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Weekend Roundtable: Going Solo

Josh Zyber — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 18:00:22 +0000

This week, Justice League superhero Aquaman and Transformer Bumblebee each break out with solo movies. For our Roundtable, we consider other fictional characters famous for being part of teams that might get their own standalone spinoff adventures next. Shannon Nutt I love the Mission: Impossible movies, but Tom Cruise can’t keep doing these things forever....

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‘Tag’ Review: The “It” Factor

Deirdre Crimmins — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:00:25 +0000

The mantra repeated in ‘Tag’ might as well be the overall tagline for the film: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” The film never stops playing, and the gags never get old. Based on an almost unbelievable true story, ‘Tag’ is about a playground game that...

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‘Wind River’ Review: Strong Thrills, Disappointing Politics

Philip Brown — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 19:00:17 +0000

After getting deserved attention for his screenplays for the bitter modern Westerns ‘Sicario’ and ‘Hell or High Water’, former ‘Sons of Anarchy’ actor Taylor Sheridan returns with another new spin on that distinctly American genre. This time he’s also directing. This time it’s in the snow. This time the move tackles even trickier political ground...

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Sundance Journal: ‘Wind River’

Luke Hickman — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 20:00:43 +0000

Taylor Sheridan struck gold twice in a row with his screenplays for ‘Sicario’ and ‘Hell or High Water’. His latest effort, ‘Wind River’, came into the Sundance festival with swarms of buzz – especially because Sheridan both wrote and directed. I walked into it with pretty high expectations and was ecstatic to walk away entirely...

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‘Arrival’ Review: Intelligent (and Moving) Invasion

Philip Brown — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 20:00:24 +0000

Generally, when giant alien spacecraft appear out of nowhere around the globe, it’s a bad thing. If ‘Independence Day’ proved nothing else, it’s that those ET ain’t friendly and deserve to be greeted with a mixture of firepower and one-liners. Then there are the more thoughtful outings in this particular genre, like Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Arrival’,...

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TIFF Journal: ‘Arrival’

Philip Brown — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 19:00:13 +0000

Denis Villeneuve continues his transition from Canadian indies to sprawling Hollywood fables that retain his masterful style and personal touch. After last year’s searing drug war thriller ‘Sicario’, the director has gone all sci-fi with a movie that starts like ‘Independence Day’ and ends like ‘2001’. In between, Villeneuve manages to weave a credible human...

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‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ Review: Tired Spy Games

Philip Brown — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 12:00:22 +0000

It’s bizarre to think that Tom Cruise managed to will an old TV series into a film franchise that’s kept trucking for 19 years and counting. Yet here we are with a fifth ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie that’s really starting to show some franchise fatigue. Thus far, the series has thrived on hiring distinct directors like...

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‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Review: Fine Blockbustin’

Philip Brown — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 16:00:38 +0000

The biggest problem with ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ is simply that no movie could have possibly lived up to its expectations. 2012’s ‘The Avengers’ had the advantage of being the first movie to combine independent superhero franchises into a rock ’em, sock ’em team-up. The sequel had to not only follow the third most successful...

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‘Kill the Messenger’ Review: Dulled Paranoia

Philip Brown — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 14:00:12 +0000

For a film that serves up a tragic true story for righteous indignation, ‘Kill the Messenger’ sure is surprisingly dull. The material is interesting, even incendiary. Yet somewhere between the facts and the drama, something was lost. The film constantly feels like it’s about to get exciting even though it never ceases to be routine....

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‘The Immigrant’ Review: Turn of the Century Tragedy

Philip Brown — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 16:00:34 +0000

Like all movies by writer/director James Gray (‘The Yards’, ‘Two Lovers’), ‘The Immigrant’ is a melodrama that the filmmaker somehow mines for genuine human emotion. His great talent lies in finding the place where filmmaking clichés and real life meet, and delivering the type of old-fashioned, adult-driven entertainment that isn’t supposed to be made in...

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Now Playing: ‘Hustle’ and… No

Luke Hickman — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 14:00:35 +0000

I’ve been a fan of director David O. Russell since I fell head over heels for ‘Three Kings‘. I loved that he gained Oscar traction in 2010 with ‘The Fighter‘, and believe that he truly deserved the Best Picture statue for last year’s ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘. Yet I can’t help feeling that his latest, ‘American...

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Blu-ray Highlights: Week of June 9th, 2013 – Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain

Josh Zyber — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:00:14 +0000

In this week’s new Blu-rays, Disney cashes in on one of the most beloved family films of all time with a gaudy 3D prequel, fairy tales get reimagined in ways no one ever wanted, and The Rock delivers the first of seemingly dozens of movies he’ll star in this year. New Releases Blatantly patterned after...

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