lily Tomlin and Sally Field. The big catch here is that Stanton, aged 91, passed away before the film
Noah Baumbach’s films are often weightless, filled with quirks and eccentricities of characters similar to himself. From The Squid and the Whale to Mistress America, his scripts are as intriguing in the moment as they are forgettable after the fact. Baumbach might be Netflix’s golden charm as he persistently delivers middle ground comedic drama’s that
Paradise comes from a different perspective on the ending of WWII in Germany, one in which previous leaders and a prisoner reflect on what happened from their viewpoints, why they made the decisions they did, and their regrets. Olga (Vysotskaya) is a Russian noblewoman who joined the French Resistance and got arrested for sheltering Jewish