A trip through director Robert Eggers’ filmography will be most useful for those experiencing his work for the first time. A word to the wise — marketing Eggers films to mainstream audiences is tricky, so his trailers are cut to sell you something you think you are familiar with. His debut “The Witch” was not […]
When Nikola Tesla (played here by Ethan Hawke) pulls out his cell phone at a bar in 1888 or Anne Morgan, daughter of JP Morgan, fires up her Apple Computer to explain the number of Google searches for Telsa compared to Thomas Edison, you understand quickly this isn’t a normal biopic. Michael Almereyda’s version of
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
Hawke re-connects with “Born to be Blue” director Robert Budreau for the wackiest bank robbery since “Bandits” (2011). “Stockholm” happens to be a comedic retelling of the 1973 bank robbery that led to the coining of the term Stockholm syndrome, despite much of the reality being altered for the film. “Stockholm” is often quite entertaining thanks
As westerns go, “The Kid” has little to offer in the way of original content. You don’t have to look very far to find stellar examples of the genre that once ruled Hollywood. Scott Cooper’s 2017 epic “Hostiles” raised the bar for future westerns. Not only is it a lackluster western, ”The Kid” isn’t even
In 2011 Brother and sister duo Jesse and Evgenia Peretz made a film called Our Idiot Brother and it was very bad. They return with yet another quirky comedy, but this time, the script and direction are genuinely entertaining. Evgenia’s script examines the different aspects, responsibilities, and regrets of middle-age dating. She also explores idol obsession and
Oscar-nominated actor; and sometime screenwriter and director Ethan Hawke steps back behind the camera for his fourth feature. “Blaze” is the story of little known Austin musician Blaze Foley, who often created more trouble and drama than he did music. Hawke chose Foley’s story for the big screen specifically because he wasn’t a big celebrity, and
In many ways director Paul Schrader’s new film First Reformed could work as a double feature with last year’s Novitiate. It’s a dark piece on the complicated modern life of a minister dealing with his own internal demons. First Reformed is a twisted tale, not unlike the morally conflicted films in Schrader’s repertoire such as
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,
Ten years after The Fifth Element, fantasy film director Luc Besson puts together the most expensive French flick in history. Compared to his ‘97 Bruce Willis sci-fi flick, which had 188 visual effects shots, this one has 2734. It’s another case of technology overriding anything else on screen. Lead actor DeHaan (coming off another failed