Author: Matt Conway

Horror remakes have become such commonplace in Hollywood that this weekend brings us a remake of a previously remade film. That project is The Grudge, which opens 2020 as horror films typically do with mixed results. Despite bolstering a sturdy cast and a talented filmmaker (Piercing writer/director Nicolas Pesce), The Grudge fails to surpass the low January horror standard. Similar to its predecessors, The Grudge follows a non-linear structure. After a live-in nurse returns home, a haunted spirit returns with her, sparking a curse and leading to her family’s death. The narrative follows the aftermath of these events, connecting the different interactions between mourning people and…

Amazon Studios has experienced a roller coaster ride in their brief time as a film distributor. Breaking out with Oscar-winning success Manchester by the Sea, many projected them to be a notable name in independent cinema for years to come. After recent box office misses Late Night and Brittany Runs a Marathon, the studio is changing their tune and focusing more on releasing content for their streaming platform, most notably with their latest awards hopefully The Aeronauts. While the film doesn’t reach any new dramatic heights, it successfully draws its audience in with a brisk old-school adventure. Set in the mid-1800s, The Aeronauts follows pilot…

Few directors have the enigma status of Michael Bay, as he’s enjoyed a prosperous career despite dividing many with his abrasive embrace of style over substance. When his style works (Pain and Gain), it can be an adrenaline-pumping experience, but when it doesn’t (Transformers: The Last Knight), Bay creates some of the most nonsensical and nauseating film experiences. Now moving to Netflix with his latest effort 6 Underground, Bay ups the ante with a wildly audacious experience that works with moderate success. 6 Underground follows One (Ryan Reynolds), a billionaire who has faked his death in order to benefit the world without…

Often being overlooked with his work in the independent scene, writer and director Noah Baumbach has long been one of my personal favorite auteurs. His work captures human dynamics with raw vulnerability and an accomplished blend of comedic/dramatic beats, with efforts like Frances Ha and The Squid and The Whale standing out for their artistry. Baumbach’s latest venture, the semi-autobiographical Marriage Story, boldly equals as one of his most ambitious and assured efforts to date. Marriage Story follows Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), a New York couple who have enjoyed a prosperous run in the theater scene until their incoming divorce. The…

Few figures in pop culture are embraced with the reverence of Fred Rogers, a man who connected with millions in his television program Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Offering audiences valuable meditations on life through his signature calm and friendly presence, Rogers’s work has stood the test of time with its impact. It’s only fitting that Hollywood’s most affable star Tom Hanks is now bringing Rogers to life in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which offers a refreshingly structured and emotionally honest take on Rogers’ wide-spread impact. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood follows Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), a journalist who finds himself…

Harkening to tales of lovers-on-the-run such as True Romance and Thelma and Louise, Queen and Slim attempt to bring this age-old narrative to life with a modern sensibility and an infusion of relevant political/social messages. The results are refreshingly original and deeply empathetic, displaying a promising big-screen debut for its writer/director team. Queen and Slim follows a first date gone wrong when an abusive police officer is killed by Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) in self-defense after Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) had been shot. The two now find themselves on the run, becoming a symbol to many in the process. Transitioning from acclaimed work in television and…

Chadwick Boseman has quickly ascended to A-list status in Hollywood, and for good reason. After bringing to life historic figures with dramatic heft in 42 and Get Up, Boseman’s talents took center stage in the wildly-successful Black Panther, which elevated itself past the Marvel normative. Back in the action saddle, Boseman’s follow-up 21 Bridges attempts to rise above its genre’s cliches but fails to make an impact. 21 Bridges follows Andre Davis (Boseman), a dedicated detective who’s thrust into a city-wide manhunt after several cops are murdered. Andre soon discovers that there is more to this investigation than he could have predicted. Elevating this material significantly…

From his start in immersive South Korean genre fare like The Host to naturally transitioning with idealistic American features like Okja, director Bong Joon-ho has established himself as one of the cinema’s boldest voices. His idiosyncratic mixture of genres with deeper social ideals makes each one of his films stand out from commonplace cinema. Continuing to further his craft with his latest venture Parasite, Bong Joon-ho reaches a new height in a masterfully accomplished feature that currently stands as one of the year’s crowning achievements – if not the crowning achievement. Parasite follows a nuclear family living in the slums of South Korea,…

War epics are commonplace during awards season, with many efforts tackling real-world conflicts with a balance of craftsmanship and dramatic impact. Going against the tide is Roland Emmerich’s latest big-budget project Midway, which similar to features like Pearl Harbor and Red Tails uses war as a means of creating an old-school blockbuster. The results, while interesting in their conception, can’t help but ring hollow. Midway follows the events after Pearl Harbor, with the US entering the war in the Pacific against a gaining Japanese force. Drifting from the intelligence offices piecing together the incoming attacks to the skies where brave pilots look to stop…

Few actors have accomplished the pedigree and success that Timothee Chalamet has at just 23 years old. After receiving a Best Actor nomination for his emotionally-revealing performance in Call Me By Your Name, the actor has become a household name in Hollywood and an icon to his devoted fanbase. Every project he involves himself in attracts the eyeballs of many, including Netflix’s latest medieval epic The King, which features Chalamet taking center stage as “The Warrior King” Henry V. Sadly, this intriguing adaptation of a melody of Shakespear material fails to capture the intrigue of its set-up. The King follows Hal (Chalamet), a brash young…