Daddio looks like an effortless movie, which is its greatest strength. Some of this credit can be offered to its central stars, The High Note’s Dakota Johnson and Milk Academy Award winner Sean Penn, who are both working at the top of their games. But, it’s writer/director Christy Hall who deserves to be praised for her impeccably controlled feature film debut.
The High Note is an enjoyable romantic dramedy with charming performances and some great tunes.
The Peanut Butter Falcon is an outstanding example of how filmmakers can make an in-the-moment crowd-pleaser and push it towards being a timeless classic. Written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz, The Peanut Butter Falcon is a road movie that plays as a contemporary take on American fables; filled with recovering characters that are all endearing in their own ways.
By: Addison Wylie I didn’t think it was possible for a film to be spoofed, and then be turned back into the po-faced material the parody was making fun of – then, I saw Fifty Shades of Grey. The movie feels like someone picking up the pieces to a dated romance, and trying to glue them back together to make something even more manipulative. Sam Taylor-Johnson’s film is so misinformed and shallow, you would think the filmmaker was making…
By: Mark Barber Like its source material, the film adaptation of E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey has taken quite a bit of flak for its tantalizing portrayal of abusive relationships. The film reeks of misogyny, but that’s only half the problem. While Sam Taylor-Johnson’s film resists some of the moral haziness of the book’s gender politics, it does so half-heartedly. Given the book’s start as Twilight fan-fiction, it’s not surprising how the film’s narrative…