Author: Matt Conway

While he’s cemented himself in moviegoers eyes with his role of Dominic Toretto in The Fast and Furious, Vin Diesel is generally overlooked as one of his time’s marquee action stars. With franchises like Riddick and XxX, Diesel has offered several satisfying actioners while taking risks with different offbeat concepts (the critically-maligned Last Witch Hunter for example). Diesel is taking another interesting risk with Bloodshot, a hard-edged superhero film based on a comic series. Showing off Diesel as a self-repairing bionic man questioning his existence, Bloodshot looks to combine its R-rated action sensibility with high-concept science fiction storytelling. Check out the latest international trailer along with its…

War films and Oscar season go hand in hand, especially when acclaimed directors find innovative means of crafting these endeavors. 2017 brought us Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, in which the Dark Knight filmmaker pushed the envelope with three interwoven narratives from the land, air and sea to depict its World War II conflict. This award’s season, Skyfall helmer Sam Mendes presents audiences with 1917, a World War I tale told with a “one-take” tracking shot approach that has already been showered with award recognition. While the film has enough merit to recommend, it does fall short of its prestigious hype. 1917 follows Corporal Schofield (George MacKay)…

After months of anticipation, the 2020 Oscar season is finally underway as the nominees were announced this morning. Check out the full list, including nine films recognized for the grand prize best picture. BEST PICTURE “Ford v Ferrari” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Joker” “Little Women” “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” “Marriage Story” “Parasite” “1917” ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell” Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit” Florence Pugh, “Little Women” Margot Robbie, “Bombshell” ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes” Al Pacino, “The Irishman”…

Comedic stars Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne have been successful staples in comedy the past few years. After Haddish broke out with the laugh riot Girls Trip and Byrne shined as a hilarious co-star in Neighbors, the duo has continued to gain momentum while playing to the strengths of their persona. Now teaming up in the latest raunchy comedy Like a Boss, the two develop a natural rapport that is sadly sandwiched into generic studio formula. Like a Boss follows Mel (Byrne) and Mia (Haddish), best friends since grade school who are in a failing make-up business. After getting their business revived by make-up mogul Claire…

Blockbuster cinema has undergone seismic changes, morphing from disaster epics like Independence Day and Twister to IP-based content like Avengers that build towards a larger cinematic universe. Unless a film has a major brand behind it, the likelihood of it getting a large-scale budget is slim to none, which makes the release of Underwater (budget reported around 80 million) all the more surprising. Shelved for two years and unceremoniously dumped into the doldrums of January, this sci-fi/horror throwback packs a stylish and refreshing punch. Underwater follows Norah (Kristen Stewart), an aquatic researcher working in a subterranean laboratory. When the rig mysteriously begins to destruct, Norah and…

Fight Club is one of the most notable examples of a cult classic, being met with tepid reviews and box office grosses when it was initially released in 1999. Since then, the David Fincher film has found a dedicated following that praises it as an equally trippy and satirical commentary on American life, while also being remembered as some of Brad Pitt and Edward Norton’s best work. In an interview with Marc Maron on his WTF podcast, Pitt discussed the infamous Fight Club premiere at the Venice Film Festival. He revealed it was the “best screening ever”, with part of that having to…

Few filmmakers have carte blanche in the industry, as it requires a director to gain both critical and financial prosperity in order for studios to produce whatever the filmmaker wants to make. Christopher Nolan is one of the few in this elite group, with original blockbusters like Inception and Interstellar showing that Nolan can please studios on both fronts while exploring unique new territory in storytelling. The same could be said about Nolan’s latest project Tenet, which is set to open July 2020. According to Variety, it appears that Tenet could be Nolan’s biggest original project yet. In a story from Variety,…

Awards season is a complicated time for many acclaimed films. While they jockey for Academy voter’s attention, many films become scrutinized by the broad spotlight placed on them, with many referring to the phenomenon as “Oscar Backlash”. Recent examples like Green Book (subjected to claims of falsifying its narrative) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (deemed racist by Academy pundits) have dominated award season for their controversial content. With the Oscars a month away, it seems that Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is now garnering Oscar backlash. Along with complaints about the film’s three-hour-plus running time, claims about the film being inaccurate are now coming…

While covering film and television often brings exciting developments to the table, some days reminds us of the human element behind these endeavors. Today is a particularly sad day, as it’s been announced that American Horror Story and The OA actor Harry Hains has passed away at the age of 27. This announcement comes from Hains’ mother Jane Bader, an actor in her own right, who announced via Instagram that Harry passed away on January 7th. In her moving post, Bader shares what happens to her son and offers information on his service. Here are the comments: On Jan 7 my beautiful son…

Essentially becoming this generation’s Twilight Zone with its segmented narrative approach, American Horror Story has been an astonishing success for producer Ryan Murphy and company. Embracing several horror pastiches to deliver a variety of intriguing, if not controversial experiences, the show has garnered a significant audience despite its quality not being consistently great. One of the major benefactors of AHS’ success is series regular Sarah Paulson. The Emmy Award-winning actress has enjoyed a prosperous working dynamic with Murphy and FX, also staring in the highly-regarded The People vs OJ miniseries. Outside of the small screen, she has delivered effective performances in major staples (Glass) and indie darlings like…