‘INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY’ A Lackluster Farewell to an Iconic Franchise

June 29, 2023 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged David Koepp, Harrison Ford, indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, James Mangold, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Toby Jones 1 Comment

Old dogs can’t learn new tricks in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. With the history books finally set to close on the beloved Indiana Jones series, and a sturdy director in James Mangold behind the camera, expectations were high for this final installment, which was tasked with righting the perceived wrongs of the previous entry, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and sending our beloved grave robber out on a high note. With the original trilogy holding a special place in the hearts of many, including myself, as some of the greatest adventure films ever made, the anticipation was palpable. However, as the film made its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to overwhelmingly lukewarm reviews, enthusiasm skidded to a halt: this wasn’t the final crack of the whip many had hoped it would be. Nevertheless, with a mix of hope and trepidation, I journeyed into the theater, hoping for a thrilling and satisfying conclusion to the legendary archaeologist’s expedition. Read More

‘FORD V. FERRARI’ is an Anti-Establishment American Western…with Race Cars

November 11, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Andrew Buckland, Buck Sanders, Caitriona Balfe, Christian Bale, Dirk Westervelt, Ford v Ferrari, James Mangold, Jason Keller, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas, Marco Beltrami, Matt Damon, Michael McCusker, Noah Jupe, Phedon Papamichael, Ray McKinnon, Tracy Letts Leave a comment

In 1966, the Ford Motor Company took on the very best in the business, Enzo Ferrari, at the world-renown Le Mans. The race? A 24-hour deathmatch that raged from dawn through dusk, past midday and midnight, through rain or shine, to its brutal conclusion. A showdown for the best and the ballsiest, Le Mans was won by the best cars driven by the ballsiest drivers. Over at Ford, men in slick suits seek corporate glory and a much-needed rejuvenation in sales. They attempt to reinvent the dad bod of cars that was Ford’s current models, opting for something sleek, sexy, durable. And, most of all, fast. In essence, a Ferrari. But a little elbow grease and a bunch of smoke-filled boardroom meetings do not a champion make. A champion requires an intangible; the perfect union of fallible machinery and the grit of man. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘LOGAN’

February 17, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters, Uncategorized Tagged Boyd Holbrook, Dafoe Keen, Hugh Jackman, James Mangold, Logan, Out in Theaters, Patrick Stewart, Reviews, Superhero Movies 1 Comment

The superhero genre has (deservingly) caught a lot of flack over the years for its Saturday Morning Cartoons rendition of tentpole blockbuster cinema. The Marvel brand in particular was privy to the lather, rinse, repeat template, providing a steady stable of colorful smart asses who smash and bash and save the world, returning to the status quo (or shwarma) when all is said and done to await their next universe saving event. Then along came Deadpool. Say what you will the R-rated superhero flick – like for instance that it falls in line with many of the same familiar tropes it purports to mock – but the gleefully violent and “adult”-oriented box office smash opened the flood gates for more of its R-rated ilk, showing studios through the ever influential power of green (not Green Lantern mind you), that audiences were more than receptive to “mature” content in their superhero films. In fact, they were damn near starving for it. Read More

Hugh Jackman to Return for WOLVERINE 3

November 5, 2013 by Matt Oakes Posted in Movie Announcements Tagged Hugh Jackman, James Mangold, The Wolverine, Wolverine 3

I enjoyed The Wolverine, even though I had no delusions that it was a great movie, but now it looks like it will be the middle child of a trilogy of Wolverine movies. James Mangold, director of The Wolverine and 3:10 to Yuma, will return to direct Hugh Jackman for his eighth, yes eighth, run as the eponymous Wolverine. This news comes as a bit of a surprise since The Wolverine saw lackluster box office return and mild reaction from fans and critics.

Although little details have yet emerged as to where this tale will fall within the X-Men timeline, especially since this release will fall after X-Men: Days of Future Past, old Wolfy boy seems like he won’t ever die. Now Oscar nominated and a massive international superstar, Jackman seems to really be limiting his options continuing down the X-Men route. Unless you finally get Darren Aronofsky onboard and an R-rating, the propects of yet another Wolverine movie seem limited by what we’ve already seen.

Fox’s executive decisions up to this point suggest that so long as Jackman is willing, they’ll throw a Wolverine role at him every other year until he dies. Jackman though seems headstrong to continue his superhero path and has recently made comments suggesting that he would love to join up with the Avengers at some point. Slow down Jackman, I think eight superhero movies might be enough for one man.

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