Month: September 2019
Ad Astra: Hello darkness, my old friend
by Matt Ward
In space, no one can feel your pain. At least, that’s the conceit of the latest space odyssey to hit the big screen, writer/director James Gray’s “Ad Astra.” Melancholy and malaise abound in a slow-burning film ripe with wistful soliloquies delivered as a character-informing score for Gray’s expressionless short story drawn out over two hours. Brad Pitt stars as Roy McBride, an astronaut tasked … Read More Ad Astra: Hello darkness, my old friend
The Goldfinch: Pretty, shallow bird
by Matt Ward
Perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of quality filmmaking is solid editing. If done properly, audiences will almost never notice the intricate amount of work it takes to cut together hours of footage, alternate camera angles and multiple takes into a single, cohesive feature film. When things are off, a bad edit sticks out like a sore thumb. It may be a weird transition, a … Read More The Goldfinch: Pretty, shallow bird
Hustlers: Economics of the stripper pole
by Matt Ward
Sometimes a good movie is all about the performance, not the content. Once adrift on an endless cycle of middling romantic comedies and voice-over work, Jennifer Lopez delivers her best work in more than two decades as a stripper looking to swindle rich men at any cost. “Hustlers” provides the talented former Golden Globe nominee her most challenging role in years and is the … Read More Hustlers: Economics of the stripper pole
The Peanut Butter Falcon: Two bandits on the run
by Matt Ward
Anyone can tell a story. How you tell it is often as important, if not more important, than the story itself. When we talk about feel-good stories – tales that warm your heart and ease your mind – there’s a tendency for certain storytellers to emotionally manipulate their audience with a piece of dialogue, burst of somber music or a plethora of other ways. … Read More The Peanut Butter Falcon: Two bandits on the run
Cinematic Considerations 