The new official trailer for The Irishman, the latest Martin Scorsese movie starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino is finally here.
The Irishman tells the story of a hitman’s recollection of his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa, an American former Labour Union leader…
I’m quite certain that this is one of the most highly anticipated Netflix releases. With Scorsese’s track record and a cast of legends. I look forward to seeing how well this turns out.
Anna Paquin, Jack Huston, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, Jesse Plemons and Stephen Graham also star.
Lying And Stealing (2019), Theo James, Emily Ratajkowski, Vertical Entertainment US
Crime / drama Lying & Stealinghas Emily Ratajkowski as an aspiring Hollywood actress with debts, and Theo James as a gifted art thief who wants out of the game. To get straight to the point, I neither love nor hate Lying & Stealing. I was drawn to it mainly because I like the two lead actors.
The premise of Lying & Stealing is nothing new and this is part of the reason the movie isn’t especially notable. What I did like right away about director Matt Aselton’s film is the Yiddish proverb shown at the very beginning: ‘When a thief kisses you, count your teeth’. The second highlight for me is the scene with the bloody nose in the car towards the end – because it’s satisfying and nicely executed. Everything else in-between simply wasn’t bad enough for me to stop watching. In fact, the film seemed to become that little bit more engaging as the conflicts the protagonists were facing got closer to a resolution.
As for the parts of Aselton’s movie that stood out in a bad way, that would be the camera work at the very start of the opening party scene; ‘Unnecessarily dizzying’ is the phrase. So much so that I literally had to shield my eyes. Then there’s the movie’s single sex scene which had me convinced that the filmmakers must have been thinking something along the lines of: ‘OK guys. We have two incredibly attractive people here. It would be madness to miss out on featuring them in at least one intimate scene – even if it is gratuitous.Theo, Emily, let’s get to work!‘
Last and not necessarily least, the hue of the red wine in the movie. Is it me or was that particular hue of red especially unconvincing? I confess that I actually don’t drink alcohol, so maybe I shouldn’t be the one to comment – but still!
Gringo (2018), Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Amazon Studios
There are three things I like about Gringo – director Nash Edgerton’s action / comedy about a former law-abiding citizen (David Oyelowo) who’s turned to crime in order to survive. The first is Charlize Theron, her general awesomeness and her characters beautiful style. The second is the way Gringo is concluded; the ending is kind of surprising but also not, at the same time. I was surprised because I didn’t fully expect the turn the story took but I wasn’t surprised because it was clichéd.
The last thing I like about Gringo is how the movie appears to be a little inspired by one of my all time favourite films; Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). ThoughI certainly wouldn’t say that Gringo is as smart and as well written as my beloved Lock Stock, it did deliver some laughs. It’s just disappointing that I didn’t find the whole experience as amusing, engaging or exciting as the trailer hinted.
Sea Of Shadows is a new documentary about the world’s smallest whale, the vaquita, A species that’s near extinction due to illegal poaching by Mexican cartels and the Chinese mafia.
Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio; directed by Matthew Podolsky, Richard Ladkani and Sean Bogle, Sea Of Shadows documents the fight against this illegal multi-million-dollar business by environmental activists, the Mexican navy and undercover investigators…
I’d have eventually made time for this film but knowing of DiCaprio’s involvement certainly helps, especially after Before The Flood (2016).
I hadn’t actually heard of the vaquita until now. Now that I know, I sure hope that some vaquita are at least safe in a sanctuary of sorts, as the fight continues.
Knives Out is a new drama / mystery starring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana De Armes, LaKeith Stanfield and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Directed by Rian Jones of Star Wars – The Last Jedi (2017), the a detective (Craig) investigates the death of the patriarch of an eccentric, combative family…
The interesting cast list is the reason I want to see this. My fingers are crossed. Especially since in Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s recent Murder Mystery (2019) movie, it was the ‘murder mystery’ portion of the film that I found least engaging.
Christopher Plummer, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Katherine Langford, Riki Lindhome and Raúl Castillo also star.Christopher Plummer,
Black And Blue (2019), Naomie Harris, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Directed by Deon Taylor, Black And Blue is a new action / crime / drama starring Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Tyreses Gibson and Frank Grillo.
While wearing a body cam, Alicia (Harris), a rookie Detroit African-American female cop stumbles upon corrupt officers as they murder a drug dealer…
First and foremost, isn’t this just a great role for Harris? I can’t wait to see how things turn out considering Alicia’s identity crisis. She better win even though statistically the odds aren’t great.
The Kitchen (2019), Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, Warner Bros. Pictures
Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Melissa MacCarthy and Domhnall Gleeson are the stars of new crime / drama The Kitchen.
Directed by Andrea Berloff, it’s the story of the wives of New York gangsters in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s, as they continue to operate their imprisoned husbands’ rackets…
I’m in for the Widows (2018) vibes. I’ll of course be comparing the two movies. Which will I like more? I wonder…
Common, Margo Martindale, James Badge Dale, Jeremy Bobb, Bill Camp and Brian d’Arcy James also star.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019), Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s latest film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino and Margot Robbie has a new trailer.
Ready or not, here is a 2.5 minute tease of a crime / drama / thriller about a TV actor and his stunt double, as they embark on making a name for themselves in the film industry….
So far, I must admit that Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has not quite garnered the same kind of excitement within me as Tarantino’s previous films. I blame that on this trailer appearing to be a slight change of pace / style compared to Tarantino’s other movies. Nevertheless, I still can’t wait to see how he’ll keep things interesting. I mean, the man has never before let us down, right?
