Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star as a divorced couple who go through psychological and emotional changes as their lives are explored in Nocturnal Animals. Written and directed by Tom Ford, the thriller was based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright. The cast features Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Karl Glusman, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, and Michael Sheen. Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) is married to…
"Nocturnal Animals: A Cautionary Tale"
In her portrayal of former First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman is absolutely superb in Jackie. Portman disappears into the role and audiences forget that it’s the Oscar winner on screen. Portman leads a cast that also includes Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Richard E. Grant, Caspar Phillipson, John Carroll Lynch, Beth Grant, Max Casella with Billy Crudup and John Hurt. In Jackie, we are taken back to the final days of Camelot…
"Jackie: Natalie Portman is Superb in Kennedy Biopic"
Loving tells the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), the interracial couple who took on Virginia and changed the United States Constitution. Negga’s performance in the role is strong enough to garner an Oscar nomination. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, the cast includes Edgerton, Negga, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, Terri Abney, Alano Miller, Jon Bass, and Michael Shannon. We are taken back in time to the late 1950s…
"Loving: A Loving Couple Takes On Virginia and Wins"
Miss Sloane brings the second amendment debate to the big screen. In doing so, Jessica Chastain delivers a strong performance. Despite the December release, it’s not a film that will be earning many accolades. This isn’t to take anything away from Chastain–after all, she delivers the goods. It just shows how strong the competition is in 2016. Directed by John Madden from a screenplay written by Jonathan Perera, Chastain leads a cast that includes Mark…
"Miss Sloane: Jessica Chastain Drives the Film"
Moonlight tells the story of one person during three acts of his life as he grows up in a troubled neighborhood in Miami. It’s a groundbreaking piece of cinematic film that should definitely see some Oscar nominations after the #OscarsSoWhite year that we saw as a result of the previous Oscar nominations. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins and based on a story by Tarell Alvin McCraney, moviegoers are treated to one of the strongest…
"Moonlight: A Coming of Age Film for Everyone"
Manchester by the Sea is one of the best dramas to be released in 2016. As a Boston janitor who returns home to Manchester following the death of his brother, Casey Affleck delivers one of his strongest performances to date. He should receive his first Oscar nomination since 2007’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the movie stars Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges,…
"Manchester By The Sea: Casey Affleck is Phenomenal"
With Rules Don’t Apply, multi-hyphenate Warren Beatty has directed his first film since 1998’s Bulworth and acts on the big screen for the first time since 2001’s Town & Country. Rules Don’t Apply stars Warren Beatty, Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Dabney Coleman, Steve Coogan, Ed Harris, Taissa Farmiga, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt and Martin Sheen. Set in 1958, the same year that Beatty arrived on…
"Rules Don’t Apply: A Different Era For Movies"
Allied offers a bit of everything. It offers espionage, a love story, war action, and betrayal. It’s a movie that could easily have been made in 1940s Hollywood following the war. Directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Steven Knight, the World War 2 drama stars Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, and Matthew Goode. Part of the movie’s opening 20 minutes or so is heavy with subtitles. I won’t lie…
"Allied: A World War 2 Love Story"
Released this past August in limited theaters before gradually expanding, Hell or High Water stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Gil Birmingham. Directed by David Mackenzie from a screenplay by Taylor Sheridan, the film delivers heist thriller that does without all of the shootouts and instead gives us fully-realized characters. Sheridan’s screenplay was featured on the Black List in 2012 so it should come as no surprise then that the Texan thriller should…
"Hell or High Water: A Different Kind of Heist Thriller"
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Arrival is a must-see film but it’s not your typical sci-fi movie-going experience. It’s not Star Wars. It’s not Star Trek. It’s not even Gravity. There’s no other way to explain it other than this is a movie that will make you think. Eric Heisserer adapts the screenplay from Ted Chiang’s short story, “Story of Your Life.” Because Villeneuve was busy shooting Prisoners at the time, he was unable to adapt…
"Arrival: A Thought-Provoking Sci-Film for 2016"