If you take one look at the doctored-up theatrical poster for the independent film "Dough," you might get the impression of an absurd weed romp to come. Very quickly within John Goldschmidt's film, you will see the depth behind the film's comedic costume. For better or worse, "Dough" is a strong mentor-mentee film that just happens to have a special funny ingredient in its cooking that adds wrinkle and flavor.
Read MoreCombine the oft-used expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" with the idiom "a fly on the wall," and you will have the contagious vigor that is "Elvis & Nixon." The most famous loose collar in the land meets the most-buttoned up Commander-in-Chief of this generation in a comedy of jovial possibilities. There is better-than-good chance that not a lick of "Elvis & Nixon" is true, but that doesn't ruin the fun of examining a documented moment of star-crossed brevity.
Read MoreIn "The Playground," ominous storytelling speaking of kingdoms, favor, covenant, cleansing, and benevolence using a "Jack and Jill" analogy spoken by a mostly unseen middle-aged man to a girl alone on a titular schoolyard comprises the auspicious start to a societal microcosm hanging in the balance. Director Edreace Purmul's intriguing new film and second feature dives towards such high-minded territory of dark omens. "The Playground" recently won Best Film honors from Film Consortium San Diego at their 2016 San Diego Film Awards.
Read More"Louder than Bombs" is the English language debut of Norwegian director Joachim Trier and his writing partner Eskil Vogt, best known for their 2006 Academy Award-nominated foreign language film "Reprise." Their newest work was a competitor for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Norway's first since 1979. Possessing a compelling rotation of inner monologues, the heavily dramatic film observes a fractured family of men dealing with the overhanging aftermath of losing their iconic matriarch.
Read More2016 Phoenix Film Festival special presentation
With full disclosure, this very writer is an absolute sucker for a satisfying "coming-of-age" film. Their youthful themes keep us young and sway our sensibilities to reflect on our own lives, no matter our age. Admirable coming-of-age films are always welcome, but the exceptional ones deserve to get shouted from the mountaintops. James Sadwith's "Coming Through the Rye" recently won Best Film and Best Screenplay honors at the 2016 Phoenix Film Festival. This infatuating dramedy earns that special distinction of exceptionality and warrants all of the volume one can muster.
Read MoreAny savvy film fan should know that first-rate musical biography films are less about the music and more about the artist. The music becomes extroverted accompaniment to the introverted human elements behind the persona. Presenting a career-best performance from Ethan Hawke, "Born to Be Blue" earns its place as one of the best jazz movies to grace the screen. The film is an impressive creative step forward for Canadian director Robert Budreau in just his second feature-length effort.
Read MoreIn the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the adjective form of "special" can be defined as "held in particular esteem" and "readily distinguishable from others in the same category." For a film to earn that distinction it has to do more than have the word in its title, as is the case with the Jeff Nichols film "Midnight Special." It has to possess exemplary qualities to revere that enable it to stand out from its peers. As one of the most striking, imposing, and spell-binding original science fiction films in recent memory, "special" is fitting trademark for "Midnight Special."
Read MoreThrough two parallel veins of his filmmaking career, director Richard Linklater freely operates between free-wheeling fun and poignant realism with scant middle ground. His movies are either a party or a deep character study. Kick back and turn off the introspection for "Everybody Wants Some!!" This is a shameless dudes' flick and Party Linklater of the highest order. Those of you with Y chromosomes are going to love every minute.
Read MoreDo we all remember the infamy of William Hung from 2004? You should. Take William Hung, turn back the clock 80 years, and, here's the kicker, give him a judging audience that won't tell him he's bad. If you can do that, you can step into the foreign film "Marguerite" from French director Xavier Giannoli playing now at the Landmark Theater locations in Lincoln Park and Highland Park. Divided into five chapters, "Marguerite" is an immersive character study into a would-be singer's obsession with talent.
Read MoreIf we were to play Word Association and you were given the name Clive Owen, what would you say? The lucky astute of us who have followed Clive since 1998's "Croupier" have seen him play brash and gruff villains, antiheroes, and leading men. As of the new film "The Confirmation," you have very likely never seen him play a domestic father. Now, north of 50 years old, here's Clive Owen in a role that doesn't require, nor utilize, any of the sexy traits that made him a James Bond candidate before Daniel Craig.
Read MorePlenty of disaster movies pretend to lean on real science to justify their cinematic ambitions in order to offer belief an audience can accept and exude some form of intelligence. Too often, the manic energy to entertain exceeds the science and a two-hour turd polishing clinic results. The decent ones can touch base with the right science and blend in the theatrics. As long as you can stand subtitles and tray of cheese samples, you have a mild winner in "The Wave (Bolgen)" from Norway.
Read MoreIt was Oscar Wilde that famously said "life imitates art more than art imitates life." When that mantra gets applied to cinema, we commonly talk about how we, as audiences, live vicariously through the imagination and fantasies that films create for us. The first part of that quote gets talked about all the time in that way. It's not too often that the second half of that quote comes true, but I feel that Ethan and Joel Coen have achieved just that with their latest feature film, Inside Llewyn Davis. As a fictional documentation and internal look at a crucial week-long journey in the life of an aspiring folk singer in 1961 Greenwich Village within New York City, Inside Llewyn Davis uniquely feels more like a film taking on real life than one pretending the other way around, as is so often the case with movies. While unique, I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing. Let me explain.
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