“Been There, Done That” is the best way to describe the “extraterrestrials” come to Earth” genre. Director Denis Villeneuve (“Prisoners”, “Sicario”) attempts to put a new spin on it with “Arrival”. This is a tough movie to describe in detail – largely because, on the surface, there isn’t much to describe. 12 mysterious shell-shaped objects […]
“The Birth of a Nation” enters theaters with a great deal of baggage. The historical drama was screened at Sundance in January to rave reviews and purchased by Fox Searchlight for a record-breaking $17.5 million. The studio hoped to have another Best Picture winner on their hands, just three years after “12 Years a Slave” […]
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Edward Joseph Snowden in Oliver Stone’s biopic on the infamous U.S. government contractor who, in 2013, leaked stunning, classified information from the National Security Agency regarding the organization’s monitoring of the personal lives of billions of people across the globe. Last year, Gordon-Levitt played tightrope master Philippe Petit in “The Walk”, […]
While promoting “War Dogs” on “Live!”, Kelly Ripa asked star Jonah Hill, “Did you get to meet the person you play?” Hill replied, while chuckling and with a smile, “No. He’s, like, suing us and stuff. I probably shouldn’t talk about it.” “War Dogs” has some legitimate controversy behind it, with the man Hill portrays, […]
She’s sung Abba, Sondheim and Springsteen. Now, The Greatest Actress Alive, three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep, tackles Opera as Florence Foster Jenkins. In the history books, Jenkins is defined as “The World’s Worst Singer”. But even though that was a headline used to sell papers in the 40s, and a slogan that will be used […]
I remember reading author Roald Dahl’s book, The BFG, in elementary school. Like many of Dahl’s stories, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Mr. Fox (all of which received terrific film adaptations), this tale was full of whimsy and wonder, with charming illustrations. Now The Big Friendly Giant […]
Less than two years after producer Michael Bay brought the Heroes in a Half-Shell back to the big screen with a blockbuster reboot, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are ready to come “Out of the Shadows”. Unlike with the original, in which we had to wait more than 20 minutes for the first appearance of […]
“The Nice Guys” captures the rich flavor of the 70s, thanks to director Shane Black (“Iron Man 3”). He assembles a likable leading pair in Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, who play incompetent private eyes Jackson Healy and Holland March. These longtime detectives partner-up to investigate the disappearance of a young girl involved in the […]
Jake Gyllenhaal has delivered a recent string of impressive performances in “Prisoners” (2013), “Nightcrawler” (2014) and “Southpaw” (2015). “Demolition” is another great vehicle for him, but overall, the film is not as strong director Jean-Marc Vallee’s past two efforts. His 2013 drama “Dallas Buyers Club” earned Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto Oscars, and his 2014 […]
Relationships are complicated. In “Hello, My Name is Doris”, Sally Field stars as the title sixty-something-year-old single woman who sports a wig extension, wears up to two pairs of glasses at once, and is clearly the oldest employee at her longtime NYC office job. Doris is mourning the recent death of her mother, and her […]