Posted by Jared Mobarak on January 2, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Below is my December 27th ballot for the 22nd annual Online Film Critics Society Awards honoring movies released domestically in the United States during the 2018 calendar year. Group winners are highlighted in red. (No option to abstain was supplied this year.) Best Picture #1If Beale StreetCould Talk #2You Were NeverReally Here #3Hereditary #4Eighth Grade […]
Category essays, top 10 films, z.slideshow · Tags A Star Is Born, Adam Driver, Adam Gough, Alfonso Cuarón, Anne Rosellini, Annihilation, Ari Aster, Barry Jenkins, BlacKkKlansman, Bo Burnham, Boots Riley, Bradley Cooper, Burning, Carlos López Estrada, Charlie Wachtel, Christian Bale, Cold War, David Rabinowitz, Deborah Davis, Debra Granik, Eddie Hamilton, Eighth Grade, Elizabeth Debicki, Emma Stone, Ethan Hawke, First Reformed, Free Solo, Gillian Flynn, Hereditary, If Beale Street Could Talk, Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, James Laxton, Jeff Whitty, Joaquin Phoenix, Joe Walker, John David Washington, Justin Hurwitz, Kevin Willmott, Lady Gaga, Linus Sandgren, Ludwig Göransson, Lukasz Zal, Lynne Ramsay, Mahershala Ali, Michael B. Jordan, Minding the Gap, Mirai, Nicholas Britell, Nicole Holofcener, Olivia Colman, Paul Schrader, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Regina Hall, Regina King, Richard E. Grant, Robbie Ryan, Roma, Shirkers, Shoplifters, Sorry to Bother You, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spike Lee, Steve McQueen, Steven Yeun, Suspiria, The Favourite, Thom Yorke, Thomasin McKenzie, Three Identical Strangers, Tom Cross, Toni Collette, Tony McNamara, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Yalitza Aparicio, Yorgos Lanthimos, Yorgos Mavropsaridis, You Were Never Really Here, Zama
Posted by Jared Mobarak on November 22, 2018 · Leave a Comment
“This isn’t your world” When the first trailer for Widows dropped, I thought, “Steve McQueen is branching out to genre fare now.” This wasn’t a slight, just an observation. I obviously wanted to see it, but thought I could wait before the notes out of TIFF declared it a must-see. Suddenly I needed to reevaluate […]
Category drama, film reviews, suspense/thriller, z.slideshow · Tags Brian Tyree Henry, Carrie Coon, Coburn Goss, Colin Farrell, Cynthia Erivo, Daniel Kaluuya, Elizabeth Debicki, Gillian Flynn, Jacki Weaver, Jon Bernthal, Liam Neeson, Lukas Haas, Lynda La Plante, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert Duvall, Steve McQueen, Viola Davis, Widows
Posted by Jared Mobarak on September 2, 2017 · Leave a Comment
“Blame is for God and small children” While Henri Charriere‘s account of his incarceration and escape from the penal colony known as French Guiana has a contentious history as far as it being an autobiography or novel of historical fiction, such debate is inconsequential to Franklin J. Schaffner‘s cinematic adaptation Papillon. Whether or not what […]
Category biography, drama, film reviews, suspense/thriller · Tags Dalton Trumbo, Dustin Hoffman, Franklin J. Schaffner, Henri Charriere, Lorenzo Semple Jr., Papillon, Robert Deman, Steve McQueen, Woodrow Parfrey
Posted by Jared Mobarak on March 10, 2014 · Leave a Comment
(short and sweet and to the point; culled from watching 220+ releases. constantly updated as i catch up to those i missed. click poster for review if applicable) #25: Mud directed by Jeff Nichols #24: Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro #23: The Conjuring directed by James Wan #22: Satellite of Love directed by […]
Category top 10 films by year, top 10 lists · Tags 12 Years a Slave, Abdellatif Kechiche, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Al-Midan, American Hustle, Asghar Farhadi, Baz Luhrmann, Before Midnight, Blue Is the Warmest Color, Blue Jasmine, Dallas Buyers Club, David Lowery, David O. Russell, Destin Daniel Cretton, Frances Ha, Fruitvale Station, Guillermo del Toro, Harmony Korine, Her, Jagten, James Ponsoldt, James Wan, Jason Reitman, Jean-Marc Vallée, Jeff Nichols, Jehane Noujaim, La vie d'Adèle, Labor Day, Le passé, Lucy Mulloy, Martin Scorsese, Mud, Noah Baumbach, One Night, Pacific Rim, Richard Linklater, Ryan Coogler, Satellite of Love, Shane Carruth, Short Term 12, Spike Jonze, Spring Breakers, Steve McQueen, The Conjuring, The Great Gatsby, The Hunt, The Past, The Spectacular Now, The Square, The Wolf of Wall Street, Thomas Vinterberg, Una noche, Upstream Color, Will James Moore, Woody Allen
Posted by Jared Mobarak on March 3, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Welcome to the 86th Annual Academy Awards everyone! If you didn’t watch the festivities that occurred Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre you are probably a lot better off than most of us because it was a very lackluster affair. We all hoped Ellen DeGeneres would bring a fun, smart, witty return to her success […]
Category essays, oscars, z.slideshow · Tags 12 Years a Slave, 20 Feet From Stardom, 30 Rock, A.O. Scott, Academy Awards, Adele Dazim, Adruitha Lee, Alain Resnais, Alfonso Cuarón, American Hustle, Amy Adams, Amy Poehler, Angelina Jolie, Baz Luhrmann, Beverley Dunn, Bill Murray, Billy Crystal, Blue Is the Warmest Color, Blue Jasmine, Brad Pitt, Bruce Dern, Cate Blanchett, Catherine Martin, Channing Tatum, Chris Lawrence, Chris Munro, Christian Bale, Christopher Benstead, Cutie and the Boxer, Dallas Buyers Club, Daniel Day Lewis, David Shirk, Dennis Farina, Despicable Me 2, Elizabeth, Ellen DeGeneres, Emmanuel Lubezki, Ezra Koenig, Facing Fear, Fitz and the Tantrums, Frozen, Gravity, Harold Ramis, Harrison Ford, Harvey Weinstein, Helium, HitRECord on TV, Idina Menzel, Jack the Giant Slayer, Jackass Presents: Bad Grampa, James Earl Jones, James Gandolfini, Jared Leto, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Lawrence, Jim Carrey, John Ridley, John Travolta, Johnny Knoxville, Jonah Hill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judy Garland, June Squibb, Karama Has No Walls, Karen O, Kate Hudson, Kim Novak, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Lee Daniel's The Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio, Liza Minnelli, Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Sanger, Martin Scorsese, Matthew McConaughey, Meryl Streep, Mr. Hublot, Nail Corbould, Nicholas Hoult, Niv Adiri, Oprah Winfrey, Oscars, Pharrell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Pink, Ricky Gervais, Robert Lopez, Robin Mathews, Sarah Jones, Skip Lievsay, Spike Jonze, Steve Martin, Steve McQueen, Steven Price, The Act of Killing, The Great Beauty, The Great Gatsby, The Lady In Number 6, The Lone Ranger, The Past, The Square, The Wind Rises, Timothy Weber, Tina Fey, U2, Warm Bodies, Will Smith, Winter's Tale, Woody Allen
Posted by Jared Mobarak on March 1, 2014 · Leave a Comment
2013 has been a banner year for cinema with a slew of quality pictures that makes you wonder how only nine got enough first place votes to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Most of my favorites could have filled that elusive tenth spot for some added acclaim—whether having a chance to win or […]
Category essays, top 10 films, z.slideshow · Tags 12 Years a Slave, 20 Feet From Stardom, A Band Called Death, A Separation, A Touch of Sin, Adèle Exarchopoulos, After Tiller, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Al-Midan, Alfonso Cuarón, American Hustle, Amy Adams, Asghar Farhadi, Barkhad Abdi, Bastards, Before Midnight, Before Sunset, Blackfish, Blood Brother, Blue Is the Warmest Color, Blue Jasmine, Brie Larson, Call Me Kuchu, Captain Phillips, Casey Affleck, Cate Blanchett, Charlie Kaufman, Child's Pose, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cutie and the Boxer, Dallas Buyers Club, David Lowery, David O. Russell, Dead Man Down, Despicable Me 2, Destin Daniel Cretton, Downloaded, Emma Thompson, Epic, Ethan Hawke, Europa Report, Frozen, Fruitvale Station, Gravity, Greta Gerwig, Harmony Korine, Her, I'm So Excited!, iNumber Number, Jagten, James Franco, Jared Leto, Jehane Noujaim, Jeremy Renner, Joaquin Phoenix, John Dies at the End, Jonah Hill, Julie Delpy, June Squibb, Kaze Tachinu, L'image manquante, La grande bellezza, La Vénus à la fourrure, La vie d'Adèle, Le passé, Léa Seydoux, Lee Daniel's The Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio, Les salauds, Leviathan, Like Father Like Son, Lupita Nyong’o, Mads Mikkelsen, Margot Robbie, Martin Scorsese, Matthew McConaughey, Melonie Diaz, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Fassbender, Monsters University, Mud, Museum Hours, Narco Cultura, Nebraska, Noah Baumbach, Octavia Spencer, Oldboy, Omar, One Night, Only Lovers Left Alive, Oprah Winfrey, Poziţia copilului, Primer, Quartet, Richard Linklater, Rooney Mara, Ryan Coogler, Sally Hawkins, Saving Mr. Banks, Scarlet Johansson, Shane Carruth, Short Term 12, Simon Killer, Skrillex, Spike Jonze, Spring Breakers, Steve McQueen, The Croods, The East, The Great Beauty, The Hunt, The Lords of Salem, The Missing Picture, The Past, The Square, The Wind Rises, The Wolf of Wall Street, Una noche, Upstream Color, Venus in Fur
Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 27, 2014 · 1 Comment
The Oscars are generally quite boring, since we often know well in advance what is going to win Best Picture, Director, etc. But this year? Not so much. Sure, there are heavy favorites — see below. But it is entirely possible there will be some real surprises. Of course, I could be completely wrong. But […]
Category essays, oscars · Tags 12 Years a Slave, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Albert Berger, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuarón, American Hustle, Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Katagas, August: Osage County, Avatar, Barkhad Abdi, Before Midnight, Ben Affleck, Billy Ray, Blue Jasmine, Bob Nelson, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Brie Larson, Bruce Dern, Captain Phillips, Cate Blanchett, Charles Roven, Charlie Kaufman, Children of Men, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christian Bale, Craig Borten, Dallas Buyers Club, Dana Brunetti, David Heyman, David O. Russell, Dazed and Confused, Dede Gardner, Dirty Pretty Things, Doubt, Emma Thompson, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Eric Warren Singer, Ethan Hawke, Fruitvale Station, Gabrielle Tana, George Clooney, Gladiator, Gravity, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Jack Nicholson, James Franco, Jared Leto, Jeff Pope, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Kleiner, Joaquin Phoenix, Joey McFarland, John Goodman, John Ridley, Jonah Hill, Jonathan Gordon, Judi Dench, Julia Roberts, Julie Delpy, June Squibb, Kim Krizan, Lee Daniel's The Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lupita Nyong’o, Magic Mike, Martin Scorsese, Matthew McConaughey, Megan Ellison, Melisa Wallack, Meryl Streep, Mia Farrow, Michael B. Jordan, Michael De Luca, Michael Fassbender, Nebraska, Octavia Spencer, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Oprah Winfrey, Philomena, Rachel Winter, Richard Farnsworth, Richard Linklater, Richard Suckle, Robbie Brenner, Ron Yerxa, Rosemary's Baby, Sally Hawkins, Sandra Bullock, Scott Rudin, Shame, Silver Linings Playbook, Spike Jonze, Spring Breakers, Steve Coogan, Steve McQueen, Steven Soderbergh, Susan Lucci, Terence Winter, The Fighter, The Hunger Games, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Master, The Paperboy, The Wolf of Wall Street, Tracey Seaward, Traffic, Tropic Thunder, True Detective, Vincent Landay, Winter’s Bone, Woody Allen
Posted by Jared Mobarak on November 12, 2013 · Leave a Comment
“Stay safely” A label such as hero has lost its meaning of late. So ubiquitous today, it’s been rendered empty by being placed upon men and women who—while just, compassionate, and selfless—don’t quite reach the level of endured suffering for the word to earn its full weight. With America’s history possessing so much cowardice and […]
Category biography, drama, film reviews, z.slideshow · Tags 12 Years a Slave, Adepero Oduye, Alfre Woodard, Anne Frank, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Chalk, Garret Dillahunt, Hans Zimmer, Hunger, John Ridley, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Michael K. Williams, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Sean Bobbitt, Solomon Northrup, Steve McQueen, The Diary of a Young Girl
Posted by Jared Mobarak on September 7, 2013 · Leave a Comment
“The rest is just painted with a little science fiction” On paper a biopic of Jimi Hendrix without the rights to his music seems like a complete waste of time. Even with John Ridley‘s All Is by My Side detailing the guitarist’s two years prior to the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, the thought of […]
Category biography, drama, film features, film festival, film reviews, toronto international film festival · Tags 12 Years a Slave, All Is by My Side, André Benjamin, Andrew Buckley, Burn Gorman, Cream, Danny McColgan, Hayley Atwell, Imogen Poots, John Ridley, Ruth Negga, Steve McQueen, The Animals, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Rolling Stones, The Shield, TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival
Posted by Jared Mobarak on March 16, 2012 · Leave a Comment
“What was he doing up anyway?” The last line of a Steve McQueen quote used as an epilogue to Garrett Bennett‘s Shuffle sums the theme of the film up nicely: “I was always kind of a coward until I had to prove it to myself.” These are words I believe everyone could relate to—whether you […]
Posted by Jared Mobarak on February 6, 2012 · Leave a Comment
If anyone tells you 2011 was a bad year for cinema, stop in your tracks, turn around and walk away without ever looking back. They have no idea what they’re talking about. With a wealth of quality films from bonafide auteurs devoid of source material, the sheer amount of original work is astonishing. The trend […]
Category essays, top 10 films · Tags 50/50, A Dangerous Method, A Monster in Paris, A Separation, Albert Brooks, Albert Nobbs, Anders Danielsen Lie, Arthur Christmas, Beginners, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Bérénice Bejo, Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da, Brad Pitt, Bullhead, Carnage, Christopher Plummer, Der Sandmann, Drive, Elizabeth Olsen, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Ezra Miller, Footnote, Glenn Close, Hanna, Hearat Shulayim, Hell and Back Again, Innocence, Into the Abyss, J. Edgar, Jasper Newell, Jean Dujardin, Jeff Nichols, Jessica Chastain, Joachim Trier, Jodaeiye Nader az Simin, Joe Wright, John Hawkes, John le Carré, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, La piel que habito, Lars von Trier, Le gamin au vélo, Lipstikka, Margaret, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Matthias Schoenaerts, Meek's Cutoff, Melancholia, Michael Fassbender, Michael Shannon, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, Mike Mills, Miss Bala, My Week with Marilyn, Nevinnost, Nickel City Smiler, Octavia Spencer, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Oslo 31. august, Oslo August 31st, Pariah, Patang, Pina, Project Nim, Puss in Boots, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Romeo Eleven, Roméo Onze, Rooney Mara, Rundskop, Sareh Bayat, Senna, Seth Rogen, Shailene Woodley, Shame, Steve McQueen, Take Shelter, Terrence Malick, The Adventures of Tintin, The Artist, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, The Chemical Brothers, The Descendants, The Future, The Help, The Interrupters, The Iron Lady, The Kid with a Bike, The Kite, The Sandman, The Skin I Live In, The Tree of Life, Tilda Swinton, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson, Viola Davis, W.E., We Need to Talk About Kevin, Will Reiser, Woody Allen
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