Writer-director Matt Atkinson spoke with Solzy at the Movies last week ahead of the release of the Hitchcockian comedy, Room for Rent. Congrats on the upcoming VOD release of Room for Rent. Matt Atkinson: Thank you so much. How did you get the idea for this Hitchcockian comedy? Matt Atkinson: My parents—years ago when I still lived at home, I think this was sort of right at the end of high school, I was moving…
"Matt Atkinson talks Room for Rent"
The Happy Prince offers some interesting insight into the life of Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde towards the later days of life. Oscar Wilde was an interesting character. He was also a victim of an unjust law in the United Kingdom. Wilde would formally be pardoned for his actions by England in 2017 but that didn’t change the past. Could his life have ended differently if the LGBTQ community were accepted for who they…
"The Happy Prince: The Life of Oscar Wilde"
If you’re searching for the dumb Gerard Butler movie of the year, you will have found it in submarine non-thriller, Hunter Killer. When a US submarine goes down while pursuing a Russian sub, it’s Captain Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) to the rescue. The USS Arkansas’s submarine captain recently departed for another gig so Navy officials must go outside the box for the new one. He’s not an Annapolis guy so of course, the crew is hesitant…
"Hunter Killer: Dumb, Mindless, and Not Fun"
While there are laughs, Johnny English Strikes Again doesn’t have enough to over come the predictable cliches throughout this spy comedy. That the film starts out with a cyber attack revealing the identities of every single undercover agent in Britain isn’t a problem. It’s that this EXACT trope was played out before ten years ago in the film remake, Get Smart! It just so happens that Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) happens to be retired from…
"Johnny English Strikes Again: Full of Spy Cliches"
In serving as a biopic of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody does a disservice by placing a bigger focus on the music than his sexuality. For the reasons I’ll get into shortly, Bohemian Rhapsody is this year’s version of The Greatest Showman. The music is great–don’t get me wrong, the film features a killer soundtrack that you should absolutely own. Much in the same case as last year’s crowd-pleasing musical, the faults in…
"Bohemian Rhapsody: A Disservice to Freddie Mercury"
Flammable Children, while released as Swinging Safari in its native Australia, takes us back to the 1970s for a nostalgic comedy. The nostalgia starts the moment that “Spirit in the Sky” starts to play during the opening credits. It’s from this point where writer-director Stephan Elliott wisely introduces us to the people in the neighborhood along the beach. We’re introduced through Jeff Marsh (Atticus Robb), who serves as the narrator. We soon meet the Halls, Jones,…
"Chicago Film Festival 2018: Flammable Children"
Melissa McCarthy is virtually unrecognizable while portraying New York writer-turned-forger Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me? Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) is a biographer. When we first meet her, she’s just beginning to write about comedian Fanny Brice. She doesn’t know it yet but her life is about to change when she stole two notes written by Brice. While it’s initially for the better with the amount of money she makes, things soon take…
"Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Two-time Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth Carter was on hand Saturday night at the 2018 Chicago International Film Festival to receive a Career Achievement Award. The presentation came during the the annual Black Perspectives Tribute following a conversation with Regina Taylor. Prior to the presentation, I had the chance to talk with the costume designer on the red carpet. Carter will surely be one of the top contenders during the Oscars for her work on Black Panther.…
"Ruth Carter talks Career Achievement Award"
A coming-of-age dramedy set in Chicago, Olympia is headlined by a delightful performance from writer-actress McKenzie Chinn. Olympia Wells (McKenzie Chinn) is approaching the crossroads of her life with tough decisions to make. These decisions come as the Chicago artist is approaching her 30th birthday. Some of these decisions aren’t so much because of her but because of her relationships. Her boyfriend, Felix (Charles Gardner), is moving to California in a few weeks with his…
"Chicago Film Festival 2018: Olympia"
Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s, takes us back to the middle of the 1990s with a look at life for one teenager’s summer in LA. Stevie (Sunny Suljic) lives with his older, abusive brother Ian (Lucas Hedges, appearing in 3 films at TIFF), and single mom, Dabney (Katherine Waterston). Stevie’s world opens up when he discovers a skate shop. It’s soon thereafter that the teenager meets a new crop of friends. Among them are Ruben…
"Mid90s: Racist, Sexist, Homophobic"