Month: August 2015
The Gift: Writer/director/actor Edgerton astounds in thriller
by Matt Ward
Meryl Streep isn’t in “The Gift.” Twenty years ago, the smart independent thriller from writer/producer/star Joel Edgerton would have been something right up Streep’s alley, but just because the performers don’t have top level name recognition doesn’t mean that the relative upstart film isn’t without its merits. In fact, Australian triple-threat Edgerton provides one of 2015’s most inventive and original films on par with … Read More The Gift: Writer/director/actor Edgerton astounds in thriller
Straight Outta Compton: Rap supergroup featured in new biopic
by Matt Ward
Hollywood has struggled in recent years with developing a broad appeal for its critically popular staple of biographical films, dubbed “biopics,” despite large portions of accolades being heaped upon the genre which brought us Eddie Redmayne’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the little seen “Theory of Everything.” For every Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood helmed “American Sniper,” there’s at least a half dozen … Read More Straight Outta Compton: Rap supergroup featured in new biopic
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Ritchie breathes new life into classic spy series
by Matt Ward
Guy Ritchie has a lot to offer any film he directs. The inventive British director behind such foreign standouts as “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” made a spectacular transition to American theaters by teaming with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law for a pair of films based on the Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. His crisp dialogue and … Read More The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Ritchie breathes new life into classic spy series
Fantastic Four: Reboot of comic book classic falls flat
by Matt Ward
Someone in Hollywood better take note quick. Indie darling and rising character actor Miles Teller needs a star vehicle ASAP, but “Fantastic Four” just isn’t it. It’s hard not to feel bad for the star of last year’s Sundance winner and Academy Award nominated “Whiplash,” who played the perfect whipping boy to J.K. Simmons in the heavy drama. To go from one of the … Read More Fantastic Four: Reboot of comic book classic falls flat
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation: Fifth installment in Cruise action series running strong
by Matt Ward
It doesn’t matter that he’s flying down a winding Moroccan highway on a motorcycle at break-neck speed without a helmet while assassins are buzzing around him trying to kill him. Exploding cycles falling off the sides of cliffs don’t bug him, nor does the threat of imminent doom if he leans over a centimeter too far one way or the other. At the end … Read More Mission Impossible Rogue Nation: Fifth installment in Cruise action series running strong
Cinematic Considerations 