Knives Out (2019)

Who killed Christopher Plummer? Rian Johnson writes and directs this twisty whodunnit where solving the murder is only half the story, and like all great detective fiction, there are layers to the mystery which keep you guessing. Daniel Craig (donning a thick Southern drawl) heads the investigation as famed detective Beniot Blanc, the Poirot of the South. It's an enormously entertaining ride, filled with twists and turns, humor and heart, and a deeply tangled web, featuring an all-star cast all on their A-game. Satisfying from top to bottom.

4 donut holes out of 5

Nuremberg (2025)

"The only clue to what man can do is what man has done."

Following the end of World War II, Nazi war criminals are brought to justice. An American shrink (Rami Malek) is tasked with determining whether Hermann Göring (Hitler's right-hand man, played by Russell Crowe) is fit to stand trial. It's a very depressing story based on a very dark time in human history that the movies love to relitigate over and over again. Do we really need the constant reminder that we keep going back and repeating past mistakes?

3 magic tricks out of 5

The End (2024)

It seems like at the end of every year, there is a prestige movie concerning the end of the world, whether it's Don't Look Up, White Noise, or Leave the World Behind. The End is a musical about a wealthy family who has survived for two decades in a lavish underground bunker, where they spend their days running emergency preparedness drills, writing memoirs, admiring art and baking cakes, when one day they find another survivor has breached their walls. Michael Shannon sings (!) while Tilda Swinton wears another terrible wig to distinguish it from her other quirky roles. Musicals have an otherworldly quality where you have to suspend your disbelief, so it fits the strangeness of the material well, even though I was already tiring of it long before its excessive two-and-a-half hour mark. There are lots of interesting places this film could have gone, but somehow it manages to sidestep most of them. It just feels like another tremendous waste of potential and it's such a shame. 

2 inopportune farts out of 5

The Bikeriders (2023)

Based on the photograph book of the same name, Jeff Nichols's film loosely chronicles the exploits of a midwestern motorcycle club in the 1960s called The Vandals. The story is told via interviews by Kathy (Jodie Comer), who recalls her rowdy romance with Benny (Austin Butler) and describes the gang's violent history throughout the years. As more chapters grow across the country, the more unruly it gets, until enigmatic leader Johnny (Tom Hardy) is no longer able to keep a lid on it. As a film about motorcycle counterculture, it reminded me of classics like The Wild One and Easy Rider.

3 jacket patches out of 5

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

The title is like something a cheap summer action movie might use, but MGP is nothing of the sort. It's the story of how one US resident, Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), made it his life's mission to help the SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) save the country's children from the atrocities committed upon them by a group of rebels known as the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army).
At the beginning of the film Childers is an angry, reckless asshole who enjoys making others feel like shit. A path to salvation and redemption seems like a million miles away; but a single random act can shrink such distances to almost nil. The journey from selfish to selfless is based on real life, and even though it's technically only a movie and the FX aren't real, knowing what inspired it makes the onscreen violence seem more horrific than it would be otherwise.

3 adopted struggles out of 5

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS [2016]

If one had to come with one word to describe Tom Ford's noir-ish psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals it'd be 'devastating'.
It tells a story within a story, firstly being that of a wealthy but disheartened women receives a copy of a novel from her ex-husband, whom she hadn't talked to in nearly 20 years, which he wrote and dedicated to her.  The other half of the film tells the story within the novel, about a husband who is the only surviving member of his family after a violent attack.
With strong performances all around, particularly Michael Shannon & Aaron-Taylor Johnson, stunningly beautiful Herrmann-esque music from Abel Korzeniowski and gorgeous intoxicating photography it's hard not to become entranced with this cold-hearted, cunningly crafted tale of broken souls, revenge and violent desperation.

4 shocking pieces of art out of 5

LOVING [2016]

Jeff Nichols' second feature film of 2016, Loving, is subtle, poignant and most of all an important retelling of American history.
It follows the story of interracial married couple, Mildred & Richard Loving, who battled the state of Virginia in the late '60s to keep their marriage together in a time that prohibited it.
Normally movies like this are proud, overly powerful, filled with "a-ha!" whipper-snapper lawyer moments, lengthy monologues, swelling music and that Oscar-winning performance clip.  However instead of easily following that path, Nichols stays true to his quiet style of film-making and it's all the more better for it.  It could have been that film that uses disturbing violence, overly weighty-moments and melodrama to get it's point across, but instead it only uses solid human drama and love to make the mightiest of statements.  It might not be instantly captivating but it's certainly is one of the most worthwhile dramas of it's kind.

4 snap-shots out of 5

PEARL HARBOR [2001]

Like Titanic before it, director Michael Bay takes a historical tragedy and turns it into a melodramatic epic romance with his paint-by-numbers World War II drama for dummies, Pearl Harbor.
There's a love triangle filled with plenty of eye-rolling sappiness and somewhere beneath that there's a retelling of the surprise Japanese attack on the Hawaiian U.S. Naval base which ultimately led to the Tokyo Raid.
What we get here is 40 minutes of very horrific warfare and the effective nightmarish aftermath but beyond that is quite frankly embarrassing with nearly 2½ hours of shamefully written upchuck that serves no real purpose to the actual events.  With the exception of the some brilliantly crafted action sequences this film is pretty worthless and an insult to the real events it emulates.

2 hoola shirts out of 5

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL [2016]

Director Jeff Nichols attempts to channel some old school Spielberg with his wide-eyed sci-fi parable Midnight Special.
A boy with supernatural powers, with the help of his father, drives across the country to evade the government officials and a religious cult.
As it always is with Nichols' films, we have a fascinating watch that thrives on what we and the characters don't know.  Each reveal is slow and sometimes not always obvious, giving the viewer more to think about than what the simplicity of the core story has to offer.
Midnight Special is at it's best when it's quietly unique without even trying but at it's most ridiculous when it tries too hard to be more otherworldly than it really needs to be.
It's not Nichols' best film but as a fan of his previous works it's a real pleasure nevertheless.

3½ night-goggle joy-rides out of 5

The Runaways (2010)

A rock biopic should capture the essence and energy of its subject and present it as something more than just visual. As such, Floria Sigismondi's lens focuses primarily on Joan and Cherie (Stewart and Fanning, respectively), but I feel it works best when it pays its dues to the era as a whole.
Joan has an almost contradictory mix of semi-shyness and empowering individualism. Cherie gets from her home life the anger she needs to channel her exhibitionist nature. Together the two young women, outcasts in arms, raise a middle finger to a world in which "Girls don't play electric guitars."
Things improve when the drugs appear, but the real highlights are the few moments that delve beneath the surface of the two girls, wordlessly penetrating their aggressive exterior and exposing their needs.

3 controversial kittens out of 5

THE NIGHT BEFORE [2015]

Director Jonathan Levine brings the Christmas cheer and beers with the bawdy holiday bromance comedy The Night Before.
Three friends decide to end their longtime holiday tradition of hitting the town on Christmas Eve as they all find their getting too old to take part in such vulgar activities but not without going out with an unforgettable bang.
There's plenty of gags that fall flat on their face but with that comes some insanely funny moments that should allow it stick around for at least one annual yuletide viewing with the buddies.  The film has a tough time balancing it's heart with it's dick but manages to bring in some pretty touching moments (both ways).  It packs in just enough spirit to make an enjoyably crass joyride for those who know exactly what they're getting into.

3 not-so wise men out of 5

THE HARVEST [2013]

After being absent for over a decade, director John McNaughton makes his return to film with the oddball dramatic horror film, The Harvest.
An overly protective (and batshit crazy) mother is put to the test when her terminally ill son befriends a new girl in town.
Samantha Morton is the star here, with her frightening performance that outshines the majority of the film.  The rest of the cast is fine but the writing isn't necessarily bad but it needs just a bit more sprucing up to make it memorable.  At first, it all felt like an overly sappy TV movie but slowly morphed into something far more sinister and twisted.  It's not a standard horror film but depending on what character you side with depends on what sort of horror it might be.
Sound interesting?  It is in a way...but somehow simultaneously falls pretty flat as well.

2½ scarecrows out of 5

YOUNG ONES [2014]

Writer/director Jake Paltrow channels a futuristic John Steinbeck in the slow-burning post-apocalyptic western, Young Ones.
Set in the not-so-distant future, the world has fallen onto hard times with a very short supply of water, the film follows a family struggling to keep their land at the risk of their own lives.  Broken up into three very distinct parts, the story explores themes of violence, deceit, patriachy and survival all which make for great conversation pieces if the characters were just a little more fleshed out.  Paltrow's aesthetics are actually quite pleasing with it's over-baked photography, old-timey film editing and dissolves, with some great character framework and moody music courtesy of Nathan Johnson.
It might not meet the potential it has going for it but it certainly has enough going for it to enjoy as a lover of off-kilter sci-fi cinema.

3 babies for sale out of 5

THE ICEMAN [2013]

There were three films I've been eagerly anticipating in 2013: Only God Forgives, Mud and director Ariel Vromen's biographical drama The Iceman.
Michael Shannon is brilliantly frightening as the notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski but it's Winona Ryder who steals every scene as the frightened wife who knows nothing of his secret life.  Vromen washes the screen over with as many dark colors as he possibly can creating a cold yet calculated vision.  The tension never lets up making for a very unsettling watch that is both emotional and mesmerizing.  It doesn't quite reach the climax it should based on the intense build-up but that's okay based on the brilliant lead performances.

4 corpsicles out of 5

MAN OF STEEL [2013]

With more than a little help from Chris Nolan, director Zack Snyder reimagines the Superman story in the highly anticipated Man Of Steel.
Even though it doesn't really explore anything new with the story, Snyder & co make up for it with sheer spectacle and sensory overload.  Henry Cavill falls a little flat as Supes but makes a great, moody Clark Kent, with Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and the ever-wonderful Michael Shannon all turning in some strong performances.  It never really does find a proper balance to carry it's own weight but still manages to soar as pure eye-candy escapism.

3 Kryptonian nomads out of 5

MUD [2013]

Director Jeff Nichols is fast becoming one of my favorite film-makers of odd slow-burning dramas.
The haunted coming-of-age Mark Twain-esque drama Mud is no exception.
I once disliked Matthew McConaughey but he continues to impress me with his more recent choices in roles.  It's almost as if he's been taking acting lessons from his pot-smoking buddy Woody Harrelson.  Mud explores a beauty in a part of the world and it's people we're not used to seeing in such a light and Nichols succeeds without so much as a flaw.  Already half-way through the year, I can't imagine any other film in 2013 that will be as impressive as this one.

5 tree boats out of 5

PREMIUM RUSH [2012]

Premium Rush is a lightweight "action" film from Jurassic Park & Spider-Man screenwriter David Koepp.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a New York bike messenger hunted down by a crooked cop, played by the always wonderful Michael Shannon.  The film is pretty light on thrills or extravagant action scenes and instead feels like an '80's tween "action" film that isn't necessarily good but will be fondly remembered by a handful of kids when they're grown up 15 years from now. Toy Soldiers or The Shadow anyone?

It's a pretty fluffy movie that could have easily gone straight to video had it not the stars to carry the box office weight of the film but still entertaining for their appealing performances.

2½ smiley faces worth a fortune out of 5

SHOTGUN STORIES [2007]

Writer/director Jeff Nichols' chilling debut Shotgun Stories instantly cements his name as a talented filmmaker.

Set in a rural area of the Southern States, a bitter feud between two sets of half-brothers escalates after their father dies.  The film starts out startlingly simple but slowly unravels into something so complicated it's hard to tell what will happen next.  Well acted, written and photographed, the bleakness of Shotgun Stories lingers well after the final frame fades to black.

4 meddling Shampoos out of 5

TAKE SHELTER [2011]

Michael Shannon brilliantly portrays a family man experiencing the first few stages of paranoid schizophrenia in writer/director Jeff Nichols' subtle slow-burning drama Take Shelter.

The film is scary, sad and disturbingly hypnotizing with it's beautiful acting, editing, music and photography. Shannon's unsettling nuanced performance alone is worth taking a look at, while everything else that surrounds him gradually builds into a breathtaking finale.

4 hurricane shelters out of 5

13 [2010]

French director Géla Babluani's remake of his own 13 Tzameti, starring Sam Riley, Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Shannon, Jason Statham, Ray Winstone, Curtis Jackson, David Zayas and Mickey Rourke.

An underground dangerous game gets even more dangerous with each round....that's all you need to know.

Made up of subtly menacing performances, hypnotizing tension and unpredictability, 13 is sure to please on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

3 empty chambers out of 5