There are simply not enough films with Oscar winner Emma Thompson at the forefront. Director Richard Eyre (Notes on a Scandal, Iris) has crafted a rousing performance vehicle that could land Thompson back in awards consideration. The Children Act is written by Ian McEwan (Atonement) whose one of the most wonderfully British screenwriters around. Eyre, […]
There have been a surprising number of former supporting actresses moving up to lead roles this year. The latest, Emily Mortimer, who has continuously proven her diversity and range in films like Hugo, Elizabeth, and Notting Hill. Coincidentally, she and Patricia Clarkson have worked together numerous times, and do so again as opposing forces in this film. Clarkson
Bait and Switch: a tactic used in movies when the trailer advertises one thing and the movie turns out to be something else. The Little Stranger is being sold as a sophisticated horror story surrounding a mysterious house (think The Others). Acclaimed director Lenny Abrahamson is back behind the camera for the first time since the Oscar-winning Room. Yet
His first film in seven years, John Cameron Mitchell doesn’t do anything unless it’s shocking and provocative. In his second collaboration with Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Mitchell’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties is likely the most obtuse movie you will spot all year long. A 1977 punk rock coming of age story, set
Sam Claflin forgoes his usual romantic-leading-man role for a muddy cerebral one in the trenches of this World War I drama. Journey’s End opens at an almost stagnant pace, with no score, only uniformed men talking and moving around. When Paul Bettany (The Avengers) finally gets on screen, the story livens up a bit. To
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
Director Roger Michell’s films can be quite good or forgettable depending on what he is working with. His latest was very anticipated on my part, the adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s novel. Maurier is the nearly forgotten author behind two of Hitchcock’s best adaptations The Birds and Rebecca. The first trailer for My Cousin Rachel
We are almost half way through 2017, and Churchill (one of two films portraying the iconic Brit) delivers the first potential leading actor awards contender. With a career spanning over four decades of supporting character roles, Brian Cox (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), the ever-villain, gets his big, bombastic leading performance and it’s
James Gray’s The Lost City of Z is a captivating trek through history, exploring one of the most fascinating mysteries of the 20th Century. It’s not always compelling however, as the source material is grand (I’m told the book is far more suspenseful), despite omitting vital and important facts of Percy Fawcett’s ground breaking expedition.
An Education (2009) was a great film, nominated for best picture and solidifying the career of Carey Mulligan. However, that’s no reason to use that movies structure in a different plot like director Lone Scherfig does here. Their Finest has a solid starting point, focusing on women’s increased role during WWII, specifically at London’s major