Out in Theaters: ‘MY BLIND BROTHER’

September 23, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Scott, Comedy, Jenny Slate, My Blind Brother, Nick Kroll, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sophie Goodhart, SXSW 2016 2 Comments

In Sophie Goodhart‘s intentionally lackadaisical comedy My Blind Brother, Nick Kroll sharpens his post-television presence as unambitious deadbeat Bill whose doomed purpose in life is to be a seeing-eye underdog for his egotistical handicapable brother Robbie (Adam Scott). Complications arise when Bill and Robbie have eyes, er feelings, for the same girl, the spirited, wanna-be-do-gooder Rose (Jenny Slate). The result is a well-meaning, socially awkward meditation on the comedy of disability. Following the sacred rule book of Matt and Trey, either everything is fair game or nothing is and this mentality leads My Blind Brothers down some delightfully uncouth corridors. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘GOAT’

September 21, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Andrew Neel, Ben Schnetzer, David Gordon Green, Goat, James Franco, Nick Jonas, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sundance 2016 1 Comment

Goat harrowingly explores the hypocrisy of fraternal brotherhood, bearing witness to the ugly rights of passage that men must submit to into order to earn their badge of masculinity. In Andrew Neel‘s testosterone-fueled melodrama, ideas of modern masculinity are examined through the lens of the Phi Sigma Mu fraternity of the fictitious Brookman University as new arriving “goats” (that’s pledges to those who don’t speak frat) are victim to a brutal “hell week”. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN’

September 20, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Antoine Fuqua, Byung-hun Lee, Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Haley Bennett, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Matt Bomer, Nic Pizzolatto, Out in Theaters, Peter Sarsgaard, Richard Wenk, The Magnificent Seven, Vincent D'Onofrio 2 Comments

Produced in 1960, the original The Magnificent Seven, directed by the celebrated John Sturges and starring such Western icons as Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson at the height of their fame, was itself but a hard reflection of Akira Kurosawa’s six-years prior work, Seven Samurai. In its import to the U.S. of A., Seven Samurai became The Magnificent Seven as the story of a ragtag band of heroes come to aid a village under heel relocated to the American Wild Wild West. Now 56 years on, director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer) has taken it upon himself to bring his distinct visual flourishes and knack for smart aleck smarm to bear on another retelling of some of what has become one of the world’s most iconic pieces of source material. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘BLAIR WITCH’

September 14, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters, Uncategorized Tagged Adam Wingard, Blair Witch, Brandon Scott, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid, James Allen McCune, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Simon Barrett, Valorie Curry, Wes Robinson 3 Comments

When Adam Wingard’s newest feature was simply called The Woods, it was one of my most anticipated features of the season. A minimalist poster and bone-chilling trailer only intensified my desire to take in the latest offering from the director responsible for such horror knockouts as You’re Next and The Guest. On more than one occasion, a band horror-loving critics sat huddled in the dusk of the theater, waiting for our latest press screening to gear up, pining for the coming collaboration between Wingard and penman cohort Simon Barrett. And then one night, like a nuclear bomb, it hit. The news that shook the horror community to their bones. We had all been bamboozled. The Woods was indeed Blair Witch. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘SNOWDEN’

September 13, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kieran Fitzgerald, Melissa Leo, Oliver Stone, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rhys Ifans, Shailene Woodley, Snowden, Timothy Olymphant, Tom Wilkinson, Zachary Quinto 3 Comments

Snowden is a biopic about a man of great courage with none of its own. Opting to tell the story of the globally-recognized NSA agent turned whistleblower, writer-director Oliver Stone and co-writer Kieran Fitzgerald craft a narrative akin to a fan fiction version of Snowden’s Wikipedia page – except one should expect more nuance and knowledge from the latter – complete with unnecessary sex scenes, dramatically empty melodrama and, per Stone’s contract, loose-lipped partisan pandering. Read More

Blu-Ray Review: ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR’

September 13, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews Tagged Anthony Mackie, Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews, Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Marvel, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Tom Holland Leave a comment

Synopsis: “Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America (Chris Evans) believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) all must pick a side.” Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘SULLY’

September 8, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aaron Eckhart, Clint Eastwood, Jamey Sheridan, Laura Linney, Michael Rappaport, Mike O'Malley, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sully, Todd Komarnicki, Tom Hanks Leave a comment

To return to a parlance that my colleague Mike Ward continues to hit upon, Sully is an odd duck. The American hero’s homage/introspective biopic from director Clint Eastwood is at once a moving portrait of accidental heroism and an undisciplined head-scratcher. As expected, Tom Hanks flies high as the titular pilot-turned-national-icon, joined by an Aaron Eckhart who for the first time in years seems interested in revitalizing his sagging career. There’s moments of emotional tumult and high-flying glory joined to editing that defies explainable and a weirdly non-linear act structure that has the film kinda just starting and kinda just ending and the resulting jumble is a mix of good and bad that still somehow works for the most part. So for those in the market for a good ol’ fashion celebration of aw-shucks American gallantry fixed to sturdy performances, taut set pieces and relatively lightweight uplift cinema, Sully is just the fix you’re looking for. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘OTHER PEOPLE’

September 7, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Bradley Whitford, Chris Kelly, Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Other People, Reviews, Sundance 2016 Leave a comment

Other People sets expectations firmly in place early on for its uneven mix of tragedy and comedy. A family huddles in a dark bedroom, some whimpering, some crying out, others silent, all grasping hands, all seeking tendrils of connection, all weeping over a recently departed body. In the midst of this disruptively bleak opening, the landline erupts, echoing through the empty halls. It rings a number of times, awkwardly interrupting the mourning at hand, before clipping to voicemail. Broadcast through the house, a perky female says something to the effect of, “I heard you’re, like, really sick,” and then goes on to sloppily order tacos and Coke at a drive through. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘TRANSPECOS’

September 6, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Clifton Collins Jr., Gabriel Luna, Greg Kwedar, Jeffrey Waldron, Johnny Simmons, Out in Theaters, Reviews, SXSW 2016, Transpecos Leave a comment

Like a lens flare cast from No Country For Old Men or an arresting never-before-seen side plot from Breaking Bad, Transpecos sets us on the belt buckle region of the Mexican-American border. In a diminutive shanty of a migra outpost – in essence, a tollbooth and boom barrier – three glorified crossing guards witness hell break loose when a cartel scheme goes belly up. Greg Kwedar’s daring debut is part sun-scotched moral meditation, part adrenaline-fueled character thriller, handsomely brought to life with crisp, concise storytelling and effective, affecting performances that casts a meaningful glance at border politics and the wolves that lie in wait. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘YOGA HOSERS’

September 2, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Justin Long, Kevin Smith, Lily-Rose Melody Depp, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Worst of 2016, Yoga Hosers Leave a comment

Yoga Hosers, the second feature in the proposed True North trilogy, refers to the fact that the two main characters, both named Collen, like yoga (or at least writer/director Kevin Smith‘s grossly ignorant appropriation of yoga) and are hosers (Canada’s way of saying fool or dolt.) Convenient store clerks and high school students, the Colleens are frequently buried up to their eyeballs in their smartphones, snapping selfies, posting to the ‘gram and generally disengaging from the physical world around them. When an ancient army of foot-long Nazi sausage clones, called Bratzis, begins to attack their small Canadian town, the girls must put down their iPhones to save the day. Read More