Fred Topel For decades, The Right Stuff has been the definitive movie about man’s landing on the moon. There’ve been other astronaut movies like Apollo 13 and the more in-depth miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, but now First Man takes a more individual look at the Apollo missions. We meet Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) on
First Man tells the story of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling)’s journey to the moon, beginning with the death of his daughter Karen (Lucy Stafford). The film suggests Armstrong may have left something of hers there. Screenwriter Josh Singer adapted James Hansen’s biography of Armstrong. Damien Chazelle directed the film. No stranger to historical stories, Singer
Dysfunctional families have been the basis of many classic comedies, from the Kramdens and Bunkers on TV to the Fockers in movies. Now Ike Barinholtz throws politics into the mix in The Oath. Barinholtz wrote and directed the movie about a fictional President who asks Americans to sign a loyalty oath. Chris (Barinholtz) is against
Ike Barinholtz has been a highlight of comedies like Neighbors, Snatched and Blockers. Now he has written and directed himself a starring vehicle that is a provocative political satire: The Oath. A loyalty oath sounds like something Donald Trump would ask citizens to sign, but it’s actually a good stand-in for any polarizing political issue.
I always hope that drama can enable people to experience stories that change their point of view in a way that statistics and arguments cannot. Maybe that’s asking too much of a movie, but The Hate U Give is the kind of movie that can change hearts and minds. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) is riding in
There’s a reason they keep making A Star is Born. As long as you tell this story, you’re going to have a good movie. This is not my favorite A Star is Born (that would belong to Barbra) but it’s definitely in my top three Star is Borns. At first I thought co-writer and director
Disney created a tried and true formula where a social outcast leaves his or her sheltered community, finds a surrogate family and returns to lead his or her people. Smallfoot looks like it’s going to follow that tradition, but it’s got enough twists and a profound message to shake things up. Migo (Channing Tatum) lives
In 2004, Michael Moore made Fahrenheit 9/11 to warm people not to re-elect George W. Bush. It did not work. Two presidents later he had to make the sequel, Fahrenheit 11/9 and I hope this does not need to become a trilogy. 30 years into his filmmaking career it’s safe to say Moore won’t reach
This Is Us is such a heartwarming, touching family saga, it’s confounding that the creator cannot bring the same qualities to feature film. Crazy Stupid Love was good and he delivered generic studio fare like The Guilt Trip and Last Vegas, but Danny Collins and Life Itself lack understanding of drama and human beings at
In 2012, Ramaa Mosely made the movie The Brass Teapot, a fairy tale allegory about a magic teapot that gives a couple money whenever they hurt themselves. With Lost Child, Mosely has created another modern day myth, and it doesn’t hurt that she keeps casting my favorite actresses. Fern (Leven Rambin) comes home from the