Out in Theaters: ‘THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS’

August 31, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Arkapaw, Alexander Desplat, Alicia Vikander, Derek Cianfrance, Michael Fassbender, Out in Theaters, Rachel Weisz, Reviews, Romance, The Light Between Oceans Leave a comment

With The Light Between Oceans, Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) fancies himself both a ballerina and a first responder. The fine line between drippy sentimentality and earnest adult drama is a tightrope that Cianfrance tip-toes with all the testy bravado of Philippe Petie, loading his screen with moody tableaus of bereaved faces and decadent sealand landscapes. With great finesse, he probes the dour depths of the human spirit, framing a lurid moral no-no within a heartrending saga of romantic turmoil. Bottling the melancholy and adding pathos-laden Mentos until it erupts into a geyser of emotion, he applies the jaws of life to his audience, breaks open the collective chest cavity, steals your heart and tap dances all up on it. Read More

Out in Theaters: ’31’

August 31, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged 31, Horror, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Kevin Jackson, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Meg Foster, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rob Zombie, Sheri Moon Zombie Leave a comment

Rob Zombie‘s transition to the film world is, if nothing else, intriguing. After finding success uncharacteristic to the metal genre with band White Zombie, the metal rocker decided that basing album concepts off classic horror movies wasn’t cutting it. He wanted in on the game. By 1999, he had written an original script, The Crow: 2037, but the project was abandoned for a variety of reasons. Instead Zombie paired with Universal Studios to make his horror house debut, House of 1000 Corpses and so began his bloodstained path to 31. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘MORGAN’

August 30, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters, Uncategorized Tagged Anya Taylor-Joy, Boyd Holbrook, Chris Sullivan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kate Mara, Luke Scott, Michelle Yeoh, Morgan, Out in Theaters, Paul Giamatti, Reviews, Rose Leslie, Seth W. Owen, Toby Jones 1 Comment

When you assemble the likes of Kate Mara (House of Cards), Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) you’d expect all the girl power onboard to make for some exceptionally high voltage x-chromosome electricity. I mean we’re talking Ygritte, Sue Storm, Thomasin, Daisy Domergue and Wai Lin all huddled under one hot tin roof, sermonizing, philosophizing and fisticuffing under the purview of a Ridley Scott protege. But all the estrogen in the world can’t overpower Morgan’s tepid and over-familiar “lab monster” plot nor fuel its running-on-fumes third act.
Read More

Blu-Ray Review: ‘THE JUNGLE BOOK’

August 30, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews Tagged Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews, Idris Elba, Neel Sethi, The Jungle Book Leave a comment

Synopsis: “Raised by a family of wolves since birth, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) must leave the only home he’s ever known when the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) unleashes his mighty roar. Guided by a no-nonsense panther (Ben Kingsley) and a free-spirited bear (Bill Murray), the young boy meets an array of jungle animals, including a slithery python and a smooth-talking ape. Along the way, Mowgli learns valuable life lessons as his epic journey of self-discovery leads to fun and adventure.” Read More

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

Second Opinion: ‘DON’T BREATHE’

August 26, 2016 by Jason Jean Posted in Editorials, Film Editorials 1 Comment

It dawned on me nearly immediately while watching Fede Alvarez‘s new horror film, Don’t Breathe, that from this point forward, whenever I hear associates bemoan the lack of good feminine roles in Hollywood, I’m holding up the horror genre as one of the few places in the system that actually nurtures and supports strong female leads. These hardworking actors, deemed, unfortunately, scream queens, make a tidy living in a film class thought more of as performance art than actual art. There are juicy roles available for any actress willing to dive into the grime and swim with the hatchet murderers and zombies.

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