Warning: this essay contains major spoilers for the 2000 film Unbreakable. Unbreakable is a masterpiece of pop cinema. Pre-dating the Marvel Cinematic Universe by nearly a decade and even the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man by two years, M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable was ahead its time – and that’s an understatement. It’s also a crucial point [...]
**** out of **** Rated R (for strong language, nudity, and some sexual content) Released: December 14, 2018 limited; expands December 25 and January Runtime: 119 minutes Directed by: Barry Jenkins Starring: Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Brian Tyree Henry, Aunjanue Ellis, Ebony Obsidian, Diego Luna, Spike Lee confronts. [...]
***1/2 out of **** Rated R (for some sexual content and nudity) Released: November 23, 2018 NY/LA; expands December 28 Runtime: 121 minutes Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kirin Kiki My review of Shoplifters, for The Tulsa Voice. From acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, it won the Palme [...]
For the final 2018 issue of The Tulsa Voice, my fellow film critic Charles Elmore and I look back on the year in film. This is a conversation, not Top 10 Lists, as we reflect on what defined the cinematic experience of 2018, citing a wide variety of movies - both big and small - [...]
Episode 16 - THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Conversations On Cinema http://thebadandthebeautiful.libsyn.com/the-bad-and-the-beautiful-episode-16-xmas-xtravaganza If Beale Street Could Talk, @ 0:56 Vice, @ 20:23 Outro, @ 30:33 The Mule, @ 32:08 On this holiday episode of The Bad and the Beautiful, we look at new Oscar contenders from previous Academy Award winners. You can download it on [...]
*** out of **** Rated PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language) Released: December 21, 2018 Runtime: 143 minutes Directed by: James Wan Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Michael Beach, Randall Park The latest attempt to set the [...]
**1/2 out of **** Rated R (for some violence and sexuality) Released: December 7, 2018 NY/LA; December 21 expands Runtime: 124 minutes Directed by: Josie Rourke Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, James McArdle, Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Adrian Lester, Martin Compston, Adam Bond, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan Cate Blanchett’s Queen Elizabeth casts a long [...]
** out of **** Rated R (for strong language and some violent images) Released: December 25, 2018 Runtime: 132 minutes Directed by: Adam McKay Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Jesse Plemons, Tyler Perry, Justin Kirk Having Vice shoved down your throat makes one long for the subtleties of an Oliver Stone political [...]
Episode 15 - THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Conversations On Cinema http://thebadandthebeautiful.libsyn.com/the-bad-and-the-beautiful-episode-15 Roma, @ 0:59 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, @ 27:20 The Favourite, @ 37:57 Outro, @ 52:00 On this episode of The Bad and the Beautiful, we stream, we swing, and we sting as we discuss three separate year-end Oscar contenders. You can download [...]
*** out of **** Rated PG (for some mild thematic elements and brief action) Released: December 19, 2018 Runtime: 130 minutes Directed by: Rob Marshall Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, David Warner, Angela Lansbury, Dick Van Dyke The return of [...]