‘Men In Black’ Reboot Trailer: We Already Miss Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones

December 20, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

This looks abhorrent and forced.

I like some of director F. Gary Gray's movies (“The Italian Job,” “Straight Outta Compton”), but did we really need this reboot of "Men in Black" starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson? It looks like Gray is taking it in a whole different direction, not exactly in buddy cop genre land like the last film. Thompson and Hemsworth, taking on the spirit of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith's roles in the original, will play secret government agents handling aliens on earth. Of course, they need to both be wearing those iconic black suits and sunglasses. But there's something missing in this trailer, that extra oomph needed to lure us to buy a ticket to this film.

“The Image Book” Trailer: Another Bewildering Statement From Jean-Luc Godard

December 19, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

It’s been a long time since making traditional or even vaguely conventional “movies” has interested legendary French New-Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard. If anything, the director’s movies over the last 20 or so years have been experiential audio/visual collages more interested in pictures, sounds, cuts, and de-saturation, a maddening barrage of dadaist statements. Even with all that being said, his latest, “The Image Book,” playing in competition at Cannes, should be considered as radical a Godard-ian statement as any.

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” Trailer: Cate Blanchett Stars In Director Richard Linklater’s Latest Film

December 18, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Based on Maria Semple’s novel of the same name, which spent a year on The New York Times Bestseller List, Director Richard Linklater's “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” finally has a trailer, and, by the looks of it, the film will be both comic and dramatic.

HBO Presents ‘Brexit’ The Movie Starring Benedict Cumberbatch #NotTheOnion

December 16, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Dominic Cummings is known as the architect of Brexit. So it's then no surprise that a film would be made about his initiative to separate the U.K. from the EU. I presume the film will also have Nigel Farage, for me the face of Brexit. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Cummings in "Brexit," a co-production between HBO and UK’s Channel 4. A look at the just-released trailer and the feeling of an SNL-skit quickly sneaks up on you, not a good thing, but I'll give the film the benefit of the doubt, let's see how this turns out.

A24's Psychedelic-Horror ‘Climax' Receives March 1, 2019 Release Date

December 11, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Gaspar Noe's "Climax" will no doubt cause a lot of heads to spin, in both good ways and bad. Many of the reviews have mentioned how it is his best movie, I would have to actually make a case for "Enter the Void" to be his crowning achievement, a film that will stand the test of time. Suffice to say, critics went gaga for it at La Croisette. I really liked it but felt the excess finally caught up to it in its final few moments. That's all fine and dandy. As far as I'm concerned Noe has never made a boring film in his career, although his previous film, the 3D explicit sex film "Love," started to feel pedantic and dull in its second hour, and "Climax" is anything but boring.

First Look at J.C. Chandor's ‘Triple Frontier’

December 11, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

J.C. Chandor‘s "Triple Frontier" (Netflix) is most definitely on my must-see list for 2019. I mean, how can it not be? Chandor ("Margin Call," "All Is Lost," "A Most Violent Year") is a first-rate filmmaker that hasn't even hit the peak of his powers yet. He adapts a Mark Boal script here, and has some formidable actors to take the brunt of the work (Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund.)

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Trailer Breaks Record With 289 Million Views in 24 Hours

December 10, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

The just-released trailer for “Avengers: Endgame” earned more 289 million views across streaming platforms in 24 hours, thus becoming the most viewed trailer in 24 hours in movie history.

The trailer, which I completely missed and knew nothing about, was released on Friday at 8am ET, news to me, and eclipsed the previous record-holder, of course it was "Avengers: Infinity War," by almost 60 million views.

‘Captain Marvel’ Trailer 2: Another Look At Brie Larson's Superheroine

December 4, 2018 Leora Witkowski

Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman" set in motion the possibility of a movie like "Captain Marvel" existing. Before that, having a female-led superhero movie was deemed "box-office poison" by the powers-that-be, whoever the hell those people are-- especially since 2005’sJennifer Garner-starring “Elektra," was a box-office bomb and seemed to reinforce that point to many. The success of "Wonder Woman" proved nay in terms of the mainstream not accepting a female superhero. They did. Jenkins' movie made $821M worldwide.

Trailer for Alice Rohrwacher's Hypnotic and Surreal ‘Happy As Lazzaro’

November 30, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

I dug this film when I saw it this past May at Cannes. No surprise, Netflix picked it up and has launched a full-on awards campaign for Alice Rohrwacher's hypnotic, surreal and sensual "Happy As Lazzaro." The film won the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes, and its just-released trailer evokes everything I loved about it; moody atmosphere delivered through the mysteriously dreamy ambiguity of the narrative. The film takes a major detour in its second half, one which I will not reveal, but that's when the film really gets going and becomes damn-near Bressonian.

Tim Burton's Live-Action ‘Dumbo' [Trailer]

November 15, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Tim Burton's 2010 adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” earned over $1 billion at the global box office. It also cemented his 21st-century reputation as the go-to-director for classic children's fantasy. That's his thing now: "Alice," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" and now "Dumbo."

The Beautiful, Delicately Rendered Frames of Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma'

November 13, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

‘Toy Story 4’ Teaser Trailer: New Character Forky is Introduced

November 12, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Most people will tell you that, as far as conclusions to a trilogy go, you couldn't make a better series-capping entity than "Toy Story 3." The 2010 film had everything that was necessary to end on a high note; emotions, excitement, thrills and the kind of forward-looking nostalgia, I know, a contradiction, that made it wholly unique as far as sequels went. Why make a fourth film? You better have a good idea for it and, well that's at least what I've gathered from recent interviews with Tim Allen and Tom Hanks who revealed just how emotional it was to voice Buzz and Woody for the final time, especially in the final scene.

Oh God.

November 9, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Andy Serkis is directing this. Netflix planning on a theatrical release. But does anybody care?

Nadine Labaki's Uber-Realist ‘Capernaum' Has Some Stunning Passages [Trailer]

November 6, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Director Nadine Labaki's "Capernaum" earned a 15 minute standing ovation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It ended up winning the Jury Prize and was quickly picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution and Oscar consideration.

Claire Denis' “High Life" will infuriate many moviegoers [Trailer]

October 20, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Claire Denis‘ "High Life" had an underwhelming world premiere at the Roy Thomson Hall during the Toronto Film Festival, for which I attended. Around half the audience had already left the theater by the time the film ended, you could just tell nobody was into it. And this is coming from a fest that prides itself in having the best audience in the world. Even Toronto audiences couldn't deal with the metaphorical artsy ambitions that were unfurling on the screen. And I don't mean that as a detraction of Denis' mad ambitions in "High Life," which, by all accounts, warrants a repeat viewing on my part.

Nicole Kidman is brutally brilliant in DESTROYER | Official Trailer

October 17, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

I saw and reviewed Karyn Kusama's "Destroyer" this past September at TIFF. It's essentially a dirty cop movie delivered via a female perspective. If the screenplay has weak spots, contrivances, if you will, since this should be considered a B-movie, Kusama does break through due to her brilliant strengths as a director of atmosphere. She's a fantastic filmmaker, I highly recommend you check out, if you haven't already, the work she did in 2015's "The Invitation." However, "Destroyer" is, by all means, the Nicole Kidman show. At 51-years-of-age, and completely de-glammed, God I hate that term, she delivers her best performance in more than two decades, she's devastating.

Uber-Trippy Trailer for Harmony Korine's 'The Beach Bum'

October 11, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Trailer: 'Ben is Back' features one of Julia Roberts' best performances

October 11, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

My B-review of Julia Roberts' return to form in "Ben is Back." Her best performance since? Who knows! The script may be a bit all over the place, but her performance deserves to be praised, ditto Lucas Hedges as her drug-addicted son struggling between recovery and relapse.

Official Trailer for M Night Shyamalan's ‘Glass'

October 11, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

You can hate on the guy all you want, but, at some point, M. Night Shyamalan was known as the director that gave us "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable." As far as I'm concerned, those two films justify his existence in the cinematic spectrum. "The Village" and "Signs" weren't half-bad either. Of course, following those two films, we got "Lady in the Water," and "The Happening," two unwatchable projects that signaled, maybe, the end of his career as the heir of Hitchcock/Spielberg for millennials.

Ever since those six films, with his signature style stamped all over them, Shyamalan has been dabbling mostly in Hollywood crap that has none of the carefully calibrated voice he created between 1999-2008: "After Earth," and "The Last Airbender" completely crushed his and our souls.

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney revealed in first ‘Vice’ trailer

October 3, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

There are only three Oscar contenders left to screen for the press; Mimi Leder's Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic "On the Basis of Sex," Bryan Singer's Freddy Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody," and, most importantly, "The Big Short" director Adam McKay's Dick Cheney/Bush-years film "Vice."

The latter finally has a trailer.

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