As you should posthaste, I recently watched the highly entertaining Netflix Original âThe Highwaymen.â Having enjoyed it so, I couldnât wait to converse with the men who created the film, director John Lee Hancock and writer John Fusco. Read more
âTriple Frontierâ opens in select theaters and will be available on Netflix March 13. Other projects coming to Netfix is âThe Highwaymenâ with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. Itâs directed by John Lee Hancock who directed âThe Blindside,â âThe Founderâ and âSaving Mr. Banks.â Also coming is âThe Irishmanâ from Martin Scorsese, a gangster drama that has him once again working with Robert De Niro. Netflix is doing everything right and doing it well. Their latest original films are proof that theyâre aware of when they have a good thing on their hands. âTriple Frontierâ is no different. Read more
The outlaws made headlines. The lawmen made history. From director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), THE HIGHWAYMEN follows the untold true story of the legendary detectives who brought down Bonnie and Clyde. When the full force of the FBI and the latest forensic technology arenât enough to capture the nationâs most notorious criminals, two former Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson) must rely on their gut instincts and old school skills to get the job done.
*Launches globally on Netflix on March 29 with exclusive theatrical engagements beginning March 15th.
Distributor:Â Netflix
Cast:Â Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, Kim Dickens
Directed by:Â John Lee Hancock
Written by:Â John Fusco
Producer:Â Casey Silver
Executive Producers:Â Michael J. Malone, John Lee Hancock, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Costner, Rod Lake
Music By:Â Thomas Newman
Cinematography By:Â John Schwartzman
Production Design By: Michael Corenblith
Costume Design By: Daniel Orlandi
TRIPLE FRONTIER
DIRECTED BYÂ | J.C. Chandor
STORY BYÂ |Â Mark Boal
SCREENPLAY BYÂ | Mark Boal and J.C. Chandor
CASTÂ | Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona
SYNOPSIS | A group of former Special Forces operatives (Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal) reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. For the first time in their prestigious careers these unsung heroes undertake this dangerous mission for self instead of country. But when events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival. Directed by Academy AwardŽ nominee J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year) and co-written by Chandor and Academy AwardŽ winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty).
*In select theaters on March 6, 2019
and globally on
Netflix March 13, 2019
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One thing for sure is that writer and director, Asghar Farhadi, lives up to expectations. Having worked in the business since 2002, in 2011, he launched himself into major notoriety with his film, âA Separation,â where he was adorned with awards. In fact, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to win an Academy AwardÂŽ. Similarly, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to be nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as the âBafta.â This made him so successful that Farhadi was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in the year 2012.
Now that Iâve introduced you to the writer/director of âEverybody Knows,â Iâll tell you about the movie. With the help of an extremely clever trailer and the talents of the Oscar-winning, real-life couple, PenĂŠlope Cruz and Javier Bardem, what Farhadi has essentially done here is lead you in one direction yet take you somewhere completely unexpected.
You wander into the film believing the story will be more about love, the trouble that sometimes comes with it and about Laura (Cruz) and Pacoâs (Bardem) past together and are surprised with more of a mystery. The story is about those very things but not in the way you’d think which makes the yarn that much better.
We meet Paco, who has a winery, and Laura, who has traveled from Argentina to Spain with her children to attend her sisterâs wedding. Paco has wisdom to share with us such as the only difference between grape juice and wine is time. Lines such as this makes you think their relationship may have aged in the same manner⌠like a fine wine. When Laura first gets there, her very social and gregarious teenage daughter Irene (Campra), prances about getting as much attention as she can. However, it turns out that she also gets the attention of someone in need of money and suddenly weâre in a film centered around her abduction.
Farhadi wrote a script that does a good job of keeping you interested in whatâs going on and what will ultimately happen. You get sucked in right away but where he went vastly wrong was when he introduced us to the victim of the kidnapping. Irene is anything but a likable character. Sheâs an obnoxious spoiled brat, trouble for her mother and the kind of person youâd dodge rather than treasure to be anywhere near. I canât figure out why she was written to be so annoying when the movie ends up being centered around everyone caring for her safety. Had she been more likable, it would have been more heartbreaking for the viewer. This is in no way a reflection on the actress who did a superb job, especially near the end. Speaking of acting, Cruz is excellent as a distraught and tortured mother. Her performance was convincing. She laments about whatâs next and is tearful throughout most of the film. She’s needed to be and is believable in her concern. Unfortunately for the audience, you donât quite feel for her. See the earlier paragraph regarding her daughter’s irritating attitude for what I mean. We just needed Irene to be more of an appealing person for us to take on her mother’s pain.
The story becomes a less complicated narrative when the set up for the kidnapping, and how and why it gets pinned on a certain person, (a land dispute) is made clear at the wrong time. On the surface, the dispute is quite exaggerated and contrived. Now onto the title. Let’s get to just what it is that everybody knows. And I mean everybody, including Lauraâs current husband, by the way. It seems that Paco is the only person who doesnât know. It turns out that Irene is Pacoâs daughter. In a small town, everyone talks and unless the man doesnât have ears how does he not know the big secret? In fact, this bombshell is something youâve long suspected. When itâs revealed, with his hair graying from the stress for some reason, what Paco does with the news is to use his money to pay the ransom. This seems as though it may have been the aim all along.
The ending is strangely elusive but leaves it open for a sequel which is puzzling yet a bit intriguing. If Farhadi nails the characters a little better, Iâd be up for it. What would make it even better is if he were able to have the same cast. âEverybody Knowsâ is an acceptable crime, drama with a good plot and is beautifully shot. It has gorgeous locations which are accentuated by the brilliant cinematography of JosĂŠ Luis Alcaine (Volver, The Skin I Live In) who has an immense amount of work behind him. For you to get the full benefit of his work, seeing this on the big screen this weekend would be the best way to watch this film.
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This crime-drama is stirring, and Nicole Kidman gives her best performances in a long time which should be admired on the big screen. Sheâs haunting as Erin Bell, a veteran police officer in L.A. who comes face to face with the turmoil of her past when she was an integral part of a covert operation that went horribly wrong. Sheâs now a shadow of her former self. She’s no longer being taken seriously and receives little to no respect from her fellow officers. The latter being mostly because she has no respect for others or herself. Sheâs hardened after the undercover effort trying to capture a nefarious gang of bank robbers leads to her losing almost everything she ever loved.
Director Karyn Kusama (Ăon Flux, Jenniferâs Body) has chosen Julie Kirkwood (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Hello I Must Be Going), as her cinematographer… a wise decision. Together, theyâve built for you an extremely suspenseful story. Every movement of the camera spirals you further into Erinâs out of control world, bringing you down with her. Lighting is used brilliantly to focus and force your attention to Erinâs overall mood. Excessively heavy music by incredibly diverse and talented composer, Theodore Shapiro, who has an exceptional body of work and worked with Kusama on ‘Jenniferâs Body,’ keeps you involved by setting an intriguing and intense tone from the word go. For this, youâll be rather appreciative. Itâs eerily good.
A tattoo on a dead body and some money marked with blown dye packs pulls Erin back into needing to find Silas (Toby Kebbell), the leader of the brutal gang who got away with the murder of her partner turned lover, Chris (Stan). In gritty flashbacks, we see more of why sheâs so jaded and more of what sheâs fighting for. We find out she has an angst-ridden daughter named Shelby (Pettyjohn). Shelby not only pushes Erin away but challenges her at every turn. She’s ill-tempered and questions her mother’s authority over her. Due to Erinâs horrible parenting and boozing, Shelby becomes bitter and clings to any bad boy whoâll have her and take her away someday. She needs someone, anyone, to be that person whoâll truly love her. Itâs apparent Erin hasnât the capacity to love. Her love was gunned down along with Chris.
We continue to meet the supporting characters of the narrative as the backstory builds and moves into the discovery phase. The clueâs come and holes are filled. Whatâs penetrating about the script is that it has Erin on a mission to not only unpack a case that will lead her to the criminal who took her sanity but that will also bring her back to her life. As in many films of the genre, we donât see whatâs necessarily going on and there are a few moments where the audience will experience an epiphany or two.
See this. The cinematography must be experienced. Itâs unlike anything youâve seen all year. Julie Kirkwood captures the complexity of each characterâs drive, pain, guilt, anger, and lust so passionately that, though you may not like them, youâre mesmerized by them and cheer them on. âDestroyerâ is solid and is perfect entertainment for any weekend at the movies.
â22 Julyâ is shocking, stirring, itâs heart wrenching, unsettling and hard to wrap your mind around. Greengrass is best known for making several of the ‘Bourne’ films and âUnited 93â which was a real-time account of United Flight 93, the plane that was hijacked on 9/11, but crashed due to passengers willing to take drastic measures to stop the terrorists in their tracks. â22 Julyâ is, again, the story of a terroristâs actions as he carries out brutal killings only this time itâs a right-wing extremist named Anders Behring Breivik, played very coolly by Anders Danielsen Lie, in 2011 near Oslo Norway, who feels that he, as a white man, is being discriminated against.
He attacks what he refers to as a political summer camp which is located on an isolated island. He sees this camp as a place where the âMarxist, Liberals and members of the eliteâ send their children to learn to accept minorities.
Dressed as a police officer, he packs guns, plenty of ammo and explosives and leaves the house. He drives a van near the Prime Ministerâs office and parks. He gets out, lights a fuse, and slyly walks down the street where he easily slips into another vehicle and drives away, headed for the teenagers who await their fate like sitting ducks. He gets onto the island where the children are and starts, one by one, picking them off. They run but he knows there is absolutely nowhere for them to go. Heâll get them all eventually.
The explosion is well done, along with the confusion in its aftermath, but watching the children run screaming is brutal. Anders goes into a building where people are hiding and tells them, âYou will die today!â Itâs hard not to put yourself in that scenario once you start thinking of how often murder in the name of someoneâs beliefs goes on in this world.
One child, Viljar, gets a call off to his mother to tell her what has happened. Sheâs involved in politics and was near the explosion so sheâs able to alert the police about what her son informed her of and they head to the island immediately. An intense scene shows us that, sadly, Anders is still shooting and gravely injures Viljar. When heâs found by his parents, heâs only clinging to life. Greengrass does a beautiful job of making all the events seem as realistic as possible. What follows is how these people restore their lives in the wake of such a tragedy but on top of that, being very much alive, the gunman has ways to still twist the knife. He doesnât care about his victims, he tells his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, he would do it all again for the cause. He also tells Geir his demands or a third attack will be coming. He wants the liquidation of the political camp and a ban on immigration. This is where my interest was piqued even more. I knew of this story but it so parallels whatâs happening in my own country today which makes it more relevant than I thought it would be.
Itâs frightening to take a good hard look at certain activities in our world, but I rather like that films are bringing these subjects to light. Itâs important not to hide racism and pretend itâs not going on.
The rest of the film is court filings, Viljarâs struggle to come back from what happened to him and the Prime Minister realizing where he went wrong. All of this is notably well done. Itâs an explosive, captivating story of good versus evil with meaningful dialogue and pacing that doesn’t bore. Donât think for one minute you have to see it on the big screen to appreciate it. Netflix is doing more and more and with this proves theyâll continue to get better and better. But if you’re lucky enough to be in a city where it’s coming out… it would be good to experience it that way.
In case you were curious, the only reason â22 Julyâ didnât get a higher score is for the few times it felt as if it went a little long and one other mistake that writer/director Paul Greengrass made, which was crucial, and thatâs where we first find ourselves in the story. Coming in at two hours and twenty-three minutes, he captured us by getting straight to the meat of the matter. That said, to the viewers, it felt as if he had nowhere to go but down. Turns out that itâs quite enough to be considered a must-see, but had he stretched out the action a bit⌠had the action happened a little later in the film, instead initially introduced to us some of the characters, it wouldnât have become the long-lasting drama it felt it became. Then again, maybe this was done on purpose because what these Norwegians endured didnât end with Anders Behring Breivikâs massacre of seventy-seven people, not to mention the hundreds of others he injured. The slaughter was only the beginning.
*22 JULY will debut Wednesday, October 10th globally in select theaters and on Netflix.
âThe Old Man and the Gunâ is one of the most curious films of 2018, so far, thatâs for certain. Iâm not saying I disliked it but itâll take some maneuvering to describe just what it was I liked about it. Youâll see what I mean by that when you see it and I recommend that you do. The way the story is told is incredible. Itâs set in the 80âs just as the country was coming out of the 70âs with its long hair and darker colors but before florescent clothing and the mullet hairstyle hits. The country is open to change but isnât quite there yet. To structure the film properly, Director David Lowery used all the tools he could, such as a grainy, VHS quality look to the picture, its comfortably casual canter, itâs pitch and vernacular appropriate for the time and as I mentioned, the drab color scheme everywhere. He doesnât miss a thing. Whatâs particularly special is this⌠to make it feel even more real Lowery uses clips of Redford from films of his past. Very clever.
Lowery designs his films in such a way that you get deeply involved in the characters and take the utmost interest in their survival and success; no matter what it is their entangled in; good or bad. Honestly, I thought his film âA Ghost Storyâ was one of the best and most overlooked films of 2017. Like âA Ghost Story,â people may not appreciate âThe Old Man and the Gunâ or see the brilliance right away but given the talent involved, I do hope you overlook any criticisms and view it despite anything you hear. Itâs different but thereâs nothing wrong with different. In fact, itâs refreshing.
Redford plays Forrest Tucker who has spent most of his life in and out of trouble. Heâs been in prison and has escaped over fifteen times for which he has become famous. He even escaped from San Quentin. Did I mention this was based on a TRUE story?! So, we meet him, learn of his criminal activity and then move directly into discovering who he is on the inside. He meets Jewel (Spacek) and is smitten with her right off the bat. He tells her who he is and what he does, but she doesnât believe him. No one would be honest about a thing like that, right? Heâs an elderly, seemingly trustworthy fellow and is very kind so she warms to him as they sit in a cafĂŠ getting to know one another. This is whatâs so exceptional about Lowery âs technique. He makes us aware of the two-sided nature of Forrest that even Forrest isnât cognizant of. You, as does Jewel, immediately like his gentle personality.
As you watch, you see that one side of him just wants to do what itâs told it canât do. This is what he and his friends have been doing for years⌠robbing banks. Heâs the gangsâ guy who nonchalantly strolls in, tells the bank manager or the teller that heâll need their money and he exits with no fuss. He always keeps everyone calm, doesnât bring attention to himself by smiling, being polite, hurting no one and then he leaves.
He and the audience are aware that perhaps his age has brought him to a moment in time where heâs finally conflicted with this side of him. Maybe itâs time to stop running and settle down?
Detective John Hunt (Affleck) knows of Forrest after he and his son happen to be inside one of the banks he robs. He makes a personal commitment to himself to bring this thieving gang of old-timers to justice. The character of John Hunt isnât all that impactful at first but toward the end of the film, you realize how important he was in the grand scheme of things. As his search widens, he gets to know Forrest more and gets to respect the man he was and who heâs become.
I told you this would be a bit difficult to analyze for you but let me finish with this. Itâs short, itâs a fascinating mix between comedy and drama and the cast is spectacular. It opens this weekend. Go see it. I canât think of one reason for you not to.
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Academy Award-winning writer/director Barry Jenkinsâ first film since the Best Picture Oscar-winning Moonlight is If Beale Street Could Talk, his adaptation of James Baldwinâs novel â the first English-language feature film based on the work of the author, to whom the movie is dedicated.
Set in early-1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk is a timeless and moving love story of both a coupleâs unbreakable bond and the African-American familyâs empowering embrace, as told through the eyes of 19-year-old Tish Rivers (screen newcomer KiKi Layne). A daughter and wife-to-be, Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancĂŠ Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny (Stephan James). Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
Through the unique intimacy and power of cinema, If Beale Street Could Talk honors the authorâs prescient words and imagery, charting the emotional currents navigated in an unforgiving and racially biased world as the filmmaker poetically crosses time frames to show how love and humanity endure.
Director:Â Barry Jenkins
Writer:Â Barry Jenkins
Producers:Â Megan Ellison, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner
Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Beach, Ed Skrein, Diego Luna, Dave Franco, Pedro Pascal
#BealeStreet
Official Site:Â BealeStreet.movie
Facebook:Â /BealeStreet
Instagram:Â @BealeStreet
Twitter:Â @BealeStreet
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Thereâs a nursery rhyme, for lack of a better term, that you probably heard while you were growing up that goes as follows, âLizzie Borden took an ax and gave her mother forty whacks; When she saw what she had done she gave her father forty-one.â This was based on Lizzie Borden and the murder of her parents and the movie does a great job of getting down to âIFâ Lizzie was guilty, why did she do it? The very thought of it is horrible and you immediately think her a monster but was she guilty? If she were, was she pushed too far? Was she in her right mind? At trial, a jury of all men deliberated for ninety minutes and returned a not guilty verdict because they, ârefused to believe a woman of her social standing could commit such a heinous crime.â
During the film, we learn that Lizzieâs (Sevigny) father, Andrew (Sheridan) and his icy cold second wife Abby (Shaw) are very wealthy. Andrew requires an undeserved amount of respect from everyone, from those he employs to work around the house and from his daughters and their stepmother. All are to do as he says and to submit. He takes advantage of those in his charge and when the movie picks up, in the year 1892, we learn that everyone does do as theyâre told⌠everyone except for Lizzie. Sheâs very strong willed and refuses to be ruled over. Lizzie has seizures, something he sees as an embarrassment to his name. He doesnât even want her going to the theatre in case she has a âspellâ that others may see.
Lizzie is very kind to animals and staff, paying particular notice to the new maid, Bridget (Stewart) who starts teaching to read. The film then leads to Lizzie and Bridget having a lesbian affair. This is handled quite beautifully with one woman offering love to someone who had never been allowed to experience it before. Before this, we see Andrew at his worst after he discovers that Lizzie had pawned some of her motherâs jewelry. He does something appalling and Lizzie lets him know that sheâll not be victimized by his fear tactics. Soon after she finds out that her father is changing his will. This is when itâs suggested that a plan has already been in place for her to murder her father for his misdeeds and his mistreatment of her, her sister and of Bridget.
The blows to the head come next, which are no surprise, of course, but itâs gripping to find out how it actually happens and what happens directly after. Since all we ever really knew of were the whacks themselves, if it were Lizzie, we, at this point, could certainly find a reason to empathize. Even though they were beyond brutal to sit through and watch. So brutal it hardly leaves room for doubt who would have delivered to these people such savagery but someone who was greatly pained by them. The filmâs pacing can be slow at times but the sets, the acting and the history of it all are fascinating. Stewart and Sevigny are fantastic, and I have to strongly suggest you see this for the performances if nothing else.
In Phoenix, itâs playing at the following theatres:
