Writer/director Sean Anders has turned a corner from, junk food comedies like Daddy’s Home and That’s My Boy, to junk food comedy with a purpose. Instant Family draws from Anders own personal experiences with adoption and foster parenting. He said his intent was to show a different side of the story than the usual serious dramas, such as the […]
I didn’t know what to expect from Danish director Bille August’s medical court drama. With no poster, no trailer, no US distribution, it was a gamble to see this one at TIFF. That gamble paid off, as 55 Steps boasts two phenomenal performances, one of which might garner a golden statue. Screenwriter Mark Bruce Rosin
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
When a film debuting during awards season skips all three major festivals (Telluride, TIFF, Venice) it’s usually a bad sign. “Bohemian Rhapsody” did just that, assuring skeptics they simply weren’t finished in time for the festival deadlines. However trouble off camera started for this production long before the final cut was yelled. X-Men director Bryan
The title of Melissa McCarthy’s new film could also be a question to critics and audiences who have watched her career dive bomb in the last couple of years. She’s gone downhill since blasting onto the film scene with “Bridesmaids,” the introduction to her one-note comedy routine that earned her an Oscar nomination. “Can You
Jean-Marc Vallée’s “Wild” is the best comparison for what to expect with Belgium director Felix Van Groeningen’s “Beautiful Boy.” Both films focus on the struggle with addiction and despair. “Beautiful Boy” based on two novels, one from the point of view of the father, the other from the son. It is a gripping and thoroughly
Fox Searchlight is promoting David Lowery’s latest film as the final film of Robert Redford’s long, distinguished career. Yet, the 82-year-old Redford said at the Telluride Film Festival, “never say never.” Redford who has two Oscars, one for directing and one honorary Oscar, has never won for acting. Unfortunately, this light as air dramatic comedy won’t
Wash Westmoreland, the director of Oscar-winning “Still Alice,” originally wrote the script for “Colette” back in 2001. As the climate in Hollywood has shifted, there has been more demand for female-centered films. What better than one of France’s most celebrated feminists Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. The film opens with Oscar nominee Keira Knightley (“Pride and Prejudice”) running
A remake of the 70’s film starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, director Michael Noer (who has directed nothing you would recognize) updates the arguably true story of Henri “Papillion” Charriere with modern technology. “Papillion” is an epic story in the telling but not always in the watching. The introduction to our main character is
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