Alright Now
Jamie Adams’ Alright Now, a romantic dramedy following a rock star following a particularly brutal double breakup, boasts that it is completely improvised. Here’s the funny thing about improvisation: you need actors who are good at it.
Mark Barber
Broken Star
The central character in Dave Schwep’s Broken Star is a young actress fallen from grace: a drug-addicted, manipulative monster. Markey Marlowe (Crazy, Stupid, Love’s Analeigh Tipton) – a character and name that sounds like it’s come right out of a 1940s film noir – is placed on house arrest, with her only company being reclusive landlord Daryl (Tyler Labine of Mountain Men), whose grandmother has recently passed away. Over time, Marlowe manipulates Daryl into attacking those…
Paper Year
Fleeting moments of marital bliss is the subject of Rebecca Addelman’s Paper Year, a film that explores the tumultuous first year of marriage between two millennials living precariously in Los Angeles. Although largely sympathetic to its central couple, Paper Year often feels like it would have more potential as a cautionary tale for young lovers trying to make it big in the entertainment industry. Though, perhaps it is the balance between sympathy and cautionary that…
The Best Movies of 2017
The Oscars are tomorrow! In the meantime, allow Wylie Writes’ writers to guide you through their picks for the best films of 2017. Don’t forget to click the highlighted titles to read each contributor’s review.
The Worst Movies of 2017
2017 was a strong year for horror and fantasy, but it was still a year that offered plenty of problematic films. Read what most of the critics at Wylie Writes considered the stinkers of 2017, and don’t forget to click highlighted titles for reviews.
The Commuter
The Commuter, the new film from celebrated cross-genre filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra, pairs the acclaimed vulgar auteur once again with Liam Neeson (following 2011’s Unknown, 2014’s Non-Stop and 2015’s Run All Night) to deliver a thrilling high concept action film with timely yet flawed social commentary.
The Limehouse Golem
The tagline for The Limehouse Golem boasts that its fictional Victorian London serial killer precedes the infamous Jack the Ripper. We have yet to see a compelling cinematic take on the Ripper murders (including the Hughes Brothers’ tragically underwhelming Johnny Depp vehicle From Hell). Though it merely draws inspiration from the Ripper, The Limehouse Golem suggests that we may have to wait a bit longer.
School Life
Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane’s observational documentary, School Life, is an intimate look at the daily life at Headfort, a centuries old primary Irish boarding school. The school is run by John and Amanda Leydon, who instruct their young students on a the usual range of disciplines – math, science, languages, sport, and music.
Brigsby Bear
Reintegrating kidnappees into society is familiar territory, but Dave McCary’s Brigsby Bear adds a charming, unique twist to the narrative. With a cast and crew populated by Saturday Night Live staff (including director Dave McCary, co-writer and star Kyle Mooney, and producer and co-star Andy Samberg), Brigsby Bear lacks the cynicism typically associated with themes of nostalgia; instead, Brigsby is rather heartwarming in its absurdity.
From the Land of the Moon
Marion Cotillard is a talented actress whose career has seen a steady increase in forgettable dramas over the years. For every The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night, there’s a Rust and Bone and an It’s Only the End of the World (though, I confess, I like the latter film, but it is unquestionably Dolan’s weakest film). Nicole Garcia’s From the Land of the Moon, which was in competition at Cannes last year, is yet another…