-
Election (1999) Review
Election (1999) Director: Alexander Payne Screenwriters: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor Starring: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Phil Reeves Alexander Payne’s debut feature Citizen Ruth showed that he was a filmmaker with a lot of potential ahead of him. His 2nd film, the Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick led Election, really kicked his…
-
Citizen Ruth (1996) Review
Citizen Ruth (1996) Director: Alexander Payne Screenwriters: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor Starring: Laura Dern, Kelly Preston, Swoosie Kurtz, Burt Reynolds, Tippi Hedren Alexander Payne has been one of the unsung directors of the past 25 years, delivering a string of critically and commercially well received films. The most notable moments in his filmography to date…
-
Heaven Knows What (2014) Review
Heaven Knows What (2014) Directors: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie Screenwriters: Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein Starring: Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, Buddy Duress Josh and Benny Safdie’s second feature dives head first into the murky, microcosmic world of New York City’s street kids. The blossoming directorial duo played with some sinister themes in their debut feature…
-
Extraction (2020) Review
Extraction (2020) Director: Sam Hargrave Screenwriters: Joe Russo Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Randeep Hooda, David Harbour, Priyanshu Painyuli, Rudhraksh Jaiswal Netflix Original action movie Extraction is a tremendous example of what can be achieved when the correct creative minds are attached to a project, this Chris Hemsworth star vehicle produced by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo…
-
Searching (2018) Review
This article was originally published by Sam Sewell-Peterson at SSP Thinks Film. Searching (2018) Director: Aneesh Chaganty Screenwriters: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian Starring: John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La, Sara Sohn, Joseph Lee Searching is a game-changer, no question. How it is put together on a technical level, the final presentation and the revolutionary ways that…
-
The Invitation (2015) Review
The Invitation (2015) Director: Karyn Kusama Screenwriters: Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michiel Huisman, Tammy Blanchard “I am different. I’m free. All that useless pain, it’s gone. It’s something anyone can have Will, and I want you to have it too.” Usually it would be lovely to hear of someone’s…
-
The Old Dark House (1932) Review
The Old Dark House (1932) Director: James Whale Screenwriter: Benn W Levy Starring: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Eva Moore, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart It’s a crying shame that The Old Dark House, through a combination of an intellectual property rights mismanagement and studio blinkers, isn’t better known outside the…
-
The Old Guard (2020) Review
The Old Guard (2020) Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood Screenwriter: Greg Rucka Starring: Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kanzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harry Melling In an era in which increasing numbers of young people – still the primary target audiences of many a film studio, certainly when releasing action movies – are leaning more…
-
Grand Hotel (1932) Review
Grand Hotel (1932) Director: Edmund Goulding Screenwriter: William A. Drake Cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery In 1932, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer enlisted director Edmund Goulding and five of Hollywood’s biggest names to produce what would be that year’s second highest grossing film and winner of the Academy Award for best picture, Grand…
-
Palm Springs (2020) Review
Palm Springs (2020) Director: Max Barbakow Screenwriter: Andy Siara Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher, Meredith Hagner, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin There is a montage that takes place at around the 37th minute of Palm Springs in which the co-leads enjoy limitless, guilt-free action, the sequence working as a narrative device to illustrate…