"It's an alliance." Directed by: Scott Cooper Written by: Mark Mallouk, Jez Butterworth Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton Swift shot: Johnny Depp and Director Scott Cooper deliver a true crime drama worthy of the instant classic label. Depp commands respect as one of the most notorious gangsters in America. He doesn't pretend to be James … [Read more...] about Black Mass
History
Child 44
"There is no murder in Paradise." Directed by: Daniel Espinosa Written by: Richard Price (screenplay), Tom Rob Smith (novel) Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Vincent Cassel, Joel Kinnaman The H-Bomb: In 1950's Soviet Russia, highly regarded war hero and military police officer, Leo Demidov (Hardy), is demoted and disgraced when he refuses to denounce … [Read more...] about Child 44
The Connection
Justice must be done. Directed by: Cédric Jimenez Writers: Audrey Diwan, Cédric Jimenez Cast: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Céline Sallette Swift shot: Full disclosure, I have never seen the classic The French Connection, but I understand it is a quickly paced shoot-em-up featuring detective Popeye Doyle (Gene "The Marine" Hackman) and how he thwarts an … [Read more...] about The Connection
Love & Mercy
Directed by: Bill Pohlad Writers: Oren Moverman, Michael A. Lerner Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti “God only knows what I'd be without you” is a very familiar lyric. It’s from a song on The Beach Boys 1966 “Pet Sounds” Album. It’s a seminal tune from the unfettered genius of the group’s leader and songwriter Brian Wilson, arguably one of the … [Read more...] about Love & Mercy
Tangerines
"Death is their mother" Directed/Written by: Zaza Urushadze Cast: Lembit Ulfsak, Elmo Nüganen, Giorgi Nakashidze, Misha Meskhi Swift shot: An obscure, foreign film about a nation most Americans couldn't point out on a map if I literally put a gun to their head. Set in Abkhazia during the 1992 post-Soviet power struggles in that region, Tangerines is a film about … [Read more...] about Tangerines