Film Archives | Page 18 of 19

Amy Adams Goes For Broke in “The Woman In The Window” (Review)

14May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Amy Adams Goes For Broke in “The Woman In The Window” (Review)

Based on the 2018 novel of the same name, "The Woman In The Window" has had a long and troubled road to release. It was originally scheduled to hit theaters in the fall of 2019, but hit two major snags along the way. Test audiences rated the film poorly enough that portions were reshot and re-edited. Originally a 20th Century Fox release, it also had the misfortune of being one of the last Fox projects sitting unreleased when Disney took over. The new regime kicked it to the curb and it ended up in the hands of Netflix. Now, I've not read the book and have absolutely no idea what the reshoots did to the change the final product, but what I can tell you is that if you have an affinity for throwback 90s thrillers like "Pacific Heights," "Unlawful Entry," "The Hand That Rocks The Cradl...

Sundance Gem “Together Together” Hits VOD (Review)

11May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Sundance Gem “Together Together” Hits VOD (Review)

"Together Together" was acquired for release by Bleecker Street who bought it before its Sundance Film Festival world premiere earlier this year, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic category. After a decent start at the box office a few weeks back that has already seen it sell over $1.2 million worth of tickets, Nikole Beckwith's second feature film is now available for home viewing. It stars Ed Helms ("The Office") as Matt, a single man in his 40s who has been unlucky in love and finds himself desperate to be a father. Patti Harrison, who is an absolute riot on Hulu's "Shrill," stars as Anna, a young woman who Matt hires to be his surrogate. We rarely get to see a movie about a platonic relationship between a man and a w...

‘Fast Fridays’ Leading Up to “F9” Release in June

7May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film

‘Fast Fridays’ Leading Up to “F9” Release in June

When "F9," the ninth installment in the massively successful "Fast and Furious" saga is released this summer, it's likely to reignite the global box office back to levels we haven't seen since before the pandemic. In the meantime, Universal Pictures and theatrical chains across the country are offering up a free nationwide screening series of all eight previous films. Some of you may have already noticed this as it kicked off officially last week, but participating theaters are ramping up and there should soon be over 900 locations screening every Friday into mid-June. “The Fast films are all about family, and Universal wanted to find a way to thank our huge family of Fast fans around the country for their passion and loyalty over the past 20 years,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s P...

“The Mitchells vs. The Machines” Offers Family Fun and Then Some (Review)

27Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“The Mitchells vs. The Machines” Offers Family Fun and Then Some (Review)

I grew up on a steady diet of Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera shows, and Disney classics, and I'm not ashamed as a grown-ass man to still enjoy my fair share of animated films. Sure, there's plenty of family films every year that I have no interest in, but I have a soft spot for the ones that balance humor, heart, and creativity with gags that can delight a younger audience but are still genuinely funny for grown-ups. In recent years that has mostly been the stomping ground of Pixar, but they have plenty of competition now. The creative team behind "The Mitchells vs. The Machines" is worth its weight in gold. You start with Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe (both of whom wrote for Disney's "Gravity Falls") for direction and writing duties and then add in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller ("The ...

Bob Odenkirk Delivers A Bit Of The Old Ultra-Violence in “Nobody” (Review)

23Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Bob Odenkirk Delivers A Bit Of The Old Ultra-Violence in “Nobody” (Review)

If you're anything like me, the name Bob Odenkirk immediately serves up thoughts of laughter. Originally a comedy writer for Conan O'Brien, "Saturday Night Live," and, of course, the co-star of HBO's cult classic "Mr. Show with Bob and David," he transitions into full-blown action star in this new thriller from director Ilya Naishuller ("Hardcore Henry"). Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, quite literally a morality play "everyman." He works in a boring office for his father-in-law and lives a very quiet life with his family. There isn't much spark left with his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) and his son Brady (Gage Munroe) bears obvious disdain towards him. It's not until their house is broken into and a confrontation is had with the robbers that it becomes clear that things may not be ex...

16Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Art, Film, Reviews

SFFILM Review: “Lily Topples The World”

After its recent world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival, Jeremy Workman's superb new documentary "Lily Topples The World" won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature. The film is being featured this week on the lineup of the 64th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) and it's a must-see. 22-year-old Lily Hevesh started posting videos of her unique domino creations at the tender age of nine. Over time, her ideas became more elaborate and she has built a massive following on YouTube where her videos have reached over a billion views. Before watching the film, I never could have imagined that being a "domino artist" was something you could make a living from. Something tells me that your average person still could not, but a small handful (of otherwise ...

SFFILM Review: “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché”

13Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

SFFILM Review: “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché”

The 64th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) is going on now through April 18th. It is the longest-running film festival in the Americas and this year they are doing a hybrid event that includes drive-in screenings happening in San Francisco along with over 100 films available to watch online for viewers in the United States. Co-directed by filmmakers Paul Sng and Celeste Bell, "Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché," is on the festival's documentary slate this year. It chronicles the life and career of Marion Elliot, better known professionally as Poly Styrene, frontwoman of legendary British punk band X-Ray Spex. She was a young biracial woman with braces and a flair for fashion when she saw the Sex Pistols play a raucous live show on her 19th birthday. Shortly after,...

Gloriously Goofy “Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar” Out Now on Blu-ray and VOD (Review)

9Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Gloriously Goofy “Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar” Out Now on Blu-ray and VOD (Review)

Comedians Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo became fast friends after meeting at The Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based improv comedy theater in the early 2000s. In 2011, the duo earned an Academy Award nomination for their uproarious "Bridesmaids" screenplay. A full decade later, Wiig and Mumolo have brought us two of the most gloriously goofy characters ever to be unleashed on audiences. They've now written, produced, and starred in "Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar," which is directed by Josh Greenbaum (better known as an award-winning documentarian behind "Becoming Bond" and "The Short Game"). Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) have best friends for their entire lives and pretty much spend every waking moment together. After the store they work in closes down, they decide to take ...

“Godzilla vs. Kong” is a Quickly Forgotten Battle (Review)

6Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Godzilla vs. Kong” is a Quickly Forgotten Battle (Review)

There were a few reasons why I was looking forward to checking out "Godzilla vs. Kong." For starters, 2017's "Kong: Skull Island" was legitimately pretty damn fun to watch and gave a great cast the opportunity to ham it up against some beautiful locations and solid effects work. Full disclosure: I have not seen the 2014 "Godzilla" reboot nor its 2019 sequel, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," but when I saw that Adam Wingard had been secured to direct this new battle-centric sequel, my interest level piqued. His 2011 home-invasion thriller "You're Next" is one of my favorite genre films in recent memory, so I was interested to see what he would do with two of the most legendary cinematic monsters of all time. It's unlikely that any filmmaker could have given this lackluster effor...

COVID-19 Documentary “The Last Cruise” Hits HBO Max (Review)

2Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

COVID-19 Documentary “The Last Cruise” Hits HBO Max (Review)

Before most of us were even aware of the dangers presented by COVID-19, a group of cruise ship passengers and crew members were trapped in a living nightmare. The first cases of coronavirus were reported in late-December 2019. The Diamond Princess set sail from Yokohama, Japan to begin a trip across Southeast Asia on January 20, 2020. With over 3,700 on board from all over the world, it became one of the earliest lessons in how the virus could spread rapidly. Director Hannah Olson (“Baby God”) has constructed a fascinating documentary almost entirely of footage shot by people who were on board. Some of these clips captured on cell phones are shaky and difficult to watch, but also give us a historic glimpse into how things went from bad to worse. The cruis...