by Hannah Butler
The ability to move back and forth in time has long fascinated writers and filmmakers. H. G. Wells popularized the idea in 1895 with his novel The Time Machine, which has had multiple film and TV adaptations. Since then the notion of traveling through time – whether through deliberate choice or bizarre accident – has been a popular theme in movies. Here are the ones that will likely survive the test of time.
Read Moreby William S. Andrews
Criminal investigations in the military are a bit different than in the civilian world. There are consequences to speaking as a witness when half the community's population outranks you. Plus, it's a community filled with people who kill for a living. Consequently, criminal investigations that take place in the military can be very thrilling and vastly entertaining to watch on film. Or, depending on the filmmaker, they can also be really painful. Here are the best and the worst criminal investigation war movies.
Read Moreby Richard L. Woodard
What was once great love I felt for the Terminator franchise has turned into hate, most especially after seeing Terminator Genisys. Prior to seeing the film, I wrote an article attempting to explain the increasingly convoluted chronology, as well as an article detailing the plot holes in the franchise thus far. Then after watching the film, which was horrible, I realize both that the chronology is completely destroyed and I have to write this article just to focus on the plot holes in this one film! Arnold Schwarzenegger, if you ever make another Terminator film, a pox on your house!
Read Moreby Rebecca Shinn
There is nothing like enjoying a cozy night of holiday movies with someone you cherish. During the lockdown, it is a very welcome choice indeed. Staying in and having a safe but entertaining time is all the more important nowadays. We will give you a list of the most loved holiday movies so you won't run out of great options to watch.
Read MoreBack in May, I joined Mike Crowley’s You’ll Probably Agree podcast with Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat and Pat McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com in discussing the state of movie theaters knee deep during this pandemic. Things looked brighter then. Now, six months later, with a spiking virus, streaming business moves, and conpanies closing or circling bankrupcies? Not so much. The four of us took to Mike’s YouTube channel recently to ponder the uncertain future. Enjoy this spirited conversation! I’m sure we’ll be doing it again soon.
Read MoreMuch to her flexible power for sardonic comedy or reckless abandon, actress Aubrey Plaza has a look. It’s not entirely a scowl. It’s not entirely a cynical grin. Deeming it a case of “resting bitch face” would be a dismissal to grander notions going on behind those eyes and curved lips. No, it’s more than that. It feels like all of the possible come-hither coyness mixed with all of the possible perilous threat her presence can express. She’s a puzzle, and it’s quite alright to love that about her.
Read MoreWhat folks are going to find with the escalating thriller Wander is a screwy little movie saved by committed performances. The trouble comes when the committed performance comes from the character that should be (and ends up) committed in the clinical sense. Be ready to question everything in Wander because the audience lens and main character is a rooting-tooting conspiracy theorist, yarn-and-tape boards with newspaper clippings and all, who makes his scratch as a private investigator. The unreliable narrator energy is strong, but that’s the entertainment when you make it to the finish.
Read Moreby Jennifer Holland
When it comes to deciding the final cut of the movie, directors are rarely the ones to make the call: it’s generally the producers that get this privilege. The reason behind this is that the ones who support the production financially usually have a better understanding of what the audience might like or dislike to see. Still, a professional who directs a movie often gets to make their own version of the film—the famous “director’s cut”—a version often longer than the one released to the general audience. Step inside your movie cave and get ready for a few surprises: here are the 5 movies which directors’ cuts you shouldn’t miss.
Read MoreThere’s another great line in Luxor that says this is “a place that whispers to you if you listen.” It’s an effect threaded into the soundscape of the film by sound designer Frédéric Le Louet (The Informer) wafting in and out of the score from documentary composer Nascuy Linares (Embrace of the Serpent). The tourists around Hana hear tales of reincarnation and the passionate myths of polytheistic demigods. Whether she believes them or not does not compare to where her conflicted self esteem hangs precariously during this short holiday.
Read MoreSports fans like to say “game recognizes game” when youngblood contemporaries hat-tip the greats in their presence or those that came before them. Thanks to The Social Network ten years ago diving into the not-so-nice history of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, David Fincher knows this Welles-Mankiewicz territory all too well. He put a bullseye on an emerging institution and enlisted the wily Aaron Sorkin to help him light the fuse. The masterful director returns with a stylish tribute to courage that came before him. He gets it. Call Mank “balls recognizing balls.”
Read MoreWith rock-heavy undertones replaced by the dramatic struggles of silence, Sound of Metal can personify every one of those questions. This labor-of-love and festival darling debuts in limited release and Amazon Prime on December 4th. Led by a sensational, internalized performance from Riz Ahmed, read here, see on the screen, and hear anyway you can how this stands as one of the best films of the year.
Read MoreAs dippy as all of this in Superintelligence may sound and transpire, there are undeniable streaks of kindness bigger than terabytes. Not all that far removed from the likes of George Bailey or Walter Mitty, the imagination to root for hope and love in people with laughs along the way feels good. Such a sincere sweetness cannot be discounted or denied. Once again, simplicity earns that kind of vibe. Welcome that to your viewing coach this season. We could use it this year.
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