GOOD TIME gets a hallucinatory new trailer and poster with stunning accolades from its Cannes premiere.
The Safdie brothers’ exhilarating New York thriller stars Robert Pattinson in a headlong rush into crime and chaos. The overwhelmingly positive reactions out of the Cannes Film Festival mark a thrilling turn for the filmmakers and a career-defining performance for Pattinson.
– In Theaters August 11 –
With TV currently in it’s Golden Age, a lot of genres have proven to work better with a long-form series rather than a one-off entry; case in point, crime thriller with the likes of Fargo and Twin Peaks making the most of their extended run-time. I bring this up because while it’s very easy to tell when a movie needs to be cut shorter, new Alaskan thriller Sweet Virginia is one of those rare films that could benefit from being longer.
God’s Own Country has been described as Yorkshire’s answer to Brokeback Mountain which I think is doing both films a disservice. Brokeback was more of a period piece, dealing with the love of two men in a society that hated them, whereas God’s Own Country tackled a much more personal story about the love between two men when one of them hates themselves. It tackles self-destruction with a deft hand that evokes Mike Leigh’s work, but with a modern sensibility towards homosexual sex and romance.
Nile shares his favorite characters from Life-Action films from the past few decades. The list includes characters from Planet of the Apes, Lord of The Rings, Star Wars, and Beauty and The Beast!
by Nile Fortner
Calling for Community: A Conversation with Blake Freeman
On this episode of the Cinephellas podcast we have my conversation with the multitalented Blake Freeman. We’re discussing his new comedy, All About the Money. Blake wrote the screenplay, directed, produced, and stars in the film. But he consistently points out that the project was only possible thanks to the community of people he worked with, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. He’s got some great co-stars, including Eddie Griffin and Casper Van Dien. This is Eddie’s return to the big screen after about two years doing other projects. And Casper gives a great performance playing against his usual all-American type. Blake also gave me some info about his upcoming TV project based on tech and gaming culture. It’s a timely look at contemporary digital culture.
New Perspectives: A Conversation with Ward Horton
Who’s your favorite movie villain? What makes an antagonist threatening enough to fear, but vulnerable enough to find relatable? Too often these questions are ignored in favor of stereotypical performances. In the the new film Midnighters, however, Ward Horton develops a multi-layered anti-hero. Questions surround the identity of his character, “Smith,” forcing Horton to perform a spectrum of personality traits from suave to demonic. His ability to transform gives brings to fruition several plot points in the journey of Midnighters’ protagonist, Lindsey, played with sincere vulnerability by the phenomenal Alex Essoe.
STARZ has just announced that they will be bringing the Second Season of “Ash vs Evil Dead” to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on August 22nd through Lionsgate! Both the Blu-ray and DVD will include loads of special features, including commentaries, featurettes, and a “Fatality Mash-Up”, which sounds absolutely delightful! You can see the full list below.
by Nile Fortner
Finally, a movie about the iconic DC Comics character, Wonder Woman has hit the big screen. A character that finally has her own big feature movie, a movie 75 years in the making!
When DC first launched their expanded-cinematic-universe, many fans were not thrilled with the start of this cinematic universe. I personally enjoyed Man of Steel, even though some people argued that Superman was too moody and depressing. That film was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and fans as well did not react to well to that movie either. I have parts I like about the movie and other parts I can’t stand. I did not like the portrayal of Lex Luthor and how they forced Doomsday into the movie. Suicide Squad had its issues, and many people seemed to give up on DC Comics setting up this expanded-cinematic-universe. Many fans saw Wonder Woman as the last chance for this cinematic universe to work and finally give us a movie in this universe that blows audiences away with action, story, and character development.
by Nile Fortner
Most people who saw the original Alien film directed by one of my all time favorite directors, Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise) a horror classic. Not just in the sci-fi and horror department, but in all aspects of film. The first Alien film is more than just a creature feature that pounces out of the dark and kills our characters. It is a film that stands the test of time and considered a classic.
Surprisingly, critics were not all that kind to the film when it hit theaters way back in 1979. The Chicago Reader once described the film as “An empty – headed horror movie, with handsome cinematography.” I personally like most of the Alien films, and I was enthusiastic about the new film in the franchise, Alien: Covenant. However, before I went into this movie, I decided to go back and visit the Alien flicks (that means you too Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) leading into Covenant.
