Better late than never, right? These movies were hard enough to watch in the first place, let alone revisit them for a year-end round-up. Give us a break! As always, don’t forget to click the highlighted titles for reviews from each Wylie Writes critic.
Every so often, I like to fall down a movie’s rabbit hole. We all like when a movie can take us to an escape, but I’m talking about being taken completely out of my element to be enlightened about a subject I’m absolutely clueless about. I’ve taken this trip with faith-based movies before (notably War Room): I wasn’t moved by the movie but I appreciated the experience. I was hoping Stronger By Stress was going…
In Jockey, director/co-writer Clint Bentley offers audiences a reflective perspective from the eyes of horse jockey Jackson Silva (Clifton Collins Jr.). Silva is respected around the track but, otherwise, he’s a reclusive athlete who is becoming a little long in the tooth to be continuing with his sport. He encounters increasing issues with his body, both from past injuries and aging, but his physical weaknesses haven’t broke his determination. Even when he’s faced with the…
Based on style alone, Nightride is a movie made for fanatics of 2011’s Drive. Imagine a version of Nicolas Winding Refn’s movie where the introductory getaway never ended, and it was a feature-length uncut shot; all while the viewer got to ride shotgun with Ryan Gosling the entire time. Sounds great, right? That’s what I thought too…
In the same observant spirit as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Room, and The Florida Project, Scarborough provides several perspectives of people trying to survive, whether they know it or not. It’s better than Beasts of the Southern Wild and Room, but it’s not as accomplished as The Florida Project. But then again, Scarborough is its own special film.
By: Trevor Chartrand Big Gold Brick is the brainchild of writer/director Brian Petsos, whose first feature film comes fully-loaded with a surprisingly star-studded cast. Featuring Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, and Oscar Isaac, this surreal comedy-drama has its moments, but ultimately gets bogged down by a slow pace and a series of uneven tonal shifts.
Ted K places the viewer next to Ted Kaczynski, infamously known as the “Unabomber”. Portrayed with the utmost commitment by Sharlto Copley (Elysium, Hardcore Henry), Kaczynski expresses distain for a lot of outsider elements that have pushed him towards living off the grid in Montana. The film is narrated by lifted passages from his writing, and the film prides itself on shooting in the same area Ted secluded himself to.
The Cursed (formally titled Eight for Silver) is a morality tale of sorts. Writer/director Sean Ellis (Metro Manila) tells a disturbing story about how shameful decisions made by an older generation can haunt the next of kin.
