Fearlessly Silly Nazi Satire ‘JOJO RABBIT’ is Soul-Cleansing and Good-Spirited

November 1, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alfie Allen, Archie Yates, Christine Leunens, Jojo Rabbit, Out in Theaters, Rebel Wilson, Reviews, Roman Griffin Davis, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Merchant, Taika Waititi, Thomasin McKenzie Leave a comment

As seemingly improbable as Schindler‘s List with an added laugh track or Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom subbing in Hitler Youth for Boy Scouts, Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit’s very premise is a bold thought experiment: how do you make modern audiences (notoriously sensitive modern audiences, that is) comfortable laughing at WWII-era Nazism? How do you get them to sympathize with literal Nazi characters? And, maybe most importantly, how do you do all this without getting the endorsement of literal modern-day Nazis? Read More

Imperfect ‘TERMINATOR: DARK FATE’ a Welcome Return to Franchise Fun

October 30, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Ray, Dark Fate, David S. Goyer, Gabriel Luna, James Cameron, Justin Rhodes, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Out in Theaters, Reviews, terminator, Terminator: Dark Fate, Tim Miller Leave a comment

After preventing Judgement Day, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) has kept herself sharp throughout the years. Hunting the spare Terminator already en-route to various time periods from a defeated SkyNet program( that no longer exists) (it’s less complicated than that seems, I promise)) has become Sarah’s all-consuming purpose since she saved the world, but lost her son John Connor in the process, so many years ago. Her tinfoil hat lifestyle is thrown its biggest challenge in decades when two denuded future beings arrive in shimmering blue balls; one an enhanced human named Grace (Mackenzie Davis), the other a highly advanced Terminator, a Legion Rev-9 series played by Gabriel Luna. Read More

Beyond the Pale of ‘GREENER GRASS’: An Exclusive Interview with Comedy Bombshells Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe

October 25, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass, Interview, Jocelyn DeBoer Leave a comment

Every once in a while a movie comes along and scrambles the noggin in just the best way possible. This week, that movie was Greener Grass, an absurdist comedy/satire that takes aim at suburbia and polite society in cruelly hilarious fashion. At the front of it all, and laboring behind the scenes, are Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, the stars of the film who also wrote, directed, and executive produced the film. Greener Grass is entirely their baby and unlike protagonist Jill early on in the film, they weren’t going to give that away. Read More

Body Cam Cop Thriller ‘BLACK AND BLUE’ Doesn’t Capture Greatness

October 24, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Beau Knapp, Black and Blue, Deon Taylor, Frank Grillo, James Moses Black, Mike Colter, Naomie Harris, Out in Theaters, Reid Scott, Reviews, Tyrese Gibson Leave a comment

What could have and should have been a lean mean socially-relevant cop thriller turns to indulgent putty in the hands of director Deon Taylor (The Intruder, Meet the Blacks.) Black and Blue hangs on but a single idea, one that James Moses Black’s Officer Brown conveys to his fellow pigmented protagonist Alicia West (Naomie Harris) early on in the film, “You’re not black anymore. You’re blue.” Meaning, the rookie cop should now identify as police, not African-American, because that is how the world sees her now. In the world Taylor creates, black and blue don’t mix. Read More

Put Your Happy Face On, ‘JOKER 2’ Officially in Development

October 23, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in News Tagged Joaquin Phoenix, Joker, Todd Phillips Leave a comment

It should come as a surprise to no one that Joker, a film which has broken the record for biggest R-rated film ever, and has smashed plenty of other records along the way, has officially been greenlit for a sequel. The Joaquin Phoenix-starring supervillain origin story enjoyed a celebrated festival run, winning the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. and further praise along its path to wider cineplexes. The reputation of the Todd Phillips’ film began to proceed itself, with Joker becoming a central topic of cultural conversation and somewhat critically divisive, even before its release. Ultimately, Joker became an unmitigated mega-hit for DC and Warner Brothers (already well on its way to a crisp $900 million total tally), with fan fervor matching its box office ferocity. Read More

Incisive ‘PARASITE’ a Boundary-Smashing Stroke of Genius

October 22, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Best of 2019, Bong Joon Ho, Hye-jin Jang), Hyun-jun Jung), Ji-so Jung, Jin Won-han, Kang-ho Song), Parasite, So-dam Park, Sun-kyun Lee, Woo-sik Choi, Yeo-jeong Jo 1 Comment

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, a film that has received near universe praise since its Cannes debut, is a masterful synthesis of the director’s great skill as a filmmaker. The South Korean storyteller, who has been active since 1994, is known to dabble in difficult-to-confine genres, sampling his funky take on crime epics (Memories of Murder), creature features (The Host), and sci-fi larks (Snowpiercer) but always with a flair for the theatrical, a knack for the oddball, and with a good store of surprises up his sleeve. Even his sloppiest film (Okja) reveals a storyteller with an iron-clad command over his intentions. His best works though can be truly transcendent. And that is what we’re dealing with here. Read More

It’s the End of the End with Last ‘STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’ Trailer

October 21, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged J.J. Abrams, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Trailers Leave a comment

A long time ago, in Hollywood, Star Wars roared to life, forever changing the blockbuster landscape and fan culture worldwide. Eight Skywalker movies later (and a few spin-offs with many, many, many more down the line) and we’ve finally reached the end of the road for Luke, Anakin, Leia, Rey, Chewie, Kylo, and that pesky Palpatine fellow. Allegedly. With Disney busy brewing not one but two new trilogy series and a number of smaller screen projects (from the highly anticipated The Mandolorian to a Cassian Andor spin-off and the return of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan) sliding onto Disney+, it’s finally time to let the past die. And with it, so concludes the nine-film installment now referred to as Skywalker Saga. Read More

Everything is a Weapon in Red Band Trailer for ‘TERMINATOR: DARK FATE’

October 18, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Linda Hamilton, Terminator: Dark Fate, Tim Miller, Trailers Leave a comment

It’s been 28 years (that’s since 1991 for those folks at home doing math) since the Terminator franchise has delivered a wholly satisfying movie. But like its once beef-cake star, it keeps coming back for more. With Terminator: Dark Fate, the sixth entry in the franchise that began in 1984, the movie is returning to its R-rating roots (the first since T3: Rise of the Machines) and the latest NSFW trailer wants you to know it. And they’ve packed all the F-bombs and good old blood and guts to prove it. Read More

‘GREENER GRASS’ a WTF Explosion of Boundless Weirdness and Creativity

October 17, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Beck Bennett, D’Arcy Carden, Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass, IFC Midnight, Jocelyn DeBoer, Neil Casey, Out in Theaters, Reviews, WTF Leave a comment

Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe have done it. They have made the weirdest, most inexplicable, indescribable film of 2019. And I kinda love it. The pair write, direct, and star in Greener Grass, a feature-length adaptation of their 2015 of the same name, fulfilling a hole in the market for those craving a mighty scoop of WTF in with their satirical entertainment. The result is like if Yorgos Lanthimos directed an episode of Sesame Street, a highly-mannered bizarro world where citizens battle self-preservation instincts in order to appease faux-friendly neighbors. Read More

‘ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP’ Is Mindless Zom-Com with Neither Bite Nor a Point

October 16, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Abigail Breslin, Dave Callaham, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Luke Wilson, Out in Theaters, Paul Wernick, Reviews, Rhett Reese, Rosario Dawson, Ruben Fleischer, Thomas Middleditch, Woody Harrelson, Zoey Deutch, Zombieland 2, Zombieland: Double Tap Leave a comment

Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) have taken up residence in the White House to brave the lingering zombie apocalypse. Their days spent coiled like dragons atop stockpiles of munitions and supplies have led to a general sense of longing. For Tallahassee, it’s the road that’s calling. Witchita meanwhile can’t calm her fear of committment while Little Rock longs for a romantic companion of her own. It’s only the group nerd Columbus who seems to enjoy a sense of post-apocalyptic calm, probably because the apocalypse has afforded him the impossible scenario of hooking up with Emma Stone. When the ladies unexpectedly pack up and head out one night, Tallahassee and Columbus meet a new tagalong in Madison (Zoey Deutch) and brave the great zombieland unknown to reunite the group. Read More