In an extraordinary production directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Rosamund Pike as Madame Curie, we hear the story of an eccentric scientist who won two Nobel prizes through much conflict and a certain amount of public hatred. She was the first woman to win a Nobel, notably being relatively unimpressed with it, but at the […]
Documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman successfully navigates the transition to feature films with A Private War. Like embedded war laden journalism films before it, A Private War follows the extremist (not extreme) style dedication of women who put duty and self-assigned purpose over everything else, including their own lives. Veronica Guerin comes to mind, although her
I’m not sure where filmmakers are getting info that the American public want to see thrillers set in the middle east. Beirut is the second film to take place in the middle east starring Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike in less than 30 days. Beirut is a higher quality film than the recent 7 Days in
If a story about hostages living a horrific seven days under the control of terrorists who demand freedom for their persecuted brothers sounds familiar, it might be because this is the fourth film to detail the extraordinary events of Entebbe. What’s even worse for the filmmakers of this one is the striking resemblance to 6
“Crazy Heart”, “Out of the Furnace”, “Black Mass” and now “Hostiles”. Scott Cooper, the actor turned director, has quickly become one of the most prolific American cinematic voices. His latest film “Hostiles”, the darkest subject matter yet, but also his most accomplished. Cooper’s scripts have a slow burn about them, you don’t even realize “Hostiles”
Director Amma Asante continues to deliver important true stories about diverse relationships throughout history. Belle (2011) was a beautiful underappreciated film that functioned as a discovery picture for actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Miss Sloane). Asante reunites with Belle co-star Davenport, playing a larger part in this film. It’s the consistently impressive presence of David Oyelowo (Selma)