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Michael Shannon Caps A Busy Year With Frank & Lola


Michael Shannon

Easily the busiest actor of the year, Michael Shannon has had 10 films in cinemas and festivals in 2016. The latest to arrive in American multiplexes is Frank & Lola, a romantic mystery set in Las Vegas, in which he plays a man who uncovers some uncomfortable secrets about his girlfriend (Imogen Poots).

Michael ShannonMichael Shannon talks 'Frank & Lola'

Shannon has made a career out of unexpected choices, switching between big blockbusters like Man of Steel and smaller independent dramas like this year's Midnight Special and Loving, both from his writer-director friend Jeff Nichols. "I'm not primarily profit-driven, necessarily," he laughs. And he finds it amusing that the films are never released in the same order that they're made. "If you look at something like Midnight Special, I made that quite awhile ago, and Warner Bros for some mysterious reason kept it in a closet for a year. With Frank & Lola, there is a Vegas part and a Paris part. And the Vegas part was like three and a half weeks and then we went to Paris for a week. But Elvis & Nixon was also coming together, so what we did was we went to Vegas shot the meat of the Frank & Lola story, did Elvis & Nixon in its entirety, and then did the Paris portion of Frank & Lola afterward! You get to the point where you're so tired and things just get sketchy."

Continue reading: Michael Shannon Caps A Busy Year With Frank & Lola

Nocturnal Animals Trailer


For a short time, Edward and Susan had a happy marriage, they lived in a nice neighbourhood, Susan had a good career and Edward was not far from taking the bar. Susan lives a fast-paced life and as such barely sleeps and Edward would somewhat affectionately tell her that she's a 'nocturnal animal'.

25 years later, Susan has remarried a serial philanderer and her life is far from happy. Unexpectedly a manuscript arrives at her door titled 'Nocturnal Animals' and with the dedication to 'Susan'. She pushes the pages aside and decides to leave them but eventually she can't help but start to read the book that she inspired Edward to write.

The story that unfolds is an incredibly dark tale of murder and revenge and Susan is shocked and traumatised that she would play such a pivotal role in the creation of such a dark piece of work. Susan's interpretation and retelling of the story soon impacts on her life and is unsure how Edward's return into her life will turn out.

Continue: Nocturnal Animals Trailer

Midnight Special Review

Excellent

Gifted director Jeff Nichols takes on another genre in his fourth film with actor Michael Shannon, after Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter and Mud. This one's an involving character-based sci-fi adventure made in the style of classic films like E.T. or Close Encounters. As the characters are thrown into an extraordinary situation, the story gradually reveals its fantastical secrets without resorting to the usual overblown blockbuster formula, which makes the movie remarkably resonant and genuinely thrilling.

Shannon plays Roy, a man who is on the run across Texas with his 8-year-old son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) and his childhood friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton), who's now a state trooper. And the FBI is on their trail, investigating the religious cult they escaped from. Led by the defiant Calvin (Sam Shepard), the cult seems to have been centred around the unusual ability Alton has to gather information from government satellites. Which is why the FBI is so intent on tracking him down. Working with the FBI, NSA Agent Sevier (Adam Driver) is fascinated by Alton's abilities, and he begins to worry what might happen if the boy is captured. Meanwhile, Roy and Lucas have reunited with Alton's mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) and are continuing their journey across the American South. And time is clearly of the essence, since Alton is growing seriously ill.

Writer-director Nichols skilfully keeps the audience gripped by the central mystery, dropping in hints and revelations along the way that slowly build up to the final big picture. This forces the viewer into the same perspective as the characters, who don't have a clue what's going on but are gripped by the possibilities of what they're witnessing. This also makes it impossible to predict where the story might go next as it cycles through action, humour, emotion and exhilarating drama. Through all of this, the actors all offer beautiful textures in their characters, underplaying even the most intense scenes to make them feel strikingly realistic.

Continue reading: Midnight Special Review

16 Times Actors Excelled As Onscreen Musical Legends


Zoe Saldana Michael Shannon Brian Wilson Chadwick Boseman Joaquin Phoenix

We love a good biopic about a musical legend and with a new movie about Nina Simone coming soon starring Zoe Saldana, let's reflect on some of the best incarnations of famous musicians. Of course, not all of them were thoroughly well-received by their subjects' family members or even the subjects themselves, but others are still mind-bogglingly accurate.

Not all of these movies were released theatrically, and some feature more than actor in a musical role, but these are a few of the most gripping musical biopics that have ever hit our screens:

O'Shea Jackson Jr. in Straight Outta ComptonO'Shea Jackson Jr. played his father Ice Cuba in Straight Outta Compton

Continue reading: 16 Times Actors Excelled As Onscreen Musical Legends

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Review

Good

After 2013's beefy Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder goes even bigger and darker with this sequel, cross-pollenating Clark Kent's story with flashbacks to the origins of Bruce Wayne and his Dark Knight alter-ego. The problem is that the film is so big and loud that it can't help but feel bloated, especially since so much of what's on screen feels rather vacuous. But it looks amazing and is relentlessly gripping.

After a Bat-origin prologue, the story kicks off with the climactic battle from Man of Steel as seen from the perspective of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), watching his city being destroyed by Superman (Henry Cavill). This further fuels the rage that began when his parents were murdered. And that fire is stoked by the mischievous millionaire Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Meanwhile, Superman/Clark is struggling with how the world is revering him as a god, which is straining his relationship with intrepid reporter Lois (Amy Adams). As these very different vigilante heros head toward a climactic confrontation, Luthor is up to something seriously nefarious. And the ensuing chaos brings another hero into the open, Wonder Woman Diana Prince (Gal Gadot).

While the various plot threads are fascinating, and Snyder maintains a snappy pace, the overall story centres on the fact that Affleck's prickly, bitter Bruce is easily manipulated into doing terrible things, which makes him rather unlikeable. And Cavill's fundamentally good Clark isn't much easier to identify with. Both are also oddly constrained by their costumes and bulked-up physicalities, which leave them unable to move properly. This allows the side characters to steal the show: Adams adds emotion and passion, Eisenberg provides the nutty nastiness, Irons is hilariously cynical as Bruce's butler Alfred, and Fishburne is all bluster as Lois' editor. But in the end, the film belongs to the gorgeous, clear-headed Gadot, instantly making her stand-alone movie the most anticipated superhero project on the horizon.

Continue reading: Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Review

Michael Shannon Was Moved By Midnight Special


Michael Shannon

Midnight Special is the fifth movie he has made with filmmaker Jeff Nichols. Having appeared in all of Nichols' movies, Shannon feels like he's a brother. "We have a kind of rapport that just materialises out of thin air," Shannon says. "We can go a long time without seeing each other or talking to each other, and then we meet and it's like we just saw each other yesterday."

Midnight Special stars Michael Shannon and Jaeden Lieberher

He credits this to their similar backgrounds. "We both come from the same region of the U.S.," Shannon adds. "And I think we have a lot of common interests and influences. We also both share an aesthetic in terms of storytelling. I've always appreciated Jeff's economy and directness in his writing. I've always found it challenging to work on."

Continue reading: Michael Shannon Was Moved By Midnight Special

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Trailer


Every superhero has a dark side and being 100% human, Batman is in doubt over how genuine Superman actually is. After all, Superman is from a different planet and has incredibly natural powers; powers that could easily destroy our world.

As Lex Luther manipulates Batman and Superman into a deeper and deeper war, the duo find that they are pitted against a force that's much more of a present threat than either of the heroes. They are joined by a number of other heroes (including Wonder Woman and The Flash) on a quest to save earth from immediate danger.

Warner Bros. Pictures releases Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice in cinemas 25 March 2016.

Elvis & Nixon Trailer


Who would've thought that Elvis and Richard Nixon would become allies? When Elvis sporadically showed up at The White House, it was completely unexpected. He was the biggest pop star in the world and there he was, at the gates of The White House unannounced.

Under the advice of one of his top aides, Nixon is a talked into meeting with The King Of Pop. Nixon needed a boost in popularity and for him to be seen as becoming friends with America's most loved star would be a perfect photo op for The President.

Elvis is accepted and taken into the building; him and his security sidekicks are searched and relieved of their firearms. Whilst speaking with Egil Krogh, Elvis is run through a few of the certain White House protocols that one must follow on meeting the president, protocols Elvis is quick to cast aside. The reason behind this meeting was kept entirely secret, but now we'll learn about Elvis' aspirations to take on a new mission unlike anything he's ever done before.

Continue: Elvis & Nixon Trailer

Man Of Steel - International Trailer


The world is facing the biggest global threat that it has ever come across as the Kryptonian villains General Zod and his assistant Faora attack with vengeance in their hearts searching to destroy a lost member of their race. Clark Kent is a journalist for the Daily Planet, adopted as a baby by a loving Kansas family and, though he has always been aware of his extraordinary powers of strength, speed, flight and not to mention intelligence, he has rarely sought to use them preferring to make an attempt to fit in with the rest of human civilisation. However, when his existence threatens the destruction of mankind, he finds he must embrace his true identity and use it to defend the world that has become his home.

Continue: Man Of Steel - International Trailer

Man Of Steel - TV Spot


Clark Kent was born on the planet Krypton to two loving parents in the midst of its impending destruction. In a bid to save his life, his parents blast him safely to Earth where he is adopted by a Kansas couple named Martha and Jonathan Kent who raise him as their own son. As he grows older, however, he becomes an outcast having developed extraordinary superpowers that allow him to accomplish great feats of strength. He attempts to conceal his abilities to fit in as a budding journalist for the Daily Planet, but when a threat of galactic proportions threatens to destroy the Earth, he is forced to venture on a path of heroism and become the planet's saviour.

Continue: Man Of Steel - TV Spot

Mud Review


Very Good

Writer-director Nichols continues to get inside the heads of his characters with this involving but overlong dramatic thriller. Like his previous film Take Shelter, this is another fable-like movie, this time harking back to Huck Finn with a boys' adventure story set on the waterways of rural Arkansas. It's impeccably shot and edited, with terrific performances even from side characters. But at over two hours, the long running-time tries our patience.

Our hero is Ellis (Sheridan), a shy but steely 14-year-old who dreams of one day escaping his backwoods community. For entertainment, he explores the rivers with his pal Neckbone (Lofland), and when they hear rumours of a boat stranded in a tree, they have to investigate. Sure enough, there it is, then inside it they discover the fugitive Mud (McConaughey). Even though he's wanted for murder, they decide to help free the boat so he can escape with his battered girlfriend Juniper (Witherspoon), who's hiding in a local motel. But Ellis and Neckbone need some help with this elaborate plan, so they turn to the scary old man (Shepard) who lives across the river.

Cinematographer Adam Stone beautifully captures both the evocative settings and the expressive faces of the actors, who all bring an introspective touch to their characters. Sheridan and Lofland are excellent in the lead roles, which are pretty demanding as these two teens have to grow up quickly. And McConaughey and Witherspoon dive fully into their much flashier roles, constantly surprising us with sparky details that take these people in unexpected directions. There's also a telling smaller role for Nichols' regular Shannon as Neckbone's haunted, sidelined guardian.

Continue reading: Mud Review

Mud - Clips


Ellis and Neckbone are two young boys from Mississippi who spend their time exploring the wilderness and river near their home. When they discover a sizeable motor boat stuck in a tree after a flood, they think they've hit the jackpot of all discoveries and claim it as their own. However, they soon notice that food has been left there, leading them to believe that someone has been sleeping there. Unnerved, they leave to find their boat and venture home, only to come across a new neighbour on the isolated island, Mud. Mud is hiding from some bounty hunters who want to arrest him for killing a man in Texas who attempted to steal his girlfriend Juniper. Initially, wary of him, the boys soon warm to him and agree to bring him food if he helps them mend their motor boat before Juniper arrives to meet him. However, things aren't as easy as they seem when the boys start becoming suspicious of Mud and Juniper has problems of her own.

Continue: Mud - Clips

Mud Trailer


Ellis and Neckbone are two fourteen year old boys from Mississippi who, after crossing a river in a small boat on one of their regular explorations, discover a larger motor boat stuck in a tree on an island after a previous flood. They claim the boat as their own but soon begin to discover that someone has been sleeping there and they come across Mud. Mud is a man who has been hiding from a group of bounty hunters who have been hired by the family of a man he murdered in Texas for attempting to steal his beautiful girlfriend Juniper. The boys are sympathetic and captivated by him and agree to help him mend the boat while he makes plans to meet Juniper, who is hiding out in a motel, and run away with her. Things don't go as smoothly as planned and deceptions and suspicion causes tensions to rise between Mud, Juniper and the boys. 

'Mud' is an emotional journey tackling issues about right and wrong and good guys and bad guys. It has been directed and written by Jeff Nichols ('Take Shelter', 'Shotgun Stories') and received a last minute nomination for the Palme d'Or award on its showing at the Cannes Film Festival. It is set to hit cinemas on April 17th 2013.

Director: Jeff Nichols

Continue: Mud Trailer

Trailer: Impressive Cast For Hitman Adaptation 'The Iceman' (Video)


James Franco Michael Shannon Ray Liotta Winona Ryder

With an impressive cast, including James Franco, Michael Shannon, Ray Liotta and Winona Ryder, The Iceman is a movie adaptation of the true story of the hitman Richard Kuklinski. Between 1964 and 1986, Kuklinski killed 100 people, whilst working as a hitman and simultaneously upholding a life as a perfect family man.

Not only does The Iceman look to be an impressive return to form for Winona Ryder, whose output has been scant of late (she plays Kuklinski’s wife), but the rest of the cast appear to be on top form, too, with Ariel Vromen in the director’s seat to guide them through the action and high drama. Reviews for the movie are positive, so far, with The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney writing “The redoubtable Michael Shannon leads a superb cast in Ariel Vromen's compelling portrait of New Jersey career criminal Richard Kuklinski.”

Shannon’s performance seems to be one of the highlights of the movie, with Robbie Collins of The Daily Telegraph commenting “Michael Shannon embodies Kuklinski down to the bone: there are shades of Paul Muni's Scarface in his lighter moments, although for most of the film he looks as if his face might have been hewn from granite.” The Iceman is released on May 3, US and June 7, UK. 

Continue reading: Trailer: Impressive Cast For Hitman Adaptation 'The Iceman' (Video)

The Iceman Trailer


Richard Kuklinski is a contract killer who has murdered over 100 men for a variety of criminals. He's very good at his job and rarely leaves any traces behind, though his ethics extend at least to a refusal to kill a woman or a child - even if they are key witnesses to a terrible crime. Whilst earning enough as a hitman to live a more than comfortable life, he is a family man with daughters and a beautiful wife who he truly dotes upon. They have no idea about his questionable career and he intends to keep it that way, but with constant reminders that he's not the loving family man he tries so hard to be and ever more dubious jobs being put upon him, he is set to lose everything .

'The Iceman' is the true story of the real Richard Kuklinski who was arrested in 1986 after his prolific work as a hitman for several major crime rings. It has been adapted by Ariel Vromen ('Danika', 'Simple Lies'), who co-wrote the screenplay with Morgan Land ('Simple Lies'), with the story being taken from Anthony Bruno's book 'The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer' and the Jim Thebaut documentary 'The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer'. It is set to hit cinemas on June 7th 2013.

Director: Ariel Vromen

Continue: The Iceman Trailer

A Week In Movies Feat: Tarantino's Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey And Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher All Premier


Quentin Tarantino Leonardo Dicaprio Jamie Foxx Samuel L Jackson Don Johnson Christoph Waltz Uma Thurman Martin Freeman Cate Blanchett Ian McKellen Tom Cruise Robert Duvall Rosamund Pike Armie Hammer Johnny Depp Henry Cavill Zack Snyder Amy Adams Michael Shannon Kevin Costner

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained

In New York, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson and a bald-shaven Christoph Waltz attended the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, joking with the photographers as they posed for them. And Tarantino even turned up with his Kill Bill star Uma Thurman on his arm.

Meanwhile in London, the first part in Peter Jackson's new trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, had its royal film performance this week with much of the cast in attendance, including Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen, who watched the film alongside Prince William. The film is in cinemas now, with the following chapters scheduled for next Christmas and the summer of 2014.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies Feat: Tarantino's Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey And Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher All Premier

Man Of Steel Trailer


Clark Kent is a young reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper. He was adopted when he was a child after planetary disaster caused him to be sent down to Earth when his home planet Krypton was destroyed. His adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, brought him up in the rural town of Smallville in Kansas. Throughout his life, his super-abilities isolated him from the rest of the population; he had to make a choice about what kind of man he wanted to become equipped with these powers. Naturally, he transforms himself into the Superman, a new found alter-ego, and uses his astonishing faculties to defend the planet when it comes under attack from an evil force that could prove to be a match for his abilities.

'Man of Steel' is the epic DC comic book movie rebooting the original 'Superman' film series from the 80s. It was directed by the award-winning Zack Snyder ('300', 'Watchmen', 'Sucker Punch') and produced by his wife Deborah Snyder (who co-produced many of his movies) alongside 'The Dark Knight' trilogy producers Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Charles Roven. Based upon characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in DC Comics and written by David S. Goyer, 'Man of Steel' was filmed mainly in Plano, Illinois with Chicago and Vancouver as backdrops. It is set for UK release on June 14th 2013. 

 

Continue: Man Of Steel Trailer

Paul Rudd And Ed Asner Find 'Grace' On Stage


Paul Rudd Ed Asner Michael Shannon

Paul Rudd isn't often associated with words such as 'Grace' or, for that matter, 'tact', with roles in great contemporary-classic comedies such as 'Anchorman', 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall', or in the flop 'Dinner For Schmucks', but it seems that Broadway's 'Grace', in which he's currently starring, is exactly what Rudd needed bring attention to his own grace. Plus, his pairing with Ed Asner (Disney Pixar's 'Up') in this brand new American four person stage-play, that also stars Michael Shannon ('Boardwalk Empire', 'Revolutionary Road') and Kate Arrington (Broadway veteran), certainly seems like a match made in heaven.

'Grace' has been described on Playbill.com: "In alternating scenes of hilarity and poignancy, life turns surreal for an eclectic foursome whose destinies collide in the Sunshine State... A wide-eyed young couple (Rudd & Arrington) head south with big plans to open a chain of Gospel-themed motels. When an agitated rocket scientist (Shannon) and a prickly pest-control man (Asner) enter the picture, the couple's ordered world is thrown into utter chaos."

In response as to whether this 'utter chaos' finds any kind of aesthetic stage value one tweeter said of 'Grace': "It's brilliant. It made me laugh, cry and contemplate grace. Ed Asner is a national treasure." To celebrate the play and its themes, a whole host of special events have been organised around it, included a series of three 'talkback' evenings. October 10th, 17th and 24th will see a variety of speakers from critics, members of the cast as well as members of the clergy meet to discuss themes of the play, focussing particularly on the aspects of faith that it probes.

Continue reading: Paul Rudd And Ed Asner Find 'Grace' On Stage

Premium Rush Review


Good
Director-cowriter Koepp fills this film with so many whizzy visual flourishes that we might not notice that the plot itself is utterly ridiculous. But as we laugh at every inane twist and turn, the energy is infections as the camera seems to fly right through busy New York City traffic as if we're riding the bicycle right along with the characters, seeing every potential danger spot from their perspective. And it's an adrenaline-pumping ride.

Our hero is Wilee (Gordon-Levitt), who gave up his law studies to become a daredevil courier who believes brakes are for sissies. So it doesn't seem too much to accept a job to carry an envelope for a friend (Chung) from one end of Manhattan to the other. But he's immediately accosted by frazzled cop Bobby (Shannon), who so desperately wants to get his hands on that envelope that we think his buggy eyes might explode. But Wilee is a clever biker determined to do his job, and as the cat-and-mouse chase travels down through the city, drawing in a tenacious bicycle cop (Tveit) and some nasty gangsters, Wilee gets help from his colleagues (Ramirez and Parks).

Continue reading: Premium Rush Review

Man Of Steel Trailer


Clark Kent is a young reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper. He was adopted when he was a child after planetary disaster caused him to be sent down to Earth when his home planet Krypton was destroyed. His adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, brought him up in the rural town of Smallville in Kansas. Throughout his life, his super-abilities isolated him from the rest of the population; he had to make a choice about what kind of man he wanted to become equipped with these powers. Naturally, he transforms himself into the Superman, a new found alter-ego, and uses his astonishing faculties to defend the planet when it comes under attack from an evil force that could prove to be a match for his abilities.

Continue: Man Of Steel Trailer

Return Review


Good
An edgy sense of realism makes this back-from-war drama surprisingly engaging, even though it's never as original as we hope it will be. But solid, naturalistic performances and an urgent, intimate approach make it worth a look.

After a tour of duty, Kelli (Cardellini) is home with her husband Mike (Shannon) and their two young daughters. She dives right back into her factory job, but something doesn't feel right. After a couple of setbacks, she discovers that Mike has been having an affair with Cara Lee (Swencionis). And when she has her driving licence taken away and is court-ordered to rehab, Kelli's rebellious streak kicks in. It's there that she meets Bud (Slattery), a jaded fellow war veteran who refuses to play by the rules.

Continue reading: Return Review

Return Trailer


Kelli is a soldier who spent fifteen months on a military tour in Afghanistan. She is eager to return to normal life in Ohio and to reunite with her husband and their children. She initially greets them with joy and returns to her previous job at the factory, happy to be settling back into a normal routine.

Continue: Return Trailer

Machine Gun Preacher Review


Good
This remarkable true story resists being forced into a standard movie structure, which makes the film feel overlong as events seem to go in circles.

But the worthy story is packed with scenes that are suspenseful and inspiring.

Sam Childers (Butler) is at the end of his rope: just out of prison, still caught up in a wasted criminal life with pal Donnie (Shannon), and neglecting his wife Lynn (Monaghan) and their daughter Paige (Campos, then Carroll). Then at rock-bottom, Lynn's faith gets through to him, and he changes his life.

Continue reading: Machine Gun Preacher Review

13 Trailer


Vince Ferro is badly in need of money to support his family. His only source of income comes from working low paying construction jobs. One day, Vince overhears a conversation about a recently deceased man, who was about to start a well paid job around the time of his accident. The company the man was about to start working for have apparently not heard the tragic news.

Continue: 13 Trailer

Premium Rush Trailer


Wilee is one of New York's best agile bicycle messengers, due in part to his skill at riding the 'fixie' - bikes with just one gear and no brakes. Every day he braves the famous New York traffic, weaving in and out of taxis and dodging traffic lights, so he can deliver packages on time, or as fast as he possibly can, if it is labelled 'premium rush'.

Continue: Premium Rush Trailer

Machine Gun Preacher Trailer


Sam Childers is a drug dealing biker whose main method of getting what he wants is violence. His life mirrors that of a 'Hells Angels' member and he admits that he isn't proud of his actions, even breaking down in front of his Christian wife, Lynn. In response to his cries for help, Lynn takes Sam to church, where he suddenly feels uplifted again. His preacher tells him about families in Sudan that need urgent care and Sam volunteers to travel there.

Continue: Machine Gun Preacher Trailer

The Runaways Review


Very Good
A fascinating exploration of the effects of fame on young people, this true story is sharply directed and acted. It's also great to see a film about girl power that's this realistic and resonant. And packed with such great songs.

At only 15, Cherie Currie (Fanning) is overwhelmed when Joan Jett (Stewart) asks her to front her band The Runaways. With the encouragement of music promoter Kim Fowley (Shannon), Cherie becomes an iconic presence on stage and off, propelling the group into previously uncharted territory as female rockers. And while Joan and the other bandmates (Maeve, Taylor-Compton and Shawkat) take the lifestyle in their stride, Cherie is continually drawn back to her big sister (Keough) and absent parents (O'Neal and Cullen).

Continue reading: The Runaways Review

Bug (2007) Review


Terrible
On my way out of William Friedkin's latest Bug, I overheard a gentleman in the lobby say to his companion that he hopes everyone involved in the picture fires their agents. The movie could mean at least a long stint in the doghouse for its two leads, Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. It's regrettable, because the actors are clearly giving all they've got and then some to a project that, ultimately, amounts to a staggering miscalculation. As for Friedkin, I'm guessing he'll stay put for a few years before returning with another questionable clunker.

Working from Tracy Letts' adaptation of his own play, Friedkin gives us a five-character chamber piece, set in a downtrodden motel room out in the sticks. Bi-curious basket case Agnes (Judd) works as a waitress in a redneck bar by night, and shacks up in a motel room, in a pot-, coke-, and booze-induced stupor by day. It's her meager defense against the onslaught of just-paroled ex-husband Jerry (a beefed-up and amusing Harry Connick Jr.), who drops by to inflict verbal and physical abuse, not to mention dredging up memories of her long-lost son. The woman's only respite is her girlfriend, R.C. (Lynn Collins), a fellow waitress who's a tad too freewheeling for the reserved Agnes. Twitched-out and fragile, she meets her perfect match in the taciturn Peter (Shannon), a war veteran who harbors traumas of his own. Soon after they hook up, Peter becomes increasingly convinced that his body's been colonized by bugs -- bugs laying eggs and traveling up and down his bloodstream. Peter claims to be an escapee from a government medical lab where he was the subject of nefarious tests. He suspects the bugs were bio-engineered by the government to be tools for mind control. Before you know it, Bug has become a full-blown freak show, fueled by military-industrial conspiracies, and styled after Macbeth as the paranoid Peter and the needy Agnes become obsessive partners in mutual destruction.

Continue reading: Bug (2007) Review

Pearl Harbor Review


OK
There's a point in Pearl Harbor when Cuba Gooding Jr. leaps into a battleship's gun turret and starts shooting down Japanese planes while hell rages around him. It's a dramatic moment... until you realize that it's that "Show me the money!" guy from Jerry Maguire, shooting CGI bullets at a CGI plane... and you are reminded once again just how phony everything you've seen in Pearl Harbor has been.

Ironically, this incident, where ship's cook Dorie Miller took charge and shot back during America's worst hour on December 7, 1941, is just about the only true event to be found in the entire, oppressive three-hour film. (And our producers are quick to remind us of just how ripped-from-history this little vignette is. Never mind that Gooding has a pitiful excuse for a role with maybe five minutes of screen time.)

Continue reading: Pearl Harbor Review

Tigerland Review


Very Good
As it turns out, war can be hell even if you never leave home.

Joel Schumacher, director of some of the worst films in a generation (8MM, Batman & Robin, Batman Forever), redeems himself with his first really good flick since Falling Down in 1993. A tale of army recruits in their final days of training before heading to Vietnam in 1971, Tigerland is an original and modestly powerful anti-war film that never even goes "in country."

Continue reading: Tigerland Review

Michael Shannon

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Michael Shannon Movies

12 Strong Trailer

12 Strong Trailer

On September 11th 2001, the America was hit by one of the worst tragedies imaginable;...

The Shape Of The Water Trailer

The Shape Of The Water Trailer

It's 1963 and Elisa (Sally Hawkins) has spent her life trying to be as normal...

Loving Movie Review

Loving Movie Review

While this film tackles a huge issue in the history of race relations in America,...

Nocturnal Animals Movie Review

Nocturnal Animals Movie Review

It's been seven years since designer Tom Ford made a splash with his award-winning writing-directing...

Nocturnal Animals Trailer

Nocturnal Animals Trailer

For a short time, Edward and Susan had a happy marriage, they lived in a...

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Elvis & Nixon Movie Review

Elvis & Nixon Movie Review

This movie is based on a real meeting between Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon in...

Midnight Special Movie Review

Midnight Special Movie Review

Gifted director Jeff Nichols takes on another genre in his fourth film with actor Michael...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Movie Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Movie Review

After 2013's beefy Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder goes even bigger and darker with...

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Trailer

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Trailer

Every superhero has a dark side and being 100% human, Batman is in doubt over...

Elvis & Nixon Trailer

Elvis & Nixon Trailer

Who would've thought that Elvis and Richard Nixon would become allies? When Elvis sporadically showed...

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The Night Before Movie Review

The Night Before Movie Review

This blending of the stoner bromance with the Christmas comedy works surprisingly well, layering gross-out...

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice - Official Trailer

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice - Official Trailer

What happens when two superheroes with vastly differing opinions come head to head? Well, not...

Midnight Special Trailer

Midnight Special Trailer

Alton is a very special young boy who has been given a unique gift. When...

The Night Before Trailer

The Night Before Trailer

Ever since Chris, Ethan and Isaac were young, the trio of friends have always spent...

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