The award winning play “Fences” has come to the big screen thanks to Denzel Washington, who both starred in and directed this feature.
Washington’s role in this picture is the lead character Troy Maxson, an African-American man working a tough job in the 1950s to provide for his wife and son.
As the film progresses, it explores more of Troy’s relationships, his goals and his failures. Especially detailed here, though, is his strained relationship with his son, Cory (Jovan Adepo).
“Passengers” could have been a good movie, but a lot went wrong here.
In “Passengers,” Chris Pratt plays the character Jim Preston, an engineer and mechanic who’s taking a voyage on the space ship Avalon. The craft, filled with 5,259 people, isn’t making just a day trip, though, as its entire journey from Earth to a new colony is 120 years long. Everyone on the ship are in a state of hibernation, but unfortunately, Jim’s sleeping chamber malfunctions and he wakes up 90 years early.
As a result of this, Jim tries to fix his pod to get back to sleep, but it proves unsuccessful and his efforts to contact any of the crew, also in hibernation, prove futile. His crisis is only deepened by the intense loneliness he feels as the months aboard the ship drag on. That is until he comes in contact with another passenger, Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) through a series of events.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Story Twist In ‘Passengers’ Causes Space Romance To Crash”
No other film in 2016 may be as gutting as “Manchester by the Sea.”
The Kenneth Lonergan-directed feature tells the story of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a man who just gets by on a day-to-day basis, working maintenance at a Boston suburb apartment building he also lives in.
He is called back to his home town, though, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., when he finds out that his brother passed away. As a result, Lee has to return to a city filled with painful memories and also be the guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges).
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Manchester By The Sea’ Is An Emotionally Compelling Cinematic Triumph”
The strength and conviction of a couple’s love is put on full display in “Loving.”
The picture tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, two residents of Virginia who were married in Washington D.C. However, because of Virginia state laws, their marriage was not just declared void because it was interracial, they were also put in jail.
The result was a nearly decade long legal battle that eventually found its way in front of the United States Supreme Court. The majority of the flick, though, is spent with Richard and Mildred, who make the best of their situation in any way they can. Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Loving’ Lives Up To Its Title Thanks To Heartfelt Lead Performances”
“Moonlight” is both one of the year’s best films and also one of the greatest coming of age stories put on screen.
The picture follows the story of a character named Chiron as he navigates his way through life in Miami. The flick is split up into three sections of Chiron’s life, his youth where he’s played by Alex Hibbert, his teenage years, portrayed by Ashton Sanders and his adult period, acted by Trevante Rhodes.
As the film develops, it puts on display Chiron coming to terms with his sexuality, his struggles living in a poverty-stricken area of Miami and his strained relationship with his mother.
Continue reading “REVIEW: One Of 2016’s Best, ‘Moonlight’ Fires On All Cylinders”
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.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ Falls Apart Because Of Scattered Story, Lack Of Focus”
“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.
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.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Lackluster Mystery, Dull Acting Sends ‘Girl On The Train’ Off The Rails”
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.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Deepwater Horizon’ Is Worth A Watch Thanks To Its Immersive Intensity”
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.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Suspenseful Filmmaking And Great Performances Help ‘Sully’ Soar”
Matthew Liedke on Film 