Telling the story of Neil Armstrong and the mission to the moon, First Man is an intense ride and an IMAX screen should be considered required viewing. Saying that this film is an underappreciated masterpiece would not be an understatement. Starring as astronaut Neil Armstrong, veteran actor Ryan Gosling captures the very essence of his persona. Armstrong lived with a public profile but he was very much a private person. He saw this as just…
"First Man: Now Available on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD"Month: January 2019
The Hate U Give offers an art-imitates-life narrative of a situation that’s all too familiar in minority neighborhoods frequented by white police officers. In a perfect world, this film would be in the Oscar conversation. As the film starts, former gangster Maverick Carter (Russell Hornsby) is giving his kids the all-important talk about what to do when they see police officers. His kids are young for the talk but this has grave importance in their…
"The Hate U Give: Now On 4K/Blu-ray/DVD"
With the 2019 Sundance Film Festival starting up on Thursday night, here are a few of the films that I am excited to see at the Park City film festival. Late Night I’ve had a love of comedy since as long as I can remember. I moved to Chicago for improv/sketch comedy before somehow becoming a film critic. Late Night is hands-down one of my most anticipated films since the lineup was first announced in…
"Sundance 2019: My Most Anticipated Films"
The 30th annual Producers Guild Awards are being presented by the Producers Guild of America (PGA) this evening at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. I’m going to keep updating this page throughout the night. While the ceremony takes place on the west coast, The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures isn’t typically announced until after midnight on the east coast. Previously announced honors going into tonight’s ceremony include: Milestone…
"2019 Producers Guild Awards Winners"
Writer-director Carlen May-Mann spoke with Solzy at the Movies ahead of her new short film, The Rat, premiering during the Sundance Film Festival. Congrats on the world premiere of The Rat during Sundance! How excited are you to bring your short film to the mountain? Carlen May-Mann: I’m beyond excited to be bringing THE RAT to Sundance! I think I’ve finally stopped waking up every morning convinced that it was all a dream — it…
"Sundance 2019: Carlen May-Mann talks The Rat"
Led by an impressive cast, All These Small Moments is a coming-of-age story that marks the directorial debut of Melissa Miller Costanzo. Howie Sheffield (Brendan Meyer) doesn’t have the best family life at the moment. His parents, Tom (Brian d’Arcy James) and Carla (Molly Ringwald), are either headed towards a separation or divorce if they can’t get it together. The fighting is so bad that Tom has been relegated to sleeping on the couch. As…
"All These Small Moments: A Coming-Of-Age Story"
The 2019 SXSW Film Festival features and episodic premieres lineup has been announced for the festival, running March 8-17, 2019 in Austin, Texas. Among the films and episodics in the initial release, there are some 102 selections that will screen during the dine days. The rest of the lineup will be announced on February 6, 2019. There were 2,351 feature-length film submissions, with a total of 8,490 films submitted this year. “As we head into our…
"2019 SXSW Film Festival Lineup Announced"
Rachel Tunnard’s feature debut, Adult Life Skills, showcases an impressive performance from Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker. We’re introduced to the stubborn Anna (Jodie Whitaker), shy of her 30th birthday, and living in her mother’s garden shed. Shed puns! I suppose the shed is better than living in the basement. Anyway, she makes videos starring her thumbs. Whatever makes you happy, I guess. She doesn’t make these videos for anyone else but herself. We quickly…
"Adult Life Skills: Jodie Whittaker is Very Impressive"
It was reported this evening that Jason Reitman is set to direct a new Ghostbusters film set in the original universe of the 1984 classic. During Comic Con in 2017, director Ivan Reitman said that there would be big things coming, including a new film. Nothing was given at the time with regards to the film’s specifics. This is really big news for the Ghostbusters franchise given that this summer marks the 35th anniversary of…
"Jason Reitman directing Ghostbusters film"
Who Will Write Our History tells the courageous but mostly unknown story of a covert group known as Oyneg Shabes and how they vowed to defeat the Nazis with pen and paper. When we first meet Rachel Auerbach (Jowita Budnik, voiced by Joan Allen), she’s headed to on a train to Warsaw in 1946. This is three years after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that took place in April 1943. While the war had been over…
"Who Will Write Our History: The Oyneg Shabes Story"