‘Live by Night’ is a joke, right?

Posted on January 13, 2017 by reelentropy

Images courtesy Warner Bros., because when they saw all the scorn the Batfleck casting announcement received, executives’ first thought was that this is a popular filmmaker and they needed to get in on the ground for his future projects. Oh Warner Bros., never change.

After three weeks in a four-theater limited release intended to generate excitement but only achieving a tepid indifference, it’s finally going wide! Ben Affleck’s latest vanity picture, Oscar… maybe a pity nomination? Live by Night!

Here’s the thing about the plot of this movie — there isn’t one. It documents several years in the life of Irish World War I veteran-turned mobster Joe Coughlin (Affleck, who also produces, writes, directs and shows the whole world what he thinks passes as an Irish accent). There’s no clear reason for Live by Night to begin or end where it does and no overarching conflict to tie the various parts of his life together. There’s no chain of cause and effect. Things just kind of happen, and they mostly have nothing to do with each other.

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‘Hidden Figures’ is an inspirational treat

Posted on January 10, 2017 by reelentropy

Photos courtesy 20th Century Fox.

Steven James
@StevenLeeJames

Hidden Figures is a biopic that actually honors the true story it’s based on.

The Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 has launched, and NASA is struggling to keep up. NASA research mathematician Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) is promoted to reviewing the trajectory and navigation calculations for Project Mercury, the goal of which was to launch the first human into space. She is disrespected because of her race and gender. Her friends, Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), two other brilliant black women working at NASA, are looking to become the organization’s first black supervisor and first black female engineer, respectively. They jump over hurdles the height of rocket ships to accomplish these goals.

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The Möbius strip- ‘Hidden Figures’ edges out ‘Rogue One,’ Golden Globes a political fiasco

Posted on January 10, 2017 by reelentropy

Image courtesy 20th Century Fox.

In a photo finish, new release Hidden Figures has barely edged out Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for no. 1 by less than $1 million, despite playing in 1,500 fewer theaters. The movie was projected to lose by about $200,000, but outperformed expectations on Sunday. Fellow new release Underworld: Blood Wars opened at no. 4 with $11.3 million. Expanding outside awards favorite A Monster Calls generated little-to-no interest from filmgoers and finished outside the top 10 with just $2 million- Box Office Mojo

More on how the real-life space story outperformed the popular fantasy one- Indiewire

2016 movies will end up bringing in a record-breaking $11.4 billion when everything is counted up, despite several of the most reliable blockbuster franchises sitting the year out- Variety

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Ingenious visuals, catastrophic emotions weave through ‘A Monster Calls’

Posted on January 6, 2017 by reelentropy

Images courtesy Focus Features.

With inventive animation sequences and thoughtful shots in support of a potent story, A Monster Calls is what moviemaking is all about.

The film opens with young Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) having a nightmare, and it’s easy to see why he’s losing sleep. His mother (Felicity Jones) is dying of cancer, and he can’t escape his creepy school bully, Harry (James Melville). Further, he must suffer through his tense relationships with his up-tight grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and absentee father (Toby Kebbell), who are drawn out to deal with his mother’s deteriorating condition. One night, he animates the centuries-old yew tree he can see from his bedroom window into a monster (Liam Neeson). The monster tells O’Malley that he will return every night and tell three stories, and on the fourth night, O’Malley must tell him his nightmare.

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‘Moonlight’ unexpected and strange, make time to see it

Posted on January 5, 2017 by reelentropy

Images courtesy A24.

Steven James
@StevenLeeJames

I had different things going through my head during Moonlight, ranging from sadness to sympathy to “What the fuck?” I’m guessing the filmmakers wanted me to feel that way, but if you go in without knowing anything about the plot, you will probably have a similar experience.

Moonlight is about Chiron (pronounced “Shyrone”), a disturbed and sexually confused young man who tries to find his identity in an environment full of people who hate him for existing. Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert as a child, Ashton Sanders as a teen and Trevante Rhodes as an adult) suppresses everything about himself he dislikes for fear of increased chastisement. The film takes place during three stages of Chiron’s life, named “Little,” “Chiron” and “Black,” respectively. At the beginning of the movie, Chiron is a small, sad child who has trouble opening up with people. The problem worsens as he ages. His mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), is a drug addict, he is constantly bullied at school and he discovers he is gay.

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