Denis Villeneuve is no rookie when it comes to making movies. With a track record that includes âEnemy,â âPrisoners,â âSicarioâ and âArrival,â I wasnât worried that he would drop the ball on the sequel to one of my all-time favorite films: âBlade Runner.â In fact, I was ecstatic that Villeneuve had been given creative control over the film instead of Ridley Scott, the director of the original âBlade Runner,â as Scottâs modern films have left audiences disappointed time ...
âMark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White Houseâ seems to prove that for Hollywood, timing can be everything. Interjecting itself neatly into the contemporary debate over the morality of leaks, this account of Mark Feltâs â popularly known as âDeep Throatâ â famous leaks attempts to establish a historical precedent for the noble leaker. Unfortunately, if it werenât for the critical importance of its subject matter, the film would not be nearly as satisfying.
âThe Man Who ...
The Second World War was a watershed moment for the world, and since the warâs conclusion in 1945, it has been adapted to the screen from many perspectives: from the bravado and valiance of American soldiers shown in historical fiction like âFuryâ and âInglourious Basterdsâ, to the sobering tragedy and triumphant heroism in films based off of true events like âSchindlerâs Listâ and âFlags of our Fathersâ. âThe Kingâs Choiceâ finds its place among the latter, although its ...
Sean Baker continues his trend of directing dramatic, directionless films that serve as a window to an American lifestyle or culture that mainstream media rarely cover. In his previous movie, âTangerine,â he focuses on two black, transgender prostitutes working in a very dangerous neighborhood. That high intensity film is offset completely by his latest film, âThe Florida Project.â Prepare to laugh and cry at the innocence of these children as you walk around with them in their rundown ...
Tom Cruise, no matter what his personal life holds, is a bonafide, big box office movie star. Even his latest film, The Mummy, which was a critically dismissed domestic flop but boomed in China, managed to gross over $400 million. While âAmerican Madeâ may be the same case, Cruise displays his ability to haul in any viewerâs attention.Doug Liman helms âAmerican Made,â based on the true story of Barry Seal (Cruise), a commercial airbus pilot turned drug-running, reconnaissance-photo-taking ...
The pivotal question running through my mind during the first act of âLuckyâ was the following: did director John Carroll Lynchâs film merely feature Harry Dean Stanton, or was the film in fact a swan song about the iconic character actor?The film explores the life of an unassuming man named Lucky, played by Stanton. Lucky goes through the same routine every day: he wakes up, smokes a cigarette, does his morning exercises and heads out to do his daily errands. His life has seemingly been this ...
Director Danny Strong offers a tepid biopic riff on the 2013 documentary Salinger in âRebel in the Rye.â The film explores the 1950s, around Salingerâs writing of âThe Catcher in the Rye,â whose place in the pantheon of great American novels is indelible. Holden Caulfield, the novelâs protagonist, gave a voice to the disaffection and confusion of modern living and his condemnation of all things fake rendered the book timeless and dearly loved. The main issue with âRebel in the Ryeâ ...
Michael Cuesta directs the film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller, âAmerican Assassin.â The action novel, written by Vince Flynn, received an incredible amount of praise from both critics and audiences, so it is not any surprise that Hollywood has decided to turn it into another action movie. However, this adaptation takes the mindless formula of a spy action movie to a whole new levelâand not in a good way.The movie begins with Mitch Rapp (Dylan OâBrien) watching his fiancee die ...
Little was known about âMother!â leading up to its release, and that is exactly as writer/director Darren Aronofsky wanted. Marketing for the film has been gearing it towards the horror genre, though that is nowhere near what the film truly is.Still, it didnât prevent the marketing team from producing one of the most memorable trailers in recent history. Use of pizzicato to stir and illicit heightened tension as the trailer ramps up the intensity is original and unnerving. âMother!â itself ...
âGood Time,â directed by Josh and Benny Safdie (Benny also stars in the film as Nick) tells a one night tale of madness and crime in New York City. After a bank robbery gone wrong, Connie (Robert Pattinson) must get his brother, Nick, out of the dangerous Rikers Island Prison before the night is up.
Pattinson has shifted his own career following the âTwilightâ series, which sprang him to stardom. He took two years off from acting before his transformative return in David Michôdâs ...
