Unpredictable is a word one could use to describe filmmaker Drew Goddard, known for penning such polarizing films as “Cloverfield” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” as the “Daredevil” TV series creator is certainly not shy of finding the proverbial box and intentionally jumping outside of its lines. Though his fan-base reaches from the most…
Hearts Beat Loud takes some time to find its rhythm, but soon settles into an easy-going beat that makes for an enjoyable summer flick. With Nick Offerman (“The Founder”) playing lovable single dad Frank and Kiersey Clemons (“Flatliners”) as his hip, but driven, daughter Sam, it’s hard not to be pulled into this charming tale…
Can an independent comedy about 14th-century religious debauchery involving naughty nuns be a legitimate rib-tickler in a sluggish summer movie season of wacky, yet toothless, farces (e.g., “The House”)? Refreshingly it can be, especially if it is writer-director Jeff Baena’s boisterous and bawdy The Little Hours, a corruptible comedy that brings its satirical cynicism to…
The camera loves Sam Elliott, and why not? He has a tall, lean body with thick gray, unruly hair hanging over a furrowed brow, a trademark horseshoe mustache to go along with dark chest hair; it all blends so well with the unforgettable masculinity in his deep, golden voice that seems to descend directly from…
Years ago, I remember going to my local run-down McDonalds and while impatiently waiting for my greasy order to arrive, my restless eyes laid upon a bronze rectangular plaque of a middle-aged man named Ray Kroc. I wondered, “Who is this dude?” As I read the brief epitaph on the plaque, I learned he was…
I was only nine years old when the first “Ice Age” came out in 2002, but my memories of it are very fond. While it hasn’t aged as gracefully as I’d hoped in recent years, I still regard it as one of my favorite childhood movies because of its great character dynamics and clever Looney…
Choice. Consequence. Color. Cats. These and more make up the palate of Welcome to Happiness, a quirky and charming fable from debut writer-director Oliver Thompson. Blending Wes Anderson-esque quirkiness with a light spiritual touch, Welcome to Happiness uses bright visuals, a likable cast and delightful music to weave its tale about the choices we make,…
