Dunkirk (NEW) and War for the Planet of the Apes Trailers

Christopher Nolan has become the type of filmmaker that commands the attention of the entire industry. And after the wildly ambitious sci-fi effort, Interstellar, Nolan is taking aim at a drastically different subject with his 2017 release, Dunkirk. The film focuses on the early stretches of World War II where Allied soldiers are completely surrounded by German forces on the harbor of Dunkirk, France, and their only hope is a successful evacuation mission. Starring Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh, the footage in Dunkirk looks amazing and, even with a July release date lined up, perhaps Nolan will be able to capture that elusive Oscar win.





As this return to the Planet of the Apes franchise continues to improve, director Matt Reeves returns for the another installment. After the last film, it seemed hard-pressed to find another valuable chapter in the saga, but it appears the may have one with War of the Planet of the Apes. Once again, Caesar returns to lead his civilization of intellectually advanced apes against an army of humans led by a violent Colonel (Woody Harrelson). We'll have to wait and see if War of the Planet of the Apes can keep up this recent string of success when it hits theaters in July 2017.

Oscar Talk - 12/13/2016

A lot of surprising twists and turns have materialized since our last look at the road to the Oscars in November. The Critics Choice Awards announced their winners and Golden Globe Nominations were handed out yesterday morning (Golden Globe Snubs and Surprises). With all of the new developments in mind, let's examine the current state of the 6 major Oscar races.

Best Supporting Actress

Likely Nominees: After another precursor tipped in her favor, especially the Critics Choice Award, Viola Davis still holds claim to the frontrunner status for her role in Fences. Both Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) and Naomie Harris (Moonlight) have solidified themselves as the likeliest to upset Davis, creating a three-headed monster atop the race. 

Additional Contenders: Following Golden Globe Nominations to round out the top five, Nicole Kidman (Lion) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) are certainly in the mix as well. Spencer could suffer from splitting votes with her co-star Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures) and Greta Gerwig still has a wide range of supporters for her role in 20th Century Women.

Long Shots: As all of the races begin to narrow it becomes increasingly unlikely that outside hopefuls such as Molly Shannon (Other People), Helen Mirren (Eye in the Sky) and Felicity Jones (A Monster Calls) sneak into the mix. It will take some love from the SAG Awards to change their outlook.

Best Supporting Actor

Likely Nominees: After quite the shake-up with a surprising crop of Globe Nominees, not much changes at the top of the heap. Moonlight's Mahershala Ali continues to pull away in this race little by little. Among a crowded field of competitors, Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water) is beginning to distance himself as Ali's biggest threat. Yet, no one else feels like a safe bet at the moment.

Additional Contenders: The Globes handed a nomination to Dev Patel (Lion) as both he and the movie itself kept their hopes alive with a decent showing. Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals) and Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) gave way to surprising Globe nominees Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals) and Simon Helberg (Florence Foster Jenkins), creating a very cloudy picture that will need to be cleared up with SAG Nominations.

Long Shots: Hope is fading for some personal favorites of mine, Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) and Aaron Eckhart (Sully), but the Oscars typically go against the grain in this category so I'm still remaining optimistic. Also, Florence Foster Jenkins co-star Hugh Grant kept his hope alive with a Globe Nomination in the Best Actor- Comedy/Musical category (not supporting).

Best Actress

Likely Nominees: Jackie's Natalie Portman walked away from the Critics Choice Awards as the category's big winner. She finds herself in a three-way battle alongside La La Land's Emma Stone and Annette Bening (20th Century Women). This is a tightly contested race that could go any which way and such remain close down to the wire.

Additional Contenders: Not only is the winner up for grabs in this category, but so are the remaining two spots. Plenty of worthy contenders remain in the mix including the continually praised Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Amy Adams (Arrival), Ruth Negga (Loving) and Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane).

Long Shots: Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins) has the ability to sneak into the finals on any given year and Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures) is still holding out hope as well.

Best Actor

Likely Nominees: Fresh off a Golden Globe Nomination and a Critics Choice victory, Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) appears geared up for an Oscar win. Many tried to halt Affleck's momentum by clamoring for Denzel Washington's turn in Fences but, after watching the film and seeing its weak showing with the Globes, it will be difficult to stop Affleck.

Additional Contenders: Andrew Garfield continues to make a splash for his role in Hacksaw Ridge and it's time to start taking his surge seriously. Ryan Gosling (La La Land) and Joel Edgerton (Loving) appear primed to round out the five come Oscar Nominations in January. Tom Hanks (Sully) took a hit by missing out on a Globe Nomination and he'll need some SAG recognition in order to keep his hopes alive.

Long Shots: Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), one of my personal favorites of the year, quieted the Tom Hanks camp by overtaking his Globe Nomination. It's still hard to believe Mortensen could land in the final five, but there's still time to make a push. Michael Keaton has lost a lot of steam for his role in The Founder, but I'm still interested to see where SAG goes with him.

Best Director

Likely Nominees: Moonlight helmer, Barry Jenkins, remains the critical darling as his film and direction are performing very well in the less important precursor awards. Meanwhile, Damien Chazelle (La La Land) just nabbed the Critics Choice award for directing, making him a viable frontrunner as well. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) appears to have a solid grip on an Oscar Nomination as well, leaving two spots left for the rest of the field.

Additional Contenders: Martin Scorsese (Silence) is on spoiler alert as he could rise to the top of the race at any given moment. Denzel Washington's Fences took a crushing hit from the Globes and I'm starting to think his directing chances don't have the ability to last. Instead, Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge) has catapulted up the ranks with a Golden Globe Nomination. Critics and moviegoers alike have praise his film and it's hard to ignore its staying power. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) found himself on the outside looking in when Globe Nominations were announced, but I still believe he has a strong shot of making the top five for the Academy Awards.

Long Shots: I was pleasantly surprised to see that Noctural Animals filmmaker, Tom Ford, earned a nod from the Globes. It boosted his prospects, but he'll need to be reaffirmed by the Directors Guild to make a believer out of me. Finally, David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) has performed better than anyone anticipated in the early going. His film has immense support and staying power which could hand him an outside shot of sneaking into the mix.

Best Picture

Likely Nominees: Mirroring the Best Director competition, it appears as though Best Picture is down to a three-way race. And after claiming a Critics Choice win and the most Globe Nominations, it's impossible to remove La La Land from the top of the pack (albeit by a small margin). Moonlight is right on its heels with Manchester by the Sea a little further back but still ahead of the rest of the field. It's still early but, at this point, I'd be shocked if any film outside the trio end up victorious on Oscar night.

Additional Contenders: Now, here is where it gets interesting. There are a ton of big players vying for up to seven more spots. Silence and Arrival are puzzling films that could score very well with niche voters. Hacksaw Ridge, Fences and Hell or High Water feel like the next tier of contenders. 20th Century Women has garnered high praises while Lion hasn't done anything to hurt its chances either.

Long Shots: Loving and Sully continue to slowly fade from the discussion while Nocturnal Animals experienced a minimal, yet noteworthy, surge courtesy of the Globes.

*** Stay tuned for more Oscar talk as the awards season continues to unravel ***

2017 Golden Globe Snubs and Surprises

While the Academy Awards carry the biggest cachet of the awards season, no one can argue that the Golden Globes provide the funnest atmosphere and viewing pleasure for recognized performers and the at home audience. Early this morning the Golden Globe Nominees were officially announced, informally kicking off the annual awards season hunt, and , as always, there were plenty of snubs and surprises. Let's break down the official crop of nominees.

Snubs

In the Best Picture - Drama hunt, many pronounced Denzel Washington's adapted film, Fences, as a "sure-thing". However, much like the Hollywood Foreign Press, my review of the film labeled it as little more than a showcase for its performers. The Globes seemed to agree and surprisingly omitted the presumed Oscar contender from its Best Picture field.

In the Best Supporting Actor race momentum has been building for Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals) and deservedly so. Shannon gives an exceptional supporting turn and it was a bit of a head-scratcher as he gave way to some surprising finalists.

Late playwright, August Wilson, provides a dialogue-heavy screenplay for Fences, one that many anticipate will end up a finalist at the upcoming Oscars showcase. Yet, this morning proved to be harsh for the entire play-turned-motion picture as Fences failed to secure another major nomination in a category that many believed it was a safe bet.

Surprises

Surprising on-lookers in two separate categories, Noctural Animals writer and director, Tom Ford, secured nominations for both the film's screenplay and in the Best Director race. Ford's stylish psychological thriller had a very strong showing at the Globes and it will be interesting to see if this strong effort will pick up steam as we push on the the Guilds and Oscar nominations.

The Best Supporting Actor field was littered with curve-balls and none was bigger than Florence Foster Jenkins' Simon Helberg. Best known as Howard on the award-winning sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, Helberg's fluid transition to the big screen proved beneficial as he earns a highly coveted nomination in a generally crowded category.

In another surprising twist among the Best Director field, Hacksaw Ridge helmer, Mel Gibson, received a trip to the finals, while the film itself also secured a Best Picture - Drama nomination. Despite my own middling opinion, most critics have adored the film and its overwhelming success with the Globes could pave the way for some future Oscar success.

*** Stay tuned for some more awards season discussion tomorrow ***

Rapid Reviews: Lion and I, Daniel Blake

It feels like the "based on a true story" tag exists on just about every movie nowadays. This alarming frequency tends to dilute any semblance of realism meant to be injected into the story. But in rare real-life instances, the truth is just too amazing to discredit, and that certainly exists in the debut drama from Garth Davis, Lion.

As a five year-old boy living in the slums of India, Saroo (Sunny Pawar/Dev Patel) is accidentally separated from his brother and mistakenly travels 1,600 km across the country. Lost from his family, the young boy is left to fend for himself on the devilish streets of Calcutta until he is taken in and adopted by a couple living abroad in Australia. But as Saroo grows up under the roof of wealth and privilege in his new home, a memory from his childhood is triggered and prompts him to venture back to India in search of his lost family.

Lion possesses a far greater appeal in retrospect than as it unfolds on the big screen in real time. And once the story shifts to an adult Saroo, there's an abruptness to the character's widely evolving emotions. From sadness, to resentment and eventual acceptance of the life he's been forced to endure, these feelings are highlighted but never actually earned. As a result, Lion struggles to break the emotional barrier necessary to elevate its sentimental finale to appropriate heights. From a filmmaking standpoint, Garth Davis delivers adequate direction that's enhanced by majestic cinematography and a memorable score courtesy of Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran. Much has also been made about Nicole Kidman's performance but, even during a year of thin competition within the Supporting Actress race, it fails to leave a lasting impression. Lion's remarkable true story isn't handled with the care it deserves, yet the film's heart-warming conclusion helps salvage this otherwise flawed work.


Stars: 2 and a half stars out of 4

Grade: B-





In another exemplary illustration of the human spirit, acclaimed filmmaker Ken Loach delivers his latest award-winning effort, I, Daniel Blake. Any time a film captures a Palm D'Or prize, the highest achievable award at the Cannes Film Festival, it immediately attracts attention. And with all eyes targeting I, Daniel Blake, this frustratingly honest drama successfully stands up to its lofty praises.

After suffering from a heart attack, laborer Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is told by his physician that returning to work could develop into a life-threatening issue and advises him not to. As Daniel tries to apply for government assistance due to his delicate situation, a lack of personal attention to his case snow-piles into a laundry list of complications that keep him from receiving help. While fighting to have his appeal case heard, Daniel befriends a single mother (Hayley Squires) struggling to provide for her children. Together they try to take on a system clearly built to work against them.

What director Ken Loach is able to accomplish with his latest endeavor is nothing short of extraordinary. I, Daniel Blake is a modestly-shot film humanized on the shoulders of its unknown leading actor, Dave Johns. This protest film addresses an unforgiving British welfare system through the examination of its endearing title character. Through a blend of touchingly-funny dialogue and Johns' performance, it becomes impossible to hope for anything other than the best for Daniel. However, life can be so cruel and with every bit of rejection along the way, the audience wishes even harder for a fair resolution. Alongside Dave Johns, supporting star Hayley Squires provides an exceptional turn as well. Both of their Oscar prospects seem dim, but it's an earnest screenplay and towering performances that transform I, Daniel Blake into an overlooked festival darling.


Stars: 3 stars out of 4

Grade: B

Spider-Man: Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (NEW) Trailers

Marvel has unveiled a pair of trailers for two of their major 2017 releases. First up is the newest venture into the iconic superhero, Spider-Man. This time around it's The Impossible's Tom Holland who reprises his role (from brief appearances in Civil War) as a young Peter Parker who's forced to navigate his way through this surprising new powers. With the typical Marvel formula we can expect plenty of humor and action as the comic universe continues branching out in support of their next "phase". Spider-Man: Homecoming arrives in July of 2017.





If you're like me then the gang of misfit anti-heroes that make up the "Guardians of the Galaxy" captured your heart and your funny bone. They return next year with a second installment centered around Peter Quill's (Chris Pratt) search to uncover the identity of his father. The film also features a baby Groot and a whole lot of laughs as Marvel continues churning out entries in their ever-expanding universe. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 arrives in May of 2017. Catch the film's latest trailer below.

Fences

Film: Fences

Starring: Denzel Washington (Flight), Viola Davis (The Help) and Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump)

Director: Denzel Washington (The Great Debaters)

U.S. Release: December 25th, 2016 (Rated PG-13)

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 139 minutes


Originally a Tony Award winning play from the late August Wilson, Fences receives the big screen treatment courtesy of director and star, Denzel Washington. The film debuted in early November to the highest of praises from countless members of the Screen Actors Guild, which instantly solidified Fences as a legitimate Oscar contender. Despite its inability to entertain quite as effectively as other awards season hopefuls, you should still expect to hear the film's name called on Oscar night.

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Troy (Washington) is a former baseball star who finds himself unsatisfied as a 53 year-old garbage man. But as Troy's resentment trickles down to his star-athlete son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), they two battle over Cory's desire to play college football. Meanwhile, the family's adoring matriarch, Rose (Viola Davis), works tirelessly to keep the peace within their household.

It's impossible to ignore the playhouse aura that suffocates Denzel Washington's adapted work. Fences looks and feels like a stageplay in every aspect, so much so that it hampers the film's ability to stand out as more than just a superbly acted accomplishment. Both of its leading stars will most likely end up as finalists in tightly contended Oscar races. Washington's performance dances wistfully along a wide spectrum of emotions. There are powerful moments where Washington reminds the audience of his singular talents that have earned him a decades-long career in the industry. Then, on the other hand, the lead star delivers overtly embellished scenes where he sadly begs to be noticed as his character transitions from a hopeless romantic, to a stern father and a villainous foe. Washington's onscreen counterpart, Viola Davis, provides a more balanced and nuanced performance filled with heart, soulfulness and subtle intricacies. Her work in Fences is an absolute marvel and the stars are aligning for Davis to finally win an Oscar, after being unforgivably robbed by Meryl Streep (for The Iron Lady???) a few years back. Supporting star, Mykelti Williamson - best known as Benjamin Buford Blue, aka Bubba, in Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump - has also earned some early rumblings as an Oscar hopeful, further solidifying Fences as a clear showcase for its many actors and actresses.

Despite the film's unquestionably promising performances, Fences struggles to resonate in many other areas. A popular saying among filmmakers is "show, don't tell". Unfortunately, verbose dialogue and a long-winded screenplay form a recipe for boredom. Even through the stories twists and turns Fences fails to adequately entertain. Many have lauded Denzel Washington's direction, yet he never overcomes limited settings and the hindrances of a stageplay backdrop. Fences tells an expansive story spanning many characters but, even after piling up nearly a 140-minute running time, these various subplots feel under-developed. It's because of all these shortcomings that Fences doesn't quite stack up as the Best Picture contender that insiders are claiming.

Denzel Washington offers a brilliantly acted adaptation that's geared towards an award season audience. Yet, if you're searching for more than just an actor's showcase drowned in dialogue and lacking amusement, then you'll have to look further than Fences.


Stars: 2 stars out of 4

Grade: C+