Emotionally raw and unnerving, The Impossible is a disaster movie that is actually a family drama at its core, which makes for a thrilling a beautiful movie This month, director J.A. Bayona returns with a movie adaptation of Patrick Ness’ novel A Monster Calls. So, I thought it would be a perfect time to go back and…
Despite relying on genre cliches, a new setting and distinctly Norwegian point-of-view make The Wave an enjoyable disaster flick By the time we get to the eponymous wave in 2015’s The Wave, we are nearly halfway through the movie. Usually when that happens in a disaster movie, that time feels squandered. But not with The Wave. We…
Southpaw is the Jake Gyllenhaal movie you did not know you needed. It is a fantastic motivational sports movie, filled with drama and suspense. In my opinion, Southpaw is the best boxing movie since Million Dollar Baby, which Clint Eastwood starred and directed. This movie will leave you on the edge of your seat and…
In the age of movie reboots such as Poltergeist, Jurassic World, and Robocop, Terminator Genisys has relaunched the Terminator series. Terminator, directed by James Cameron and released in 1984, was an instant hit. Arnold Schwarzenegger went from a professional bodybuilder to a cyborg assassin who famously said, “I’ll be back.” The last two chapters in…
Jason Reitman, of Thank You for Smoking and Juno, brings us his latest comment on modern society: Men, Women, and Children. This film follows the lives of several teenagers and their parents, befitting the title. It focuses on the constraints of our technological world, loss of human connection, with an overarching theme of insignificance. The…
Dan Gilroy makes his directorial debut with Nightcrawler, which he also penned, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. A gripping psychological thriller, Nightcrawler follows Louis Bloom (Gyllenhall), a persistent young man eager to break into the world of L.A. crime journalism. Having first screened on the Toronto International Film Festival, Nightcrawler claims a Halloween release date, a fitting…
Jennifer Kent wrote and directed the Australian horror film, The Babadook. Based on the short film, also by Kent, The Babadook rose to critical acclaim after being premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This is Kent’s debut feature film, drawing inspiration from early horror, fairy tales, and magic. Kent puts a hand-crafted twist on a…
Jean-Marc Vallee directs the biographical film written by Nick Hornby, Wild. This film is based on the memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, written by Cheryl Strayed. Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club last year elicited two Oscar-winning performances, setting a high standard for Reese Witherspoon in the lead role and Laura…
Tim Burton has given us gothic classics that will last us throughout our lives. From the spook-inducing and gorgeously crafted Nightmare Before Christmas, to the satire of suburbia and tale of acceptance of Edward Scissorhands, he's produced and influenced a multitude of works that started strong. However, in recent years it has become more a…
Craig Johnson takes the directorial reigns of his second film with the dark family dramedy, The Skeleton Twins. Having debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, this film offers a gorgeous commentary on the strength of blood and revival of hope. Former SNL costars, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig,…
