Category: Movies

One of the categories that gets very little attention at the Academy Awards is Best Documentary Short, usually featuring an impressive selection of international short films that are not always easy to watch. One of the films nominated as a Best Documentary Short from 2017 is one called Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405, directed by Frank Stiefel. If you live in Los Angeles, you know the 405 is one of the worst highways to drive and almost always has traffic. The film examines the life of LA-based artist Mindy Alper, who has struggled her entire life with mental disorders and depression, even though she produces remarkably deep, honest work. This short runs 40 minutes, but it’s worth a watch to get an inspiring look inside the mind of a tortured artist. You can find out more about Alper on the film’s official site after you’ve watched this. Enjoy. ›››

Continue Reading Watch: Oscar Nominated ‘Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405’ Short Film

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“Which of you is the bigger liar?” Picturehouse UK has unveiled a trailer for the French domestic drama titled Custody, which won Best Director at last year’s Venice Film Festival. Written & directed by Xavier Legrand, the film is about a bitter custody battle over an embattled son in the middle of a broken marriage. Custody stars Denis Ménochet, Léa Drucker, Thomas Gioria, Mathilde Auneveux, and Florence Janas. The film received rave reviews out of Venice, described as a “steady crescendo of suspense” by The Film Stage, and “a scintillating separation drama” by the BFI. This trailer promises an impressive, powerful film that shows just how manipulative and destructive custody battles can be, especially on the child(ren). With this and Zvyagintsev’s Loveless, some of the best new films are about feuding parents and their kids. ›››

Continue Reading UK Trailer for French Domestic Drama ‘Custody’ from Xavier Legrand

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What a surprise. Netflix rattled the cages of Hollywood by suddenly premiering the new Cloverfield movie streaming online just hours after the first footage debuted during a TV spot in the middle of the Super Bowl. So here it is – The Cloverfield Paradox – Bad Robot’s next new sci-fi story that has been repackaged as a Cloverfield sequel/prequel to continue this “franchise” following 10 Cloverfield Lane (from 2016). Oh, how I wish this film was much better than it is. Alas, it’s quite a big let down, not nearly as good as it should be, a mostly messy, inconsistent, mildly entertaining high concept sci-fi film that doesn’t amount to much. And clearly the Cloverfield aspect in it was stuffed in, it’s so obvious, and it doesn’t add anything to the overall story. The basic idea behind this is cool, but the execution is not, and the film suffers from a lack of finesse. ›››

Continue Reading Review: ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ is Not Nearly as Good as It Should Be

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“No one really knows what would happen if things go wrong…” Universal debuted the full-length official trailer for the gnarly action movie Skyscraper, which also got a Super Bowl TV spot earlier. Skyscraper stars Dwayne Johnson as former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. When a fire breaks out on a big tower in China, he’s framed for it, and finds himself on the run while trying to save his family trapped inside the burning skyscraper. This also stars Pablo Schreiber, Neve Campbell, Roland Møller, Kevin Rankin, Byron Mann, Chin Han, Paul McGillion, and Adrian Holmes. This really does look like a modern Die Hard update, set in China, with even cheesier CGI action. At least when he takes that giant leap at the end, he doesn’t exactly make it and must grab on to a cable. This might be entertaining, mostly because Johnson is always great. Fire it up. ›››

Continue Reading Full-Length Trailer for Action Movie ‘Skyscraper’ with Dwayne Johnson

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“An entire universe. Once and for all.” Disney + Marvel have unveiled a new 30-second TV spot during the Super Bowl for the Russo Brothers’ most epic team-up superhero movie yet – Avengers: Infinity War – opening in theaters this May. We’ve already seen one official trailer late last year, but this TV spot has a few new glimpses. I love the shot of Iron Man swooping in and taking Dr. Strange’s shield. And what is Spidey climbing on? This stars (everyone you know): Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Tessa Thompson, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Pom Klementieff, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Sebastian Stan, Chris Evans, Cobie Smulders, Dave Bautista, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Paul Bettany. This is worth a watch just to get a feel for what’s to come. Enjoy. ›››

Continue Reading An Entire Universe: Big Game Spot for Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

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Be prepared to cry. Netflix has debuted an official trailer for a romance film titled Irreplaceable You, the feature directorial debut of TV director Stephanie Laing. The very talented Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars along with Michiel Huisman as two lovers who have been together since childhood, knowing they’ll spend their lives together. The plot is actually a very heavy tear-jerker, about Mbatha-Raw being diagnosed with cancer, and she tries to help him find another woman before she dies, hence the title about “irreplaceable you.” The full cast includes Kate McKinnon, Claire Holt, Jacki Weaver, Christopher Walken, Steve Coogan, Gayle Rankin, and Jessie Ennis. There’s some humor in this to help shake up the heavy emotions, but it still looks like a very sweet, very lovely film about life and love and how to make the most of it. Watch below. ›››

Continue Reading First Trailer for Netflix’s ‘Irreplaceable You’ Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw

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“You’re either with us or against us.” The Cinema Guild has debuted a new US trailer for the highly praised German drama Western, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and played at every other major fest in the fall of last year. From director Valeska Grisebach, Western is a slow burn about a group of German construction workers who take on a job on the Bulgarian countryside. The men compete against each other for the attention of local women, and get into some trouble. I still think the title doesn’t fit the film, but Western is a solid examination of masculinity and the hot-headedness of men. Meinhard Neumann stars, with a cast including Reinhardt Wetrek, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Viara Borisova, Kevin Bashev, and Aliosman Deliev. This film has received rave reviews from critics all over the world, and is worth your time to discover if you’re looking for something unique from Europe that isn’t the normal Hollywood junk. ›››

Continue Reading Slow Burn German Masculinity Drama ‘Western’ Gets an New US Trailer

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“Is there anything you’ve done that would make someone come after you?” IFC Midnight has debuted the official trailer for a Hitchcockian thriller titled Midnighters, the feature directorial debut of editor Julius Ramsay (of work on shows like “The Walking Dead”, “Battlestar Galactica”, “Flashforward”). Midnighters is about a couple in a strained marriage who face the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness on New Year’s Eve. The film stars Alex Essoe and Dylan McTee, along with Perla Haney-Jardine, Ward Horton, Andrew Rothenberg, and Joseph Anderson. This looks a bit odd, but it might be creepy & thrilling. The film “offers a layered, enigmatic thriller set in the Gothic backwoods of New England – the perfect place to get away with murder.” ›››

Continue Reading Official Trailer for New Year’s Night Murder Thriller Film ‘Midnighters’

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“I wanted to talk to you about a novel I’m writing…” Paladin has released the first official trailer for an indie drama titled Submission, from writer/director Richard Levine, adapted from one of Francine Prose’s novels. This edgy drama addressing sexual harassment is about a cynical college professor at a small liberal arts college who takes a keen interest in a talented young writing student who admires his work. Stanley Tucci stars as the professor, a a once-acclaimed author who meets a student named Angela that makes him question everything. “It’s only a matter of time before lines are crossed and it becomes unclear whether Ted is predator or prey and Angela is victim or victimizer.” Very interesting description. The full cast includes Addison Timlin, Kyra Sedgwick, Janeane Garofalo, Ritchie Coster, & Colby Minifie. Take a look. ›››

Continue Reading Stanley Tucci in First Trailer for Sexual Harassment Drama ‘Submission’

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“You are the greatest thinker of our times.” The Orchard has released an official US trailer for the indie biopic The Young Karl Marx, which first premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year. This film tells the story of a young Karl Marx, as the title indicates, who became one of the great philosophers and activists in the mid-1800s. German actor August Diehl (seen in Inglourious Basterds) plays Karl Marx, and Vicky Krieps (seen in Phantom Thread) plays his wife, along with a cast including Stefan Konarske, Olivier Gourmet, Hannah Steele, Alexander Scheer, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Michael Brandner, and Ivan Franek. I’m intrigued by this, and it’s described as “a spry romp through the seven years leading up to the drafting of the Communist Manifesto.” This film looks like it’s seriously worth your time. Check it out below. ›››

Continue Reading August Diehl Stars in New US Trailer for Biopic ‘The Young Karl Marx’

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