With the release of Wonder Woman, the female heroine created by William Moulton Marston, finally got her long-overdue origin story on the big screen. Directed by Jenkins, Gal Gadot leads a cast that includes Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Lucy Davis, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Eugen Brave Rock, and Saïd Taghmaoui. Jenkins directs from a screenplay written by Allan Heinberg. The story was written by Zack Snyder…
"Wonder Woman Lives Up to the Hype"Author: Danielle Solzman
Danielle Solzman
The Hunter’s Prayer provides for a subversive take on the thriller genre as a hit man decides to go against orders and protect his mark. Instead of providing us with a traditional thriller, this one is completely character-driven. Directed by Jonathan Mostow, the film stars Sam Worthington, Odeya Rush, Allen Leech, Amy Landecker, Martin Compston and Verónica Echegui. Based on the novel by Kevin Wignall, the screenplay was penned by John Brancato and Michael Ferris.…
"The Hunter’s Prayer is A Different Kind of Thriller"
My Cousin Rachel is a well-made period dramatic thriller about romance and mystery even though it’s a remake. Written and directed by Roger Michell from the novel by Daphne du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel stars Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Holliday Granger, Iain Glen, Pierfrancesco Favino, Simon Russell Beale, and Vicki Pepperdine. My Cousin Rachel is set mostly on an estate in England where a young man decides to take revenge against his cousin as he…
"My Cousin Rachel offers mystery, suspense in period thriller"
Sam Elliott delivers a shining performance in The Hero as Lee Hayden. Written and directed by Brett Haley, The Hero stars Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman, Krysten Ritter, and Katharine Ross. In the newest film from writer/director Brett Haley, Elliott gives one of the strongest performances I have seen so far during this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival. We all know his voice–it’s just as iconic as Morgan Freeman. It’s one of two films…
"Sam Elliott shines through in The Hero"
Dan Aykroyd broke the news on Sunday morning that there will not be a sequel to the Ghostbusters reboot. Aykroyd made the announcement during an appearance on Sunday Brunch on Britain’s Channel 4. Aykroyd was careful not to mention director Paul Feig’s name. “The director, he spent too much on it and he didn’t shoot scenes we suggested to him, Aykroyd said. “Several scenes that were going to be needed, he said, ‘No, we don’t…
"Ghostbusters: No Reboot Sequel per Dan Aykroyd, Paul Feig blasted"
An article on ComicBook.com drew a lot of outrage this week when the author suggested that Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who stars as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, is a person of color. It led to journalist S.I. Rosenbaum writing an epic thread on Twitter about Jewish identity, Ashkenazi/Sephardim, and whiteness. I’d encourage you to read this thread rather than the ComicBook.com article. The line that has been drawing all the outrage is as follows: It might…
"Wonder Woman: Gal Gadot is NOT a Person of Color"
With Netflix starting to pursue original movies and documentaries, could theatrical windows soon be a thing of the past? This was the big discussion that took place during the Cannes Film Festival in May given a few Netflix films being exhibited. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings made some interesting comments during Cannes about how there will come a time when the theatrical window won’t even be a thing any more. Both Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories…
"Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wants Theatrical Windows to be A Thing of The Past"
Demetri Martin’s directorial debut, Dean, makes for a n interesting dramedy on love and grief as fans are likely to crowd into Wonder Woman this weekend. The Daily Show alumnus, a veteran of stage specials, makes a movie that is he’s just wouldn’t be able to tell during a stand-up special. It’s not a light comedy by any means as tragedy plays a big theme in the film. Written and directed by Demetri Martin, Dean…
"Dean: Demetri Martin’s feature directorial debut focus on love, grief"
Following Netflix’s decision to cancel Sense8, fans have started a petition to bring back the series created by the Wachowski siblings and J. Michael Straczynski. Netflix’s VP of Original Content, Cindy Holland said the following in a statement. “After 23 episodes, 16 cities and 13 countries, the story of the Sense8 cluster is coming to an end. It is everything we and the fans dreamed it would be: bold, emotional, stunning, kickass and outright unforgettable. …
"Netflix cancels Sense8, fans start petition"
Memorial Day used to mark the kick-off of the summer movie box office season but that changed the minute that Sony dated Spider-Man for release at the start of May 2002. Many films released this past month have opened below studio expectations. Are audiences tired of these tentpoles or are movies thought to be critic-proof no longer critic-proof? Before I started writing reviews regularly, I would turn to the likes of Roger Ebert for my…
"Summer Box Office: Is Tentpole Fatigue in Play?"