Tuesday, November 29, 2016

'Seclusion' Trailer: Spooky Nuns, Creepy Kids, And Satan



Tormented priests, creepy-ass children, the Devil playing mind games—I am so all-in on this trailer for Philippine horror Seclusion (Seklusyon). Check it out for yourself after the jump.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

'Silence' Trailer: Martin Scorsese Makes Andrew Garfield Look Like Jesus



Any Martin Scorsese movie is going to be an automatic awards contender; that’s just a fact. And we’re talking biggies here, too, like Oscar, not just some random Seattle film asshole’s end of the year top ten list. Such is the case with his latest, Silence, though it’s been a tight race to see if it would squeak in under the deadline and make the cut for 2016. This has now been decided with a resounding yes, and there’s a tense new trailer just in case you need extra motivation to get up for a Martin Scorsese movie. Check it out after the jump.

Monday, November 21, 2016

'Moana' (2016) Movie Review



Diversity and empowerment took a swift shot recently, which is why Disney’s latest animated offering, Moana, couldn’t have arrived at a better time. But it’s also more than just a welcome respite from the ugliness currently popping up with alarming frequency outside. It’s also an epic adventure, the type that girls and young women—and young people in general—everywhere are sure to imagine themselves embarking on.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Blu-Ray/DVD Review: 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller' Criterion Collection



When it was released in 1971, the critical response to Robert Altman’s revisionist anti-western, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, was positive, but tempered. Co-star Julie Christie received an Academy Award nomination, celebrated cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond’s gauzy camerawork earned a BAFTA nomination, and a few other accolades added up. Over the years, however, it’s become recognized as a classic of the American New Wave. A maverick, anti-establishment feature, and the Criterion Collection just released a fantastic new Blu-ray worthy of that elevated status.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

'Kong: Skull Island' Trailer Doesn't Skimp On The Monkey



One of the biggest knocks on Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla reboot was that the titular King of the Monsters only actually appeared on screen for like ten minutes or whatever. Judging by this new trailer, that’s not going to be an issue for Kong: Skull Island. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kings of Summer) and company certainly don’t skimp on the monkey.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them' (2016) Movie Review



A movie based on a text book, even one for fictional teenage wizards, is something of a hard sell. But Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them captures the wonder and magic of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. While extant fans will get the most mileage, and the connections are obvious—though it thankfully never veers into Hobbit-esque straight up shilling for the previous franchise—it stands on its own, and the high adventure and marvelous action astound.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Want To Watch Two 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' International Trailers? Of Course You Do



It’s been a rough week for a lot of folks. People are looking for hope, and maybe, just maybe, two new international trailers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story can help with that a bit. Hope and resistance are what we've got to lean on right now, and like what we’ve seen thus far, they hammer that home hard once again.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Luc Besson's 'Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets' Trailer Is Full Of Space Madness



Remember a few days ago when movies seemed way more important than they do right now? Those were good times. (For the record, I still believe film and books and music and art are vitally important—we will need them desperately in the coming days—I’m just being hyperbolic, so go watch movies like Moonlight and maybe give THIS ARTICLE a read.) The world has apparently decided to remain turning, and Hollywood keeps kicking out movies. And that includes Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and we’ve got the first trailer for your perusal. It’s straight up bananas.

Monday, November 7, 2016

'John Wick' Director Teams Up With Iko Uwais, Tony Jaa, And Tiger Chen



Stunt-performer-turned-director Chad Stahelski (with partner in crime David Leitch) turned in one of the best modern action movies with John Wick, and I’m understandably pretty jazzed about John Wick: Chapter 2. Stahelski tackled the sequel solo (while Leitch helms the upcoming spy thriller The Coldest City), but that’s not all he has on his plate. He’ll direct a movie called Triple Threat, which just so happens to star three of the preeminent movie badasses of the moment: Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and Tiger Chen.

'Sky On Fire' Trailer: Ringo Lam Shoots Everyone Then Blows Them Up



Action auteur Ringo Lam has a penchant for movies titled BLANK on Fire. Though to be fair, there are usually a great many things on fire and exploding in his films. His resume includes the likes of City on Fire, School on Fire, and Prison on Fire (as well as Prison on Fire 2). And he’s back at it with a trailer for Sky on Fire, which appears to be everything we can hope for.

Friday, November 4, 2016

'Apostle': 'The Raid' Director Gareth Evans Casts Handsome Badass Dan Steven In Period Actioner



A Gareth Evans movie is always good news. It’s been too long since he pummeled us all about the head and neck with The Raid and The Raid 2 (and, of course, Merantau). But he’s back with a new project in the works called Apostle, and as if that’s not enough, he’s bringing badass leading man Dan Stevens along for the ride.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

'Doctor Strange' (2016) Movie Review



Marvel movies take a great deal of (often very warranted) heat for being overly similar. It’s one thing to create an overarching aesthetic in a shared cinematic universe and lay out markers that identify a film as a piece of a larger work. It’s another when every film cranked out starts to feel like the same damn thing. The comic book giant’s latest endeavor, the mystical adventure Doctor Strange, is unique in that it both manages to buck this trend while falling face-first into most of the pitfalls.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

'Moonlight' (2016) Movie Review


On one hand, writer/director Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is a relatively simple story: a young man coming of age, trying to figure out who he is and where he fits in this world. That’s a tale told countless times. On the other hand, the story is nuanced and complex—like growing into adult hood tends to be—and the result is wholly unique and lovely and moving.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

'Alien: Covenant' Details Sound Super Rad, Thanks, Michael Fassbender



I know it gets piles of hate, and it’s a deeply flawed film to be sure, but I still totally dig Prometheus. It’s grand and epic and ambitious, it’s as immersive a world as Ridley Scott has created in I don’t know how the hell long, and it’s badass as hell to boot. All of the criticisms are warranted, they just don’t impact my enjoyment like they do for many people.