It’s most every film fan’s favorite time of the year again: Oscar Season (unless you’re like me and the Summer Movie Season takes precedence). The nominees were announced Tuesday and as expected, “La La Land” cleaned up house with a record-tying 14 nominations including Best Picture, and there were a few surprises along the way… Continue reading 2017 Oscar Nominations and Reactions
This, “Lone Survivor,” “Deepwater Horizon”… guess Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg are just going to spend the rest of their careers making films about recent tragedies. “Patriots Day” is about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its subsequent manhunt. Mark Wahlberg, J. K. Simmons, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon and Michelle Monaghan all star as Peter… Continue reading ‘Patriots Day’ a Solid, Respectful Thriller with a Few Stumbles
This is honestly going to be one of the most difficult reviews I’ve ever written… “Silence” is the latest film from Martin Scorsese, a passion project of the director’s for over 25 years. The film follows two 17th-century Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who travel from Portugal to Japan in order to locate… Continue reading ‘Silence’ Easier to Admire than Enjoy
2016 is over, but its films are still letting us down. “Live by Night” is the fourth directorial effort from Ben Affleck, based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, and follows a prohibition Boston bootlegger who moves to Florida to corner the rum market. Affleck stars alongside Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson,… Continue reading ‘Live by Night’ a Beautiful-Looking Letdown
2016 wasn’t a great year for mainstream movies, but some things did manage to rise above and provide us with solid entertainment. Plenty of things were happy surprises and there were a few hidden gems, including things not on this list like “Nerve,” “Money Monster” and [looks both ways] “Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition.” As… Continue reading Top 10 Best Films of 2016
For the second year in a row, the best film of the year comes out at Christmas. “La La Land” stars Ryan Gosling as a jazz pianist who falls in love with an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) in Los Angeles. John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt and J.K. Simmons also star as Damien Chazelle writes and directs.… Continue reading ‘La La Land’ a Gorgeous Film Celebrating Dreams
Great performance, great real-life story, meh film. “Jackie” stars Natalie Portman as the titular character of Jackie Kennedy, and follows her retelling of the days after her husband’s assassination in 1963. Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and John Hurt also star as Pablo Larraín directs. There are plenty of examples of great actors giving… Continue reading Portman Great as ‘Jackie’ but Script Lets Her Down
Who would have thought a coming-of-age story could be so original? “Moonlight” follows Chiron, a gay African American in Miami, through three stages of his life (youth, teen and adult) and the struggles he faces to figure out who he truly is. Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders and Alex Hibbert star as the three incarnations of… Continue reading ‘Moonlight’ a Well-Acted and Masterfully Shot Drama
This is pretty much if neo-Steven Spielberg met neo-Christopher Nolan and both of them brought their B-game. “Arrival” stars Amy Adams as a linguist who is called upon by the military (led by Forest Whitaker) to figure out alien’s language after spaceships touchdown in 12 locations across the globe. Jeremy Renner and Michael Stuhlbarg also… Continue reading ‘Arrival’ a Close Encounter of the Underwhelming Kind
The Reel Deal 