There really is not a more hot-and-cold director than Ridley Scott. “House of Gucci” depicts Maurizo Gucci and his wife Patrizia Reggiani (Adam Driver and Lady Gaga) as they fight for control of the Gucci fashion brand in the 1980s; Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino also star as Ridley Scott directs.… Continue reading ‘House of Gucci’ Review: A Criminal Waste of Talent and Time
“Slender Man” is based on the internet meme of the same name, in which a tall, skinny figure appears and haunts youth who summon him. It stars Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair and Annalise Basso, and is directed by Sylvain White. This film is lazy, ugly, derivative, boring, monotonous, dull, dreadful and moronic.… Continue reading If ‘Slender Man’ Does Not End Up Being the Worst Film of 2018 I Will Donate to Charity
Adam Driver is a national treasure and we must protect him at all costs. “BlacKkKlansman” is the true story of a black police officer in 1979 Colorado who leads an infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan. The film stars John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace and is directed by Spike Lee.… Continue reading ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is Crazy True Story that Makes a Pretty Good Movie
Aaron Sorkin could write directions for baking a fruitcake and it would still be more interesting and invigorating than most people’s screenplays. “Molly’s Game” marks Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut from a script of his own hand. Like most all his work, it is based off a memoir and in this case he chronicles the story… Continue reading ‘Molly’s Game’ is Great Chastain but Only OK Sorkin
If we’re never going to see Vincent Chase star in “Smoke Jumpers” then at least we have this. “Only the Brave” is the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters who battled the Yarnell Hill Fire in June 2013. Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Taylor Kitsch and James Badge Dale star… Continue reading Emotional and Entertaining, ‘Only the Brave’ is One of the Best Films of 2017
Chadwick Boseman may be portraying Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but not all heroes wear capes… “Marshall” is the story of Thurgood Marshall, the eventual first African-American Supreme Court Justice, and focuses one of the first cases of his career as he defends a black man charged with raping a white woman. Boseman… Continue reading Solid Acting and Courtroom Drama Help ‘Marshall’ Overcome its Familiar Flaws
Tom Cruise did some damage to his reputation this past summer with “The Mummy” so at least this earned him back a little bit of street cred… “American Made” is the based-on-a-true-story tale of Barry Seal, a commercial airlines pilot who began smuggling guns for the CIA and cocaine for the Medellín Cartel in the… Continue reading Cruise Tries His Best to Save ‘American Made’
Every year or two the Academy Awards tends to give a Best Picture nod to a film released in August (“The Help” and “Hell or High Water” to name two); let’s hope that trend continues. “Detroit” is based on the Algiers Motel incident during Detroit’s 12th Street Riot in 1967, where a half dozen black… Continue reading The Intense and Frustrating ‘Detroit’ is One of 2017’s Best
At this point you’re either on the global warming bandwagon or you’re not, so I’m not really sure who this film was made for… “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” is the follow-up to the 2006 Oscar-winning documentary that depicts former Vice President Al Gore’s quest to combat climate change. Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk… Continue reading ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ Sequel is Important Yet Somehow Almost Pointless
Between this, “Churchill” last month and “Darkest Hour” in November, World War II Britain is getting a lot of cinematic visits this year… “Dunkirk” is the new film from writer/director Christopher Nolan, and follows the attempted evacuation of some 400,000 British soldiers off the French beach of the titular city in the early stages of… Continue reading ‘Dunkirk’ is an Overly-Ambitious but Still Pretty Good War Film
The Reel Deal 