Out in Theaters: ‘SILENCE’

January 5, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Issei Ogata, Jay Cocks, Martin Scorsese, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rodrigo Prieto, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Silence Leave a comment

I guess it follows that a movie titled Silence should lack a score. Marty’s latest meditation on faith (arguably his third after 1988’s The Last Temptation of Christ and 1997’s Dalai Lama humdrum biopic Kundun) opens instead with the sound of crickets, a telling forecast of the level of excitement soon to be unleashed. It’s not that Silence lacks artistry, there’s no shortage of stunning shots (but it’s no accident that those that standout most are the various Christians gettin’ tortured scenes), but there’s so much dead air, so much *ahem* silence, that getting from one beat to the next feels like an endless crusade towards but a mirage. Accented only by crickets and cicadas. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘FENCES’

December 23, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged August Wilson, Denzel Washington, Fences, Jovan Adept, Mykelti Williamson, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Russell Hornsby, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Viola Davis 3 Comments

As purely a thespian venture, the Denzel Washington starring and directed Fences is an applaudable homer. Performed with true fire in the belly, this adaptation of August Wilson’s 1983 Tony and Pulitzer Prize Award winning play of the same name unfurls a harrowing American experience of familial tension between patriarch Troy Maxson, his wife Rose, mentally impaired brother Gabriel and sons Lyons and Cory. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘WHY HIM?’

December 21, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Bryan Cranston, Griffin Gluck, Ian Helfer, James Franco, John Hamburg, Jonah Hill, Kaley Cuoco, Keegan-Michael Key, Megan Mullally, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Zoey Deutch Leave a comment

Oh Bryan Cranston, how far the mighty can fall. The four-time Emmy winning actor and Academy Award nominee rose to stardom putting the meth in method acting as high school chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin Walter White. But Cranston was not always the one who knocks. Many will remember his stretch as the goofy Hal on 2000s sitcom Malcom in the Middle. Here Cranston was the antithesis of the mean-mugging Heisenberg as an indecisive and immature father figure. He was the Stevia to Mr. White’s ricin; proof in the pudding that Cranston can wear many hats (even if the wool pork pie fedora still fits best.) With his latest comedic endeavor, the mind-numbing Why Him?, some might say that Cranston has returned to his roots. Not that that’s a good thing. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘JACKIE’

December 15, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig, John Hurt, Natalie Portman, Noah Oppenheim, Out in Theaters, Pablo Larraín, Peter Sarsgaard, Reviews 5 Comments

Heartache and quiet dignity define Jackie Kennedy Onassis in Pablo Larraín’s thoughtful biopic Jackie. Recounting the events immediately following the assassination of the 35th US President John F. Kennedy, the film written by Noah Oppenheim (Allegiant, The Maze Runner) explores an intricate swatch of issues facing both the United States on a macro level and Mrs. Kennedy on a micro level. Oppenheim and Larraín’s ability to overturn so many stones and explore so many corners of both American life and Jackie’s personal descent into melancholia, all under the watchdog snouts of overeager politicians, public scrutiny and the constant threat of the media’s clicking cameras, is nothing shy of hugely impressive, especially operating within such a relatively constrained run time, a mere 110 minutes. But Jackie’s true staying power lies in star Natalie Portman. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’

December 13, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Chris Weitz, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Gareth Edwards, Out in Theaters, Reviews, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, Tony Gilroy, Wen Jiang Leave a comment

Many Bothans may have died recovering the plans to the second Death Star but nabbing the blueprints to the original moon-sized, planet-destroying weapon was no cake walk either. Just ask Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones ably commanding), the unlikely leader of a ragtag group of anti-heroes tasked with the improbable task of securing said plans in Gareth Edwards’ reverent and darkly-tinted Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.   Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY’

December 8, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Abbey Lee, Courtney Vance, Fortune Feimster, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jillian Bell, Josh Gordon, Kate McKinnon, Office Christmas Party, Olivia Munn, Out in Theaters, Reviews, T.J. Miller, Will Speck 2 Comments

With every Holiday season comes the arrival of a new batch of Holiday movies. Some are geared towards the whole family, others exclusively for adults (read: stoned teenagers) but most are disposable garbage. Increasingly, we’ve seen an uptick in adult-oriented, hard-R holiday season comedies and with Office Christmas Party, Why Him? and Bad Santa 2 all in theaters this holiday season, there is no shortage for those looking to mix some raunch in with their ugly sweaters and eggnog. But at least with the former, you’ll find a few chuckles buried in among the coal. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘LA LA LAND’

December 7, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Benj Pasek, Best of 2016, Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone, Justin Hurwitz, Justin Paul, La La Land, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Ryan Gosling 4 Comments

Infectiously affable La La Land injects new life into a tried and true Hollywood tradition: the musical. A toe-tapping throwback to the tenure of Gene Kelley and Fred Astaire, Damien Chazelle’s Dom Pérignon-bubbly follow-up to excellent Whiplash is a joyous and bittersweet ode to a time when Hollywood peddled contagious cheer and catchy carols, pretty performers and movie magic. All that and more. Complete with lively choreography and an instantly antiseptic soundtrack, La La Land is an upbeat cure-all to the depressive onslaught of 2016 . And I don’t even like musicals. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘MANCHESTER BY THE SEA’

November 29, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Casey Affleck, Kenneth Lonergan, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea, Out in Theaters, Reviews 1 Comment

After debuting on Saturday night, Manchester by the Sea quickly became the buzziest film at Sundance. When Amazon made an unprecedented $10 million dollar deal to sweep up distributing rights, the echo chamber only got louder. On the one hand, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan must welcome the fat paycheck with open arms. And yet, such a lofty price tag sets a certain sky-high expectation for the film before its even had a chance to digest in anyone’s tummies or see the light of day for most viewers. All finances aside, Manchester by the Sea is a emotionally resonant tearjerker/masterful character study with Casey Affleck stepping up to the plate to claim some majorly overdue attention. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘NOCTURNAL ANIMALS’

November 22, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aaron Taylor Johnson, Amy Adams, Armie Hammer, Austin Wright, Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Linney, Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals., Out in Theaters, Reviews, Tom Ford 1 Comment

In 2009, Austin, Texas native and noted fashion designer Tom Ford made his feature film debut with A Single Man. A delirious and stunningly photographed vision quest through loss and grief, A Single Man defined Ford as a filmmaker whose haute couture background greatly influenced his aesthetic and in turn his very process. Earning a Best Actor nomination for Colin Firth, A Single Man also established Ford as an actor’s director and helped in turn attract the likes of two of Hollywood’s finest, Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, for his latest feature, Nocturnal Animals. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘RULES DON’T APPLY’

November 22, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alden Ehrenreich, Annette Bening, Lily Collins, Matthew Broderick, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rules Don’t Apply, Steve Coogan, Warren Beatty Leave a comment

Following an 18-year hiatus, Warren Beatty returns to the silver screen with free-wheeling throwback Rules Don’t Apply. Following the twilight years of American aviation and film baron Howard Hughes as he slowly descends into paranoia and madness, Rules Don’t Apply affixes the bones of an old-timey romantic comedy to an unconventional biopic making for a nostalgic glimpse into film making’s past that’ll have you asking “Why don’t they make ‘em like they used to?” Read More