Month: February 2016
Eddie the Eagle: Fun, light-hearted biopic worth checking out
by Matt Ward
Odds are pretty good you had never heard of Michael “Eddie” Edwards this time a year ago. Edwards, a British man and unlikely Olympian, overcame adversity to compete as a ski jumper during the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary while essentially a total novice in the sport. His tale – told in a similar vein as the classic football drama “Rudy” – opens in … Read More Eddie the Eagle: Fun, light-hearted biopic worth checking out
Risen: Faith-based feature bridges gap between substance, style
by Matt Ward
Even if you’re a non-believer, the Christian story of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection is a familiar one cinema has told incredibly well with “The Passion of the Christ.” Seeking to put a new twist on a familiar tale, the new release “Risen” approaches the story of Jesus’ crucifixion from a refreshing new angle, focusing on Roman Tribune Clavius and his search for Christ’s … Read More Risen: Faith-based feature bridges gap between substance, style
How to Be Single: Leading ladies make middling rom-com work
by Matt Ward
Dakota Johnson breaks up with a boyfriend to find herself. Rebel Wilson wants to teach her how single life – and sexual promiscuity – can be really fun. Leslie Mann puts her job as an OB-GYN over relationships and the possibility of motherhood. Alison Brie thinks she can manipulate the 10 online dating services she uses to find Mr. Right. It’s in this vapid, … Read More How to Be Single: Leading ladies make middling rom-com work
Zoolander 2: A #Oops of a movie
by Matt Ward
I feel like ridiculously good looking male model Derek Zoolander. I just don’t know the words. It’s almost impossible to accurately describe what an absolute disaster of a film the Ben Stiller-Owen Wilson sequel Zoolander 2 is. It’s not JUST that people once again weren’t really banging down the doors for a follow-up to the 2001 comedy which saw Stiller catwalk down the runway … Read More Zoolander 2: A #Oops of a movie
Deadpool: A violently, snarky good time
by Matt Ward
If you can handle the gore, language and snark, you won’t be sorry.
Room: A whole world in a small space
by Matt Ward
Odds are good that audiences don’t know much about Brie Larson before stepping into a theater to watch the critically acclaimed drama Room. Larson, who’s been a scene stealer in comedies like Trainwreck and an indie darling with Short Term 12, takes a major step toward stardom in director Lenny Abrahamson’s drama as Ma, a 24-year-old woman kidnapped and held in a shed for … Read More Room: A whole world in a small space
+ Trailers
Ranking: Super Bowl trailers live up to potential
by Matt Ward
Sunday was the biggest night of the year for professional football fans, but the annual Super Bowl once again proved to be pretty pivotal for Hollywood as well with studios pumping up some of the year’s biggest releases with TV spots during the game. Eleven different films were directly featured throughout Super Bowl coverage with spots ranging from 30 seconds to a full two-minute … Read More Ranking: Super Bowl trailers live up to potential
Hail, Caesar!: A big swing and even bigger miss
by Matt Ward
Joel and Ethan Coen don’t owe us anything. The writing/directing brothers and masterminds behind some of cinema’s best films over the last few decades – from The Big Lebowski and Fargo to No Country For Old Men and Burn After Reading – are allowed a pass every once in a while to take a big swing for the fences on a prestige picture and … Read More Hail, Caesar!: A big swing and even bigger miss
The Finest Hours: Riveting film on sea gets waterlogged on land
by Matt Ward
Capturing true heroism – and not simply the superhero-ism of Marvel movies and the like – on film is a tricky task. Directors must find a difficult balance between effective cinematic storytelling and staying faithful to the real life events, which proves troublesome when the events a film is retelling can’t make up the entirety of a two-hour adventure. It’s a problem that Michael … Read More The Finest Hours: Riveting film on sea gets waterlogged on land
Kung Fu Panda 3: Sequel gives families something fun in slow January
by Matt Ward
DreamWorks Animation, a studio that’s struggled to find success in the last five years aside from 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, burst back onto the scene in a major way last weekend with the release of Kung Fu Panda 3, which returned unlikely hero Po and his gang of do-gooder friends back to action. While Pixar has been at the forefront of … Read More Kung Fu Panda 3: Sequel gives families something fun in slow January
Jane Got a Gun: Embattled western uneven, but rewarding
by Matt Ward
Jane Got a Gun, a new western starring Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton, never really stood a chance – at least not to get a fair share of the audiences cramming into theaters to see things like Ride Along 2, The Boy, The Forest and The Finest Hours. Originally slated to come out almost a year and a half ago, this slow-burn thriller has … Read More Jane Got a Gun: Embattled western uneven, but rewarding
Cinematic Considerations 