Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a bleak black comedy that boasts some of the best performances and writing of any movie this year. "Raped while dying." "Still no arrests?" "How come, Chief Willoughby?" That is what is written on the titular billboards in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. And while it seems like a simple targeted…
Wonder will win over audience's affection with its charming take on R.J. Palacio's novel of the same name. Wonder is an inspirational poster of a movie, which I say in the least cynical way possible. Like director Stephen Chomsky's last movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Wonder knows how to emotionally invest its audience in its characters and story. You…
The Florida Project is a warm, sun-drenched look at the magic and darkness of childhood in America's poverty stricken areas At the end of The Florida Project, Sean Baker's follow-up to his acclaimed 2015 film Tangerine, I just sat in the dark theater watching the silent end credits roll by. So did most of the people in the theater. It's…
Hilarious and poignant, Lady Bird announces Greta Gerwig as one of the most exciting new filmmakers and solidifies Soarsie Ronan as a major star The vast number of themes Greta Gerwig tackles in her directorial debut Lady Bird would lead you to believe that it's an overstuffed, melodramatic dramedy that tries to say something without making a point. However, it's…
Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 is a visually stunning and emotionally rich sequel that stands equally with the 1982 original Blade Runner 2049 is an all-out assault on your senses. Famed cinematographer Roger Deakins does some of his best work to date in the film — a statement that could be applied to each one of his films.…
Better Watch Out is the kind of smart and witty horror movie that fans will love to watch and dissect You'd better watch out. You'd better not cry. You'd better not shout, I'm telling you why... Because there are armed invaders attacking the home you're babysitting in. That's the horrifying premise of Better Watch Out, an Australian horror…
The Best Picture race this year is one of the most unpredictable with no clear frontrunner emerging. Though, Get Out is definitely going to put a fight for the title. Oscar voting begins this week, which means we finally know exactly what the voters might be considering as they cast their ballots. However, Best Picture remains the most…
Wind River finds screenwriter Taylor Sheridan taking the director's chair with thrilling results and stellar performances from Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner. Wind River opens with a terrifying shot of a woman running barefoot through the snowy and isolated landscape of Wyoming. She falls to her knees. We never see who or what is chasing her.…
Subverting genre tropes, Stronger is a humanist story about triumph over adversity with stellar performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany. Jeff Bauman's story feels like one that Hollywood would consume into its "based on a true story" formula and spit out an emotionally manipulative story of triumph over adversity. Stronger is not one of those movies. That's because…
mother! is a cinematic experience like no other and features Jennifer Lawrence's best role to date and a story that's as crazy as they can get. There's a point about halfway through Darren Aronofsky's mother! where you're still in the dark on what the film is about, a bit confused, and ultimately weirded out by the film. But…