Movie Reviews and Other Writings

The film 22 July tells the story of the coordinated bombing and mass shooting that occurred in Oslo and Utøya, Norway July 22nd, 2011. It is an ensemble cast, but the two leads of the film are clearly Anders Danielson Lie who plays the perpetrator of the attacks and Jonas Strand Gravali who plays one of the victims of the shooting who was shot five times attempting to escape. The film was directed by Paul Greengrass. Paul Greengrass knows how to build a film around an event.

Based on a true story, The Old Man and the Gun, directed by David Lowery, is about a geriatric man who robs banks because it makes him happy. The film stars Robert Redford as the titular old man, Sissy Spacek as his companion and Danny Glover and Tom Waits as his sometime cohorts. Our love of bank heist films has been ingrained in our culture since the days of the constant retellings of the real life public enemies in the thirties. These fabled crooks stuck it to the man the

First Man is an intimate portrait of astronaut Neil Armstrong during his time working as a test pilot and engineer, becoming an astronaut and as first human to set foot on the moon. It stars Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy as Neil and Janet Armstrong. It's a habit of movies and especially historical accounts to create a larger than life film that encompasses huge ideas and ideals, but director Damien Chazelle is able to keep First Man reigned in and intimate. Closeups and use of

If I had to sum up Mandy in a sentence, I wouldn't. It's a movie that needs to be seen to be believed. Mandy stars Nicholas Cage and Andrea Riseborough as a married couple living idyllically in a remote cabin in the mountains whose lives are upended by a megalomaniacal, evangelical cult leader played by Linus Roache. From the first time this film is bathed in red light like it was left to soak in blood, you will know if this film is for you or not. This film takes risks and g

Remakes and reimaginings of classic tales have been a constant in cinema. One of the most enduring tales is of the singer plucked from obscurity by an alcoholic to win the hearts and minds of the public. This fourth version of A Star is Born is directed by and stars Bradley Cooper with Lady Gaga as the titular star. The film takes on the skin of the current time as its predecessors have done. It strives to be a new version for this generation, yet, even with cell phones, soci