No stranger to terrorism, filmmaker Paul Greengrass turns to Norway and tells the story of the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history in 22 July. For citizens in Norway, July 22, 2011 started out like any ordinary day. Nothing out of the usual was happening but things soon got bloody. When a far-right extremist detonated a car bomb in Oslo, some 77 people would lose their lives. If this wasn’t enough, there would be…
"22 July: Is it Too Soon?"Month: October 2018
Thunder Road comes with a nice blend of tragedy and comedy with a marvelous performance from multi-hyphenate Jim Cummings. The film starts out as Texas police officer Jim Arnaud (Jim Cummings) attends the funeral for his mother, Brenda. I’ll discuss the scene in-depth later but it seemingly sets the tone for what we’re about to see over the next 90 minutes. Despite losing control of his emotions during the funeral, Jim–ignoring his superior–heads back to…
"Thunder Road: An Indie Gem"
With help from Poe Dameron and BB-8, Star Wars Resistance introduces us to some new characters in an hour-long episode titled “The Recruit.” This is going to be a mix of recap and review of this newest television series in the Star Wars universe. The review aspect will be coming towards the end of you wish to jump ahead. Please read at your own peril. Having our good friends Poe Dameron and BB-8 lends some…
"Star Wars Resistance: The Recruit"
Netflix brought Private Life to the Sundance Film Festival for its world premiere and while it is a very personal film that gets into what people go through for the IVF process, it isn’t one that will appeal to everyone. Kathryn Hahn has been a versatile comedic performer for years but writer-director Tamara Jenkins has written a role for the actress that gives us an emotional but strong performance as Rachel Biegler. Rachel has been…
"Private Life: A Very Personal Film"
Cinemability: The Art of Inclusion is an eye-opening and must-watch look into the history of disabilities as portrayed in both film and television. I must admit first and foremost that I’m not an expert on disability in TV and film. It’s not something that I honestly have paid much attention to in the past when watching something. I’m trying to do better in that regard but this documentary has provided a new perspective. It is…
"Cinemability: The Art of Inclusion – A Must-Watch"
Chasing The Blues raises the stakes as two music collectors go on a search for a rare 1930s blues record that is said to be cursed. It’s 1987 and our story evolves around high school teacher Alan Thomas (Grant Rosenmeyer) and record shop owner Paul Bettis (Ronald L. Conner). The two of them try to con the widowed Mrs. Walker (Anna Maria Horsford) out of a rare 1930s blues record, “O Death Where is Thy…
"Chasing the Blues: Jews Meet the Blues"
Venom has long been considered to be a villain in Spider-Man canon and this is why Venom doesn’t quite work as a stand-alone film. There are various aspects of the film that stay true to the comics. There are other aspects where the film does its own thing. True to fashion, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) was run out of the Daily Globe in New York. There’s no reference in the film to Peter Parker or Spider-Man…
"Stand-alone Venom doesn’t work"
Mixing both comedy and western, Trouble features a whole lot of funny in this contemporary family feud. Ben (Bill Pullman) and Maggie (Anjelica Houston) are a pair of siblings living in Vermont. Maggie still lives on the family farm that they grew up on. When she discovers Ben with a bulldozer one day, stakes heighten beyond belief. They’ve made it beyond clear that they don’t like each other. Don’t shed any tears for this dysfunctional…
"Trouble: A Classic Western in Contemporary Vermont"
Being billed as Robert Redford’s final acting performance, the actor delivers quite possibly for the last time in The Old Man & The Gun. We’re taken back in time to 1981 when Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) was a leader of the Over-the-Hill Gang, joined by Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). What’s so perplexing about it was that this old man couldn’t have been nicer to the bank tellers. In the words of many…
"The Old Man & The Gun – Robert Redford’s Last Film?"
Bradley Cooper’s feature directorial debut, A Star Is Born, knocks it out of the park thanks to a stellar performance from Lady Gaga. Following a performance, country rock star Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) hits up whatever establishment he can find for alcohol. It just so happens that he lands up one bar’s drag performance night. A former employee, Ally (Lady Gaga) just happens to grace the stage that night. When Jackson sees her perform, he…
"A Star Is Born: A Home Run"