Out in Theaters: ‘MORRIS FROM AMERICA’

August 26, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Chad Hartigan, Craig Robinson, Markees Christmas, Morris From America, Out in Theaters, Reviews 2 Comments

Debuting in a time where discussion on race in American cinema is at an absolute fever pitch, Morris From America explores the idea of cultural and personal identity through the lens of a 13-year old black aspiring free-styler living with his father (Craig Robinson) in the little white-washed German village of Heidelberg. Directed by Chad Hartigan, who won Sundance’s Best of Next prize in 2013 for This is Martin Bonner, Morris may be relatively light viewing but with fine performances across the board and a semi-charmed approach to talking about race and culture, Morris is a crowd-pleasing success story that could find love outside the festival circuit. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU’

August 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Barack Obama, Out in Theaters, Parkey Sawyers, Reviews, Richard Tanne, Southside With You, Tika Sumpter Leave a comment

First there was the rom-com. Then the zom-rom-com. Now we have the world’s first obam-rom-com. That characterization may not be entirely fair but it as effective a quick description as can be applied. Southside With You is a romantic drama, hemmed with political hues and tempered with racial tribunals though it may be, that stars Parkey Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as the to-be 44th POTUS and his First Lady respectively that sees Barack woo the future Mrs. Obama over the course of one fated-in-the-stars totally-not-a-date. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘DON’T BREATHE’

August 24, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Best of 2016, Don’t Breathe, Dylan Minnette, Fede Alvarez, Horror, Jane Levy, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Stephen Lang 1 Comment

Let me be clear, you probably can’t handle Don’t Breathe. Hitchcockian in concept and French New Wave in execution, the batshit bonkers new horror film from Fede Alvarez is a sanguine-stained guillotine of heinous intensity. The Uruguayan director has issued French extremity an American passport, inviting a true-to-form, heart-stopping gang bang of insane tension to inseminate the United States homeland. Consider everyone at last night’s world premiere unmistakably impregnanted by its brutal brilliance. Read More

Blu-Ray Review: ‘RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE’

August 23, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews Leave a comment

Synopsis: “Childhood collaborators Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb return to finish their shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” 25 years later. Professional and personal hurdles present various challenges as the trio attempts to film their most ambitious shot yet: the dreaded third act Nazi fistfight, complete with a life-sized exploding plane.” Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD’

August 18, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Documentaries, Out in Theaters Tagged Documentaries, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Werner Herzog Leave a comment

Werner Herzog‘s dulcet tones ripple from the screen, warming the audience with his distinctive Herzogian accent and lolling cadence. His latest topic of interest: the internet. As can be expected of the revered German filmmaker and documentarian, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World is a thoughtful study of the past, present and future of this thing we call the internet; how it originated, how it binds us, and how it could lead to the end of times. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘BEN-HUR’

August 17, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ben-Hur, Jack Huston, Keith R. Clarke, Marco Beltrami, Morgan Freeman, Oliver Wood, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rodrigo Santoro, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Timur Bekmambetov, Toby Kebbel 3 Comments

Before he was ever accosted by apes, Charlton Heston galloped to Oscar gold for his performance as a Jewish prince turned slave in the 1959 historical epic Ben-Hur. The film was the most expensive of its time and yielded great financial and critical success to the tune of 11 Academy Award wins and label of second-highest grossing movie to date. It was a remake.

Many fail to acknowledge that their celebrated Ben-Hur is not in fact the first of its ilk. Rather, it’s a “remake” of a not-so-proliferated 1925 silent film, which was in turn a “remake” of a 15-minute film fiasco from 1907. But all this “remake” business seems a big hogwashy once we peel back some layers. I mean seriously is 2016’s Ben-Hur really to be thought of as a remake of a remake or a remake? Remake has become an ugly and ubiquitous term, one that depending on the circumstance can be thrown with the bathwater if we merely interpret the phrase. After all, how does one delineate “remake” from “adaptation”, particularly when we are discussing films that have been adopted from novels? Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS’

August 16, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Animation, Art Parkinson, Best of 2016, Charlize Theron, Chris Butler, George Takei, Marc Haimes, Matthew McConaughey, Out in Theaters, Ralph Fiennes, Reviews, Travis Knight 2 Comments

If there was ever any doubt that the circle of awesome that began with Coraline, Paranorman and The Boxtrolls would be broken, breathe relief. First-time director Travis Knight has led the masterful animators at Laika to victory once more with Kubo and the Two Strings. With the precision and delicacy of a samurai, Knight and his roundtable of figurine tinkerers carved out my heart and left it a fluttering mess, crafting a spellbinding adventure that thrums with wistful soul and spirited poignancy. In an age of skepticism and cynicism, Knight and the Laika wizards prove real alchemy exists. Marrying resplendent visual imagination with potent mature themes, they have made gold. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘BLOOD FATHER’

August 12, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Erin Moriarty, Jean-François Richet, Mel Gibson, Michael Parks, Out in Theaters, Reviews, William H. Macy 1 Comment

In this summer of blockbuster ipecac, a little gritty revenge thriller goes a long way. We’ve seen one bankrolled mega-flick after another failing to deliver even the most basic of popcorn inertia. By contrast, the lightweight, low-budget action-thriller Blood Father makes it look easy. Well, easyish. Dispensing with the narrative gristle and computer-animated window-dressings, Paris native Jean-François Richet applies the paddles to this most derelict of seasons and squeezes, bringing back to life a blockbuster run that, for all intents and purposes, has proved DOA throughout. All he needed, it turns out, was Mel Gibson and a dash of piss and vinegar. Read More

Talking with David Mackenzie of ‘HELL OR HIGH WATER’

August 11, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water, Interviews Leave a comment

David Mackenzie has been making films since 1994. He directed a string of lauded shorts which lead to his debut feature film, The Last Great Wilderness, bowing at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. The Scottish native has since delivered nine feature films, bucking expectations at every turn. With a vast and varied range of influences and styles, Mackenzie hasn’t always enjoyed the critical success afforded him from his early work. But a recent string of successes – 2014’s universally celebrated Starred Up (which still claims at whopping 99% on Rotten Tomatoes) and Un Certain Regard nominee Hell or High Water (currently standing with an unfettered 100%) – has David Mackenzie back on top.

I spoke with David about bringing Taylor Sheridan’s Black List script to life, having pride in a finished product, new films as a reaction to prior films, the overwhelming positive response to Starred Up and Hell or High Water, letting tape run on Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham, his weird director’s cuts and that crusty T-Bone diner waitress who totally steals the scene. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘HELL OR HIGH WATER’

August 10, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ben Foster, Best of 2016, Chris Pine, David Mackenzie, Gil Birmingham, Hell of High Water, Jeff Bridges, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Taylor Sheridan 1 Comment

Over a hand of cards, Ben Foster’s Tanner stares daggers at a rival player. “Don’t chase me, Comanche,” he taunts, pushing a healthy pile of chips towards the pot, bloodlust flaring in his pupils. Comanche chases. And wins. Tanner slinks away, tail defiantly untucked. The chip-rich champion carnivorously confronts him, “Do you know what Comanche means?” Violence seems imminent. It hovers; an invisible, palpable force. “Enemy to everyone,” the Comanche growls. Tanner stares back dead-eyed, unsure if this confrontation spells death. Not seeming to care either way. Pimple-inducing tension streaks through the scene like nudists at a Pride parade. Sweat drips down the screen. “You know what that makes me?” Tanner’s response stabs, barbed as a butterfly knife. “A fucking Comanche.”
Read More