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Showing posts from September, 2016

Fences and 20th Century Women Trailers

A pair of potential Oscar players dropped trailers today. First up is Fences , both starring and directed by two-time Academy Award Winner Denzel Washington. He stars as Troy, a garbageman struggling with race relations in the 1950s while trying to raise a family alongside his loyal wife Rose (Viola Davis). This initial teaser look at the film portrays the heavy type of emotional hitter that the Oscars generally swoon over. It's still a little early in the ballgame, but Fences is one movie you'll want to keep on your radar as it finds a release in late December. Another film boasting Oscar caliber performances comes from the intriguing director Mike Mills. Mills oversaw Christopher Plummer's Oscar reign from the film Beginners , and he hopes to recapture past glory with Annette Bening in 20th Century Women . The movie follows the joint stories of three women in late 1970s Southern California who experience love and freedom in the changing world. This debut teaser trailer f

Rapid Reviews: The Magnificent Seven and Undocumented Executive

Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua go together like peanut butter and jelly. The collaborative duo have a history dating back 15 years to the filmmaker's undeniable finest work, Training Day . It also happened to be the same film that handed Denzel Washington his second Academy Award. And although I wasn't too impressed by their 2014 joint effort, The Equalizer , the pair's latest endeavor and Western reboot, The Magnificent Seven , proves to be a solid entry. Industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) will do whatever's necessary to overtake the small town of Rose Creek for his financial gain. And after a strong-willed widow (Haley Bennett) loses her husband to Bogue's violent actions, she and the rest of the town's inhabitants offer everything they have in exchange for protection via a bounty hunter named Chisolm (Denzel Washington). The bounty hunter accepts their offer and summons a ragtag group of gunslingers to help fight alongside the tow

PETE’S DRAGON (2016) REVIEW : Harapan dalam Film Keluarga Sederhana

Disney lagi-lagi berusaha mengenalkan lagi sebuah ‘ charm ’ cerita dongeng yang pernah dia miliki di film-film sebelumnya. Tujuannya adalah memberikan sebuah jalinan cerita tanpa pretensi yang dapat dinikmati oleh semua kalangan. Tahun ini ada The Jungle Book dan The BFG yang mengusung penuturan cerita formula lama yang ternyata masih bekerja dalam mengikat penontonnya. Maka, tak salah jika Disney mencobanya sekali lagi lewat sebuah reboot dari karya lama dan dikonversi menjadi lebih baru.   David Lowery lah yang dijadikan sebagai sutradara dari reboot Pete’s Dragon di tahun ini. Pintarnya, David Lowery tak mentah-mentah mengadegankan ulang apa yang ada di dalam film sebelumnya. Sang sutradara memberikan revisi dari Pete’s Dragon terdahulu untuk divisualkan kembali menjadi sebuah cerita dongeng yang pas untuk masa kini. Sehingga, David Lowery memberikan visi terbarunya dan menjadikan Pete’s Dragon adalah sebuah film keluarga yang berbeda. Kesederhanaan adalah sebuah kata kunci untu

Rapid Reviews: Snowden and Don't Think Twice

Oliver Stone has never been one to shy away from a controversial biopic. As the directing force behind  W. and Nixon , it's evident that politically motivated dramatizations are his bread and butter. Enter the publicized actions of whistleblower Edward Snowden who leaked classified information to the press in 2013 revealing the depths of the National Security Agency's global surveillance. Some have lauded the international fugitive as a hero, while others demonize Snowden as a traitor to our country. And if there's a political conundrum in the works, you better believe that Oliver Stone wants in on the action. As a loyal patriot to the United States, a young Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives an untimely discharge from the armed services following an injury to his leg. Desperate to discover another way to serve his country, Snowden uses his tech savviness to join the CIA and eventually become a contractor for the NSA. Yet, Snowden's blind loyalty to his gov

Nocturnal Animals and Christine Trailers

Tom Ford's mind-bending thriller, Nocturnal Animals , is enjoying a successful run on the festival circuit in hopes of some awards season glory. The film stars Amy Adams as Susan Morrow, an art gallery owner who receives the manuscript for a book written by her ex-husband and it rehashes dark memories from their past. Nocturnal Animals uses the story-inside-of-a-story structure to tell a seemingly gripping psychological tale. Slated for a December 9th release, check out the film's wildly entertaining debut trailer below. Another recent trailer to drop also highlights a festival circuit film telling a dark psychological story, but this time it's true. Christine stars Rebecca Hall ( The Town and The Gift ) as 1970s TV reporter Christine Chubbuck whose documented depression took a stranglehold over her life as the pressures of work and the rejection of a love interest become too much to handle, forcing Christine to do the unthinkable. Based on a shocking true story, Hall'

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Finest Performances

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has always been a favorite of mine. And not just as an actor, but as an artist who's genuinely passionate about the creative process. Despite a lifelong career in the industry starting out as a child actor in 90s classics like Angels in the Outfield , Gordon-Levitt has yet to garner an Oscar Nomination. But don't be fooled, JGL has spent many years delivering awards-worthy performances that have helped transform him into a household name. And with the actor's upcoming weekend release, Snowden, I have decided to use September's movie list of the month to recognize Joseph Gordon-Levitt's most notable roles ( August's list ). Honorable Mention:   10 Things I Hate About You , Looper , Mysterious Skin and The Walk . #5. The Lookout (2007) One of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's best performances comes in Scott Grant's vastly under-seen directorial debut, The Lookout . JGL stars as a former high school star athlete who experiences a tragic acciden

Live by Night and Gold Trailers

Ben Affleck's directing career has gotten off to a phenomenal start, one so impressive that it dwarfs his acting achievements by comparison. Having delivered quality entertaining works such as Gone Baby Gone , The Town and Best Picture winner, Argo , it's impossible not to get excited for his upcoming end-of-the-year release, Live By Night . The prohibition era gangster flick follows Josh Coughlin (Affleck), the son of a police captain who ditches his law-abiding upbringing for a luxurious and lucrative life of crime, all until he realizes that no one can be trusted. Affleck's track record speaks for itself, yet I wasn't overly thrilled by this latest film's debut trailer. Either way, Live by Night will probably end up in this year's Oscar discussion so be sure to catch a first glimpse of the film below. Another late-year trailer to debut comes from the Oscar winning writer of Traffic and the director of Syriana , Stephen Gaghan. Gold stars Matthew McConaugh

Sully

Film: Sully Starring: Tom Hanks ( Bridge of Spies ) and Aaron Eckhart ( The Dark Knight ) Director: Clint Eastwood ( American Sniper ) U.S. Release: September 9th, 2016 (Rated PG-13) Genre: Drama Runtime: 96 minutes Although it will most likely come away empty handed at the Academy Awards, Clint Eastwood's Sully  justifiably kicks off the fall Oscar season with a thunderous crash. And considering the Hollywood icon's previous three films have centered around sharpshooter Chris Kyle ( American Sniper ), musical group The Four Seasons ( Jersey Boys ) and the most controversial FBI Director in U.S. history ( J. Edgar ), another biopic only seems fitting for Eastwood's latest work. By keeping things short and to the point, Sully resides as another strong effort from an industy legend. On the fateful morning of January 15th, 2009, nothing could have prepared pilots Captain Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and First Officer Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) for their career-defining f

THE BFG (2016) REVIEW : Magic In Its Simplicity [With IMAX 3D Review]

Steven Spielberg sudah bukan lagi orang lama yang berkecimpung di industri perfilman Hollywood. Bahkan, karya-karyanya selalu menjadi sebuah karya klasik yang bisa digunakan sebagai kapsul waktu dan ditonton sepanjang abad. Setelah tahun lalu menggarap sebuah film serius tentang negosiasi amerika dan rusia, kali ini Steven kembali membuat sebuah film fantasi yang dapat ditonton bersama keluarga. Proyeknya kali ini, bekerjasama dengan Disney Studios. Mengadaptasi karya penulis cerita anak-anak bernama Roald Dahl yaitu The BFG . Jelas, ini bukan ranah baru bagi Steven Spielberg dalam menggarap tema serupa. Proyek ini tentu dinanti-nantikan oleh penonton untuk mendapatkan sebuah film keluarga yang hangat dan menyenangkan untuk ditonton. Dengan tangan Steven Spielberg, proyek ini akan terlihat sangat menjanjikan apalagi dengan nama Disney studios sebagai supervisi dari film ini. The BFG arahan Steven Spielberg ini layaknya sebuah mimpi di siang bolong bagi pecinta film-film keluarga klas

DVD Outlook: September 2016

September has crept up quickly and as we turn the page on summer, we look to another new crop of DVD and streaming options. This month's collection of titles leaves plenty to be desired, but there are a few worthwhile movies to choose from. You may wanna backtrack a little to August's suggestions (or even further) if you're looking for more upper echelon films. Also, you can always check out some new releases arriving in theaters this month, because there are a handful of intriguing films coming to a theater near you. Either way, here are my top three suggestions for September: Captain America: Civil War - 3 stars out of 4 - ( Read my full review here ) When it comes to one of the year's most anticipated films, as well as one of its highest grossing, what is there left to say about Marvel's latest chapter,  Civil War ? Since 2008 when the studio began building this enormous universe, storylines have been molded to fit this epic chapter that pits Avenger vs. Avenge

NERVE (2016) REVIEW : Kontemplasi Kehidupan Era Digital Yang Menyenangkan

Era digital terkadang membuat orang berpindah medium untuk saling berkomunikasi dengan satu sama lain. Bahkan, sebuah tujuan hidup yang utama pun terkikis akan suatu ilusi popularitas semu yang ditawarkan oleh Dunia Maya yang digunakan oleh banyak orang. Sosial Media tak bisa dipungkiri menawarkan suatu kelebihan luar biasa dalam membuat ruang publik baru bagi masyarakat. Pun, keberadaannya juga menjadi sebuah polemik yang luar biasa besar.   Dan itulah, premis dasar yang berusaha diangkat oleh ‘ Nerve ’ buku karya Jeanne Ryan yang siap diadaptasi ke dalam format layar lebar. Duo sutradara Henry Joost dan Ariel Schulman siap mengarahkan buku tersebut di bawah naungan Lionsgate. Dibintangi oleh Emma Roberts dan Dave Franco, film Nerve menjadi sebuah film young-adult baru yang mengangkat tema dengan relevansi yang besar bagi para remaja masa kini. Problematika tentang dunia maya ataupun media sosial, mungkin akan relevan dengan rentang usia yang universal. Tetapi, Nerve memiliki poin s