‘THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7’ A Timely, Effective But Unremarkable Courtroom Trial

October 15, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aaron Sorkin, Alex Sharp, Eddie Redmayne, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Michael Keaton, Netflix, Out in Theaters, Phedon Papamichael, Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II 3 Comments

Aaron Sorkin lives and dies by the legal pen. Dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s within his characters’ puffed-up political proceedings or as they finesse through complex legalese is the writer-turned-director’s bread and butter. As a writer, no one can alchemize technical jargon and otherwise boring statistician noise into storytelling gold quite like Sorkin. Within the exhibits of his great successes, nothing towers higher than The Social Network, though dedicated fans of The West Wing would gladly point to that popular and long-standing series as the high watermark of his career. Read More

‘MARRIAGE STORY’ Is a Heartbreaking Depiction of Love Ending (That’s Especially Traumatic for Divorce Kids)

November 8, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Driver, Marriage Story, Netflix, Noah Baumbach, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Scarlett Johansson Leave a comment

“What’s the opposite of a fiancée?” Scarlett Johansson’s Nicole muses, trying to find the right word to describe her soon-to-be ex-husband Charlie (Adam Driver). She doesn’t really want to still call him her husband, because that ship has clearly sailed. But nor is he an ex yet either. There’s a lack of finality to their relationship. Unsigned paperwork. Unfought legal battles. Unclaimed wreckage from what was once a marriage. Read More

6 Killer New Horror Movies on Netflix to Get You Ready for Halloween

October 9, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged A Dark Song, Gerald's Game, Horror Movies, Netflix, Raw, The Blackcoat's Daughter, The Devil's Candy, The Survivalist, The Transfiguration Leave a comment

Every year, the month of October rolls around and with it an opportunity to binge watch all the horror movies that may have slipped under your radar thus far. 2017 has been an outstanding year for horror films with even studio flicks making waves – It became an overnight international smash hit and deservedly so; M. Night Shyamalan’s Split returned the once maligned director to twisty-turny prominence; A Cure For Wellness delivered an eerie ode to gerontophobia and medical centers; and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Jordan Peele’s outstanding Get Out get some Oscar nods thrown its way by the end of the year. We’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of some of Halloween-season stuff you probably haven’t seen yet, all available at the click of a button for your Netflix streaming pleasure. We threw one from Amazon Prime on there as well, for those who take their streaming packages a little more robust. Watch one, watch them all, just go out and get in the mood for the best holiday of the year.

SXSW ’17 Review: ‘THE MOST HATED WOMAN IN AMERICA’

March 14, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Adam Scott, Irene Turner, Josh Lucas, Juno Temple, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Melissa Leo, Michael Chernus, Netflix, The Most Hated Woman in America, Tommy O'Haver Leave a comment

Stories based on a true story often face the detriment of audiences knowing how it’s all going to end. That will certainly be the case for many with The Most Hated Woman in America, the decade-spanning biopic/thriller focused on controversial public figure Madalyn Murray O’Hair, but it’s people like me (of the millennial variety) who may not remember this striking true story that will benefit most from its true-to-life gnarls. Activist turned founder of the American Atheists organization, O’Hair drew criticism far and wide. When she, her son Jon and granddaughter Robin are kidnapped, her notoriety is so severe, her bonds to even those who share the same blood so crimped and discarded, that no one even bothered looking for her. She remained a hostage for going on two weeks before…well I’ll let the uninitiated discover that for themselves.

Out in Theaters: ‘BEASTS OF NO NATION’

October 15, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga, Dan Romer, Idris Elba, Netflix, Out in Theaters, Reviews Leave a comment

War films have never been as great as they were from the late-70s to the mid-80s. There was an esthetic richness to them, a vast sense of moral disorientation that defined them. Surfers catching waves neck deep in the shit, soldier’s squeezing the triggers of pistols squared at their heads, combatants throwing their arms up in defeat. That iconography sticks for a reason. In the era of 9/11, there have been some excellent war films, but like the wars themselves, the weapons, scenery and tone have changed. Beasts of No Nation is a heavyhearted throwback to the great war epics of the Vietnam generation and tells the sorrowful saga of a child soldier’s dark transformation. Read More

Talking with Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield of 6 YEARS

August 20, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged 6 Years, American Horror Story, Ben Rosenfield, Hannah Fidell, Interviews, Netflix, Taissa Farmiga Leave a comment

*This is a reprint of our SXSW 2015 interview

For all the schmaltzy young love that pollutes our movie screens (*cough* If I Stay, Fault in Our Stars *cough*) there comes the ocassional tale of youth and young love that actually merits a watch. 6 Years is that movie. And now that it’s been picked up by Netflix, you’ll actually probably watch it. How novel! From our review; Read More

NETFIX: 5 Hysterical Black Comedies You Won’t See Coming

July 20, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Netfix Tagged Four Lions, Netfix, Netflix, Sightseers, The Trip to Italy, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Wetlands Leave a comment

The great thing about Netflix is that it gives you a lot of TV and movie watching options. The bad thing about Netflix is that it gives you…a lot of TV and movie watching options. To cut down on your Netflix search and discover time, Netfix aims to ease the process of parsing the good from the bad. The great from the not so great. From action films to foreign dramas, we’re raked the catalogs to offer only the finest that the preeminent streaming service has to offer. So settle in, get your remotes ready and prepare for the red wave of Netfix to wash over you.
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Gratuitous Trailer Breakdown: The Return of WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER and the Internet Age of Cult

July 18, 2015 by Harrison Foster Posted in Editorials, Film Editorials, Trailers Tagged Bradley Cooper, Cult Film, Editorials, Gratuitous Trailer Breakdown, Jon Hamm, Netflix, Trailers, Wet Hot American Summer 1 Comment

It’s here! Fourteen years later, we finally return to Camp Firewood (unless you count the 50 or 60 times you’ve watched Wet Hot American Summer as “returning” – which I most certainly do.) In 2001, the parody of 1980s summer-camp-sploitation movies that no one asked for (and if they did they would have asked about twelve years earlier) debuted at Sundance to four sold out crowds and zero buyers. Eventually it was released in approximately 30 cities, made approximately zero money, and was pretty much ignored to death. But that is how legends are born (isn’t it?).

Netfix: 7 Freedomlicious Action Movies to Watch on July 4th

July 3, 2015 by Drew Powell Posted in Lists, Netfix Tagged Black Hawk Down, Inglorious Basterds, Netfix, Netflix, Rocky 4, Shane, The Interview, The Terminator, World War Z Leave a comment

The great thing about Netflix is that it gives you a lot of TV and movie watching options. The bad thing about Netflix is that it gives you…a lot of TV and movie watching options. So many that it can be overwhelming. I’d guess around ninety percent of our time spent on Netflix is scrolling through thousands of movies and TV shows, before finally deciding on something three hours after you’ve first logged on. The aim of this column is to provide easily accessible Netflix suggestions based on a different focal point each week. Read More

Drew Goddard Confirms Involvement in DAREDEVIL Netflix Series

December 7, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Batman Vs. Superman, Daredevil, Goddard, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Netflix, Original Content, The Defenders, The Justice League, TV

Daredevil, as a franchise, has nowhere to go but up, after that Ben Affleck travesty. Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods, Lost) confirmed that he has joined the new Netflix Daredevil series that continues Netflix’s foray into original content, while band-wagoning on the massive trend of superhero everything.

It was wholly cool when Marvel first decided to build all of their films towards a great Avengers film but, as that was a fantastic idea, every superhero-owning studio and their mother now plan on beating that concept into the ground. Look no further than DC’s gearing towards a Justice League film, with Gal Gadot just cast as Wonder Woman for the yet untitled Superman vs. Batman and the X-Men series, which just announced an eighth film in X-Men: Apocalypse and has stirrings of a third Wolverine solo flick, who plan on teaming up with other Fox property The Fantastic Four (another project in the midst of a reboot) to do their own world building.

Netflix’s Daredevil series will build to a crossover miniseries called The Defenders, along with Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. There will be at least four thirteen-episode superhero shows set to build to The Defenders.

Netflix has really been stepping up their game in the original content department and are becoming serious contenders to premium channels like HBO, FX, and AMC. A few intertwined superhero shows might push them over the top to become the ratings champion of television, ushering in a whole new era of digital entertainment. Getting a fan favorite like Goddard to head up this first leg of a long process is definitely a step in the right direction. If superheroes are still in fashion by 2015, this could do very well.