Month: February 2019
Easy rider: Academy rewards safe biopic ‘Green Book’ with Best Picture
by Matt Ward
Newly crowned Academy Award winner for Best Picture “Green Book” is like clanging a cowbell at the end of Shoshtakovich’s seventh. Everyone who doesn’t understand what that means believes it’s perfect. There’s nothing particularly wrong with “Green Book,” a well-acted and competently made film, yet completely ordinary by comparison to other features in the Academy’s Best Picture category. It’s just that a film like … Read More Easy rider: Academy rewards safe biopic ‘Green Book’ with Best Picture
Alita Battle Angel: Short term wonder
by Matt Ward
If there’s ever a time to watch “Alita: Battle Angel,” a clunky, uneven visual spectacle that values its cyber-steampunk style over substance, it’s now. The latest film from Texas director Robert Rodriguez is a visual wonder from start to finish that won’t feel special in six months and this franchise hopeful will likely fade into obscurity. Based on the Japanese manga comic book series … Read More Alita Battle Angel: Short term wonder
High Flying Bird: High-rise hoop dreams
by Matt Ward
Characters go one-on-one both on and off the court in director Steven Soderbergh’s new sports drama “High Flying Bird,” though not much basketball’s being played. There’s a ferocity to the head-to-head dialogue in the screenplay from playwright and “Moonlight” creator Tarell Alvin McCraney that seems to mimic intense showdowns Michael Jordan might have had with defenders in his heyday. “High Flying Bird” aggressively attacks … Read More High Flying Bird: High-rise hoop dreams
Velvet Buzzsaw: All art is dangerous
by Matt Ward
Until recently, buzzworthy films coming out of Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival each January took six to eight months to reach a wide audience. A major film studio would snap up a noteworthy indie darling and stash it away from moviegoers until the fall and awards season long after the buzz had died down. The advent of online streaming services has expedited access for … Read More Velvet Buzzsaw: All art is dangerous
Cinematic Considerations 