Category: New Releases
On The Rocks: The best, worst of two people talking
by Matt Ward
Sofia Coppola’s new film doesn’t really go much of anywhere, but the road traveled is easy and the banter refreshingly charming. Evoking a Woody Allen-esque style, Coppola’s On The Rocks hit AppleTV+ this weekend to little fanfare, but with a softer touch, a melancholic wistfulness and the dulcet tones of Academy Award nominee Bill Murray philosophizing on why men tend to stray from committed … Read More On The Rocks: The best, worst of two people talking
The Trial of the Chicago 7: Turning words into actions
by Matt Ward
Cinematic wordsmith Aaron Sorkin is back at it again, with his dogged brain gushing dialogue onto script pages filled with unforgettable moments and sharp, biting lines. The man behind powerful screenplays like A Few Good Men, The Social Network and Moneyball takes his second turn behind the director’s chair, filming a script he wrote himself about the events surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention. … Read More The Trial of the Chicago 7: Turning words into actions
Enola Holmes: Nancy Drew she is not
by Matt Ward
Things happen to protagonists in movies. It’s what drives the plot forward and makes for compelling entertainment. But more often than not, it’s the male characters who have much or all of the agency in a film – an understood, yet not explicitly stated ability to impact or change the overall course of events. This is especially true of films directed by men, even … Read More Enola Holmes: Nancy Drew she is not
Dick Johnson is Dead: Long live Dick Johnson
by Matt Ward
How do we confront the inevitability of death? Without fail, everyone will ultimately succumb to their mortality, but when it’s staring you in the face, what is the best way of processing it? More so, is there a way to best handle the looming death of a loved one? Documentarian Kirsten Johnson tackles these questions head on in a strange, yet beautiful and uncompromising … Read More Dick Johnson is Dead: Long live Dick Johnson
The Artist’s Wife: The artistry of fading memory
by Matt Ward
Films often do a remarkable job of showcasing what disease does to a person both mentally and physically. In 2014, Eddie Redmayne transformed himself to play Stephen Hawking struggling with early-onset ALS in an Oscar-winning role in The Theory of Everything and Julianne Moore received an Academy Award for playing a doctor diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in Still Alice. What doesn’t usually take center stage … Read More The Artist’s Wife: The artistry of fading memory
The Devil All The Time: Saints and sinners soaked in blood
by Matt Ward
Fathers can pass a lot of things down to their sons: the love of a local sports team, good genes for height or a large inheritance. But it’s two wildly differing concepts – violence and religious faith – that boldly intersect in writer/director Antonio Campos’s latest film, a sprawling tale of wolves in sheep’s clothing where the purity of both saints and sinners is … Read More The Devil All The Time: Saints and sinners soaked in blood
The Social Dilemma: Unplug from the matrix
by Matt Ward
A new documentary on Netflix – currently ranked as the seventh most watched film in the United States per the streaming service – openly calls for viewers not to click on recommended videos and to make choices for themselves. It’s one of the many contradictions littered throughout director Jeff Orlowski’s strange yet insightful documentary/drama The Social Dilemma, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film … Read More The Social Dilemma: Unplug from the matrix
Irresistible: Big spin in a small town
by Matt Ward
Politics is broken. It’s the thesis statement that lies under the surface of former Daily Show host turned filmmaker Jon Stewart’s latest feature and one that evokes a gentler version of the outrage he displayed in a viral moment on CNN’s Crossfire in 2004, raking pundits Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala over the coals for hyper-partisanship ruining American democracy in his opinion. Written in … Read More Irresistible: Big spin in a small town
The King of Staten Island: Matinee worthy dramedy
by Matt Ward
Movie studios are about to run into a major valuation problem. How much a film is worth to its audience has been pretty steady for the past 10-15 years; you can get a brand-new film on DVD or Blu-ray for about $20 and primetime movie tickets will cost you anywhere from $8-20 depending on what part of the country you live in. Since the … Read More The King of Staten Island: Matinee worthy dramedy
Project Power: Action to tide us over
by Matt Ward
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi drama odyssey “Tenet” released internationally this past weekend, a film that was supposed to be the big blockbuster feature to reopen movie theaters across the United States. Instead, Warner Brothers is slated to release the film on Labor Day weekend after pushing it back several times throughout the summer, leaving a gaping hole in the action-adventure genre that usually dominates June, … Read More Project Power: Action to tide us over
Boys State: For the people, by the people
by Matt Ward
Over 1,200 high school boys gather annually in Austin to participate in a seven-day democratic experiment designed to test their mettle. A mock government program put on nationwide by the American Legion, Boys State challenges these young men to form their own political parties, hold primaries and eventually a statewide race for a variety of offices culminating in a gubernatorial election. Each iteration of … Read More Boys State: For the people, by the people
An American Pickle: No hysterics, just heart and soul
by Matt Ward
It’s hard not to pigeonhole Seth Rogen as a typecast comedic actor, especially when he’s made countless movies and millions of dollars playing a series of aloof stoner bros on screen. Thick with phlegm and inhaled smoke, his iconic chuckle almost plays as a refrain in arguments defining his limitations as a performer. Posters with his chubby smile slapped across the front signal raunchy … Read More An American Pickle: No hysterics, just heart and soul
Cinematic Considerations 