Some horror films operate on a more subtle level, drawing on subconscious fears that all of us share without relying on obvious violence and gore. Films such as Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” Mike Flanagan’s “Doctor Sleep,” and Alain Resnais’ “Last Year at Marienbad” fall into this category of arthouse horror films, as they slowly build [...]
Sion Sono is one of the most original and exciting filmmakers still working, creating such astonishing masterpieces as “Love Exposure,” “Why Don't You Play in Hell?,” and “Tokyo Tribe.” With “Prisoners of the Ghostland,” Sono has made his first primarily English language film, and the results are mixed to say the least. At first glance, [...]
The Eyes of Tammy Faye Based on a 2000 documentary by the same name, Michael Showalter (“The Big Sick”) attempts to bring to the limelight the life of Tammy Faye Bakker in his latest film, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” Yes, there’s comedy. Even more so, there is drama. As a young girl (Chandler Head), [...]
Blue Bayou Too often, the news whitewashes the status of or the role that immigrants play in this country. They are a vital population, not necessarily looking for handouts, but to escape situations in their home countries that they have no control over, but affect them immensely. Such is the case with Justin Chon’s “Blue [...]
Cry Macho Let’s set aside the fact that Clint Eastwood is 91 this year for the moment. “Cry Macho,” which hits theaters and HBO Max today, was not Eastwood’s first rodeo with this material. The script for “Cry Macho” goes all the back to the early ’70s when the screenplay, then known as “Macho,” was [...]
Copshop When I think of director Joe Carnahan, I vividly remember the short film “Ticker” from the BMW Film Series, “The Hire” featuring Clive Owen. It was a slick short featuring Clive Owen. Carnahan would go on to write and direct “Smokin’ Aces,” which is another action farce that I enjoyed. Carnahan is back in [...]
Paul Schrader has made for himself a long and distinguished career in television and films, most notably “Taxi Driver,” which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, “Raging Bull,” and 2018’s “First Reformed” amongst other films. Each film in his oeuvre has featured a character study set against the backdrop of a slow-burning story that tantalizes [...]
The second film in phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally out, and it's excellent. Until it's not. The Ten Rings have sorta appeared in the MCU once before. In Iron Man 3, Ben Kingsley portrayed a fictional version of the Mandarin who wore 10 rings on his fingers. As this movie opens [...]
Lisa Joy’s directorial debut, “Reminiscence,” is the type of film the major studios would have released in the 1990s or early aughts, appealing to adults without spending a fortune on the budget. The movie hits theaters and HBO Max today. Hugh Jackman plays Nick Bannister, a private investigator using technology to scan people’s minds for [...]
As we've learned from countless Lifetime Channel movies, there are few things scarier than learning you don't know anything about the person you've been spending your life with. Beth (Rebecca Hall) finds herself in a similar situation, but her story begins where many Lifetime Movies end. With the death of her husband. Beth thought she [...]
