Author: Matthew Liedke

Journalist and film critic in Minnesota. Graduate of Rainy River College and Minnesota State University in Moorhead. Outside of movies I also enjoy sports, craft beers and the occasional video game.

REVIEW: ‘The Shape Of Water’ Is A Wonderfully Bizarre Fairy Tale

“The Shape of Water,” or How I Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love the Fish. OK, OK, not a great joke, never claimed to be a comedian.

So here’s the rundown on this great new film from Director Guillermo del Toro. The picture takes place in the 1960s at a government run facility that appears to be used by intelligence personnel. Instead of following scientists or special agents, though, the film explores the life of Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a woman working as a janitor for the base.

It’s let on quite quickly that Elisa’s life is repetitive and lonely, with the only company in her life being a neighbor who works as an artist (Richard Jenkins) and a coworker named Zelda (Octavia Spencer). Her life changes, though, when a captured amphibian humanoid is brought into the facility. Elisa soon learns that the creature is intelligent, contrary to military agents, and can communicate. As a result, the two begin interacting and form a bond.

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REVIEW: Oldman’s Performance Energizes The Historical Drama In “Darkest Hour”

A man who seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders at one point is explored in “Darkest Hour.”

The movie takes place in 1940 with the German military invading countries and pushing back the forces of Great Britain and France. With new leadership needed, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) is brought in as a Prime Minister who is ready and willing to defend the island nation.

As Churchill enters office, he faces a massive problem with German forces surrounding the British at Dunkirk. Meanwhile, at home, Churchill has to deal with politicians including Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane) and Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) pushing back against the new prime minister’s plan for war and opting to negotiate with Adolf Hitler.

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REVIEW: ‘Molly’s Game’ Is Entertaining But Lacks Depth

“Molly’s Game” is a film certainly filled with talent, both in its acting and writing. However, this isn’t necessarily a picture to go all in on.

The film tells two intertwined tales, both revolving around the same real life figure, Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain). One of them is about how Molly created a high-stakes poker game which led to large amounts of wealth and its own share of problems.

The other takes place in the ‘present day,’ where her game was exposed by authorities and she needs to build a legal defense. In doing the latter, Molly gets help from a lawyer named Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), who becomes her legal counsel.

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REVIEW: ‘Call Me By Your Name’ Is A Fantastic, Authentic Look At Youth And Love

“Call Me By Your Name” is the art of film at its highest level.

This movie, set in Italy during the early 80s, follows the 17-year-old character Elio (Timothee Chalamet). Soon after the movie starts, Elio meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), a college student who’s come to work as an assistant for Ellio’s father, who works as an archaeology professor.

What follows is a beautiful story about youth, love and figuring out who you are.

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REVIEW: Catchy Songs Don’t Save Rushed Story In ‘Greatest Showman’

I’m not usually a stickler for 100 percent historical accuracy, but even I have to admit that “The Greatest Showman” takes a battle axe to P.T. Barnum’s true story.

The film tells the story of how Barnum (Hugh Jackman) went from a poor boy coming from nothing to a well-known showman who creates entertainment via circus acts. It doesn’t just do this in any ordinary manner, though. Instead, the film goes into full musical mode right off the bat and never lets up.

As the movie goes on, it explores Barnum trying to balance his family life with his wife Charity (Michelle Williams) and his business, which he runs with help from his partner Phillip (Zac Efron).

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REVIEW: Plummer’s Performance Is Perfect, The Rest Of ‘All The Money In The World’ Isn’t

When Director Ridley Scott opted to fire Kevin Spacey and remove him from this movie because of sexual assault allegations, some wondered if the product could still be salvaged. Turns out, it was. Scott was able to successfully replace Spacey with Oscar winner Christopher Plummer and the move appeared seamless and not at all awkward.

But, how was the overall movie?

Before getting into the answer, let’s breakdown what story the movie is telling. The film centers on the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer). The reason for that abduction is that the young man’s grandpa is J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), who at the time of the hostage taking was the richest person on the planet.

The picture explores JP Getty’s response to the kidnapping, his hiring of a private agent named Fletcher (Mark Wahlberg) to handle negotiating with the kidnappers and the boy’s mother Gail (Michelle Williams) who will stop at nothing to save her son.

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REVIEW: ‘The Post’ Is A Journalism Film That’s Good, Not Great

Legendary director Steven Spielberg takes a shot at one of the biggest battles over the First Amendment in “The Post.”

Like the title lets on, the film follows the staff at the Washington Post, specifically its editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) and the publisher Kay Graham (Meryl Streep). The film picks up in the midst of the Richard Nixon Presidency, just as the Pentagon Papers are first being published by the New York Times.

The publishing upsets the Nixon-led government, though, to the point where an injunction is filed against the Times. The Post, meanwhile, also gets hold of the papers, leading to a question between Graham and Bradlee on whether or not to publish.

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REVIEW: ‘Downsizing’ Misfires Because Of Bland Character, Weak Satire

When some men get to the point of a midlife crisis, they may go out and purchase a nice sports car. Matt Damon’s character in “Downsizing,” meanwhile, gets a procedure to become four inches tall.

The title more or less gives a clue as to what the film is about. The picture opens with a new procedure being developed called downsizing which shrinks bodies to roughly four or five inches tall. As a result of the size reduction, the environmental footprint of humanity can be lessened and because of resources becoming more abundant, people can live in luxury.

Paul Safranek (Matt Damon), an occupational therapist who seems bored with life, figures it’s a good thing to try. As a result, he and his wife make a plan to go through with downsizing. However, as the movie unravels, it shows that this wasn’t the fix-all solution that Paul expected.

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REVIEW: Despite Some Good Moments, ‘The Last Jedi’ As A Whole Is Largely Flawed

The honeymoon appears to be over with the new “Star Wars” trilogy, at least from this reviewer’s perspective.

The latest film in the saga is “The Last Jedi” and it takes place shortly after the events of “The Force Awakens.” The Resistance, a military branch that was created to defend the peaceful republic government, is on the ropes to The First Order, a faction of Imperial remnants. The movie begins with the Resistance evacuating their base and getting chased by large spacecraft from The First Order.

Meanwhile, in another sector of the galaxy, new force user Rey (Daisy Ridley) is pleading with the Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) for training. The problem, though, is that Luke is more or less retired now. As Rey tries to connect with Skywalker, members of the Resistance Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) go on a special mission to help their faction escape. However, the two are on the clock because the last Resistance ships are being chased by larger crafts from the First Order.

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