"This Is Not Berlin." Photo Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films
In the mid 80’s, I remember going to many shows at a venue known as The Gorilla Gardens, in Seattle. It was a dingy all-ages club constructed out of a run-down theater. Most Fridays there were two shows. If you went to the left, you were in a punk show. If you went to the right, you were in a metal show. It was a time of adventure and possibility and danger. The vibrant and true to life This Is Not Berlin mines that spirit of exploration and discovery.
(from left) Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," directed by David Leitch. Photo Credit: Daniel Smith/Universal Pictures
Hobbs & Shawwas the #1 film over the weekend as it took in over $60.8 million at the box office. Coming in second was The Lion King with $38.3 million, followed by Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (#3, $20 million). The top 10 films are featured below!
Zack Gottsagen and Shia LaBeouf in THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON. Photo Credit: Seth Johnson. Courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Armory Films
It took us 3.5 years, but Anderson Cowan and I finally made it to 100 episodes on CinemAddicts. We’ve been picking up the pace lately (two eps. per month) thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and on this show we cover The Peanut Butter Falcon, Ode to Joy, and Love, Antosha. Details and audio of our podcast is below!!
Love, Antosha is a celebration of Anton Yelchin’s life, and though he passed away over three years ago, his loss is still deeply felt among his fans, friends and family. With that pain in hand, it’s easy to excuse oneself from watching this documentary, but that would be a miscalculation. Ultimately life affirming and inspiring, this project delivers an evocative and insightful look at one of cinema’s most talented artists.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is one of cinema’s most acclaimed features, and whether you saw the original cut or the Redux version, the 40th anniversary 4K Ultra HD release should be the end all and be all. Why? Well, Coppola says in the intro to the Apocalypse Now Final Cut trailer that this version is the one he prefers.
Jon Foo and Sean Patrick Flanery in "The Outsider" (Cinedigm)
As a huge Western fan, I appreciated director Timothy Woodward Jr.’s latest feature The Outsider. Asians are rarely featured in the genre, and Jon Foo is actually the film’s lead. Couple that interesting element and pair solid work from vets Trace Adkins (Hickok, which Woodward Jr. also directed) and Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints), and you have a pretty promising film. I ended up digging the film, and check out my post below as Woodward Jr. talks about the challenging but ultimately gratifying journey of making The Outsider.
Joseph Arthur is hitting the road this Fall in support of his new album Come Back World which comes out October 11. Arthur’s first tour stop is an October 7th stop at Knuckleheads (Kansas City, MO). Album details and tour dates are below:
Directed by Stéphane Brizé, At War (En Guerre) centers on the decision to shut down a factory that is obviously met with disapproval from its 1100 employees. Laurent Amédéo (Vincent Lindon) is the leader of the workers who will do everything it takes to keep the plant alive. Brizé shoots his feature in an arresting style sans sacrificing the truth, and in our interview he explains why, in cinema, the truth has been a foundation of his work.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JULY 11: Danielle Macdonald (L) and Jamie Bell attend the Los Angeles Special Screening of "SKIN" at ArcLight Hollywood on July 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for A24)
Directed and penned by Oscar winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv, Skin centers on the true story of Bryon Widner’s (Jamie Bell) journey of shedding his life as a racist skinhead. Danielle Macdonald (Bird Box, Patti Cake$) co-stars as his girlfriend Julie, a woman who believes Widner is ready to make that change.
“…an unconscious picture of what I actually think will happen when it happens..” John Lennon on Revolution No. 9, The White Album.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywoodis Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, and possibly the film with the lowest stakes. There is no vengeful bride or Nazi hunters or evil slave traders. By lowering the stakes and decreasing the violence, Tarantino has presented arguably his most fully-realized characters.
The majority of the film follows fading Hollywood leading man, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rick’s stuntman/personal assistant Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Ultimately, this is a slice-of-life buddy movie.
