News of the World Arrives on Home Video

The Oscar-nominated News of the World, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks, makes its arrival on home video. It may be hard to believe but News of the World marks the first time in his career in which actor Tom Hanks stars in a Western. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) travels around to read people the news.  One could also look at this as being old-school podcasting before podcasting was ever a…

"News of the World Arrives on Home Video"

News of the World: A New Classic Western

It may be hard to believe but News of the World marks the first time in his career in which actor Tom Hanks stars in a Western. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) travels around to read people the news.  One could also look at this as being old-school podcasting before podcasting was ever a thing.  To be fair, I think Tom Hanks made this reference when appearing on the late night circuit.  Perhaps it…

"News of the World: A New Classic Western"

Native Son: Compelling, falls short

Native Son is a compelling film with strong performances but I can’t help but feel that something is lost in updating the story for present day. Like the novel its based on, Native Son is set in Chicago.  Instead of the 1930s, Suzan-Lori Parks updates the story for a contemporary telling.  Is this a good idea?  I don’t know.  I haven’t read the novel written by Richard Wright so I’m not in a position to compare the…

"Native Son: Compelling, falls short"

TIFF 2018: The Land of Steady Habits

Based on the book of the same name, The Land of Steady Habits is more comedy than drama in this newest film from Nicole Holofcener. When we first meet Anders Hill (Ben Mendelsohn), he has retired from working in finance and is sleeping with other women after divrcing his ex-wife, Helene (Edie Falco).  Okay–so he’s a womanizer.  At first, a totally unlikable character, we’re finding ourselves gravitated towards rooting for him.  It makes so sense–I know–but this…

"TIFF 2018: The Land of Steady Habits"

The Meyerowitz Stories: A Typical Dysfunctional Jewish Family

Netflix’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is the dysfunctional Jewish family that This Is Where I Leave You wanted to be. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, the film stars Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Marvel, Grace Van Patten, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.  Judd Hirsch, Rebecca Miller, Adam Driver, Matthew Shear, and Candice Bergen co-star. Baumbach has given us some very strong films before and The Meyerowitz Stories is no exception. It’s his…

"The Meyerowitz Stories: A Typical Dysfunctional Jewish Family"