Michael Shannon plays a father devoted to protecting his son, a child with inexplicable powers, from all who want those powers. Jeff Nichols directs this superhero noir thriller.
Category: Hoopla
‘Train to Busan’ – Korean zombie classic on Hulu, Peacock and more
You could call it “Zombies on a Train”—it certainly makes a catchy logline and it frames the premise accurately and succinctly—but this fleet, fierce, unexpectedly human thriller is so much more than a gimmick.
‘Best of Enemies’ – Buckley vs. Vidal on Amazon Prime
Best of Enemies (2015) carries the subtitle “Buckley vs. Vidal” and it is indeed a portrait of a rivalry, one that was presented on prime time network television at a time when there were three networks and TV news strived to be fair and balanced to a fault. In 1968, William F. Buckley was the […]
‘Lore’ – navigating the collapse of Nazi Germany on Criterion Channel and free on Kanopy and Hoopla
Before she was tapped to helm Black Widow for Marvel, Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland directed Lore (Germany, 2012). A coproduction of Germany and Australia with a German cast, setting, and language, Lore takes the viewer on a harrowing odyssey through Germany after the fall of Hitler. The privileged life of fresh-faced German teenager Lore (Saskia […]
‘The Iron Giant’ – A boy and his robot buddy – free on Hoopla
BThe giddiest moments of The Iron Giant (1999), a delightful throwback to the classic era of hand-drawn animated movies, deliver the most amazing little boy wish fulfillment fantasies. But there’s much more to Brad Bird’s cartoon fable in science fiction clothing and fairy tale trappings is a delightful throwback to the classic era of hand-drawn animated movies.
Tony Jaa is ‘Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior’ – free on Hoopla
The stocky Thai stuntman turned action hero has an impressive physique, a steel snap to his delivery, and a gymnastic prowess to his style, and it’s all on display in this endearingly naïve martial arts adventure.
’20th Century Women’ free on Kanopy and Hoopla
20th Century Women (2016) stars Annette Bening as Dorothea, a single mother of a teenage boy (Lucas Jade Zumann) determined to give him good life lessons with a little help from her friends. Elle Fanning is her son’s best friend, who escapes her troubled family and is warmly welcomed Dorothea, and Greta Gerwig and Billy […]
‘A Most Wanted Man’ on Hulu and free on Hoopla
A Most Wanted Man (2014) is the final film completed by Philip Seymour Hoffman before his untimely death in 2014. That alone is reason enough to see the film, adapted from the post 9/11 novel by John le Carré and directed by Anton Corbijn, a music video veteran who becomes more accomplished with each feature. […]
‘The Wailing’ – South Korean horror on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Shudder
The Wailing (South Korea, 2016) is a thriller that takes a dark turn into supernatural horror. Kwak Do-won is Jong-goo, a somewhat dim underachiever cop who is way over his head investigating a double homicide in his little town. Jong-goo isn’t too bright but he’s a doting father to his smart little girl and there’s […]
‘King of Kings’ – the 1961 Biblical epic free on Hoopla
King of Kings (1961), Nicholas Ray’s epic drama of the story of Christ (and ostensible remake of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1927 silent classic), has less spectacle than the other epics of its era but it remains one of the most interesting and perceptive Biblical epics of its era. Narration (by Orson Welles) takes us back […]