Finch: Prepare The Kleenex For This Drama

Have a Kleenex box handy for the new Tom Hanks film, Finch, as one man creates a robot to care for his canine friend long after he’s gone. Finch is not a continuation of Atticus Finch’s story in To Kill a Mockingbird. Nor is it a biopic of filmmaker David Fincher. The film, however, is a casualty of the pandemic delays. The film becomes the second Tom Hanks film on Apple TV+ following last year’s…

"Finch: Prepare The Kleenex For This Drama"

The Outpost Is An Intense Film

The Outpost is a very intense film and certainly would have benefited from a traditional theatrical release rather than home viewing. The military thriller from director Rod Lurie is based on Jake Tapper’s book of the same name.  The film focuses in on a small group of American soldiers based at the Combat Outpost Keating.  The remote outpost happens to be located at the bottom of an Afghanistan valley surrounded by mountains.  It’s here where…

"The Outpost Is An Intense Film"

The Dead Don’t Die Goes Meta

The Dead Don’t Die may work as a horror comedy but writer-director Jim Jarmusch ultimately aims for both meta and allegorical comedy. “This is going to end badly,” police officer Ronald Peterson (Adam Driver) repeatedly tells police chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray).  How does Peterson know this?  He read the full script.  Robertson on the other hand would only receive the pages with his scenes.  While the joke may be self-referential, it ultimately pays off.  Other…

"The Dead Don’t Die Goes Meta"

Get Out is a Psychological Thriller, not a Comedy

Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele, is not a comedy but a psychological thriller that–if anything–delves into satirical territory. The whatever-genre-film-it-is stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Lakeith Stanfield and Catherine Keener.  The film kicked off a hell of a year for Caleb Landry Jones, who can also be seen in American Made; The Florida Project; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; and a few episodes of Twin…

"Get Out is a Psychological Thriller, not a Comedy"

American Made: Tom Cruise Brings Some Fun

American Made, reuniting director Doug Liman with actor Tom Cruise, offers more laughs than one expects from watching the trailer. Based on a true story, Cruise leads a cast that includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright Olsen, E. Roger Mitchell, Jesse Plemons, Lola Kirke, Alejandro Edda, Benito Martinez, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jayma Mays. While Colonel Oliver North is most associated with the Iran-Contra affair, Barry Seal played the biggest role in the scandal and most…

"American Made: Tom Cruise Brings Some Fun"