Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin released his indie drama “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, through Fox Searchlight, in Summer 2012. It made some noise at the box office and drew acclaim for Zeitlin’s vision and the breakthrough performance of young Quvenzhane Wallis. Six months later, Wallis became the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscars history. But that […]
“The Accountant” was one of my favorite films of 2016. Director Gavin O’Connor delivered a unique, multi-genre piece of filmmaking with a dynamite Ben Affleck as the title character. Now O’Connor and Affleck reunite on the drama, “The Way Back”. For the most part, this is a much calmer and more straightforward movie — and […]
Threequels. Threequels. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? 17 years after “Bad Boys II” – and 25 years after the original – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence team-up again on the third installment in their action dramedy franchise. The two are quite familiar with third chapters. In fact, the last […]
“Just Mercy” is being advertised as 2019’s end-of-year, feel-good, inspirational, real-life legal drama. And rightfully so. Co-writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton presents a solid, true story of a young lawyer’s battle against the system and the odds, in the name of justice. Michael B. Jordan plays Bryan Stevenson. Fresh out of Harvard Law School in 1987, […]
Pope Benedict XVI is one of only two popes to resign from his position (not complete his term while still alive) in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. This happened in early 2013. His successor, Pope Francis, then shook-up the church and its billion+ followers with his modern approach to the papacy. This unique […]
Disney is kicking-off Disney+, the studio’s new, highly-publicized streaming service, with yet another live-action remake of an animated classic. And it turns out that you actually can teach this genre some new tricks. “Lady and the Tramp” provides more entertainment value than the “Dumbo”, “Aladdin”, “Lion King” and “Maleficent” efforts released in theaters this year. […]
Director Taika Waititi follows-up his (mostly) well-received “Thor: Ragnarok” with an even riskier project: a satirical comedy about WWII, in which he plays… Adolf Hitler. This sounds like a tough sell, especially in these politically correct times. And that’s one of the many charms of “Jojo Rabbit”. Newcomer Roman Griffin Davis is remarkable as the […]
Joaquin Phoenix goes all in as “Joker” in this bold origin story from “Hangover” trilogy director Todd Phillips. This is unlike any previous DC movie. And Phoenix’s interpretation of the iconic Batman villain is distinctly different from past big-screen versions done by Jack Nicholson, Jared Leto and Heath Ledger. “Joker” is 100% focussed on the […]
Get Happy because Renee Zellweger is simply dynamite as Judy Garland in the new biopic “Judy”. The Oscar winner not only looks like the entertainment icon (through special makeup, hair, teeth and contact lenses), but her voice is spot-on, too. “Judy” is based on the Tony-nominated play “End of the Rainbow”. That title alone tells […]
Over the past decade, Gerard Butler has been box office poison for just about everything he’s appeared in. The exceptions are the “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Has Fallen” films. Good news! That means 2019 is a banner year for Butler. The third “Dragon” movie came out in February and now the third film […]