The Spectacular Now Is Raw, Honest, and Authentic

The Spectacular Now, a coming-of-age romantic drama, marked the tenth anniversary of its theatrical release this past summer. “I don’t live in the past. I live in the now because that’s what it’s all about.” – Tommy Keely (Kyle Chandler) This is the sort of movie that just shows what it means to be a teenager in the moment. It feels very different from other films in the coming-of-age genre and 2013 had plenty to…

"The Spectacular Now Is Raw, Honest, and Authentic"

Dumb Money: The GameStop Movie We Didn’t Know We Needed

The TIFF-premiering Dumb Money does for Wall Street Bets and GameStop what The Big Short did for the subprime mortgage crisis. You can thank Taylor Swift and her concert film for Sony changing their release plans. The initial plans were a wide release on October 6. But because of Taylor and the Swifties, the wide opening is now taking place on September 29. It’s for the best because the awards contender demands our attention even…

"Dumb Money: The GameStop Movie We Didn’t Know We Needed"

The Last Letter From Your Lover

The Last Letter From Your Lover spans both past and present in the Augustine Frizzell-directed film adaptation of JoJo Moyes’s novel. It’s hard to believe that this film was directed by Augustine Frizzell because it’s nothing like her debut feature, Never Goin’ Back! Frizzell’s own history with her husband, filmmaker David Lowery, is why she’s directing the film. Because of her background, she is the perfect director for the film! Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones) is…

"The Last Letter From Your Lover"

The Mauritanian Is Now Available On Blu-ray, DVD

After its Digital and VOD release, Kevin Macdonald’s The Mauritanian is now available for audiences to bring home on either Blu-ray or DVD. Across the pond, the film earned five nominations for the BAFTA Awards: Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. I’ll be curious to see what acclaim the film picks up during awards season for those groups that didn’t add a two-month extension.…

"The Mauritanian Is Now Available On Blu-ray, DVD"

The Descendants: George Clooney’s Career-Best

George Clooney manages to turn in a career-best performance as a father of two daughters in the Hawaiian-set The Descendants. Alexander Payne adapts Kaui Hart Hemmings’ novel for the screen in true cinematic fashion.  Because of the whole cheating aspect, this probably isn’t a film that could have been released during the Production Code era.  Regardless, it’s one of my favorite films from 2011.  In a perfect world, George Clooney would have won an Oscar…

"The Descendants: George Clooney’s Career-Best"

Shailene Woodley: What She Looks For In Scripts

During a free talk on the OLG Dream Deck in Toronto, Endings, Beginnings actress Shailene Woodley discussed what she looked for in a screenplay. Towards the end of the talk, I asked one of the final two questions. What do you typically look for in characters when you’re reading a screenplay? Shailene Woodley:  Nothing to be honest.  When I read a screenplay, it’s instinctual feeling that comes across me and I actually don’t notice my…

"Shailene Woodley: What She Looks For In Scripts"

Adrift: The Power of Love Drives Survival

Led by a stellar performance from Shailene Woodley in Adrift, the power of love is what drives the battle for survival. The single worst thing that can happen when one attempts to set sail across any body of water is something happening to their boat.  For Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and her boyfriend, Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), their worst fears came true when Hurricane Raymond hit in 1983.  Labeled as a Category 4 tropical depression…

"Adrift: The Power of Love Drives Survival"