AIR shows how Sonny Vaccaro was instrumental in Nike beating Converse and Adidas in signing Michael Jordan to a shoe contract. I have to get this out of the way right now. Alex Convery’s script is mostly perfect. This goes not just for the screenwriter but director Ben Affleck, actor Matt Damon, and film editor William Goldenberg, too. There’s a scene in the film where they’re talking about athletes and signing them at Nike. I…
"AIR: How Nike Won Over And Signed Michael Jordan"Tag: Jason Bateman
Juno, the rare comedy to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, marks the 15th anniversary of its 2007 theatrical release. Diablo Cody wrote one of the funniest screenplays of 2007. Fifteen years after its release, Juno still holds up as one of the funniest movies released in the early 2000s even as it plays differently in 2022. In terms of casting, it could definitely be better on the diversity front but this is where…
"Juno: Witty Comedy Marks 15th Anniversary"
Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer star as a pair of mismatched superheroes in Thunder Force, the newest Netflix original. A comic book panel style montage sets the scene for what’s happening in the film. In March 1983, a massive explosion of interstellar cosmic-rays hit Earth. This led to select humans undergoing a genetic transformation. Unfortunately, the powers were only unlocked in those people predisposed to be a sociopath. Because mutants and meta-humans were already taken…
"Thunder Force: Good Takes On Evil in Chicago"
Disney’s Oscar-winning Zootopia remains a classic over four years following its theatrical release and holds up in viewing on Disney+. In Zootopia, you can be anything you want to be. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) moves from Bunnyburrow for the chance at becoming a police officer. Even though she’s the best in her class, the Zootopia Police Department assigns her traffic cop duties. It’s not the most glamorous position for the first rabbit ever in the ZPD…
"Zootopia: Oscar Winner Remains A Classic"
Over a decade following its theatrical release, Up in the Air remains one of the best films to have been released in 2009. With the exception of 2014’s Men, Women, and Children, Jason Reitman can do no wrong. Heading into Up in the Air, Reitman was hitting home run after home run. This was his third feature following both Thank You for Smoking and Juno. Basing the film on Walter Kirn’s 2001 novel of the…
"Up in the Air: One of 2009’s Best Films"
A brother and sister investigate their parents’ disappearance as dysfunctional family dramedy The Family Fang comes to the screen. Baxter (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Nicole Kidman) are brother and sister. While they live on different coasts, their lives are very similar. This is because they are the children of Caleb and Camille Fang (Present Day: Christopher Walken and Maryann Plunkett, Flashbacks: Jason Butler Harner, Kathryn Hahn). Annie went into acting but her work is featured…
"The Family Fang: A Real Dysfunctional Family"