The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is just as enchanting as it should be, and involves a twist. In this case, the traditional hero’s journey is undertaken by a girl named Clara, the girl in Tchaikovsky’s popular “Nutcracker” ballet. The script is based on E. T. A. Hoffman’s 1816 story (“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”), in which […]
Oscar nominated actor Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper”) has made an unusual choice for his directorial debut. Warner Bros had been planning to remake “A Star is Born” for years (there are versions from 1937, 1954, 1976). This one was originally conceived as a vehicle directed by Clint Eastwood and staring Beyoncé. Cooper is almost as
I’ll admit, when I first heard the title “Crazy Rich Asians”, I thought this was some insensitive comedy spoof. Turns out, it might be one of the most talked about and celebrated films of the summer. It’s based off a best-selling book that is the first part of a trilogy; something Warner Bros. hopes to
There are lots of survival films, many of them taking place in open water. “Adrift” is both similar to those before it, and strikingly different. Based on an incredible true story of a sailboat wrecked in the Pacific, Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”) re-dons her bathing suit to give what’s easily her most ambitious and demanding
Saoirse Ronan received her first Oscar nomination for “Atonement,” written by Ian McEwan. Once again, she takes on a role he created, writing his own screen adaptation for the first time. Director Dominic Cooke, unfortunately, doesn’t work the same wonders with McEwan’s script that Joe Wright did with “Atonement.” The provocative nature of the subject matter creates
This movie opens with stunning oceans views and beautiful scenery, but viewers will quickly sense the foreboding dread they likely paid for. This isn’t a beauty and the beast story. New filmmaker Michael Pearce explores romance, horror, manipulation and mental illness in a film that feels like Twilight’s cousin. The moody scenery of France’s Chanel
Here is a film that is constructed entirely around a dinner scene that speaks volumes about the class system. In the previews, this dinner party scene is set up like a Notting Hill or Love Actually moment. Madame, with a short running time of 90 swift minutes and peculiar alternating point of views, fail to
No this isn’t a romance movie set in Alaska during the summer months where the sun never sets, that would be far too interesting and unique. Midnight Sun borrows the concept of another teen drama Everything, Everything, about a young girl with a rare disease that forces her to always stay inside. That combined with
The final installment of E.L. James popular but equally despised stories land back on the big screen with little to no fanfare. ‘Freed’ seems to refer more to the audience who closes out the trilogy in obligation, rather than support. Director James Foley who picked up the second film, offers us more of the same
Despite being nominated for three Golden Globe awards (Picture comedy, actor comedy, song), The Greatest Showman isn’t the spectacle it thinks it is. Following in the wake of La La Land, this musical history of PT Barnum lacks large set pieces and emotional punch found within the genre. While Jackman is electric on screen, The