Good romantic comedies are generally only made in the independent film community, because many of the tropes and calamitous plot devices used in mainstream, Hollywood rom-coms have become clichéd. The Big Sick holds the distinction of being the biggest payday for a Sundance released film on record, as Amazon paid $12 million for its distribution rights
Is there a way to explain, or even review Lady Dynamite, a show that bends the definition of comedy itself? Maria Bamford is a well-known alternative comic, voice actress, former commercial spokesperson, and mental illness activist who just released the second season of this, her semi-autobiographical show.
Political thrillers are only good when they focus on the intrigue and maneuvering of a person or entity, and not the actual political climate of our modern day. As a perfect example we have Miss Sloane, which is more of a vehicle for the incomparable Jessica Chastain than it is a true takedown of the gun lobby.
The Women was a 1936 play written by Clara Boothe Luce that ran for 657 performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York. Besides being known as a comedy of manners, the play utilized an all-important and rare gimmick: the entire cast, down to the background players, animals, and set decoration, only featured women.
Tomm Moore has already charmed us with his other Irish inspired animated film The Secret of Kells, but this is far superior. Moore showcases all the fantasy and light of Irish fairytales using a modern setting, crisp animation, kooky side characters, and mystical backgrounds
Joan Didion’s legendary writings have been chic for forty years, and not only did she capture the counterculture and the rock n’ roll lifestyle of the sixties, but she saw its end with the Manson murders.
Heart is an undervalued commodity in filmmaking. Big films try to sneak it in, like they do humor and romance, but it always comes off as sloppy and insincere. In John Krasinski’s second directorial effort The Hollars, heart is the base of this small yet thoughtful indie.
While the poster suggests this story is all about mother-daughter relations, it actually centers on the mother, Marnie Minervini (Susan Sarandon). Marnie moves to Los Angeles from New York to be closer to her middle-aged daughter, Lori (Bryne) who finds her widowed mother to be meddling.
Sick-lit has become a formidable genre of YA ever since the blockbuster success of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. It’s spawned similar books, films, and television shows, and there’s generally an element of romance attached.
Let’s get this out of the way: Gawker was somewhat vile. It was a site set up by pushy, arrogant, hate-filled people who wanted to poke fun at the elite and the powerful. A lot of the articles shamed famous people by being overtly cruel about things like being closeted, being bald, or no longer being relevant.
John Lee Hancock has become the go-to director for biographical films. Since 2002 he has directed The Rookie, The Alamo, The Blind Side, and Saving Mr. Banks, all of which have centered on the stories of men who achieved greatness, and the women who made it possible.
The film touches on many themes, the central one being desperation. Each wants to leave town, start a new life, and be bigger than their claimed identities. When they’re not together it’s intensely depressing, and as an audience member you’re constantly gripped by panic and subtle strains of hope.
The 13th Amendment supposedly freed the slaves. Sadly, it did not, and has not, rendered all American citizens free. The prison industrial complex (a term that is greatly explored in this film) has incarcerated 25% of the entire world’s prisoners just in the US...
Trying to have a little self-awareness, I can say that I fit some of the stereotypes of this film, and with a humble attitude, I can also say I agree with some of this patronizing spoonfed morality. That being said, this film still sucks.
Bernie Madoff, the former chair of the NASDAQ stock market, literally defrauded 4,800 people out of $64.8 billion dollars, and he did it by operating a simple Ponzi scheme. The level of public trust that he was operating under cannot be expressed. It would be like if the President colluded with Russia. That big.
Lady Gaga is really honest in her everyday life. She tells people when she’s uncomfortable, sad, confused, or in pain, and that honesty is what makes her such an amazing celebrity.
If you haven’t seen any of these films, I would highly recommend them. They are gory, off-beat, black hearted little indecencies that are perfect for those looking for a light thrill.
Family is also a huge part of the story, because Colleen possessed a newfound sense of propriety, though that sense of superiority is undermined by her mother, a pot smoking maternal figure who still tries to understand and connect with her absent daughter.
Horror and comedy are intertwined, based on the fact that both deal in incongruous elements, a fact that Craig relies on heavily in order to explain this ridiculous plot.
