Tag Archives: Michael Shannon

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Leave it, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Fahrenheit 451 (2018) Movie Review

May 21, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The HBO film Fahrenheit 451, adapted from the book by Ray Bradbury, begins with a quote attributed to the Bill of Rights: “It is better to be happy than free.” The attribute is erroneous. It’s fake news. (See what they’re doing here?)

Ramin Bahrani adapts the Bradbury novel to address new media, and this fake quote encapsulates the central mission statement of the vague government body in the film. This is a government who tasks fire fighters with burning books instead of putting out fires, the aim being to Continue reading Fahrenheit 451 (2018) Movie Review →

12 Strong (2018) Movie Review

January 19, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

There is a lot on the surface of 12 Strong that has been done in war films before, again and again. Grunt soldier characters act like they do in every other movie. Fire-fight sequences involve everyone we don’t care about falling down dead, and everyone that has been established as a character surviving despite being amid insurmountable danger. Themes of camaraderie and learning to think differently about your fellow man abound. Etcetera. Etcetera.

With this, there is plenty of scenes that play out, down to the lines themselves, exactly as you would expect.

Our boys have to Continue reading 12 Strong (2018) Movie Review →

A Movies, All Movie Reviews, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

The Shape of Water (2017) Movie Review

December 29, 2017 Alex Brannan 1 Comment

Guillermo del Toro, with his latest The Shape of Water, weaves, in effect, a fairy tale monster movie. Imbued with the shadowy lighting and terse patriotism of the Cold War 1950s, in which nationalistic patsies are led by men in trench coats who speak in passwords, the film sets itself in an industrial government building that hides away U.S. military secrets.

Working in this industrial warehouse, underneath the shadowy government officials and their shills and patsies, is the mute Elisa (Sally Hawkins). With the camaraderie of Zelda (Octavia Spencer), who fills the space where Elisa’s words cannot reach, they clean the facility. This includes cleaning up the blood after a new arrival to the facility causes Continue reading The Shape of Water (2017) Movie Review →

2017 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Supporting Actor

January 24, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Traversing the 2017 Academy Award category of Best Supporting Actor seems like walking through a minefield. Yes, I led you astray on the same category at the Golden Globes, but I think some slack should be cut for me. I mean, who would have guessed that Aaron Taylor-Johnson would upset?

Taylor-Johnson is notably absent from the Oscar running, which should hypothetically make this easier, as the Golden Globes cannot really be factored in. Still, anything could conceivably happen in this race without the SAG award around to give a prediction some evidential backing. Should I stick to my guns and keep the same path I hoed for the GGs, or adjust my choice accordingly?

Well…

Best Supporting Actor:

Continue reading Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Supporting Actor →

2017 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2017 Academy Awards Nomination Predictions – Best Supporting Actor

January 1, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The Best Supporting Actor race is another open field, sort of. The five nominees I have selected are five great performances (more or less.), but there are other great supporting roles that deserve attention. While there is a clear frontrunner in the category, it is harder to choose among the other contenders.

Best Supporting Actor

Continue reading 2017 Academy Awards Nomination Predictions – Best Supporting Actor →

2017 Golden Globes, Award Ceremonies, Movie News

Surprising Snubs from the 2017 Golden Globe Nominations

December 12, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The Golden Globes were released today, one day after the yet-to-be-nationally-released (read: I haven’t seen it) La La Land won big at the Critics’ Choice Awards, and, as usual, some had to get snubbed.

Here are a brief list of no-shows from this year’s list of film nominees (Sorry, no TV here). Note: I have not seen all of the film’s nominated (and not nominated), so some of these list items might not be so surprising in retrospect. Continue reading Surprising Snubs from the 2017 Golden Globe Nominations →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Drama, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It

Nocturnal Animals (2016) Movie Review

December 9, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Susan (Amy Adams), an art gallery owner, receives a novel manuscript from her ex-husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). The twisted work, a thriller involving characters not dissimilar to Susan and Edward, proves to be an added hindrance to Susan’s already strained life, a life of lavish emptiness and a philandering new husband (Armie Hammer). As she progresses through the novel, she begins an introspection into her own life that could prove to change her.

Director Tom Ford, a fashion designer by trade, brings his talents to this film, and his touch becomes clear on the Continue reading Nocturnal Animals (2016) Movie Review →

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