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‘The Lost Daughter’ is a Harrowing Debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal (Review)

17Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘The Lost Daughter’ is a Harrowing Debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal (Review)

There are countless films about happy families and the joys of motherhood. The debut feature from award-winning actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is not one of them. Adapted from the novel by Elena Ferrante, it tells the story of Leda (Olivia Colman), a college professor who has gone off to Greece on holiday by herself. Italian literature is her forte and she has decided to hit the beach for some relaxation while working on some translations. The island choice appears idyllic, at least momentarily, but is soon invaded by a large vacationing family who take away all of her peace and quiet. Leda becomes drawn to a young mother named Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter, who suddenly disappears one afternoon and sends every person in the vicinity off into the outskirts of the beach to search...

‘Don’t Look Up’ is a Star-studded Apocalyptic Satire (Review)

7Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘Don’t Look Up’ is a Star-studded Apocalyptic Satire (Review)

Movies that take place during the end of the world are nothing new, but the COVID-19 pandemic feels like it accelerated their frequency. Over the last two years, we've seen "Greenland," "How It Ends," "The Mitchells vs. The Machines," "Songbird," and many more tread this territory in different ways With his latest effort, director Adam McKay ("The Big Short") teams up with journalist David Sirota to craft a stupidly hysterical screenplay about what might happen if the planet was facing an extinction level event. On the surface, it doesn't seem like that would bring about a lot of laughter, but for me, it definitely did. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Kate Dibiasky. She is an astronomy grad student who, while on a standard observation of the night sky, discovers a massive comet that appe...

3Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film

How To Stream 2021’s Best Movies

December is here which means that we're rapidly approaching my favorite time of the year: awards season! This week alone has already seen the Gotham Awards, the National Board of Review, and the New York Film Critics Circle give away their top honors. There are plenty more kudos to follow, heading towards the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022. While there are buzzed-about titles that will be getting theatrical-only releases over the next month or two, many of the year's best films are already streaming or available to rent on VOD. This post will help point you in the right direction so you can get caught up over the holidays and be ready for your office or friend Oscar pools! The list below includes titles available now and some that will be dropping in the weeks ahead. Whene...

Jane Campion Triumphantly Returns With ‘The Power of the Dog’

19Nov

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Jane Campion Triumphantly Returns With ‘The Power of the Dog’

It's been twelve long years since Jane Campion's last feature film, the sumptuously romantic period drama "Bright Star." She's certainly made up for lost time with her latest, a powerhouse adaptation of Thomas Savage's 1967 novel. In Montana during the mid-1920s, Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons) are running their family ranch. Phil has a mean streak and establishes his dominance by frequently mocking George's weight and generally being a rotten human being. When George takes a liking to a young widow named Rose (Kirsten Dunst, hopefully headed towards a much-deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination) and quickly marries her, it sets off something in Phil that only exacerbates his already unpleasant demeanor. He exhibits this in many ways, ...

“Passing” Elegantly Examines Friendship and Race in 1920’s New York (Review)

9Nov

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Passing” Elegantly Examines Friendship and Race in 1920’s New York (Review)

Shortly after premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the directorial debut of actor Rebecca Hall ("The Night House") was acquired for release by Netflix in a worldwide deal. Based on the groundbreaking 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, "Passing" tells the story of two childhood friends who run into each other as adults, intersecting with each other again at very different places in their lives. https://youtu.be/mPlr-E_xKlU Tessa Thompson stars as Irene, a woman living in Harlem with her husband Brian (André Holland) and their two children. With Brian working as a doctor, they live comfortably enough for Irene to spend her time charitably. While stopping for a drink on a blisteringly hot summer day, she runs into Clare (Ruth Negga) in a hotel bar. The ...

Looking to Fill 31 Days of Horror? Halloween Streaming Tips Are Here!

8Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Looking to Fill 31 Days of Horror? Halloween Streaming Tips Are Here!

Are you looking for some thrills and chills for streaming this spooky Halloween season? The good news is that there is something for everybody out there, you just have to know where to look. If all you want to do is watch scary movies for the next few weeks, you should really subscribe to Shudder. That's just what they do year-round: the best of horror, new and old. Favorites like "Carrie," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "Hellraiser," and "Night of the Living Dead" are currently on hand along with brand new releases like the latest installment of the anthology series "V/H/S/94" and Simon Barrett's "Seance." https://youtu.be/opnSln8Ue2U Netflix already released the 'Fear Street' trilogy this year, but have a few more tricks up their sleeve for the month. Just this week they de...

Jake Gyllenhaal Dials Up A Killer Performance in “The Guilty” (Review)

1Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Jake Gyllenhaal Dials Up A Killer Performance in “The Guilty” (Review)

Confession: I was skeptical when I learned that there was an English-language remake of Gustav Möller's debut film, "The Guilty" ("Den skyldige"), on the way. I caught the original at Austin's Fantastic Fest back in 2018 and it was the Danish submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards. What I said about "The Guilty" at the time holds just as true in this well-honed update from director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") - this is "an outrageously tense and effective movie that hinges entirely on a bravura performance." In the American version, that lead role is covered by Jake Gyllenhaal. He plays Joe Baylor, a police officer who has been taken off the streets and thrown into a 911 call center. We meet Joe on his last night taking calls. He's abr...

“Fear Street” Trilogy Brings The Thrills (Review)

20Jul

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Fear Street” Trilogy Brings The Thrills (Review)

R.L. Stine's original "Fear Street" book series was a step up from his "Goosebumps" books that offered age-appropriate scares for young readers. Director Leigh Janiak has taken things a lot further, accelerating the "Fear Street" series into full-blown R-rated territory with a captivating trilogy that recently launched on Netflix. Originally conceived as a theatrical play for Fox before Disney's acquisition, these would have certainly been fun to watch on the big screen with an audience, but play excellently at home as a fun summer escape. All three films are centered around the legend of Sarah Fier, a young woman in 1666 who was accused of being a witch and died after a man in her village named Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman) made a deal with the devil to provide his family wi...

‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ is Filled With Candy-Colored Carnage (Review)

16Jul

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ is Filled With Candy-Colored Carnage (Review)

Director Navot Papushado made a splash at genre festivals worldwide when he co-directed his first movie "Rabies" in 2010, which was pushed as the "first feature-length Israeli horror film." His third feature also marks his English-language debut and he rounded up an incredible cast of kick-ass women for an ultraviolent tale of revenge. "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jumanji" star Karen Gillan takes the lead as Sam, a top-notch assassin who has followed in her mother's footsteps. She works for "The Firm" (led by a wonderfully grumpy Paul Giamatti) and is hired to kill a man who has stolen from them. Shortly after shooting him in the stomach, she discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter named Emily who has been kidnapped (hence, the stolen goods to get her back). This gives Sam a ...

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...