Love Is Warfare in Steamy Brontë Adaptation, ‘WUTHERING HEIGHTS’

February 10, 2026 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alison Oliver, Charli XCX, Emerald Fennell, Hong Chau, Jacob Elordi, Jacqueline Durran, Linus Sandgren, Martin Clunes, Robbie, Shazad Latif, Susie Davis, Wuthering Heights 2 Comments

I’ll admit it right off the bat: I’ve never read Emily Brontë, nor seen any other film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. I came to Emerald Fennell’s take on Brontë’s seminal novel knowing its cultural footprint, but none of the story. Based on her previous work, particularly the alluring psychosexual class-warfare drama Saltburn, I wasn’t expecting a Joe Wright-style adaptation – all handsomely mounted restraint, shapely bodices, and tight corsets. What I got instead was a classical romance stripped of manners and pitched to an eleven; a brash, unrestrained, deeply horny fever dream slathered in excess and sincerity in equal measure. Read More

Fiery ‘SALTBURN’ Glows With Psychosexual Heat, Palace Intrigue

November 13, 2023 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Barry Keoghan, Carey Mulligan, Emerald Fennell, Jacob Elordi, Linus Sandgren, Richard E. Grant, Rosamund Pike, Saltburn, Sophie Canale, Suzie Davies 4 Comments

In her second feature, writer, director, and producer Emerald Fennell digs her heels deeper into the themes of power dynamics and the consequences of privilege that she explored in 2020’s explosive Promising Young Woman, this time folding in palace intrigue by moving the action to the lofty estate of a family of aristocrats at the eponymous Saltburn. A decadent feast for the senses, Fennell’s sophomore feature calls to mind a tale as old as time framed through a modern lens: an unassuming Oxford scholar is allured by the corrosive power of wealth, finding himself sucked into a vortex of desire, greed, and materialism. It’s Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby with the hyper-modern visual high-shine of Euphoria and the cold calculation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel, plus a splash of the wealthy ennui found in a Sofia Coppola film. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘FIRST MAN’

October 10, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Claire Foy, Corey Stolls, Damien Chazelle, First Man, Jason Clarke, Josh Singer, Justin Hurwitz, Linus Sandgren, Neil Armstrong, Ryan Gosling 1 Comment

First Man takes a triumphant first step telling the story of American astronaut Neil Armstrong and hits it with a spell of arthouse sensibilities and emotional undercurrent. Ryan Gosling is a fitting Armstrong, an exceedingly competent pilot, razor-sharp engineer, and unassuming Ohioan boy. He’s a figure of reserved strength and quiet calculation, a perfect match for Gosling’s strong, silent affectation. To his peers, Armstrong is a resilient commander, a man of rock-solid gumption and iron determination. To his family, Armstrong is an emotional astronaut. He’s a world away even on earth. And much like Neil Armstrong the American Hero, I respect the hell out of First Man but it’s a tough cookie to love. Read More