The 25 Best Films of 2016 (So Far)

June 24, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged 10 Cloverfield Lane, Anomalisa, Demolition, Don’t Breathe, Don’t Think Twice, Everybody Wants Some, Green Room, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Indignation, Krisha, Love & Friendship, Manchester by the Sea, Midnight Special, Rams, Sing Street, Swiss Army Man, The Birth of a Nation, The Nice Guys, The Witch, Transpecos 1 Comment

The year is just about half way through and with three film festivals under the belt, it seems appropriate to recount what have been the best of the year to date. We know there’s six more months of cinema coming down the drain and a lot of late arrivals usually have significant dominion over our end of year Top Ten list but we want to take the time to acknowledge what has already come and gone, to celebrate 25 marvelous films which unfortunately most people probably haven’t seen. Some of these have only played festivals and will get a wide release later in the year so keep your eyes peeled while others are already ready and waiting on Blu-Ray or DVD for your viewing enjoyment. Do yourself a favor and look into a few of them, won’t you? Read More

Talking With Jeff Nichols of ‘MIDNIGHT SPECIAL’

March 31, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Interviews, Jeff Nichols, Midnight Special, Talking With Series 2 Comments

Director Jeff Nichols faces his biggest obstacle yet this upcoming weekend: the general public. Reviews for his fourth feature film have been largely favorable so far, with a very warm SXSW debut reception, but Midnight Special launches the Arkansas filmmaker into the spotlight in a big way. With a considerable marketing push behind it and general critical support (the film is “certified fresh” at a lofty 86% on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing this), the cards look good for Nichols’ biggest picture yet. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘MIDNIGHT SPECIAL’

March 30, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Driver, Bill Camp, Jaeden Liebeher, Jeff Nichols, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Michael Shannon, Midnight Special, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sam Shepard 1 Comment

Jeff Nichols is very quickly solidifying himself as a distinct and essential American voice. The 37-year old Arkansas native blends the mystic nostalgia of Steven Spielberg’s great wonders with the romanticized bayou lyricism of a Mark Twain novel. The result is often staggering, the heavy, heady crossroads of lock stock ultra violence and meaningfully sentimental morality plays. In 2012, Nichols’ snaggle-toothed fable Mud sounded the starting gun for the McConaissance, just as he basically introduced the world to Michael Shannon as a leading man in 2011’s Take Shelter. More than just a emcee for introducing (or reintroducing) us to new or reinvigorated talent, Nichols has emerged as a bold writer/director willing to take big risks and reap big rewards and Midnight Special, a work of great wonder and beauty, is blinding evidence of this fact. Read More

SXSW ’16 Review: ‘MIDNIGHT SPECIAL’

March 13, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Adam Driver, Bill Camp, Jaeden Liebeher, Jeff Nichols, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Michael Shannon, Midnight Special, Reviews, Sam Shepard 3 Comments

50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2016

January 8, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged A Monster Calls, Arms and the Dudes, Assassin’s Creed, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Bourne 5, Caesar!, Christine, Comancheria, Demolition, Doctor Strange, Everyone Wants Some, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Finding Dory, Free Fire, Green Room, Hacksaw Ridge, Hail, High-Rise, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Julieta, Keanu, La La Land, Leatherface, Mascots, Midnight Special, Neon Demon, Salt and Fire, Sausage Party, Silence, Star Trek Beyond, Star Wars: Rogue One, Story of Your Life, Suicide Squad, Swiss Army Man, The Bad Batch, The BFG, The Circle, The Discovery, The Girl on The Train, The Handmaid, The Jungle Book, The Light Between Oceans, The Nice Guys, Triple 9, Valencia, War Machine, War on Everyone, X-Men: Apocalypse, Yoga Hosers 2 Comments

Last year, we compiled a list of our 50 Most Films of 2015 and though many proved disappointed, the top-tier resulted in a barrage of wins. This year, we return to do the same. Consider yourself in store for a massive compilation of films, including many were already featured on last year’s list for release change reasons. For those curious, you will not find too many big franchise tent-pole movies like the redone Ghostbusters because I’ve not liked Paul Feig‘s work in the past or superhero fare a la Captain America: Civil War because we pretty much know what’s in store there. Some smashing, some joking, then everything’s a-ok in the end.

We’re looking for something fresh. Something that’ll surprise us. That’s why you’ll find very few sequels here and even less junk that you’ve seen on some other anticipation lists. But let’s get down to business. This is an absolutely massive article so I’ll stop wasting time and let you get right to it. Here it is: the 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2016. Read More