Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Closes Out The Saga On An Underwhelming Note

For the final entry in the nine-film Skywalker Saga, we reunite with the heroes of the most recent entries in the story, scavenger turned Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley), stormtrooper turned Resistance hero Finn (John Boyega) and folk singer turned pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Ultimate baddie Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has returned from the dead and is now working with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on a whole new evil plot. In order to save the galaxy and win the war against these dastardly foes, Rey must muster up all her courage and confront both old & new evil forces as well as her struggle to define who she is.

Willem Dafoe Delivers A Haunting Lead Turn In The Vincent van Gogh Movie At Eternity's Gate

Every Academy Awards ceremony, there's one movie that comes out of nowhere to score a nomination in the acting categories and then have no other Oscar nominations to its name. The most prominent example in recent years was the baffling nomination of Robert Duvall in The Judge in Best Supporting Actor while another modern example of this trend was Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic. For the most recent Academy Awards ceremony, the film that kept this tradition alive and well was At Eternity's Gate, a new film from director Julian Schnabel that managed to get Willem Dafoe his fourth Oscar nomination (and his first ever in the Best Actor category) for portraying the painter Vincent van Gogh.

The Disastrous Life Itself Is Complex In Structure But Deadly Dull In The Details

Perhaps you've heard of the movie Life Itself. Maybe you saw the advertising for its September 2018 theatrical release or maybe you've only been exposed to it via ads on the Amazon Prime section of the Amazon website or there's a good chance your only exposure to Life Itself has been by hearing a loved one trying to recount its labyrinthine plot. There are many ways to be exposed to Life Itself but merely hearing about it or seeing a poster for it is nothing compared to actually watching the movie. This is a tragic trainwreck of a feature film, one that sees a murderer's row of actors get put to use on a film whose thematic substance is about as thin as roadkill on a Texas highway. 

Annihilation Is A Well-Made Intentionally Disorienting Thriller

Alex Garland already had a solid foothold as a noteworthy name in American science-fiction cinema with his work as a writer on projects like Sunshine and Dredd, but with 2015's Ex Machina, he made a high-quality leap into the world of directing. His follow-up directorial effort to that feature is Annihilation, a feature film adaptation of a novel by Jeff VanderMeer, that allows Garland to expand his scope as a filmmaker without losing the contemplative nature of Ex Machina. Interestingly, despite having a larger canvas to work with this time, as well as a major studio footing the bill, Garland has written a film that engages in more unorthodox narrative techniques than Ex Machina, believe it or not.

The Force Is Strong With Writer/Director Rian Johnson's Work On The Excellent Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Waking up this morning after seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi last night, I was shocked to discover that the film has already generated a bunch of controversy from various corners of the internet populated by Star Wars fanboys who are irritated that the feature didn't spend its runtime clarifying every aspect of Supreme Leader Snoke's backstory or validate their fan theories that have been stewing int he two year gap between The Force Awakens. It's been kind of fascinating to watch this unfold since none of this stuff was anywhere near my mind when I exited my screening of The Last Jedi (though I'm notoriously anti-fan theory and, for that matter, never had any expectations that The Last Jedi would flesh out the backstory of Snoke).

Mindbogglingly Middling Mob Movie Mars Suburbicon

So this is the part of the review where I'd normally recap the plot of the movie I'm reviewing but for Suburbicon, that seems like a momentous task simply given that concisely recapping the plot proper of this George Clooney directed feature film is a little difficult given how all-over-the-place the story of Suburbicon actually is. But I'm never one to shy away from a challenge, so lemme give this a go. The motion picture starts with an African-American family moving into Suburbicon, a supposedly idyllic suburban paradise, in the year 1959 much to the intense anger of their white neighbors, who sign petitions to get the new neighbors kicked out and yell & scream outside the families house each night.

The Best Parts Of The Promise Frustratingly Tussle With Its Lack Of Substance

In 1914, young Armenian man Mikael (Oscar Isaac) has traveled to Constantinople, a city located in the Ottoman Empire, in order to further his education that he can pursue his career as a doctor. Being a medical student in this prestigious city is not cheap and his family can afford to send him here by way of a donation from a man in Mikael's village who wishes for Mikael to be arranged to marry his daughter. With both an arranged marriage and prospective years of education lying in front of him, the future seems rife with potential for Mikael, though a wrench is thrown into his marriage-related plans when he begins to fall for the already married Ana (Charlotte Le Bon).

Oscar Isaac To Star In A New Steven Spielberg Movie!

Oscar Isaac has a most busy 2017 coming up! He's got supporting turns in new films from Alex Garland and George Clooney as well as lead turns in a little movie called Star Wars: Episode VIII and will likely play the main part in the new movie from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Add another movie to his busy slate, as Variety brings word that Isaac has entered talks to play the lead in Steven Spielberg's forthcoming movie The Kidnapping Of Edgardo Mortara (which will likely be retitled to a one-word title like Kidnapped).

X-Men: Apocalypse Review

As the clouds loomed overhead, Erik Lensherr, A.K.A. Magneto (Michael Fassbender), took in the sights of his surroundings, an area he had not inhabited for so very long. This was Auschwitz, where he and his parents had been separated four decades ago. All of the memories of the pain come flooding into his body, the emotional turmoil that had eliminated any remaining affections he had carried for the human race. Standing amongst the ruins of where his entire life had been shattered by forces far more evil than any comic book supervillain, a weary Erik took in every sight, every sound of this domain. Standing directly behind him in this emotional moment are (among others) Olivia Munn in basically a purple swimsuit and Oscar Isaac splattered in blue paint.

The End May Be Near, But The New X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer Is Already Here!

This summer, the X-Men face their greatest challenge yet...trying to get out of Deadpool's shadow. After the levity-driven Deadpool, will audiences gear up for a more somber X-Men adventure? I'd say probably (Days Of Future Past and First Class had plenty of light-hearted moments after all) but it is a good thing to keep in mind. Even after Deadpool's record-shattering box office, 20th Century Fox isn't adjusting the marketing of X-Men: Apocalypse to include more jokes or anything like that, instead continuing the more reserved tone of the teaser with this new trailer that you can watch below.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

Warning: This is a spoiler free review of The Force Awakens, but thanks to the uber secretive marketing, pretty much every aspect of the film is being kept under wraps. Ya wanna go into this one colder than the Snow Miser? Don't read this review, which won't spoil plot twists or spoilers, but will basic information about the characters that hasn't been spelled out in the TV advertisements. 

During the 135 minute running time of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there is nary a glimpse of Max Rebo or any other member of his blue, super adorable, pachyderm resembling species. Therefore, I dub this film a failure of the highest order and ask J.J. Abrams to spend the rest of his life in a Yoda-esque exile.

OK, OK, all super nerdy Star Wars joking aside, let's march onward with the review of what's likely the most anticipated film in the past decade.

Ex Machina Review

My Super Ex-Machina

Robots tend to permeate pop culture for good reason; they're so flexible from a storytelling perspective that they can be used for pretty much any plotline you can imagine. Robots can crack wise about low quality movies, fight Kaiju or ask you to bite their shiny metal ass. Everybody from Philip K. Dick to Tobias Carlson have dealt with the idea of robotics and how they'll affect the human psyche, and now Alex Garland throws his hat into the ring with the film Ex Machina.

Oscar Isaac Cast As Villain Apocalypse In Next X-Men Movie!

If you told me back in early January when I saw Inside Llewyn Davis that Oscar Isaac would have been cast in two of the biggest franchises by the end of the year, I'd have said you were crazy. But the actor has fared well indeed by winding up in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and now has been cast as the major antagonist Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac Are In Trouble In Trailer For A Most Violent Year

Jessica Chastain is one of my favorite actors working right now, with her work in the likes of Zero Dark Thirty being simply astounding. And Isaac was already pretty great in his role in Drive, but as the lead in Inside Llewyn Davis, he was phenomenal. Now, the two have been paired toegtehr for the forthcoming drama A Most Violent Year. A24 is releasing this film at the very end of 2014, on New Year's Eve to be precise, and now they've unveiled a trailer you can catch below.