Tag: Jon Hamm

REVIEW: Richard Jewell (2019)

Still Image Richard Jewell
‘Richard Jewell,’ Still Image — Photo: Claire Folger / Warner Bros.

Directed by Clint Eastwood — Screenplay by Billy Ray.

There is a lot to say when it comes to Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell, which is a biopic about the security guard who discovered a bomb during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, then alerted authorities, and was later wrongly accused of having planted it. While the film is not without problems, on the whole, I thought that Clint Eastwood’s 2019 picture was a success. This is a heartbreaking and infuriating film about the investigation into the Centennial Olympic Park bombing and the media circus and harsh media trial that followed as a result of an FBI leak, and at the center of the film is a breakthrough performance that I don’t think got the praise it deserved. Continue reading “REVIEW: Richard Jewell (2019)” →

Casting the HBO adaptation of THE LAST OF US – Special Features #65

HBO and PlayStation recently announced that Chernobyl-creator Craig Mazin will develop a series adaptation of the hit PlayStation game THE LAST OF US with Neil Druckmann, who was the writer and co-creative director on the original game. Druckmann is also one of the chief creatives working on the game’s highly anticipated sequel, THE LAST OF US: PART II. As I’ve definitely written before, THE LAST OF US is my favorite game ever made. It is a masterpiece. So, today, I want to give my updated opinions about who should play the game’s main characters in the upcoming HBO adaptation. Continue reading “Casting the HBO adaptation of THE LAST OF US – Special Features #65” →

REVIEW: The Report (2019)

Release Poster – Amazon Studios

The following is a review of The Torture Report — Directed by Scott Z. Burns.

While Netflix is enjoying another moment in the sun with the release of Martin Scorsese’s latest masterpiece, The Irishman, which is streaming exclusively on Netflix, Amazon Studios has quietly released The Report to Prime Video. The lack of awareness that The Report is getting is reminding me of a quote in the film itself: “you have a sunlight problem.” Though The Report isn’t the most notable or, frankly, the best film released on streaming services this week, Scott Z. Burns’ film is genuinely gripping thanks, in large part, to a strong central performance from Adam Driver that elevates the otherwise potentially dramatically listless material. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Report (2019)” →

REVIEW: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of Bad Times at the El Royale — Directed by Drew Goddard.

There are some films that you can only recommend with a very specific caveat — that the movie felt as if it had been designed and made for you. This feeling can happen all the time, and when this happens I almost always find myself saying that “I absolutely loved it,” and then I limit my statement with a “but.” In the case of Bad Times at the El Royale, that sentence would probably look something like this: “I absolutely loved it, but there is a very real chance that its length and pace will annoy the hell out of you.”  Continue reading “REVIEW: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)” →

REVIEW: Baby Driver (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – TriStar Pictures

The following is a review of Baby Driver – Directed by Edgar Wright.

In Edgar Wright’s newest film – Baby Driver – one character remarks that “you don’t need a score to do a score,” a proposed fact that the talented writer-director refutes with one of the most entertaining films that I’ve seen in years. Continue reading “REVIEW: Baby Driver (2017)” →

My 17 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

2017-anticipated

2016 is almost over, and I really can’t believe it. It feels like the summer movie season just ended, but here we are at the end of the year. That also means that we need to start looking forward to some of the films that are released next year. I, obviously, don’t know if any or all of these will be good, or even great, but with this list I’m trying to point out which films I’m super excited for. Continue reading “My 17 Most Anticipated Films of 2017” →

REVIEW: Wet Hot American Summer – First Day of Camp (2015)

First Day of Camp

“Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” is available on Netflix and functions as a prequel to the 2001 comedy “Wet Hot American Summer”

Let me preface this by saying that I didn’t watch the original film when it was first released. Somehow I had never heard of the film until a few years ago. Before watching the film I considered it a potential hidden gem featuring some of my favorite actors. Then I watched it, and I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the film – but I never loved it. Somehow this prequel show made me a believer. Continue reading “REVIEW: Wet Hot American Summer – First Day of Camp (2015)” →