Out in Theaters: ‘HAIL, CAESAR!’

February 3, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alden Ehrenreich, Caesar!, Channing Tatum, Coen Brothers, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Hail, Jonah Hill, Josh Brolin, Out in Theaters, Ralph Fiennes, Reviews, Scarlett Johnasson, Tilda Swinton 4 Comments

The Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! exists in some zany cinematic purgatory of indecisiveness. Their critique of 1950s Hollywood dwells in an occasionally bemusing middle ground; that is, it can’t decide whether it wants to be a skewering of or a love letter to the golden era of tinsel town. Those who’ve found solace in the bewilderingly esoteric arms of A Serious Man or the bombast of The Hudsucker Proxy will likely concede Hail, Caesar! as a new coming for the seriocomic duo but I like my Coen’s like I like my coffee and Hail, Caesar!’s semi-satirical goofball makeup couldn’t be further from the blackest of comedy that defines the brothers’ greatest ventures. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘THE FINEST HOURS’

January 28, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ben Foster, Casey Affleck, Chris Pine, Craig Gillespie, Eric Bana, Holliday Grainger, Out in Theaters, Reviews, The Finest Hours 2 Comments

Craig Gillespie experienced his breakout “hit” in 2007 at the Toronto International Film Festival with Lars and the Real Girl. You know the one. That strange indie splash that made leagues of women (and men) jealous of an inanimate sex doll, quasi-adorably (and entirely eerily) doted on by a mustached Ryan Gosling. From there, Gillespie directed an underrated and ably cast remake of Fright Night. As a suave vampire, Collin Ferrell gave his crowning scenery (and neck) chewing performance. Some would call this Gillespie’s transition to the mainstream and they wouldn’t be entirely wrong, though the Disney-produced baseball drama The Million Dollar Arm really saw the last twinkle of a celebrated indie director taken by the vast empire of film as multi-media conglomerate. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘THE BIRTH OF A NATION’

January 27, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, Nate Parker, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, The Birth of a Nation 1 Comment

Nate Parker‘s The Birth of a Nation is an urgent primal scream from American history’s darkest hour. Parker produces, writes, directs and stars in this much needed telling of the trials and tribulations of slave-turned-revolutionary Nat Turner. The relatively well-to-do preacher’s eyes are open to a new interpretation of the good book when his master shops out his sermons, profiteering off Turner’s calming demeanor to quell rebellion amongst more brutalized slaves. He’s soon in high demand from the most vicious slave owners across the land, all who want less sass and more backbreaking for their neglected and enslaved laborers. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘COMPLETE UNKNOWN’

January 26, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Azita Ghanizada, Complete Unknown, Joshua Marston, Kathy Bate, Michael Chernus, Michael Shannon, Rachel Weisz, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews Leave a comment

An old flame forks her way back into the life of a married man in Joshua Marston‘s mysterious and somewhat satisfying Complete Unknown. Marston struck a chord with debut Maria Full of Grace, which played Sundance 12 years ago, giving a drug mule a face in performer Catalina Sandino Moreno. With Complete Unknown, the Californian director harnesses a selfsame ability to craft complex female leads but allows the narrative to come to tatters as it crests its many tonal shifts. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘MANCHESTER BY THE SEA’

January 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews, Most Popular Tagged Casey Affleck, Kenneth Lonergan, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews 3 Comments

After debuting on Saturday night, Manchester by the Sea quickly became the buzziest film at Sundance. When Amazon made an unprecedented $10 million dollar deal to sweep up distributing rights, the echo chamber only got louder. On the one hand, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan must welcome the fat paycheck with open arms. And yet, such a lofty price tag sets a certain sky-high expectation for the film before its even had a chance to digest in anyone’s tummies or see the light of day for most viewers. All finances aside, Manchester by the Sea is a emotionally resonant tearjerker/masterful character study with Casey Affleck stepping up to the plate to claim some majorly overdue attention. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD’

January 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Documentaries, Leonard Kleinrock, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance 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

Sundance ’16 Review: ’31’

January 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged 31, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Kevin Jackson, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Meg Foster, Reviews, Richard Brake, Rob Zombie, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sundance 2016, Sundance Review 10 Comments

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

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘YOGA HOSERS’

January 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Justin Long, Kevin Smith, Lily-Rose Melody Depp, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, Yoga Hosers 4 Comments

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

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘CHRISTINE’

January 24, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Antonio Campos, Christine, Maria Dizzia, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, Tracy Letts Leave a comment

Almost 7% of the American population has been diagnosed as suffering from depression. That’s roughly 15 million people today. In 1974, though depression was recognized as a serious mental disorder, it wasn’t regarded with the same weight that it is today. After all, the mental disease didn’t enter the DSM III until 1980. Christine, from Simon Killer director Antonio Campos, takes a look at infamous Sarasota reporter Christine Chubbuck and her struggle with depression in sad, sanguine, cinematic streaks. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘CAPTAIN FANTASTIC’

January 24, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Ann Dowd, Captain Fantastic, Charlie Shotwell, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, Matt Ross, Reviews, Steve Zahn, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, Viggo Mortensen 1 Comment

With Captain Fantastic, writer/director Matt Ross has tapped enlightenment like a spigot into a maple tree and funneled it into crowd-pleasing dramedy. With a first-rate cast that includes Viggo Mortensen, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, Frank Langella and Ann Dowd, Ross’ second feature shows a filmmaker emerging with a booming voice, immediately confident enough to corral such talent into one articulate, sarcastic and smartly realized vision. The result is a righteously comic and deeply-felt examination of a family experimenting with life on the fringes of society. Read More