There are so many ways this spy drama could have gone, but the television turned movie director Trevor Nunn seems at odds with how to navigate through the backstory. “Red Joan” uses the same framework as “The Wife,” going back and forth between the present and the past. Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench (her performance is […]
Gaspar Noé is the type of experimental filmmaker that gives cinema a bad name. “Climax” proves a couple of points; Point one: a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival means nothing, and Point Two: Noé guarantees that most viewers unlucky enough to find themselves the victim of watching this movie will have the worst experience
There is little that works about “Cocote,” the Dominican Republic’s submission to the 91st Academy Awards. The most obvious shortfall is how the film is technically assembled. It begins in letterbox (full screen) format, which in itself is not that uncommon, Jonah Hill’s “Mid 90’s” and Poland’s foreign entry “Cold War” both utilize the format. However,
If you have ever watched or been that child who bangs his toys together out of pure destruction, out of boredom or just being done with those particular toys; you can imagine what “Glass” is like through an adult prism. Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan is a polarizing filmmaker whose concepts and ideas typically
First and foremost, can we all agree that Black Swan was an outlier when it comes to Darren Aronofsky. His films are the definition of divisive and he delivers stories that mean something to him, and the rest of the audience be damned. Mother is Aronofsky’s satanic horror film which begins like most horror genre
As a reasonable human being, I don’t condone alcohol abuse, illegal drug use, or murder. Rough Night, the new film from writer/director Lucia Aniello promotes all of these things, and asks the audience to laugh at them. It’s curious that someone like Scarlett Johansson who stands up at the DNC and speaks so whole heartily
Here is another example of a studio taking a director with little to no experience and shoving him behind one of the summer’s biggest tent-pole action flicks. Of course, we already know from previous experience that “A Tom Cruise movie” means he is the real voice behind the film. If that wasn’t enough, Universal is
Often, we get celebrity and movie stars confused. One typically has a talent, presents an art form, while the other lends their popularity to ticket sales. To be very clear, The Void has neither. There is a good reason for it too, the duo written/directed Canadian horror film couldn’t attract famous figures, even if they
This is not the first film to make jokes at the expense of the problematic American school system. It offers no political commentary or insights after all the derogatory representation. Instead, Fist Fight makes light of all the infections that plague our public schools. Guidance counselors doing meth, students dealing drugs, and teachers behaving as
The first major misfire of 2017 reunites the writer and director of The Lone Ranger (2013) for another cinematic misfortune. What begins as a layered and complex suspense thriller, continues to pile on subplot after subplot until the two and a half hour mystery becomes an endurance test for the audience. Gore Verbinski (The Mexican,