7 Days in Hell is an HBO TV mockumentary about the greatest game of tennis ever played, a seven day affair between American Aaron Williams (Andy Samberg) and Englishman Charles Poole (Kit Harrington). The movie was released on July 11th, coinciding with Wimbledon 2015. Somewhat in the spirit of wild sports movies like Adam Sandler’s Happy …
Ordell Robbie (Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def) and Louis Gara (John Hawkes) get much more than they bargained for after kidnapping the wife of a corrupt real-estate developer (Tim Robbins). As it turns out, Frank Dawson has no intentions of paying the ransom for the well-being of his wife, Mickey (Jennifer Aniston). He had been seeking a way to leave his wife of many years for his mistress (Isla Fisher), and fortunately Ordell and Louis took care of the messiness of actually leaving Mickey for him by kidnapping her.
Nebraska Written by Bob Nelson Directed by Alexander Payne USA, 2013 It’s become passé in popular culture to mock the elderly, to tweak and jeer at them just enough without being excessively cruel. We can laugh at old people for swearing at each other, or for having regressed physically to the point where they seem …
With the timing of a well-orchestrated heist, the latest screen adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel closes this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Given his recent passing and the well-deserved plaudits from various luminaries of pen and screen, his rap sheet has been celebrated over the past few weeks. Based on Leonard’s novel The Switch, writer and director Daniel Schechter has managed to embezzle a fine addition to the long list of lean Leonard works. Although it doesn’t quite hit the jackpot, it does manage to purloin some fine criminal characters and a gutsy group of belly laughs to boot.
Run & Jump Germany, Ireland 2013 Directed by Steph Green Written by Ailbhe Keogan Run & Jump tells an emotionally charged tale of an Irish family shaken by a freak trauma after the head of household, Conor (Edward MacLiam), suffers a stroke that drastically alters his personality and perception of the world. His stalwart wife, …
Rock of Ages Written by Justin Theroux, Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb Directed by Adam Shankman USA, 2012 Generally a provider of terrible studio product (Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Pacifier among others), Adam Shankman did direct 2007’s surprisingly good Hairspray, the big-screen version of the Broadway hit that was itself based on …