Out in Theaters: ‘DEADPOOL 2’

May 17, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Brianna Hildebrand, David Leitch, Deadpool 2, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Karan Soni, Out in Theaters, Paul Wernick, Reviews, Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds, Stefan Kapičić, T.J. Miller, Zazie Beetz 4 Comments

The novelty of a fourth-wall-breaking, F-bomb-slinging, crotch-grabbing “superhero” may be gone but Deadpool’s not backing down an inch in this full-brunt sequel to the wildly popular R-rated 2016 comic book movie. With Deadpool 2, audiences will get what they expect – Ryan Reynolds spitballing irreverently, kinetic action scenes, a garbage truck full of winks and jabs at other superhero movies – but the comedic blockbuster has been reworked as a whole (*insert Deadpool joke about “reworking” a hole*), ironing out some of the kinks of its lurid predecessor, and making for an all-around more streamlined and better product. Read More

Out in Theaters: ’TULLY’

May 3, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Charlize Theron, Diablo Cody, Elaine Tan, Jason Reitman, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Ron Livingston, Tully Leave a comment

Parenting is perpetual sacrifice. Or so says Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, the directing-writing duo behind poppy cult classic Juno, with their comeback collaboration Tully. A dramatic comedy or comedic drama, depending on how you want to look at it, Tully is a soaring success no matter what box you want to put it in; a well-meaning, deeply felt, irreverently mature exploration of growing pains and adulating. Charlize Theron is a knock-one in this deliriously enjoyable feature that has no short supply of wit, bite and verve with a shot of mindfuck mixed in to boot. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘THE ENDLESS’

April 23, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aaron Scott Moorhead, Horror, Justin Benson, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sci-Fi, The Endless Leave a comment

Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead are a tactile duo, crafting thought-provoking, effects-driven, genre-defying features filled with big ideas on a micro-budget. Their last film, Spring, which can only be described as a “romantic body horror” and was a favorite for many who sought it out after its 2014 Toronto Film Festival debut, failed to find much of an audience among the general public but solidified the partnership, who had previously collaborated on 2012’s low-budge horror flick Resolution, as a pair for cinephile’s to keep a close eye on. Rather than pulling in the reins, the creative partners have gone even bigger with The Endless, a heady science-fiction-slash-horror—slash-cult-thriller-slash-sibling-drama that’s ambitious to a fault. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘LEAN ON PETE’

April 9, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Andrew Haigh, Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny, Lean on Pete, Magnus Nordenhof Jønck, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Steve Buscemi, Steven Zahn, Travis Fimmel Leave a comment

Scruffy name aside, Andrew Haigh’s deeply felt and heartstring-plucking Lean on Pete is a sorrowful spirit trip through America’s discarded backcountry where a boy wants desperately for belonging. Haigh’s emotionally draining adaptation of Willy Vlautin’s 2010 novel of the same name is of the traumatic animal movie ilk. Not for the weak-spirited, the film from A24 constantly tests the resolve of its protagonist, putting him in increasingly difficult circumstances. Even the life of the titular Lean on Pete, a racehorse on his last leg, lies under constant threat as his unsympathetic owner makes passing threats of sending him off to the glue factory with all the remorse of stepping on a bug. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘SWEET COUNTRY’

April 6, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ewen Leslie, Hamilton Morris, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sam Neill, Sweet Country, Warwick Thornton Leave a comment

Racial constraints are life in Warwick Thornton’s low-boiling and powerful drama Sweet Country. It’s 1920, Western Australia. When elderly aboriginal Sam Kelly (Hamilton Morris) kills a belligerent white man in self-defense, he must flee the crooked arm of the law. With posses rounded up and eager lawmen hot on his trail, Thornton explores the racial tilt of criminality drawing disturbing parallels to modern-day criminal justice. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘BLOCKERS

April 4, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Blockers, Brian Kehoe, Comedy, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Ike Barinholtz, Jim Kehoe, John Cena, Kathryn Newton, Kay Cannon, Leslie Mann, Reviews Leave a comment

Cockblocking. That thing one does, inadvertent or not, to impede the sexual congress of another. Just about anyone can be a cockblocker. The douchebag who stole your date. The overweight wingman paying way too much attention to her obviously interested friend. Your overbearing, sensitive dad. Anyone who desires, for a myriad of reasons, two people’s nether regions not to mate. Cockblocking can be fueled by jealousy. A sense of machismo competitiveness. Or your mom being driven into a state of controlling mania by the thought of you losing your flower on Prom night. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘FLOWER’

March 22, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Scott, Flowers, Joey Morgan, Max Winkler, Maya Eshet, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Zoey Deutch Leave a comment

Juno meets Hard Candy in Max Winkler’s acerbic dark teen comedy Flower. Fueled by a filthy mouth and a warped sense of justice, this edgy femme fatale misadventure sees a brassy pixie named Erica attempt to make right of the turmoil life has forced upon her, employing devious measures to get what she wants with a little help from her friends. Primed to push your buttons, Flower is sure to send those with any sexual or language sensitives running for the theaters doors (and is just about the last thing you’d want to watch with your teenage daughter or future mother-in-law) but as far as spitfire coming-of-age stories overloaded with prima donna bite, Winkler delivers the goods without respite. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘I KILL GIANTS’

March 21, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Anders Walter, I Kill Giants, Imogen Poots, Joe Kelly, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rory Jackson, Zoe Saldana 1 Comment

I Kill Giants, Anders Walter’s adaptation of Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura’s popular graphic novel, is a movie left searching for purpose in a post-A Monster Calls world. Sure, the 2016 J.A. Bayona fantasy drama was a bomb domestically (with a paltry cume of less than four million) but remained a hit overseas and was celebrated by critics and audiences alike who noted the film’s deft ability to tackle large thematic material through the prism of fantastical monsters. I Kill Giants not only involves a young outsider struggling to adapt to real-world issues through metaphorical monsters but does so for precisely the same reason, aiming for a similarly moving but also unwaveringly sullen coming-of-age drama. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘THOROUGHBREDS’

March 8, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Anton Yelchin, Anya Taylor-Joy, Cory Finley, Olivia Cooke, Out in Theaters, Paul Sparks, Reviews 1 Comment

Chilly, sardonic and cruel, Cory Finley’s killer debut Thoroughbreds is a narcissistic response to teen thrillers of the 90s. With ice water coursing through its veins, this shocking first feature from Finley serves as a hellish calling card for ripe new talent in Hollywood. A tongue-in-cheek social commentary about class relations masquerading as an unrelenting character study, this austere New England teenage noir manages the angry ennui of a Bret Easton Ellis novel and the cold-blooded disturbia of Michael Lehmann’s Heathers but moves with the sneaky cadence and unsuspecting footsteps of an entirely different beast. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘A WRINKLE IN TIME’

March 7, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ava DuVernay, Chris Pine, Deric McCabe, Jeff Stockwell, Jennifer Lee, Levi Miller, Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, Out in Theaters, Reese Witherspoon, Reviews Leave a comment

Ava DuVernay’s well-intentioned adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s popular children’s book of the same name is a tenaciously tedious, psychedelically sloppy slog. Championing a well-meaning message of the bonds of family and acceptance of oneself, the actual movie is a mind-numbing flurry of exposition vomit, hurried character development and drag-show pizzaz. DuVernay’s tale of a brother and sister hunting their lost father (Chris Pine) throughout the galaxy is constantly on the go, relying on bright pops of color and shimmery CGI to cover up the gaping plot holes developed courtesy of its neck-break pace. Characters explain the plot ad nauseum, using in-house lingo sure to leave many skeptical eyes a’rollin’, as the story whirls from one underdeveloped thread to another at light-speed pace. At once too dark for the younger crowd and too childish for true blue teenagers, A Wrinkle in Time really only appeals to the tween ADHD crowd who likes their stories delivered fast and loose and colorful beyond belief.
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