Tag: Drama

REVIEW: ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ Falls Apart Because Of Scattered Story, Lack Of Focus

Director/Writer Warren Beatty took audiences to 1950s Hollywood in this period piece with a focus on billionaire Howard Hughes.

The film tells the story of two young residents of Los Angeles, Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich) who works as a driver for Hughes and Maria Mabrey (Lily Collins), who the billionaire has hired as an actress in Hollywood.

As the film develops, both characters meet Hughes (played by Beatty) and the movie displays how the billionaire influences the directions of their lives and their relationship.

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REVIEW: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ Is An Intense, Gripping War Drama

“Hacksaw Ridge,” a movie that tells the story of a conscientious objector during World War II. The character, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) refuses to use a firearm, regardless of the situation. “Ridge” is a powerful war drama that offers a look into a man’s conviction. Even under immense pressure, Doss never uses a firearm and Garfield sells this aspect very well.

What’s built in the first half pays off in the second. Doss’ hard-lined refusal to use a firearm, but ever present desire to serve his country in any way he can, is put to the test in immense ways. The wartime sequences of the film are especially intense, showing both the horrors of war and Doss’ continued resolve.

REVIEW: Lackluster Mystery, Dull Acting Sends ‘Girl On The Train’ Off The Rails

A complex murder mystery unravels in “The Girl on the Train,” a movie that starts off with a scene based on the title.

Emily Blunt plays a divorcee named Rachel, a woman struggling with alcoholism who rides a train through New York state on a daily basis in a sort of daze. On a day-to-day basis, Rachel passes by the home she used to share with her husband and reminisces while also watching another couple, Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott (Luke Evans) with envy.

On one day in particular, Rachel happens to see something after getting off at a train stop, but because of her drunken state, she has trouble remembering.

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REVIEW: ‘Deepwater Horizon’ Is Worth A Watch Thanks To Its Immersive Intensity

The start of America’s worst oil disaster is brought to the big screen in “Deepwater Horizon,” directed by Peter Berg, who previously helmed “Lone Survivor.”

Much of the film takes place on the now infamous drilling rig and while many true-to-life characters are featured, the movie mainly focuses on Mike Williams, played by Mark Wahlberg. After the initial setup, showing Williams’ home and family life, the movie picks up with him going back to the rig with his coworkers Andrea (Gina Rodriguez) and Jimmy (Kurt Russell).

Once the characters are on the rig, the film documents how the disaster of Deepwater Horizon unfolded, from the BP company skipping on safety checks to the eventual explosions and finally the evacuation of the rig.

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REVIEW: Suspenseful Filmmaking And Great Performances Help ‘Sully’ Soar

Clint Eastwood’s directing chops are once again on display here in “Sully,” making for some of the most tense movie sequences put to screen so far in 2016.

This picture follows the story of Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), a pilot who landed a commercial airliner on the Hudson River in January 2009. The film picks up in the immediate aftermath of the landing, with Sully still in New York City and meeting with safety and transportation officials for a review of what happened.

As the days go on, the movie explores Sully’s reaction to his sudden fame, his questioning of whether or not he did the right thing and his response to panels of flight officials who are investigating the landing.

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REVIEW: ‘War Dogs’ Is High On Excitement, Low On Depth

If there’s anything movies based on real events have taught us, it’s that truth is stranger than fiction. Once again, this is the case with “War Dogs.”

In this film from Director Todd Phillips, Miles Teller plays David Packouz, a young man who’s trying to make a living to support his wife by way of being a massage therapist. Unfortunately, this isn’t going very well. He gets a lucky break, though, when he meets up with his friend from high school Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), who’s become an arms dealer for the United States.

Taking place during the early stages of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Efraim is having plenty of success and he pulls David along for the ride as a business partner. As the two get deeper into the industry, though, they soon start to get a bit in over their heads.

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REVIEW: ‘Hell Or High Water,’ A Modern Western And An Instant Classic

There’s been many good films released in 2016, but “Hell or High Water” is the first I can really call great.

The movie follows the Howard brothers, an ex-convict/roughneck Tanner (Ben Foster) and a divorced dad, Toby (Chris Pine). While the two are on good terms, they don’t exactly have the same way of doing things. However, the two decide to work together in a bank-robbing scheme to save their family’s ranch in Texas.

As a result, a duo of Texas Rangers are sent after the brothers. The pair includes Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) who’s about to retire and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham), who has to put up with Marcus’ rough personality.

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REVIEW: ‘God’s Not Dead 2’ Sacrifices Good Film-making To Deliver Message

What happens when you make a movie with no substance or style and instead focus simply on a message? You get “God’s Not Dead.” When you do it again, you get “God’s Not Dead 2.”

The sequel tells the story of Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart), a devout Christian and high school history teacher. During one of her lessons she’s asked a question about the similarities between quotes from Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr.

Because of a subsequent series of developments, Grace soon finds herself in court with Ray Wise playing a lawyer named Peter Kane who also happens to be an atheist completely obsessed with proving that “God is dead.”

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REVIEW: Acting Veterans Highlight Drama ‘Eye In The Sky’

If the government has a chance to take out high profile terrorists, should it take the shot? That’s the question asked in Director Gavin Hood’s “Eye in the Sky.”

The movie takes place at a few different locations, a command center with Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren), a government meeting room with Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman), a drone operating room with pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) and an on the ground unit with the spy Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi).

In basic terms, the movie plays out like a game of ping pong. Military personnel locate a house in Kenya housing potential suicide bombers and plan to strike the target.

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