A trip through director Robert Eggers’ filmography will be most useful for those experiencing his work for the first time. A word to the wise — marketing Eggers films to mainstream audiences is tricky, so his trailers are cut to sell you something you think you are familiar with. His debut “The Witch” was not […]
“Being the Ricardos” almost had a casting issue. After Cate Blanchett dropped out of playing Lucille Ball, fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman stepped in. If you go into Sorkin’s flick with the understanding that Kidman isn’t trying to embody Ball, everything makes more sense. In fact, you could totally ignore who Kidman and Bardem are playing
First it was The Big Short, I Tonya, Vice and now Bombshell. Movies about the convergence of media and politics told in a way that breaks the fourth wall have found their place in the annual award season race. These films, adapted from one article or source, are edited in a way that’s snappy and
Screenings were packed for “The Goldfinch,” at the Toronto Film Festival, despite negative reviews. John Crowley (“Brooklyn“) seems to be the right director choice for this film. “Goldfinch” doesn’t have “Brooklyn‘s” magic though. With so much content and plot to cover even over two hours of running-time is not enough time. “The Goldfinch” suffers most
Nicole Kidman hasn’t transformed herself on screen this drastically since playing Virginia Woolf in “The Hours”, which won her an Academy Award. Kidman is the only reason to see “Destroyer”, in which she plays an irritable detective chasing suspects, carrying heavy firearms, and beating bad guys with an ashtray. Director Karyn Kusama does not have
Tis the season for problematic films. Not only is The Upside a remake of the French hit The Intouchables (2011), but it was an American remake produced by the now defunct Weinstein Company. The Upside debuted at The Toronto Film Festival in 2017, where those who attended screenings panned it. While The Weinstein Company’s assets,
Aside from the fact that DC’s latest comic book adaptation “Aquaman” borrows heavily from Marvel’s “Black Panther” screenplay (it’s half-brother versus half-brother for the kingdom), it also has an over-saturating amount of special effects. It’s not that the visual effects are noticeably bad, there’s just so many, in every corner of the screen for more
Calling “Boy Erased” an emotional or powerful film doesn’t do it justice. Actor, writer, director, and producer Joel Edgerton (“The Gift,” “Loving”) delivers the type of film that can permanently change lives. “Boy Erased” takes a devastating look at conversion therapy as a “cure” for homosexuality. It’s a hard film to watch, but the remarkable
His first film in seven years, John Cameron Mitchell doesn’t do anything unless it’s shocking and provocative. In his second collaboration with Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Mitchell’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties is likely the most obtuse movie you will spot all year long. A 1977 punk rock coming of age story, set
Following up his Oscar nominated film The Lobster, Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos continues to stun and impress cinephiles with his metaphorical cinematic creations. If The Lobster (also starring Colin Farrell) was Yorgos + comedy, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is Yorgos + horror. Even looking at his work, prior to becoming a more mainstream