Steven Knight is a fascinating guy. First he was a TV series writer. Then he co-created a game show. But not just any game show: the original, British version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Then he started writing screenplays. And then he decided to direct films. Five years after the release of his […]
Two years ago, young actor Lucas Hedges gave a breakthrough, Oscar-nominated performance in “Manchester by the Sea”. Now, following roles in 2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and this year’s “mid90s” and “Boy Erased”, Hedges stars in his father’s latest film. “Ben is Back” is directed by Peter Hedges (“Dan in Real Life”, “The Odd […]
“Roma” is Academy Award-winning director Alfonso Cuaron’s follow-up to 2013’s “Gravity”. It’s dramatically different in scope as that space epic, though just as visually stunning. (And there’s a fun moment in “Roma” when characters are watching a movie in which an astronaut is trying to save another as they’re falling towards Earth. Cuaron has had a […]
Director Steve McQueen could’ve chosen any project for his follow-up to 2013’s Oscar-winning Best Picture “12 Years a Slave”. An all-star, action, crime, revenge, heist, political drama wouldn’t have been my first guess. McQueen is the director and co-writer (with “Gone Girl”’s Gillian Flynn) of “Widows”. The story, based on an 80s British TV series, […]
There’s no denying that Gerard Butler has been box office poison. Since his 2007 breakthrough blockbuster “300”, not one of the 18 live-action films Butler has starred in has grossed more than $100 million in the U.S.. And most of those movies (including last year’s “Geostorm”) simply aren’t very good. When it comes to financial […]
Melissa McCarthy is America’s sweetheart. She’s also the go-to actress for playing smart-mouthed characters in R-rated comedies. When I met first McCarthy in 2014, she told me, “I’ll keep doing them until they kick me out!” I’ve been waiting a long time to see her take-on a pure dramatic role. A quiet scene in 2011’s […]
“A Private War” is the “based on a true story” biopic of Marie Colvin, a war correspondent for Britain’s Sunday Times. At the screening I attended, the film’s Oscar nominated director Matthew Heineman (documentaries “Cartel Land” and “City of Ghosts”) told me that after meeting “Gone Girl” actress Rosamund Pike at a showing of “Ghosts” […]
“BlacKkKlansman” is the latest Spike Lee “joint”. It’s the director’s most high-profile release since 2006’s “Inside Man” and will likely be seen by many critics and movie fans as a career “comeback”. As a stand alone film, this is a unique and thought/emotion-provoking effort, though, at times a bit heavy-handed. John David Washington – Denzel’s […]
“Crazy Rich Asians” is based on the popular 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan. It stars “Fresh Off the Boat”’s Constance Wu as Rachel. She’s an NYU professor who’s about to meet her boyfriend’s family for the first time. There’s just one problem: Nick (Henry Golding) is crazy rich, and Rachel doesn’t […]
“Skyscraper” is the third big-budget action movie starring Dwayne Johnson to open in the last seven months. But audiences still flock to see The Rock – and this latest effort is destined to be a sure-“fire” hit. Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a former FBI op turned building safety expert who travels to Hong Kong to […]