'Babylon' (2022) Movie Review

Damien Chazelle’s latest opus, Babylon is a lot of movie. It might be the most movie of any movie of the year. At three-plus hours it’s a bloated and overflowing; an ode to  Hollywood excess that is, in itself, a Hollywood excess. 

The 2020 Oscar Nominations Are Here

So, the Oscar nominations are here. I’m not trying to sound too cool, but I don’t really care. I barely pay attention the awards in the groups that I vote for, and as usual, the Academy Awards don’t share my particular taste. For the most part, the nominees are safe and expected and what they are.

'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' (2019) Movie Review

On their own, I like all—okay, most—of the pieces of Quentin Tarantino’s latest opus of revisionist history/love letter to a golden age of movies, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Individual characters, scenes, and moments stand out, and all his hallmarks are present and accounted for. The soundtrack kills, whip-cracking dialogue abounds, and harsh violence lurks just beyond the surface. Unfortunately, these pieces never cohere in any meaningful way and the whole thing feels empty and meandering, a collection of moments more than a cohesive being.

'Ad Astra' Trailer: Brad Pitt Explores Daddy Issues In Deep Space

I despised The Lost City of Z, just hated it with a white-hot fiery passion, in a raw, visceral manner I don’t hate many things. It makes me angry in a way that usually only racists and bigots do. In most cases, even if I dislike a film, I can at least wrap my head around how and why other people enjoy it. Not this time. I was shocked so many people love it and find zero value on screen (except Robert Pattinson, he’s rad). That said, I’m excited for director James Gray’s next film, the sci-fi adventure Ad Astra. It has a great cast, falls into one of my favorite genres, and checks all the boxes. The first trailer is here. Watch it below.

'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Trailer: Now With More Charles Manson And Neil Diamond

I know, I know, you’re super excited about that new Downton Abbey trailer that dropped today, I am, too. We’ll get there, I promise. But first, let’s take a detour and check out the new trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Take a look after the jump.

'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Trailer: Quentin Tarantio's Latest Has Cool Cats Being Cool

Quentin Tarantino finally has his Once Upon a Time movie. You knew it was bound to happen. I honestly expected it to be a western, but as he’s done that the last two times out of the gate, I guess that wasn’t in the cards. As you might imagine, some folks are frothing over at the prospect of a new QT movie, so without further ado, here’s the first trailer for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

The 'Ad Astra' Cast Makes Me Wish I Didn't Hate 'The Lost City Of Z'

I’m beginning to wish I didn’t hate James Gray’s The Lost City of Z. Which I despised. A lot. (Usually, if I hate a movie everyone else loves, I can understand the appeal. For instance, I didn’t like Baby Driver, but I get why people do. Z, however, I have no clue why people love it so much. To the point where I want to watch it again because I feel like someone played a prank on me and showed me a completely a different film.)

'The Counselor' Movie Review

“The Counselor” is a movie I’ve been pumped up for since we first heard that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy delivered a screenplay instead of the new novel that his agents and publishers expected. Add director Ridley Scott (“Alien”) to the equation, and an insane cast of top tier, A-list celebrities, and you start to understand the excitement. Weirdly, there’s been almost no buzz leading up to the release. It didn’t play at any of the recent big name festivals, press screenings were all late so enough that no one has been talking about it, and why the hell does Cameron Diaz have a cheetah in all the trailers? Unfortunately, the movie falls way, way short of expectations. Roughly one-third is the precise movie I hoped for, while the rest is a complete and total disappointment.

'World War Z' Movie Review

After all the well-documented production problems surrounding the adaptation of Max Brooks’ best-selling zombie novel, including extensive rewrites and weeks worth of reshoots, here’s something I wasn’t sure I’d be able to say: World WarZ is a damn good movie. Far from a perfect feature, but Brad Pitt, Marc Forster, and company, didn’t do too bad. It’s nothing like the book—Brooks was right to call it an adaptation in name only—but if you can get past that fact, the film is surprisingly effective hybrid of action and horror.

'Killing Them Softly' Movie Review

 

The last time star Brad Pitt and writer/director Andrew Dominik teamed up was for “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”. That film is a long, slow burn; drifting in and out of scenes, dream like at times. Despite the gradual, deliberate pace, there is a force behind the narrative. Their latest endeavor, “Killing Them Softly”, an adaptation of George V. Higgins’ novel “Cogan’s Trade”, aims for the same goal. This time, however, they miss the mark, and instead of a steady, measured tempo, the film sags and meanders. It goes nowhere, and in the end, even though the story reaches the only logical conclusion, it peters out and leaves you empty.

'Moneyball' Movie Review

“Peace to Oakland, I’ve never been a fan of the A’s”
—Blue Scholars

At the heart of Bennett Miller’s new film “Moneyball” is the story of a little guy going against the grain, challenging established norms and mores, and trying to indelibly alter the world around him. “Moneyball” is the story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who, in the early 2000s, turned his back on 150 years of traditional baseball wisdom, and adopted a radically new approach to assembling a team.

'The Tree of Life' Movie Review

When you consider the career of a filmmaker like Terrence Malick you have to mention the fact that in his career, now spanning more than forty years, the guy has only directed five films. Sure he’s written a bunch of others, and produced a few more, so it’s not like he’s resting on his laurels, but no matter how you look at it, the man takes his time. So it’s understandable that each of his movies is a bit of an event, and his latest, “The Tree of Life”, is no exception. The whole thing has been shrouded in mystery from the get go. We knew Brad Pitt and Sean Penn were in the movie, but additional details have been sparse at best.