I will be the first to admit, I am not a big fan of Bening (20th Century Women). I want to clear the air so I can say, without hesitation, this might be the project of hers that turns me into a fan. There are a couple of factors that make the ridiculously titled, Film […]
“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”
There are striking similarities between Chastain’s Miss Sloane from last year, and her buzzy new film Molly’s Game. Both leading characters are unapologetic, powerful and in control of the men around them, while being investigated for illegal activity. Oscar winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) makes his directorial debut here with a fast talking,
Topping last years, A Bigger Splash, Italian director Luca Guadagnino has created nothing short of a masterpiece in adapting André Aciman’s novel of the same name. In a screenplay by James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name is one of the most honest coming of age stories I’ve ever witnessed. The entire film is anchored
The new film from auteur Alexander Payne (Nebraska, The Descendants) is unlike anything he’s done before. It’s a film that first and foremost sells itself as a comedy, to be fair, most Payne films do, yet turns out to be something different entirely. It’s science fiction, but presented in mostly realistic terms. There hasn’t been
Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak) aims for romance in his new fantasy film The Shape of Water. Unlikely lead Sally Hawkins (Maudie) delivers a quiet performance, literally, where her full talent is finally on display for the rest of the world to discover how amazing she is. Fans of del Toro’s will eat this up
There was a huge wave of buzz after Darkest Hour debuted at Telluride. Not only just for the obvious best actor race, but even some mention of best picture. Mainstream American audiences will likely write this film off a stuffy historical drama where history plays out in a bunch of different rooms. It’s true that
The Tonya Harding biopic / mockumentary came into the Toronto Film Festival as an “also showing” flick. Yet after the first screening, it became one of the most buzzed about films and now was just nominated for five Critics Choice Awards. It was also one of the highest profile acquisitions during TIFF, and will be
Following up his smashing directorial debut with Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy again explores professional moral ambiguity. This time he’s got two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington (Fences) playing slightly against type. Wild hair, 90’s Sony Walkman and retro clothes make this look like a period piece, but that’s only Washington’s character. Like his previous film where Jake
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