It is likely that I’m one of the few people who haven’t seen the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” despite having watched “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” as a child. It would be incorrect to think the new feature film by Marielle Heller is centered around the beloved Mr. Rogers. It’s not. In fact “A Beautiful […]
If you have ever wondered what would happen if someone combined the investigative journalism seen in best picture winner “Spotlight,” with the controversial story behind “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Report” will satisfy that curiosity. Written and directed by Scott Z. Burns (“Contagion,” “The Bourne Ultimatum”), with a producing credit from frequent collaborator Steven Soderbergh, this
I have serious questions about the critical reactions coming from the Telluride Film Festival. Numerous times recently critics there, who got the first crack at some of the most anticipated fall season films, oversold expectations. All that to say that James Mangold is the kind of director you can usually count on. His films “Walk
The first major motion picture to explore the life of Harriet Tubman comes with a lot of expectations. Transferring the life and courage of the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad is about finding a way to tell the complete story while balancing it with entertainment and engagement. Kasi Lemmons admitted during the world
Director Noah Hawley’s new film “Lucy in the Sky,” based on the astronaut who’s nervous breakdown made headlines a decade ago, is more complicated than it needs to be. The most disappointing element of the film which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival was that there was no diaper scene. Most reading this will
Gavin Hood (“Eye in the Sky,” “Enders Game“) might be a ‘hit or miss’ director, but his latest film exposes a story most Americans are unfamiliar with. “Official Secrets” centers around a whistleblower who leaked classified information during the War with Iraq. Why is a movie in 2019 looking so far back to something that’s
What you see is what you get with “Brian Banks.” The title is as unimaginative as the film itself. Based on the true story of a man wrongfully convicted in his teens attempting to reclaim his innocence. Director Tom Shadyac marks a return to feature films with the sort of feel-good story that made his career in
I can’t recall a film where I just as fascinated by the “Emergency Exit, Alarm Will Sound” sign on the door below the screen as I was by what was on screen. Joanna Hogg’s ‘The Souvenir,” based on a difficult relationship she had in film school during the 1980s is an infuriating sit. She cast
Director Edward Zwick has a befuddling filmography. He has directed large scale projects like “The Last Samurai” and “Blood Diamond.” Classics like “Legends of the Fall” and “Glory.” He has also helmed misfires like “Love & Other Drugs” and the “Jack Reacher” sequel. Zwick’s latest, “Trial By Fire,” is a glorified television quality movie if
For “The Lord of the Rings” fans, Dome Karukoski’s “Tolkien” might work as a way of celebrating the brilliant author and fantasy creator in which popular franchises “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones” have both been inspired from. The script assumes the audience’s familiarity with ‘Rings,’ expecting you to pick up on which people and