Tag Archives: Nicole Kidman

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

The Northman (2022) Movie Review

April 23, 2022 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

I think Robert Eggers is one of the most fascinating American filmmakers working today. The Witch is my favorite horror movie of the 2010s. It was an accomplished debut. Instead of going down the road of the “horror auteur,” though, Eggers turned to something more experimental in The Lighthouse, a film which sits unsteadily on the boundaries of multiple genres (I would call it a psychological horror fantasy dramedy sea shanty fever dream, maybe).

Now, with The Northman, Eggers forays into a Viking action adventure film which mixes revenge drama with Continue reading The Northman (2022) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Drama, Leave it, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

The Upside (2019) Movie Review

January 17, 2019 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The Upside is a remake of the 2011 French film Intouchables, a facile yet hugely crowd-pleasing story about a white wealthy quadriplegic who hires a black ex-con to be his live-in caregiver. In the American iteration, the two roles are fulfilled by Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, with the role of Philip Lacasse’s (Cranston) uptight executive Yvonne being played by Nicole Kidman.

Neil Burger’s film is just as facile, and likely just as crowd-pleasing, as Intouchables.

Dell Scott (Hart) is on the hunt for a job—something he does not want, but something required to Continue reading The Upside (2019) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Indie Films, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words), Western

Screener Season 2018 Reviews – Burning, The Tale, Destroyer, The Sisters Brothers

December 14, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

It is the busiest time of year for the film world. With awards season on the horizon, studios are juicing voter ballots with For Your Consideration screeners. As I was recently granted membership into the Online Film Critics Society, this the first year where I myself have been given the honor of receiving these promotional screeners.

Unfortunately, this is also Continue reading Screener Season 2018 Reviews – Burning, The Tale, Destroyer, The Sisters Brothers →

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

How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018) Movie Review

August 29, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

It is 1977. Croydon, London. Enn (Alex Sharp) and his two punk friends sneak into a club and subsequently search for the after party they weren’t invited to. Instead, they stumble upon a much different party. A much stranger party. Men and women, clad in leather suits that accent their genitals, mill about. People in blue body suits dance robotically. People in yellow body suits enjoy their individuality and physical form.

It’s all a bit, dare I say, alien.

It isn’t hard to put that together when Enn falls in with one of the yellow-suited lot. Zan (Elle Fanning) makes reference again and again to Continue reading How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Horror, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) Movie Review

November 4, 2017 Alex Brannan 3 Comments

Rare are the films in which the atmosphere is disquieting from beginning to end. People will tell you that The Killing of a Sacred Deer isn’t a horror film. But there is no closer word to describe it. It is a film that is horrifying without an abundance of horror tropes. It is unsettling to a fault. It is the most unsettling film of 2017, perhaps.

Having known nothing about The Killing of the Sacred Deer before entering the theater, I will suggest others do the same. What I will tell you is that Continue reading The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

The Beguiled (2017) Movie Review

June 30, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

In a wooded hideaway in Virginia is a school for girls led by Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman). Three years deep into the Civil War, Confederate patrols make their way through the area frequently, but Martha and the girls also lie in fear of potential Yankee parties. They whisper stories of Union soldiers raping Southern women, painting uncivilized pictures of the unseen army.

It is understandable, then, that the inhabitants of the plantation take to wounded soldier Cpl. John McBurney (Colin Farrell) with Continue reading The Beguiled (2017) Movie Review →

2017 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Supporting Actress

January 24, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Best Supporting Actress: another clear frontrunner already solidified for this 2017 Academy Award. The wiggle room for an upset is razor thin. As with all other acting categories, the SAG awards will influence the category, so nothing is set in stone yet. However, even if the SAG is an out-of-left-field upset, I still don’t see how this clear favorite could lose.

That clear favorite…

Best Supporting Actress:

Continue reading Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Supporting Actress →

2017 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2017 Academy Awards Nomination Predictions – Best Supporting Actress

January 1, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The 2017 race for Best Supporting Actress is possibly the most clear cut category in the bunch. The same five actresses have been nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild awards. And these actresses will find themselves vying for the same Oscar statuette, unless something crazy happens.

Best Supporting Actress

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

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Lion (2016) Movie Review

December 26, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The first notable aspect of Lion, the international homecoming story from Garth Davis, is the abrupt sound design. The vibrant score of piano and strings that accompany massive birds-eye-view shots of the countryside is immediately striking.

The mechanical dissonance of trains and people in a busy market are contrasted by immense silences, as when Saroo (Sunny Pawar) loses his brother Guddu (Abishek Bharate) in a train station. When the train pulls off with Saroo Continue reading Lion (2016) Movie Review →

2017 Golden Globes, Award Ceremonies, Movie News

2017 Golden Globes Predictions – Best Supporting Actress

December 12, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

I like the Golden Globes Best Supporting Actress race. It is full of talent. It is full of competition. And there is no clear winner, per se. That said, let’s get to predicting!