The beauty of “Lion” is its very simple, yet extremely powerful story. It’s based on a true one (and the less you know about it going in, the better). The way screenwriter Luke Davies and first-time feature film director Garth Davis (“Top of the Lake”) have adapted “Lion” from the page (the 2013 memoir, A Long […]
Director Jonathan Demme is best-known for narrative dramas, such as “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia”. But he’s also made a fair share of music-related movies over the years, from his breakthrough 1984 concert film on the band The Talking Heads, “Stop Making Sense”, to a documentary on Kenny Chesney, three on Neil Young, […]
What does it mean to be deemed a hero? Clint Eastwood explored that question in his previous film, the powerhouse “American Sniper”, the story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Now, Eastwood, at 86, tackles another heroic figure – Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger – the man who pulled-off the “Miracle on the Hudson”. Tom Hanks anchors […]
“Pete’s Dragon” is Disney’s latest re-imagining of one of their past favorites. However, the 1977 original isn’t actually regarded as being on the upper tier of the Disney catalog, so it was definitely an interesting, if not risky choice. But director and co-writer David Lowrey (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”) took a serious, old-fashioned and sincere […]
Bryan Cranston continues his winning streak with “The Infiltrator” – a film which proves that a true story crime thriller doesn’t need shoot ’em-up scenes every 10 minutes to keep you hooked. It’s 1985. The War on Drugs is the hot-button political issue and Cranston’s undercover U.S. Customs agent Bob Mazur decides to take-on one, […]
“Money Monster” is director Jodie Foster’s first feature since the 2011 drama “The Beaver”. Which element of that film was considered more controversial is still up for debate: Mel Gibson’s character or the actual beaver puppet. Foster turns to more commercial fare for “Money Monster”, admitting that because “it’s a genre film [from] a mainstream […]
“Miracles from Heaven” comes from the same studios behind 2014’s emotionally effective faith-based, true-story family drama “Heaven is for Real”. That film starred Greg Kinnear as a minister and father of a little boy who suffered a near-death experience and, once he recovered, claimed to have seen and talked with God. Much of the focus […]
One year after co-writer and director Alejandro G. Inarritu guided “Birdman” to Best Picture honors at the Oscars, he’s back at it with “The Revenant”, a gritty and engrossing two-and-a-half-hour saga, with meaty, memorable performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The definition of ‘revenant’ is someone who returns from the dead. And that’s, basically, […]
40 years ago, Sylvester Stallone ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as boxer Rocky Balboa in a film that established the standard for the sports movie genre. Following five other “Rocky” films Balboa is finally retired. But in “Creed” a special young fighter inspires Rocky to make yet another comeback. We’ve […]
“Brooklyn” is a charming and enchanting period romance, featuring one of the best performances of the year. This marks a major step up for director John Crowley, whose previous film, 2013’s “Closed Circuit”, was a “thriller” with absolutely no thrills. “Wild” screenwriter Nick Hornby adapted a 2009 Irish novel for the screen and he paints […]