SCI FI / FANTASY
Arrival is one of my favorite films of the year. I tend to jive with sci fi but this one is juicer than most; the script is so brilliant, you have to wonder just how screenwriter Eric Heisserer came up with the device. It’s based on a story by Ted Chiang. And the film’s timeline is ..
DRAMA
RYAN: This film is astonishing. It’s like a sequel to one of my all time favorite movies – Contact. I am awestruck by it. I mean, I actually sat in awe of this movie – just enjoying it but then also impressed so much by how savvy the script is. It fully manipulates you in the audience. ..
ACTION
RYAN: I think I have a new favorite superhero! It’s the latest Marvel superhero movie but seems a lot more like a fantasy action film. It somehow folds into the Marvel universe, which we glimpse into in the first of two after credits extra scenes. It’s not funny racy like Deadpool, but has comedic lines. Benedict Cumberbatch ..
DRAMA
RYAN: I’ve gotta jump on the bandwagon with all the incredible buzz surrounding Moonlight – it’s such a different kind of movie that tells a great story, that I’m happy to join in the chorus singing its praises. CAROLINE: You really can’t turn anywhere in movie circles these days without hearing about this one. I haven’t ..
BIOPIC
RYAN: Based on the true story of writer/historian Deborah Lipstadt, Denial is the best courtroom drama since A Few Good Men – and this time the stakes are higher, knowing it actually happened. CAROLINE: Wow. That sounds impressive. How is Rachel Weisz in this? RYAN: It’s the role of a lifetime for her. She has a personal connection ..
ACTION
RYAN: It’s not as good as the first, but it’s still a Tom Cruise action movie. Four years after the first Jack Reacher, comes the sequel and while I don’t wanna call it a sequel slump, it’s not as fresh as the first. But there are some real areas that are weaker than others in this ..
DRAMA
RYAN: Desierto is Spanish for Desert and that’s where this film takes place. Written and directed by Jonas Cuaron, who cowrote Gravity with his father, Alfonso, this is one messed up movie – in a good way. It’s like watching someone go human hunting. It’s horrible. Not the movie – but the concept. CAROLINE: Oh – I was ..
DRAMA
RYAN: We just saw the remake of Gone Girl and it’s better than the original. NATHEN: (laughs) It does have its similarities. RYAN: I liked this a lot more; but Gone Girl had a better score. Based on another bestseller, The Girl on the Train, which I never read; it’s very good. It’s twisted. And just give Emily Blunt the Oscar. This ..
BIOPIC
RYAN: This movie starts out in 1809 and covers slavery in a way that should be required viewing – it’s, as ever, an outrage and a necessary education. This is based on the true story of Nat Turner, a slave who fought back, in a way making this a loose non-fantasy version of Django Unchained. BECKY: (laughs) ..
BIOPIC
RYAN: This is based on the true story of the worst oil disaster in US history. I was so nervous during this movie that I – more than in any other movie – shouted out, “Oh God! Oh God!” during this film. I was cradling in my seat it was so upsetting. It’s such a ..
BIOPIC
RYAN: This is a true story based on the life of the recent chess champion from Uganda – a young girl – brilliantly portrayed by a new actress on the scene, Madina Nalwanga. She’s incredible. This is her first movie and she carries it so well. She could get a nomination, as could Lupita Nyong’o in the supporting category. ..
FAMILY
RYAN: I didn’t have any major expectations for this film since it’s not a Disney movie and you could assume that with storks and babies, it would skew juvenile. And for about the first ten minutes it was just that. But then it really surprised me. It’s one of the more original stories for an ..
