REVIEW: Avengers: Infinity War [2018]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on April 26, 2018 · Leave a Comment
“He’s never fought me twice” It’s been ten years since we met Tony Stark on the big screen. Ten years of serial storytelling with massive budgets, character crossovers, television offshoots, and Stan Lee cameos that took Hollywood and the box office by storm. Not even steward Kevin Feige could have predicted that type of longevity […]
Category action/adventure, fantasy, film reviews, science fiction, z.slideshow · Tags Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper, Carrie Coon, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Christopher Markus, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Olsen, Joe Russo, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Kevin Feige, Letitia Wright, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Bettany, Pom Klementieff, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Stan Lee, Stephen McFeely, Terry Notary, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Holland, Vin Diesel, Zoë Saldana
REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok [2017]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on November 2, 2017 · Leave a Comment
“Good luck with that, new Doug!” Marvel fatigue has officially hit me, but not like a ton of bricks as much as a nagging sense that the studio is merely going through the motions. Unfortunately this slow unraveling is worse than a huge misstep because it means that a shift back onto the rails is […]
Category action/adventure, comedy, fantasy, film reviews · Tags Anthony Hopkins, Cate Blanchett, Chris Hemsworth, Christopher Yost, Clancy Brown, Craig Kyle, Eric Pearson, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel House, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Thor: Ragnarök, Tom Hiddleston
REVIEW: Now You See Me 2 [2016]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on June 23, 2016 · Leave a Comment
“You may not be having fun, but I am” The problem with giving a film steeped in misdirection a sequel is that the mysteries have already been uncovered. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle to achieve the same success. Now You See Me had a great magic premise wherein the theatrical audience […]
Category action/adventure, comedy, film reviews · Tags Boaz Yakin, Daniel Radcliffe, Dave Franco, Ed Solomon, Edward Ricourt, Elias Koteas, Isla Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Jon M. Chu, Lizzy Caplan, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Now You See Me, Now You See Me 2, Peter Chiarelli, Richard Laing, Woody Harrelson
Picking Winners at the 88th Annual Academy Awards
Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 14, 2016 · Leave a Comment
For those handicapping at home, here are the guesses of Buffalo film fanatics Christopher Schobert, William Altreuter, and myself. Jared Mobarak: Here’s hoping Chris Rock does his best Ricky Gervais as far as not caring about political correctness or duty to kissing up to the celebrities all dressed-up nice because having him host the 2016 […]
Category essays, oscars · Tags 45 Years, Aaron Sorkin, Abraham Attah, Adam McKay, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alex Garland, Alicia Vikander, Andrea Berloff, Anthony Mackie, Bel Powley, Bridge of Spies, Brie Larson, Brooklyn, Bryan Cranston, Carol, Cate Blanchett, Charles Randolph, Charlotte Rampling, Chris Rock, Christian Bale, Christopher Schobert, Creed, Cynthia Nixon, Danny Boyle, Drew Goddard, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Donoghue, Ethan Coen, Ex Machina, Gail Bean, George Miller, Harvey Keitel, Helen Mirren, Idris Elba, Inside Out, Jacob Tremblay, Jason Mitchell, Jason Segel, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jennifer Lawrence, Joan Allen, Joel Coen, Jonathan Herman, Josh Cooley, Josh Singer, Joy, Kate Winslet, Lenny Abrahamson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Love & Mercy, Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Ruffalo, Mark Rylance, Matt Charman, Matt Damon, Meg LeFauve, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Fassbender, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Nick Hornby, Paul Dano, Pete Docter, Phyllis Nagy, Rachel McAdams, Richard Gere, Ridley Scott, Room, Rooney Mara, Ryan Coogler, Saoirse Ronan, Spotlight, Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, Straight Outta Compton, Sylvester Stallone, Teyonah Parris, The Big Short, The Danish Girl, The Hateful Eight, The Martian, The Revenant, Tobey Maguire, Todd Haynes, Tom Hardy, Tom McCarthy, Trumbo, Will Smith, William Altreuter
Online Film Critics Society Ballot 2015
Posted by Jared Mobarak on December 14, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Below is my December 12th ballot for the 19th annual Online Film Critics Society Awards honoring movies released domestically in the United States during the 2015 calendar year. Group winners are highlighted in red. Best Picture #1Inside Out. #2Carol. #3Spotlight. #4Ex Machina. #5Mad MaxFury Road #6Brooklyn #7The Revenant #8Room #9The Martian #10Sicario Best Animated Film […]
Category essays, top 10 films, z.slideshow · Tags 45 Years, Amy, Anomalisa, Benicio Del Toro, Best of Enemies, Brie Larson, Brooklyn, Carol, Cartel Land, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, Charlotte Rampling, Clouds of Sils Maria, Creed, Cynthia Nixon, Denis Villeneuve, Ex Machina, George Miller, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Goodnight Mommy, Ian McKellen, Inside Out, James White, Kate Winslet, Kristen Stewart, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Ruffalo, Mark Rylance, Matt Damon, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Fassbender, Mistress America, Mustang, OFCS, Online Film Critics Society, Oscar Isaac, Phoenix, Ridley Scott, Room, Rooney Mara, Saoirse Ronan, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Sicario, Son of Saul, Spotlight, Steve Jobs, Sylvester Stallone, The Assassin, The Danish Girl, The Good Dinosaur, The Look of Silence, The Martian, The Peanuts Movie, The Revenant, Thomas McCarthy, Todd Haynes, Vikander
REVIEW: Spotlight [2015]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on December 2, 2015 · Leave a Comment
“What arraignment?” If Thomas McCarthy’s maligned fairy tale The Cobbler provided any help in securing money to put his script Spotlight in front of cameras, it was worth every disparaging word thrown its way. Co-written with Josh Singer, this 2013 Blacklist alum proves an informative and accurate look at the investigative journalism process as well […]
Category biography, drama, film reviews, z.slideshow · Tags All the President’s Men, Billy Crudup, Brian d'Arcy James, David Simon, Jimmy LeBlanc, John Slattery, Josh Singer, Len Cariou, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cyril Creighton, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Spotlight, Stanley Tucci, The Cobbler, The Wire, Thomas McCarthy
REVIEW: Avengers: Age of Ultron [2015]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on April 27, 2015 · Leave a Comment
“It wasn’t a nightmare. It was a legacy.” He may not have been there at the start, but Joss Whedon stewarded the Marvel Cinematic Universe through its make or break stage. It was one thing to give the world high-tech flying fun via a sarcastic playboy, otherworld fantasy come to earth courtesy of a haughty […]
Category action/adventure, drama, fantasy, film reviews, science fiction, z.slideshow · Tags Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Drew Goddard, Elizabeth Olsen, Jack Kirby, James Gunn, James Spader, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Kevin Feige, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Stan Lee, The Avengers, Thomas Kretschmann
Top Ten Films of 2014: A deluge of sci-fi doppelgängers and one-word titles
Posted by Jared Mobarak on March 25, 2015 · Leave a Comment
I don’t want to label 2014 as a good, bad, or average year. I want to call it inventive, original, and delightfully dark. Whether it’s doppelgänger paradoxes leading to murderous rage, the bleak carnage of war, prison violence, or psychologically debilitating struggles to be great, my favorite films had an edge that cut to the […]
Category essays, top 10 films, z.slideshow · Tags 20000 Days on Earth, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, A Most Violent Year, Abus de faiblesse, Abuse of Weakness, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Amy Adams, Ava DuVernay, Beats of the Antonov, Belle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Beyond the Lights, Big Eyes, Big Hero 6, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Björk: Biophilia Live, Boyhood, Calvary, Citizenfour, Clouds of Sils Maria, Coherence, Coming Home, Dear White People, Deux jours une nuit, Dinosaur 13, Edward Norton, Enemy, Felicity Jones, Finding Vivian Maier, Force Majeure, Foxcatcher, Frank, Fury, Gary Poulter, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gui lai, Hellion, How to Train Your Dragon 2, J.C. Chandor, J.K. Simmons, Jack O'Connell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Chastain, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Joe, Julianne Moore, Keira Knightley, Kis Uykusu, Last Days in Vietnam, Laura Dern, Leviafan, Leviathan, Libertador, Life Itself, Listen Up Phillip, Logan Lerman, Love is Strange, Manakamana, Mandariinid, Marion Cotillard, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Mommy, Palo Alto, Particle Fever, Reese Witherspoon, Relatos salvajes, Richard Linklater, Samba, Selma, Song of the Sea, Starred Up, Still Alice, Take Me to the River, Tangerines, The Better Angels, The Boxtrolls, The Drop, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The LEGO Movie, The Liberator, The Overnighters, The Salt of the Earth, The Skeleton Twins, The Theory of Everything, The Wanted 18, Timbuktu, Trick or Treaty?, Turist, Two Days One Night, Under the Skin, Virunga, Wes Anderson, Whiplash, Wild, Wild Tales, Winter Sleep
Picking Winners at the 87th Annual Academy Awards
Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 20, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Things look pretty cut and dry where the Academy is concerned in 2015. The Oscars are always a somewhat watered-down look at what really mattered in the past year of cinema and this installment is no exception. In fact, it may be all water at this point. That doesn’t mean there can’t be some intriguing […]
Category essays, oscars · Tags 12 Years a Slave, A Most Violent Year, A Most Wanted Man, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, American Sniper, Amy Adams, Anthony McCarten, Armando Bo, Ava DuVernay, Babel, Ben Affleck, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bennett Miller, Big Eyes, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, Bradley Cooper, Brendan Gleeson, Cake, Calvary, Christopher Schobert, Coherence, Damien Chazelle, Dan Futterman, Dan Gilroy, David Gordon Green, David Oyelowo, E. Max Frye, Eddie Redmayne, Edge of Tomorrow, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Emmanuel Lubezki, Enemy, Essie Davis, Ethan Hawke, Feast, Felicity Jones, Foxcatcher, Fury, Gary Poulter, Gone Girl, Graham Moore, Groundhog Day, Gyllenhaal, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Hugo Guinness, Inherent Vice, J.K. Simmons, Jack O'Connell, Jason Hall, Jennifer Aniston, Jenny Slate, Jessica Chastain, Joe, Jupiter Ascending, Kaitlyn Dever, Kathryn Bigelow, Keira Knightley, Laura Dern, Locke, Logan Lerman, Maps to the Stars, Marion Cotillard, Mark Ruffalo, Men Women & Children, Meryl Streep, Michael Keaton, Moonrise Kingdom, Morten Tyldum, Nicolás Giacobone, Nightcrawler, Obvious Child, Only Lovers Left Alive, Patricia Arquette, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Reese Witherspoon, Richard Linklater, Robert Duvall, Rosamund Pike, Selma, Slumdog Millionaire, Starred Up, Steve Carell, Steven Spielberg, The Babadook, The Double, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Judge, The King's Speech, The One I Love, The Theory of Everything, Timothy Spall, Two Days One Night, Under the Skin, Wes Anderson, Whiplash, Wild, William Altreuter
REVIEW: Foxcatcher [2014]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on January 2, 2015 · Leave a Comment
“John du Pont is … kind of a mentor to me” Now here’s a film with immaculate construction in production design, sound design, acting, and direction. The only thing Foxcatcher lacks is the breathing room to stand as a cohesive whole worthy of the talent pouring its heart and soul in. The story of John […]
Category biography, drama, film reviews, sports · Tags Bennett Miller, Channing Tatum, Dan Futterman, E. Max Frye, Foxcatcher, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Carell
Posterized Propaganda November 2014: ‘Foxcatcher,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Imitation Game,’ and More
Posted by Jared Mobarak on November 4, 2014 · Leave a Comment
“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill […]
Category film features, posterized propaganda · Tags A Merry Friggin' Christmas, Alexander Rodchenko, Art Machine A Trailer Park Company, Away We Go, Benedict Cumberbatch, Big Hero 6, BLT Communications LLC, Bon Iver, Brian Bowen Smith, Burn After Reading, Channing Tatum, Concept Arts, Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Foxcatcher, Horrible Bosses 2, Ignition, InSync + BemisBalkind, Interstellar, Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Mojo, P+A, Project X, Red Army, Saul Bass, Sion Sono, Stephen Hawking, Steve Carell, The Avengers, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, The Way He Looks, Why Don't You Play in Hell?, WORKS ADV
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