Review: Father Stu is a Watchable Mess

By Ben Miller

Rosalind Ross' Father Stu can't decide what film it wants to be. Is it the unorthodox story of a man coming to terms with aging, or is it the fish-out-of-water story of a man who shouldn't be a priest joining the priesthood? This lack of vision turns the film into a tonal mishmash, but one that is inherently watchable.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Stuart "Stu" Long, an amateur boxer approaching middle age in Montana.  Frequently drunk and delinquent, Stu looks to turn his life around by moving to Los Angeles to become an actor.

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Gladiator: A dormant genre awakens!

In preparation for the next Smackdown Team Experience is traveling back to 2000

by Cláudio Alves

One way to confirm a work of art's importance and influence - not necessarily its quality - is to see how much subsequent creations tried to imitate it. How many creators have attempted to capture lightning in a bottle for a second time, whether by blatant copy or freeform inspiration? This is especially true of mainstream cinematic successes. A surplus of movies can triumph at the box office any given year. Not nearly as many can claim to have birthed a string of copycats or revived a genre after decades of obscurity. Say what you want about Gladiator, but that Best Picture champion did accomplish such feats, for better and worse… 

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Streaming Review: Boss Level

by Ben Miller

 

Groundhog Day is becoming its own genre of film.  Groundhog Day as a horror film -> Happy Death Day.  Groundhog Day as a sci-fi war film -> Edge of Tomorrow.  Groundhog Day as an existential romantic comedy -> Palm Springs.  Joe Carnahan's Boss Level continues this new tradition as the violent action film edition. It does this while maintaining a fun tone and never crossing over into offensiveness.

Frank Grillo stars as Roy Pulver, a former special forces soldier who wakes up every morning with people trying to kill him...

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New to Streaming: The Australian New Wave on Criterion

By Glenn Dunks

The Criterion Channel recently added a whole bunch of Australian movies from well-known directors like Peter Weir, Gillian Armstrong and Phillip Noyce onto their service. While some titles from the “Australian New Wave” series were (I think?) already on there, there are many that are not only new to the service but new to American streaming full stop.

The series features 21 titles that range from 1971 to 1982, several of which are stone cold masterpieces. In a funny little merging of cinematic timelines, a few of these movies have more historically been ignored by the prestigious banner of the new wave era as their genre elements meant they often get lumped less nobly into the “Ozploitation” sidebar of exploitation, sex comedies and horror movies. Whatever it took, however, I’m happy to see some of my favourites find a streaming home internationally.

Now if only Criterion would add more of them to the damned collection!

I thought it would be fun to list the titles—because who doesn’t love a list?—but base it not on their quality. Rather, how much they speak to Australia, the country, the people, and its identity both then and now as we look at them nearly 40 years removed. Subjective, of course, and it's been many years between viewings of many of these, but I feel if you want an education on Australia, then there are some films here that would do a better job than others...

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Q&A: Who needs their own "Big Little Lies"?

Hello dear readers. I didn't forget about your questions. I just ran away for two weeks to beautiful southern Connecticut and the National Critics Institute. It was grand. But, now, back to work. Here are seven questions you asked (more to come) answered...

MARK G: Word in the UK from a respected critic is that Kate Winslet is on top/peak/Blue Jasmine form in Woody's Wonder Wheel and the film has a chance as breakout hit. What do you think of Winslet's chances of winning a 2nd - you always say the ladies win a 2nd within the first 10 years.

NATHANIEL: Until the Steve Jobs year I thought it highly improbable but that year reminded me that it was possible if she lucks out and runs with a great performance in a weak year. She was clearly in the runner-up position and only category frauding from Vikander denied her her second. Winslet's hurdle will be that people who win an "overdue" Oscar don't tend to win again thereafter. Overdue Oscars carry a whiff of 'thanks for the career -- NEXT!' as if everyone knows it has to happen but wants to swiftly move on. Note that Pacino and Sarandon were never nominated again after winning. (As for Wonder Wheel who knows. Woody's output is so uneven.)

TYLER: What is your absolute favorite Audrey Hepburn performance? 

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