Jesse Plemons

In the vein of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, comes a much feebler and unsuccessful attempt to spin another park attraction into celluloid gold.

There is a certain cinematic gravitas associated with the name Charlie Kaufman when it appears in the credits either before or after the title of a film. He has, after all, delivered some of the more stunning screenplays of the past couple decades (films like Being John Malkovich [1999], Adaptation [2002], and Anomalisa [2015] are particular highlights). So, it is a bit disappointing then that his...[Read More]

It wasn’t so long ago that hard R-rated comedies were coming out every week. The Hangover (2009) seemed to come out of nowhere and rejuvenate the genre to blockbuster heights. In the years following we got the likes of Bad Teacher (2011), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), This is the End (2013), two more incredibly unfunny Hangover sequels (2011/2013), and Horrible Bosses (2011). There were many more o...[Read More]

Black Mass is not necessarily a bad mob film, but it’s a mob film too concerned with emulating the cool of other, better mob films to develop any real voice of its own. Director Scott Cooper clearly had Martin Scorsese on the brain as he put this film together, but Cooper brings none of his own creative intent to the table. David O. Russell recently aped Scorsese with even wilder abandon in Americ...[Read More]