Spielberg’s ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ Remake A Handsome, Emotionally Flat Spectacle

December 9, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ansel Elgort, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Rachel Zegler, Reviews, Stephen Sondheim, Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner, West Side Story 1 Comment

Handsomely made but emotionally flat, West Side Story as told by blockbusting king of the box office Steven Spielberg plays like a slick, overproduced cover album. The songs are all there but they’ve been blown out to oblivion by overproduction, chasing technical mastery but never stopping to consider the why of it all. Like when a favorite band finally hits it big and subsequently loses the very sound that made them unique and your favorite band in the first place. There are no imperfections and, in effect, no spark. One would sound silly calling it “selling out” but there’s a similarly disappointing energy that washes over the viewer expecting a vibrant new take on timeless material only to rub up against a flashy reskin of a classic, sans any discernible new perspective. Read More

‘RED ROCKET’ is Magic Mike Meets Joe Dirt A.K.A. It’s Glorious

December 9, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Bree Elrod, Out in Theaters, Red Rocket, Reviews, Sean Baker, Simon Rex, Suzanna Son 4 Comments

Washed up porn star Mikey Sabre (Simon Rex) arrives by bus back in his hometown of Texas City, Texas. He’s beat up and sans belongings, bruised from some unseen brawl but still so motormouthed you’d think he were riding high on the Colombian marching powder. But Mikey doesn’t have the kind of money to fund such a habit. In fact, he has no money to his name. Which is why he’s in Texas City, Texas. Mikey hasn’t quite come crawling back to his estranged meth-head wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) to rekindle their extinguished flame but he does need to crash on her couch for a bit while he gets his affairs in order. If she’ll let him. Read More

Preposterous Doomsday Satire ‘DON’T LOOK UP’ Explodes With Snickers, Star Power

December 8, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam McKay, Cate Blanchett, Don’t Look Up, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Rylance, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet 2 Comments

“Don’t look up,” becomes the political mantra of President Janine Orlean (Meryl Streep) as a comet nine kilometers wide barrels towards Earth. Without immediate intervention, there is a one-hundred percent chance of an extinction level event. But midterms are fast approaching and an opportunity to save the world and existence as we know it gets fed through the political machine, to the chagrin of actual scientists the world over. Taking aim at the Trump-era invention of “alternative facts”, Orlean encourages her followers to not believe their own eyes, spinning an impending apocalypse into a culture war in ways that are both all too far-fetched and tragically feasible. Read More

‘BEING THE RICARDOS’ A Lucille Ball Biopic Without Bite

December 7, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aaron Sorkin, Alia Shawkat, Being the Ricardos, Clark Gregg, J.K. Simmons, Jake Lacy, Javiar Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Tony Hale 1 Comment

After three directorial efforts, I think it’s safe to say that Aaron Sorkin is a boring director. The celebrated scribe’s career began with early works like A Few Good Men and The Rock before rising to prominence pulling triple duties as writer, executive producer, and creator with NBC’s mega-hit The West Wing. Sorkin’s vocation hit a high note through the early aughts, earning an Academy Award nomination for his writing work on Moneyball and winning an Oscar for David Fincher’s excellent The Social Network – still his best work to date. Sorkin turned to directing with 2017 Molly’s Game and followed that decent-enough effort with the awards-desperate courtroom drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. Both films revealed a creator that apes the style of other better directors with none of his own. Read More

Del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ A Sordid Tale of Geek Love and Snake Oil

December 2, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, David Strathairn, Guillermo del Toro, Nightmare Alley, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe 2 Comments

In circus nomenclature, a “geek” is the most run-down of men, almost always an alcoholic or junkie, who performs grotesqueries, like biting the heads off live animals, in front of jeering – but well-paying – audiences. The geek puts the “carnal” in carnival; reliably dirty of soul and desperate for work. He is the lowest in the act’s hierarchy because his role is easily replaceable, for it requires no skill other than a willingness to debase oneself publicly. The geek is to be gawked at, pitied, and feared, for he has fallen as low as any man can. Read More

Paolo Sorrentino’s Autobiographical ‘HAND OF GOD’ Tells Teenage Dirty Little Secrets

November 29, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Filippo Scotti, Hand of God, Paolo Sorrentino 2 Comments

A lyrical ode to family, fate, and the future, The Hand of God is an autobiographical coming-of-age story written and directed by The Great Beauty Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentino. Drawing from his experience as a listless teenager in 1980’s Naples, The Hand of God tells the story of Fabietto (Filippo Scotti) who mostly just chills with his rambunctious older family until a cruel twist of fate leaves him reeling and searching for a way forward. Read More

‘HOUSE OF GUCCI’ A Funnier Than Expected But Tedious Tale of Fashion-Forward Betrayal

November 22, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Becky Johnston, House of Gucci, Jared Leto, Lady Gaga, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Ridley Scott, Roberto Bentivenga, Sara Gay Forden 1 Comment

All empires inevitably crumble. But not all with such lack of style. House of Gucci is the story of one such fading empire as treachery, betrayal, and greed drive a wedge between the preeminent Italian family fashion business. That wedge is named Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), a commoner from a trucking family who worms her way into the Gucci family after capturing the attention and affection of Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a nightclub. A lawyer by trade, Maurizio is not wrapped up with the family business but his romance with Patrizia takes foot and her business aspirations grow so too does his involvement in the Gucci brand’s future. All sense of familial loyalty is thrown by the wayside as ambition turns to avarice and blood becomes the new family currency. Read More

‘LICORICE PIZZA’ a Chaotic Meshugas of First Love in ’70s So-Cal

November 19, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alana Haim, Bennie Safdie, Bradley Cooper, Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza, paul thomas anderson, Sean Penn, Tom Waits 1 Comment

She wants the attention of the whole world. He just wants her attention. Tale as old as time. In Paul Thomas Anderson’s spin on a coming-of-age rom-com, Licorice Pizza, the he in question is a child actor and young upstart. His name is Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman, son of the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman and a dead ringer for his progeny) and he’s destined for great things. She has drifted through life. Her name is Alana Kane (Alana Haim, a wonderful find) and she takes shit from no one. Their paths collide in line at Gary’s high school yearbook photoshoot. She’s working the gig. He’s 15. She’s 25. Maybe. He invites her to dinner. She hesitates. “I just met the girl I’m gonna marry,” Gary tells his younger brother. He might have. Read More

‘GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE’ Goes Full Amblin But Remains Haunted by Mediocrity

November 16, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Bill Murray, Carrie Coon, Dan Aykroyd, Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jason Reitman, Logan Kim, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd Leave a comment

For some inexplicable reason, Ghostbusters just won’t stay dead. The original was a major hit at the summer ’84 box office and earned both critical and fan affection but in the nearly-four decades years since its release, there has been a not-as-well-received sequel, one season of a kids animated series, a failed video game, and two attempts at a reboot/sequel. None of them really connected with the rapidly aging fan base and all have been seen as a disappointing addendum to the popular supernatural comedy that your dad loved so much. Read More

‘ENCANTO’ A Magical Reckoning With Generational Trauma

November 15, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Angie Cepeda, Bryon Howard, Charise Castro Smith, Diane Guerrero, Disney, Disney Animated Movies, Encanto, Jared Bush, Jessica Darrow, Lin-Manuel Miranda, María Cecilia Botero, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Stephanie Beatriz 2 Comments

After being forced out of their Colombian homeland by political unrest, the Madrigal family is blessed with magical gifts. When they come of age, each member of the family is granted a unique power; Luisa (Jessica Darrow) has the strength of a titan; Isabela (Diane Guerrero) summons flowers to beautify anywhere and everywhere; Julieta (Angie Cepeda) heals physical ailments with her culinary treats; and Bruno (John Leguizamo) sees visions of the future. Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) is the only member of the Madrigal family who was not granted a magical power. The natural consequence of this is that she’s seen as a bit of a familial outsider, especially from the judgmental Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero) but her spirits remain high. When the family’s powers unexpectedly flicker and fade, Mirabel takes it upon herself to bring the family together and save the magic before it’s too late. Read More