How does one make a basketball movie in 2020 that isn’t quickly compared to Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Glory Road, and Hurricane Season, not to mention the many other films centered around a sports team facing some adverse situation? Sometimes, when you see the trailers for the first time of a movie like Gavin O’Connor’s (The Accountant, Warrior) The Way Back, you kind of grain, thinking, “Here we go again. How are we supposed to get something different from this movie?” But he was unequivocably able to do that. Admittedly, this movie could have been better in terms of its script and the conditions of its sequencing. Still, its parts made up for its, sometimes, lack of cohesiveness and left you feeling hopeful in a movie that you expected to find hope, albeit in a much different way.
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher, Spotlight) continues to show that he is one of the more under-appreciated Hollywood heavyweights in Todd Haynes’ (Carol, Wonderstruck) new release. Dark Waters tells the true story of Cincinnati lawyer Rob Bilott’s extraordinarily long legal battle against the DuPont Chemical Company and the toxic waste it was dumping into the streams and rivers of West Virginia. This poisonous waste contributed to a high rate of cancer cases in the surrounding areas and contributed to an alarming number of deaths among cattle and other animals. The movie is exceptionally well-made. It should be seen by all as it hits on self-regulation, big business, medical disasters, and company cover-ups on such a grand scale that it seems hard to fathom as being possible in today’s world. In today’s society, there is so much scrutiny, regulation, and punishment for companies doing what DuPont did and almost escaped without punishment. Almost.
Based on the real-life scandal at the Fox News Channel, Jay Roach’s (Trumbo, Meet the Parents) Bombshell tells the story of the eruption that occurred when many women were exposed to a sexually harassing environment due to its chairman at the time, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow- Late Night, The Accountant). Bringing to the surface the accusations of numerous females by the head of the company, Bombshell made, at times, an uncomfortable watch. It felt unfathomable that so much of this could have occurred. However, it also seemed as if you couldn’t make up a story like this had it not been proven true.
1917, the latest venture from director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition), is a stunning achievement in cinematography, visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, production design, makeup and design, and direction. While not everyone will be all in on the story, it is hard to discredit this movie’s technical accomplishments. I found the story to be a gripping piece of narrative. Still, I completely understand why some will have problems with the sequencing of events, the placement of props, or the overall mission in general. If, like me, you can let yourself become immersed in all this movie brings to the table, you will have one of the more emotional movie-theater experiences of your lifetime.
Uninspiring. Unmoving. Overrated. Slow. Basic One of my most anticipated movies of 2019 was just that. The production department created one of the best series trailers for Noah Baumbach’s (The Squid and the Whale, While We’re Young) Marriage Story. In one trailer, lead Nicole (Scarlett Johansson – Lost in Translation, Match Point) is reciting a prepared letter that she wrote about all of the things that she loves about soon-to-be ex-husband Charlie (Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman, Paterson). It’s a voice overlay where we see the two interacting with each other, both through good times and bad, flashing to scenes with their young son Henry and others in some sort of courtroom. It ends with Nicole saying to Charlie, “I think we should talk.” He responds with, “Okay.” The two sit uncomfortably, looking at each other for a good five seconds (an eternity in a trailer) before he says, “I don’t know where to start.” In the second trailer, it’s a reversal. Charlie recites the prepared letter that he wrote to Nicole. A different series of similar scenes plays in the background, and the ending is the same. It’s clear that this movie is about some sort of fractured relationship. We are left clinging for more.
How does one make a basketball movie in 2020 that isn’t quickly compared to Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Glory Road, and Hurricane Season, not to mention the many other films centered around a sports team facing some adverse situation? Sometimes, when you see the trailers for the first time of a movie like Gavin O’Connor’s (The Accountant, Warrior) The Way Back, you kind of grain, thinking, “Here we go again. How are we supposed to get something different from this movie?” But he was unequivocably able to do that. Admittedly, this movie could have been better in terms of its script and the conditions of its sequencing. Still, its parts made up for its, sometimes, lack of cohesiveness and left you feeling hopeful in a movie that you expected to find hope, albeit in a much different way.
Mark Ruffalo (
Based on the real-life scandal at the Fox News Channel, Jay Roach’s (Trumbo, Meet the Parents) Bombshell tells the story of the eruption that occurred when many women were exposed to a sexually harassing environment due to its chairman at the time, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow- 
1917, the latest venture from director Sam Mendes (
Uninspiring. Unmoving. Overrated. Slow. Basic One of my most anticipated movies of 2019 was just that. The production department created one of the best series trailers for Noah Baumbach’s (The Squid and the Whale, While We’re Young) Marriage Story. In one trailer, lead Nicole (Scarlett Johansson –