Focus on Film & Television Reviews and writings about these subjects. As well as Pop Culture at times. With a bit of an edge and some color
Directed By: Zal Batmanglij
Written By: Zal Batmanglij & Brit Marling
Cinematography By: Rachel Morrison
Editor: Tamara Meem
Cast: Brit Marling, Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Davenia McFadden, Kandice Stroh, Constance Wu, James Urbaniak
Two documentary filmmakers attempt to penetrate a cult who worships a woman who claims to be from the future.
Directed By: Paul Verhoeven
Written By: David Birke
French Adaptation: Harold Manning
Based on the book by: Philippe Djian
Cinematography By: Stephane Fontaine
Editor: Job Ter Burg
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Cosigny, Charles Berling, Christina Berkel, Vilmala Pons, Alice Issaz
Michèle seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle’s life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game-a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.
Directed By: Mia Hansen-Love
Written By: Mia Hansen-Love & Sven Hansen-Love
Cinematography By: Denis Lenoir
Editor: Marion Monnier
Cast: Felix De Grivy, Pauline Etienne, Zita Hanrot, Arsinee Khanjian, Lea Rougeron, Golshifteh Farahani, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet,
Loosely based on the life of the director’s brother, Sven Hansen-Løve
Paul, a teenager in the underground scene of early-nineties Paris, forms a DJ collective with his friends and together they plunge into the nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music.
Directed By: Steve McQueen
Written By: Gillian Flynn & Steve McQueen
Based On “Widows” By: Lynda La Plante
Cinematography By: Sean Bobbitt
Editor: Joe Walker
Cast: Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Liam Neeson, Lukas Haas, Jon Bernthal, Carrie Coon, Jacki Weaver, Ann Mitchell, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin J O’Connor
“Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica, Alice, Linda and Belle take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
Written & Directed By: Michael Larnell
Cinematography By: Federico Cesca
Editor: Claudio Castella
Music By: RZA
Cast: Chante Adams, Nia Long, Mahershala Ali, Elvis Nolasco, Nelsan Ellis, Shenell Edmonds, Tremaine Brown Jr., Jermaine Crawford, Curtiss Hook, Adam Horowitz
In the late 80s/ early 1990s, the most feared battle MC in Queens, New York, was a fierce teenage girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. At the age of 14, Lolita “Roxanne Shanté” Gooden was well on her way to becoming a hip-hop legend as she hustled to provide for her family while defending herself from the dangers of the streets of the Queensbridge Projects in NYC.
Directed By: Josh Baker & Jonathan Baker
Written By: Daniel Casey, Jonathan Baker & Josh Baker
Based on The Short Film “BAG MAN” By: Josh Baker & Jonathan Baker
Cinematography By: Larkin Seiple
Editor: Mark Day
Music By: Mogwai
Cast: Myles Truitt, Jack Raynor, Dennis Quaid, Zoe Kravitz, James Franco, Carrie Coon
A young boy finds a powerful otherworldly weapon, which he uses to save his older adoptive brother from a crew of thugs. Before long, the two of them are also pursued by federal agents and mysterious mercenaries aiming to reclaim their asset.
Directed By: Jesse Peretz
Written By: Jim Tayler, Tamara Jenkins & Evgenia Peretz
Based On The Novel By: Nick Hornby
Cinematography By: Remi Adefarisan
Editor: Sabine Hoffman & Robert Nassau
Music By: Nathan Larson
Cast: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd, Ayoola Smart
Annie is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan – an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe. When the acoustic demo of Tucker’s hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, JULIET, NAKED is a comic account of life’s second chances.
Directed By: Rob Cohen
Written By: Barbara Curry
Cinematography By: Dave McFarland
Editor: Michel Aller
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristin Chenowith, Ian Nelson, Hill Harper
When a handsome, charming teenager named Noah moves in next door, newly separated high-school teacher Claire Peterson encourages his friendship and engages in a little bit of harmless (or so she thinks) flirtation. Although Noah spends much of the time hanging out with Claire’s son, the teen’s attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation and lets Noah seduce her, but when she tries to end the relationship, he turns violent.
Directed By: Tyler MacIntyre
Written By: Chris Lee Hill & Tyler MacIntyre
Based on an Original Screenplay By: Justin Olson
Cinematography By: Pawel Pogorzelski
Editor: Martin Pensa
Cast: Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand, Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand, Elise Neal, Jack Quaid, Nicky Whelan, Rosalind Chao
A twist on the slasher genre, following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-western town into a frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.
Written & Directed By: Gaspar Noe
Cinematography By: Benoit Debie
Editor: Dennis Bedlow & Gaspar Noe
Cast: Aomi Muyock, Karl Glusman, Klara Kristin, Ugo Fox, Gaspar Noe, Juan Saavvedra, Isabelle Nicou
Cut To The Chase 