"Deepwater Horizon" First Reviews!

Review: Toronto Film Review: ‘Deepwater Horizon’ - Variety

Review: 'Deepwater Horizon': Film Review | TIFF 2016 - The Hollywood Reporter



Mark Wahlberg re-teams with Director Peter Berg) for Disaster Movie/Docudrama "Deepwater Horizon." Variety and The Hollywood Reporter have the first reviews!

The movie premiered at this year's Tornonto Film Festival.

"Deepwater Horizon" will be released on September 30, 2016.

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"Deepwater Horizon" First Trailer

Movie Site: Deepwater Horizon - Lionsgate

Trailer: Deepwater Horizon (2016) Official Movie Trailer - YouTube



Marky Mark (sans Funky Bunch) stars in the Disaster Movie/Docudrama "Deepwater Horizon."

"Deepwater Horizon" will be released on September 30, 2016.

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"The Choice" Gets Hammered in Movie Reviews!

Article: Film Review: ‘The Choice’ - Variety

Review List: "The Choice" (2016) - Rotten Tomatoes



The new Nicholas Sparks movie "The Choice" is getting shellacked in new movie reviews!

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"The People v. O.J. Simpson" TV Review

Article: TV Review: ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story’ - Variety



FX has the premiere of the new mini-series, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" and Variety has the first review!

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"The Finest Hours" First Reviews!

Review: Film Review: ‘The Finest Hours’ - Variety

Review: 'The Finest Hours': Film Review - The Hollywood Reporter



This week's new releases is led by the disaster drama, "The Finest Hours." Variety and The Hollywood Reporter have reviews!

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"Straight Time" (1978) Movie Review

Movie Info: Straight Time (1978) - IMDb



Heart-Breaking Character Study

Dustin Hoffman gives one of his all-time greatest performances in this film! He was started as director on it, but found it to be too much to do acting, producing and directing.

Ulu Grosbard takes over beautifully, knowing exactly the right tone and the right pace for the film. Cinematography by Owen Roizman has that great balance of beautifully shot footage combined with a documentary quality, like Roizman accomplished in "The French Connection."

The script went through a number of writers, but you would never know. It still feels unified and organic. The one downside is the film score by David Shire. Like others he has done, if feels 100% completely out of place here. I don't know why directors use him.

(SPOILERS)

Please see this film! It is one of the great character studies! If you have seen it, I want to talk about Hoffman's character. It truly is tragic what happens to him. But, on the second viewing, I really could tell how impulsive the character was, and that's what condemns him at the film's close. The oft-misheard line at the end is: "I'm gonna get caught." He knows that he is done, and is letting Teresa Russell's character off so that she isn't with him when that happens. It is heartbreaking. I especially have little sympathy for criminals, especially in organized crime movies. So, the fact that I feel for Hoffman's character is rare for me. But, this film makes that happen, and impressively so!

(END SPOILERS)

All in all, a great movie. It doesn't at all matter that it was made in the 1970's. You really won't think about that for more than a few minutes, at most.

Highly recommended!

★★★★ 1/2 (4 1/2 Stars Out of 5)

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"Everest" - First Review

Review: "Everest" - Variety



Variety has a first review of the upcoming survival film "Everest." It sees the film as "properly grueling, strikingly unsentimental chronicle of the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy."

"Everest" opens September 25.

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"Interstellar" - New Trailer!

Trailer: "Interstellar" - Warner Bros.


The first full trailer for "Interstellar" is spectacular! I was really floored. As a hard-core Science-Fiction fan, I have been wanting to see a film that is truly Science-Fiction, and not a well-worn story that is just set in space.

Writer-Director Christopher Nolan has only occasionally done much of anything for me. But, this new movie could be very cool! And, having the great Matthew McConaughey in the lead is a master stroke!

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"True Detective" - TV Review

Site: True Detective - HBO



*** There Will Be SPOILERS! ***

I'm reviewing the first episode, which I saw during HBO's free preview weekend. I guess I might get to see other episodes at some point. But, I'm certainly not paying for HBO! Almost all of what they have on is attention-grabbing, critic-bait garbage like "Girls." I'm certainly not going to fill their coffers for that stuff!

The opening titles don't help the show too much! It's the usual cable artsy-tartsy affair. If you know Maurice Binder, the famous opening-titles creator who did the James Bond films, the opening titles here are like his work if he had been on heavy barbiturates! By leaps and bounds, the highlight here is Matthew McConaughey. His performance should instantly get an Emmy! What he does in his opening scene earns that alone. Woody Harrelson's performance is the usual steady hand on the wheel.

McConaughey has a character who is your typical troubled serial-killer-profiler type. But, the writer does push it a bit far, since his character not only is a smoker and a drinker, but also a taker of drugs and has a freaky apartment situation, where all he has is a mattress on the floor and a stack of serial-killer books. Definitely laying it on too thick!

Not surprisingly, the women here do not have too much to do but be housewives, hookers or whatever. Disappointing in that having some strong female characters could have provided some good balance for the show.

The killing that is the centerpiece of the show seems to be pretty much a repeat of a key one from the first season of "Hannibal." Probably coincidence, but it gives a sense of something we've seen before.

T. Bone Burnett is the musical darling of Hollywood. For whatever reason, he is considered the great, go-to guy for earthy music, when it's needed. To me, he has done great work in the past, like with the Coen Brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" But, I don't really get what he's doing these days. His work on "Inside Llewyn Davis" did nothing for me. Just depressing songs, nothing more.

Here, he has this mumbly, what-the-heck opening song starting the show, and fairly indiscriminate music otherwise throughout the show.

The production values are good otherwise, with the cinematography being the best aspect. The program has gotten off to a good start. Viewers will have to see where it goes from here.

******* (7 Out of 10 Stars)

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"Rush" Film Review!

Trailer: "Rush" Featurette - Universal Pictures


SPOILERS: This featurette, and the trailers, have quite a few spoilers! I recommend seeing the film without seeing the plot details ahead of time.

Excellent race film! But, much more than that, a great portrait of two very determined men, driven by their goals, and by their rivalry. Ron Howard directs, and has clearly excelled with docudramas, and does so again here, as he did with "Apollo 13." The acting, directing, script (by the excellent Peter Morgan), cinematography and film score are all right on the money! This isn't just for race fans (although I am one!). It is for anyone who is captivated by excellent drama and action. Ron Howard has pulled off a great film, and should be commended!

I recommend that you see the film in a good auditorium! The widescreen (Cinemascope) images are great! And, seeing the action on a nice screen will properly immerse you in the experience.

"Rush" will be released on September 27.

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