It’s David Lynch’s birthday but he’s the one giving away a present. On the day he turned 74, the singularly offbeat director of films like Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet (as well as TV’s Twin Peaks) dropped a new short film online via Netflix: What Did Jack Do?. This 17-minute avant-garde two-hander is set in [...]
*** out of **** Rated PG-13 (for thematic content including some racial epithets, and some language) Released: December 25, 2019 limited; wide January 10, 2020 Runtime: 136 minutes Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Karan Kendrick, Rafe Spall Even in the face [...]
**1/2 out of **** Rated R (for war violence, some disturbing images, and language) Released: December 25, 2019 limited; expands January 10, 2020 Runtime: 118 minutes Directed by: Sam Mendes Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth Director Sam Mendes’ so-called “one shot” war movie makes the case -- albeit unintentionally -- for editing. A [...]
**** out of **** Rated R (for pervasive strong language, strong violence, some sexual content, and brief drug use) Released: December 25, 2019 Runtime: 135 minutes Directed by: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Eric Bogosian, Idina Menzel, Judd Hirsch, Keith Williams Richards Never in my life have I had [...]
With 2019 about to close, a decade will end along with it. Fellow film critic Charles E Elmore and I reflect on the films of 2019 and the 2010s in this retrospective for Tulsa People. Excerpts: "Elmore: The serialization of cinema has become quite the daunting task! Even so, it’s quite a fascinating time in [...]
***1/2 out of **** Rated PG-13 (for sci-fi violence and action) Released: December 20, 2019 Runtime: 141 minutes Directed by: J. J. Abrams Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDirmand, Anthony Daniels, Keri Russell, Billy Dee Williams, Joonas Suotamo, Richard E. Grant, Naomi Ackie, Kelly Marie Tran, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, [...]
***1/2 out of **** Rated PG (for thematic elements and brief smoking) Released: December 25, 2019 Runtime: 134 minutes Directed by: Greta Gerwig Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, Meryl Streep, James Norton, Louis Garrel, Bob Odenkirk Greta Gerwig's new adaptation of Little Women isn’t the [...]
*** out of **** Rated R (for strong language including some sexual references, and brief bloody images) Released: December 13, 2019 Runtime: 129 minutes Directed by: Clint Eastwood Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Ian Gomez A true story about how the government and media conspire together to spin a false [...]
**1/2 out of **** Rated PG-13 (for thematic content and some disturbing violent images) Released: December 13, 2019 in select theaters; December 20 on Netflix Runtime: 126 minutes Directed by: Fernando Meirelles Starring: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Juan Minujin My review of The Two Popes, for The Tulsa Voice. Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce star, respectively, as Pope [...]
*** out of **** Rated R (for sexual material and strong language throughout) Released: December 13, 2019 limited; December 20 wide Runtime: 108 minutes Directed by: Jay Roach Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Allison Janney, Alanna Ubach, Holland Taylor, Richard Kind A film need not be fair & balanced [...]