A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2019 - Episode II

The bad news about the next month of movie releases is that we’re still stuck in Movie Siberia, where the unwanted are dumped to die. The good news is, February is a short month…and we have a few hidden gems scattered about here and there. Here now is a preview for the month of February. 

Siberia continues with…

ARCTIC – Mads Mikkelsen (ROGUE ONE), plays a man stranded in the Arctic who misses his chance at rescue. 

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART – The sequel to the 2014 smash hit. It features the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Tiffany Haddish, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, and Maya Rudolph. 

EVERYBODY KNOWS – Javier Bardem (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), and Penelope Cruz (TO ROME WITH LOVE), star in this Spanish psychological thriller. 

THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT – In a film that is probably as ridiculous as the title sounds, Sam Elliot (A STAR IS BORN), stars as a man who killed Hitler and then asked to hunt down Bigfoot. 

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY – This comedy/drama is based on the 2012 documentary which depicted the life of professional wrestler Paige. It follows her journey from an upbringing in a family of wrestlers to her rise as one of the WWE’s biggest female stars. 

THE PRODIGY – Beware of horror films not good enough for the Fall. Taylor Schilling (TV’s ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), plays the mother of a child who may be possessed. 

THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS – This latest installment in the never-ending AMITYVILLE franchise which is partly based on the Amityville documentaries that aired on the History Channel.  

COLD PURSUIT – In this action film, Liam Neeson plays a snowplow driver who goes on a rampage of revenge when his son is murdered. It co-stars Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, and William Forsythe. 

WHAT MEN WANT –   In this remake of the 2000 film, Taraji P. Henson (HIDDEN FIGURES), gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts. 

HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U – The sequel to the 2017 slasher film, in which a girl finds herself trapped in a time loop facing a new killer. 

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL – The long-awaited big screen adaptation of the massively popular manga comic, in which Alita (Rosa Salazar), a cyborg, discovers her hidden past and abilities. It stars Christoph Waltz (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS), Jennifer Connelly, and Mahershala Ali (GREEN BOOK). It is directed by Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), and produced by James Cameron (TITANIC, AVATAR). 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD – The third and final installment of the animated fantasy franchise that started in 2010. This time, Hiccup deals with an overpopulation of dragons. It features the voice talents of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kit Harrington, Kristen Wig, F. Murray Abraham, and Gerard Butler. 

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of March. 

A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Football Movies

This week brings the Super Bowl; pro-football’s championship game that has grown into an un-official national holiday. The annual big game has a lot in common with the Oscars; not only does it serve to crown the best it has to offer, but it is also a celebration of the game, and as the last game of the year in all of football, serves as a grand finale to the overall season. With this being Super Bowl week, and partially inspired by a healthy debate with a loyal reader, the time is right for Reel Speak’s very first Top 10 Best Football Movies. 

The American version of football has not been treated as well as other sports on the big screen. The game has yet to find its own version of FIELD OF DREAMS, THE NATURAL, or even HOOSIERS. The reasons for that are for another debate, and this list looks to rank and celebrate the best of what we have received. As usual, the benchmarks of story and character are in play, but it’s fair to say that football movies, just like any other sports movie, has to do something special with the game itself; to make the game mean something other than a reason to bash helmets together or make a lot of noise. 

Now it’s time for kickoff. 

10. UNDEFEATED (2011)

Our first entry on this very first list is actually a documentary, but what a documentary it is. The winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this film documents the struggles of a Memphis high school football team trying to overcome years of losing seasons. The film also capitalizes on the theme of football being a rite of passage for young men. Practically a required viewing for all fans of the game. 

9. NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979)

Football is a violent sport, and perhaps no other film centered on violence as much as this 1979 classic which was based on the book of the same name. With characters based on real-life players from the famed Dallas Cowboys, the film may seem over the top by today’s standards, but it worked then, as it does now, as a peek behind the curtain of the lives of pro-football players…and the effects the game has on them after the lights go down. 

8. KNUTE ROCKNE: ALL AMERICAN (1940)

Before Ronald Reagan was President, he was an actor, and his greatest and most-remembered role came in this 1940 biography of the famed coach of Notre Dame University. Reagan played freshman halfback George Gipp, who famously said on his death bed to “win one for the Gipper”; a line which has become eternal in Notre Dame football, film, and in overall sports. A tearjerker of a movie and a nostalgic reminder of when the term “All American” actually meant something. 

7. THE LONGEST YARD (1974)

This sports classic has Burt Reynolds playing an incarcerated pro-football player who recruits fellow inmates to play a game against the prison guards. Sold as a comedy, it has a fair amount of emotional weight, and the game of football exists in the story to give the prisoners their only taste of freedom and life outside the walls. Realistic and brutal and the game means everything to every character. 

6. HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1978)

Nominated for 10 Oscars, Warren Beatty directed and starred in this fantasy/comedy in which a pro football player is killed and sent to heaven by accident. It’s a screwball comedy but still has enough weight to make us care, and the ensemble cast of Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Jack Warden, Charles Grodin, and Dyan Cannon make the film one of the best of the 1970’s. The game of football serves as a great passion and love for the main character, which nearly turns it into a love story. 

5. NECESSARY ROUGHNESS (1991)

Scott Bakula takes the field in this comedy about a middle-aged quarterback who goes back to college to play quarterback for a decimated football program. Loaded with zippy one-liners and a laugh-a-minute, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS shows that the game doesn’t always have to be taken so damn seriously. 

4. REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000)

Denzel Washington led the way in this true-story drama about an African-American high school football coach who tried to integrate the school football team in Virginia in 1971. It’s a simple tale told in the most direct manner, but sports and civil rights in America have come clashing together from the early days to the modern-day NFL stories of kneeling players, and REMEMBER THE TITANS stands as one of the most important stories to speak about it. And most of all, it shows the bonding power of the game. 

3. THE BEST OF TIMES (1986)

Current and ex-football players tend to replay games in their heads, for better or for worse, but no one actually gets to replay those games on the field. But for Kurt Russell and the late great Robin Williams, that’s exactly what their characters got to do in this comedy/drama. The two old friends get the teams back together for a rematch to a game that had ended in a tie decades before, not only for themselves but for their dying hometown. It’s a story of redemption, family, smalltown America, and the importance of missed opportunities in life. And on the field, the football is shown as brutal and violent as it can get. 

2. RUDY (1993)

Everyone loves an underdog story, and perhaps football is the toughest sport for any underdog. Based on a true story, RUDY tells the tale of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who had lifelong dreams of playing Notre Dame football despite his academic and physical limitations. It’s a movie about chasing dreams no matter what, and Sean Astin plays the character with so much heart that one would have to be soulless to not root for him. It’s a film that makes us stand up and cheer, and that is an important, if not rare, accomplishment for any film. Some movie fans may always remember Sean Astin as a Goonie or a Hobbit…but many more will always remember him wearing that blue number 45 jersey with his arms up in victory. 

1. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2004)

Before it was a TV show, it was a film. Peter Berg’s gritty take on the true story of a Texas high school football team, its coach, families, and players…captures the essence of the game both on and off the field. The love of the game, the pressures, and the joy that tossing the pigskin around is all there, and despite having a tough ending to swallow…still sends us out on a high note. The cast and acting are excellent, and Berg’s talent for dropping us right into the thick of the action makes the film a visceral experience. It’s a statement on the rabid fandom of the game all the way down to the high school level and makes even high school football seem like the most important thing in the world. The film plays with history, but what we see on the screen is all that should matter, and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS hits the hardest. 

REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 BEST FOOTBALL MOVIES

1. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
2. RUDY
3. THE BEST OF TIMES
4. REMEMBER THE TITANS
5. NECESSARY ROUGHNESS
6. HEAVEN CAN WAIT
7. THE LONGEST YARD
8. KNUTE ROCKNE: ALL AMERICAN
9. NORTH DALLAS FORTY
10. UNDEFEATED

A Reel Opinion: Oscars v. Superheroes

This week, history was made when Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER became the first film based on a comic book/superhero to be nominated for Best Picture. The Ryan Coogler-directed adaptation of one of Marvel Comics’ oldest heroes, earned six other nominations, making it the third-most nominated of the year. The film has also earned several nominations in the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and the Critics Choice Awards. The nominations top off a very successful year for Marvel and its competitors, with seven of the top 11 domestic earners of 2018 being superhero films. 

The accolades are a big step forward not only for Marvel, but for comic book and superhero films in general. Usually films like BLACK PANTHER and its cousins are restricted to the technical categories, such as visual effects and sound editing/mixing. For decades, there has been a snobbery among the Oscars and the awards circuits when it comes to superhero films; they were seemingly considered to be too cartoony, too flashy, too noisy…and basically kids movies. But as this Blogger wrote a year ago (HERE), the path for a superhero to make Best Picture has been made easier in recent years. In 2008, Heath Ledger from THE DARK KNIGHT took home a Best Supporting Actor win, and last year, LOGAN earned a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay; the first of its kind to do so. After nearly 40 years, it seems that capes and masks are finally being taken seriously. 

With the overabundance of superhero films every year, audiences and voters certainly have enough to choose from, but not all of them hit that special mark to earn a Best Picture consideration. THE DARK KNIGHT was the first to actually feel like a true film, and LOGAN played out like a Western. BLACK PANTHER, which was the first black superhero, certainly earned its place in history by bringing that character to the screen, but its story was by-the-numbers; a common criticism from even the films biggest fans. 

So why the accolades? BLACK PANTHER may seem like any other Marvel film, but there is something to be said about a movie that makes such a massive cultural impact. Today the character can be seen on t-shirts everywhere, and people yelling “Wakanda forever” is now quite common. When a film inserts itself into pop culture, even the snobbiest of awards voters can’t look away. 

BLACK PANTHER is not expected to win Best Picture, as it lacks nominations in the vital categories such as Directing, Screenplay, Editing, and Acting. But just as the character opened doors for others in the 1960’s, it can and will open doors for its followers. Just as this Blogger predicted a year ago (HERE), the day is coming when a superhero wins the last Oscar of the evening, and we are one hero closer.

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Read Reel Speak’s reaction to the 91^stAcademy Award nominations HERE.

A Reel Opinion: Oscar Nominations: The Good, The Bad, & The Glorious

The nominees for the 91^stAcademy Awards were announced today. ROMA and THE FAVOURITE lead the pack with 10 nominations each, followed by eight for VICE and A STAR IS BORN, seven for BLACK PANTHER, six for BLAKKKLANSMAN, and five for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and GREEN BOOK. Here’s how the rest landed in the Good, Bad, and Glorious. 

THE GOOD

-Last year’s announcements were done in a huge production with pre-produced intros and a large backdrop. This year things were scaled down, and hosts Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross looked like they were in the lobby of the Academy. It worked, and both hosts got the job done, although it was odd to have Ross, mostly known as a TV actress, hosting an event that celebrates the movies. 

-For the first time since 1976, two foreign language films made the cut for Best Director; Alfonso Cuaron for ROMA, and Pawel Pawlikowski for COLD WAR. It’s good to see the Academy look beyond their borders. 

-Earlier this year, the Academy toyed with, and then shelved the idea of adding a Most Popular Film category to honor box office hits that weren’t Best Picture material. Three of this year’s nominees; A STAR IS BORN, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, and BLACK PANTHER…were all big money makers and shows that the category is not needed. 

-Speaking of BLACK PANTHER; the box office smash, critical hit, and cultural impact-maker became the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture. 

-A nomination for Best Visual Effects for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, gives the long-running STAR WARS franchise a total of 37 nominations over nine films. The record belongs to the Middle-Earth franchise (THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS), which has 38 nominations over six films. 

THE BAD

-No nomination for Bradley Cooper for Best Director for his outstanding A STAR IS BORN. Could it be because he spent too much time in front of the camera? Also noteworthy is no nomination for Best Editing for A STAR IS BORN, which is usually a pre-requisite for a Best Picture winner. 

-As stated in Reel Speak’s review of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (HERE), that film had editing issues, which makes its nomination for Best Editing an odd one. 

-Also odd is BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY earning so many nominations including Best Picture, despite receiving mixed to awful reviews. The film is flawed, but there is something to be said about a film that can get people roused out of their seats, and despite having a tragic ending, can send us home on a high note. 

-Even more oddness is the overwhelming love for VICE, which also did not earn a lot of great reviews. But there is something to be said about a film that is brutally honest about American history; it deserves that credit no matter how hard it is to watch or preferable to ignore. 

-FIRST MAN snubs: no nominations for composer Justin Hurwitz, no Best Picture, or Best Supporting Actress for Claire Foy. Also, no nominations for Emily Blunt who owned two of the best performances of the year in MARY POPPINS RETURNS and A QUIET PLACE. 

-One of the most accomplished technical films of the year, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT, was shut out. 

THE GLORIOUS

-Spike Lee gets his first nomination for Best Director (BLACKKKLANSMAN). 

-Sam Elliot earning his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor (A STAR IS BORN). 

-Lady Gaga earning her first nomination for Best Actress (A STAR IS BORN). 

-Overall the nominations are very spread out, and it’s hard to see a clear-cut winner. That points to a competitive year where anything can happen, and that’s not a bad thing. 

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The Oscars will be awarded on February 24^th. 

A Reel Review: GLASS

Twelve years before cinema saw the Avengers assemble, and eight years before a Joker won an Oscar, writer and director M. Night Shyamalan made one of the grandest, if not the grandest statements on superheroes and their villains with his 2000 film UNBREAKABLE. It was a grounded superhero film that wasn’t really a superhero film as we expect them today, as the story spent more time deconstructing heroes and villains than having them slug it out over world-wide stakes. M. Night’s 2016 film SPLIT served as a sneaky, back-door sequel, and here in 2019, he caps off his sudden trilogy with GLASS. 

Nineteen years after the events of UNBREAKABLE, strongman David Dunn (Bruce Willis), gets locked into a mental hospital with his rival, mastermind Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson), and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), who is also known as The Horde because of his 23 different personalities…with a terrifying 24^th known as The Beast. In the hospital, the three are poked and prodded by Dr. Staple (Sarah Paulson), who tries to convince the three that they don’t really have super abilities. 

The early goings of GLASS are spent catching us up with our characters from UNBREAKABLE and SPLIT. Dunn is now a widow but has a successful home-security business he runs with his son Joseph (reprised by Spencer Treat Clark), and he has spent the last 19 years using his abilities to clean up the streets of Philadelphia. Kevin/The Horde in the meantime is still kidnapping and terrifying girls, while the lone survivor from SPLIT (reprised by Ana Taylor-Joy), is still dealing with the trauma of her encounter with The Beast. Meanwhile, Elijah, calling himself Mr. Glass, is in a near catatonic state in the hospital. 

Once the catching up is done and the three find themselves together in close quarters, GLASS slips back into the shoes of UNBREAKABLE. That film was a breakdown and examination of the elements of superheroes, and GLASS picks up that idea and runs with it. Only this time, Dr. Staple is out to convince them (and us), that super-abilities really don’t exist, and her methods are very convincing to all and has everyone second-guessing what we thought we knew about every character and what they can do. 

Similar to UNBREAKABLE, GLASS isn’t really a superhero movie as much as it is a story about superheroes. M. Night takes the familiar tropes from comic book storytelling and presents them in a grounded fashion that makes it familiar, but fresh. Familiar character archetypes such as the moral leader, the anarchist, and the mastermind are explored in real-world ways, and just for good measure a new, larger element is introduced as one of the three (!) twists near the end. For comic book fans and for those of us who have never stepped foot in a comic-con, there’s a lot to digest, learn, and enjoy. 

There’s a fair amount of action and tension, and the eventual fight scenes are very well done. The script has a bit of clumsiness here and there, as the momentum is often stopped dead in its tracks for a character to literally explain to the audience what part of a comic book tale we’re now seeing. There’s a lot of telling instead of showing and a lot of exposition and explanations feel overdone. 

Acting is quite good. Bruce Willis plays David as a little stoic but there’s something about seeing him back in his green poncho defying the strength of steel that is a joy. Samuel L. Jackson steps back into the chair of Mr. Glass with ease, and Sarah Paulson is chilling from start to finish. Ana Taylor-Joy is a wonderful actress, but her character is an odd one as she feels extraneous until the end, and her motivations for wanting to be involved with The Beast again aren’t very clear. The film is owned by James McAvoy, who literally plays 23 different characters in the film, some of them within seconds of each other, and his physical performance is stunning. 

Since this is an M. Night film, we expect a twist, and we get that and more with a lot of surprises coming in the last half hour. The film feels a bit anti-climactic, as the final showdown is followed-up by several different endings to wrap things up…and again it feels like over-explaining. But by the closing minutes, a wonderful loop-back to UNBREAKABLE happens which closes out one character’s goal in spectacular fashion, and M. Night delivers a wrap that is proper and satisfying. GLASS has its cracks, but it’s strong enough to not break. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

A Reel Preview: Everything You Need To Know About GLASS

This week, the most anticipated film in the career of writer and director M. Night Shyamalan arrives in the form of GLASS. In this Reel Preview, here is everything you need to know about it before heading to the theatre.

What is this all about? – GLASS is a sequel to UNBREAKABLE (2000), and SPLIT (2016). UNBREAKABLE was a story of real-life superheroes among us, and SPLIT served as a back-door sequel/spinoff. GLASS follows up the exploits of steel-bending strongman David Dunn, criminal mastermind Elijah Price, and the mysterious creature known as The Horde; a young man who has 23 different personalities, including a 24^thknown as The Beast. 

Who is behind this? –GLASS is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who directed UNBREAKABLE and SPLIT. M. Night’s career got off to a tremendous start with his ghost story THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), the phenomenal UNBREAKABLE, and SIGNS (2002). He then brought us the so-so THE VILLAGE (2004), the weird THE LADY IN THE WATER (2006), followed by the shitty THE HAPPENING (2008), the shittier THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010), and the shittiest AFTER EARTH (2013). He then straightened out with THE VISIT in 2015 and then SPLIT in 2016. 

Who is in this? – Reprising their roles from UNBREAKABLE are Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, who played David and Elijah, respectively. James McAvoy returns as The Horde. The film also stars Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Spencer Treat Clark. 

Random Facts – The character of The Horde was originally planned for UNBREAKABLE but was cut due to balance reasons. The character was brought back for SPLIT * Spencer Treat Clark is reprising his role as David’s son, and Charlayne Woodard reprises her role as Elijah’s mother * Anya Taylor-Joy reprises her role from SPLIT * The film was shot over a period of 39 days * M. Night and James McAvoy worked to define every one of The Horde’s 24 different personalities * McAvoy based one of his personalities on actress Saoirse Ronan, whom he worked with on ATONEMENT (2007) * This is the fifth time Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have appeared in a movie together; LOADED WEAPON 1 (1993), PULP FICTION (1994), DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995), and UNBREAKABLE * 

What to Expect – Despite the many ups and downs that M. Night has given us on the big screen, there can be no taking away from the craftmanship of his films. His works are always very well shot and edited, acted, and his uses of color to help tell the story or convey an idea or theme are always top-notch. At the very least we can expect a well-made film thick with atmosphere and tension. The acting trio of Willis, Jackson, and McAvoy are certain to bring great performances, and Sarah Paulson always delivers. As a sequel to UNBREAKABLE, GLASS certainly has its work cut out for it. UNBREAKABLE was a superhero movie that wasn’t really a superhero movie and was instead an examination of how comic book tropes and characters work. Now that the cat is out of the bag, GLASS will have new territory to explore. The real question here is which M. Night will show up; the one that brought us the outstanding UNBREAKABLE or the one that made shitty films for nearly a decade? For this Blogger, UNBREAKABLE is M. Night’s best work, so the bar of steel is set very high.

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GLASS opens January 18^th. 

A Reel Opinion: The Best & Worst Films of 2018 - Part 2

More than any other year, 2018 was dominated by superhero movies. With offerings from Marvel, DC Comics, and Pixar…seven of the top 11 domestic box office earners were all of the caped and masked crusading type. Those superheroes led the way for a very healthy overall box office; attendance was up 7% from 2017 thanks to not only comic book movies but a very diverse slate of films. The numbers dispel two persistent myths: superhero fatigue is setting in, and that the theatre business is dying because of home streaming. 

This Blogger screened nearly 40 films in 2018, and whittling the list down to just 10 was, as it is every year, a challenge. Some honorable mention needs to be given to THE FAVOURITE, Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS, Alfonso Cuaron’s ROMA, Adam McKay’s VICE, Disney and Ron Howard’s SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, Alex Garland’s ANNIHILATION, Ari Aster’s HEREDITARY, and Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER…all excellent experiences at the theatre. 

Now this is where the fun begins. The absolute Best of 2018.

10. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

No movie sent audiences staggering out of the theatre in shock, disbelief, and emotional bludgeoning like Marvel’s first part of their conclusion to their 10-year series. The directing team of Joe and Anthony Russo brought Earth’s mightiest heroes together on an epic scale spanning galaxies and harked back to the WWII films of old where one war is fought on several fronts. The idea to make super-villain Thanos the central, tragic character was brilliant, and most importantly, our heroes were shown as characters firstand heroes second…just like creator Stan Lee would have wanted. 

9. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT

In an age where CGI dominates action films, the 6^thentry in this 20-year-old film series was a breath of fresh air with its stunning and breathtaking practical effects; with star Tom Cruise doing things that no human should be doing. Possibly the best film in the franchise, FALLOUT was a clever maze of deception, misdirection, and big twists and surprises which left audiences breathless more than once. 

8. A QUIET PLACE

Director John Krasinski not only brought us a clever and scary horror film, but also one of the best performances of the year belonging to Emily Blunt. Blunt’s performance in which she goes into labor while needing to keep absolutely silent for fear of attracting killer creatures was astounding to see…and added to the tension-filled film which was as smart as it was scary. 

7. BLACKKKLANSMAN

The unbelievable true story of an African-American undercover detective who somehow manages to infiltrate a KKK chapter could have easily leaned towards a zany comedy or intended for laughs, but director Spike Lee took the material and turned it into one of the most profound statements on race relations in America we’ve ever seen on the big screen. 

6. THE OLD MAN & THE GUN

If the legend known as Robert Redford does indeed make good on his promise to retire, then he could not have picked a better film to go out with. David Lowery’s combo of cops-and-robbers and a love story gave Redford the chance to revisit the rascally-rabbit type characters he had played in the past, and the result was a charming and timeless tale that felt like the type of story told around a campfire. 

5. MARY POPPINS RETURNS

This sequel to the beloved MARY POPPINS was so faithful to the spirit of that classic it could have been made in the 1960’s. The storyline actually improved on the original in many ways, and Emily Blunt’s performance was every bit of the charm and mystery that the world loves about Mary Poppins. A grand achievement for Disney…and for Emily Blunt, who owns two of the best performances of the year. 

4. GREEN BOOK

Another true-life story which was stranger than fiction was not only another look at race in America, but an opportunity for class actors Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali to turn in career-best performances. It’s the odd couple on a road trip, and the isolation offered some unique storytelling for director Peter Farrelly of the famed Farrelly Brothers. It was character-strong and provided the best laughs of the year without getting dumb or ridiculous. 

3. WIDOWS

In his first film since he took home Oscars for 12 YEARS A SLAVE in 2013, director Steve McQueen returned with a powerful thriller which saw the widows of high-profile criminals taking on a high-stakes job to pay off a debt. The technical achievements the film displayed were very impressive, and the performances were equally great; especially from Viola Davis and Liam Neeson. It was a simple story beefed up with great character moments, a weaving plot, and plenty of shocking twists. 

2. FIRST MAN

Director Damien Chazelle literally drops us right into the helmet of astronaut Neil Armstrong in this gritty and grounded look at the first men who walked on the moon. Space travel is a dangerous and scary business, and that’s an element Hollywood has often traded in for bravado and spectacle. FIRST MAN keeps it human and real, and the flight scenes shown here are terrifying, just as they really were. And the moon landing sequence was one of the best edited and scored sequences of the year. 

1. A STAR IS BORN 

In the last 10 years, Bradley Cooper has acted in front of the camera for big-name directors such as Clint Eastwood, David O. Russell, Derek Cianfrance, and Joe Carnahan…and looking at his directorial debut, it’s clear he’s been paying attention. A STAR IS BORN, the fifth film to carry that title since 1937, was a human story with the elements that speak to us all; dreaming, wanting, achieving, and holding on to it for better or for worse. There is a subtle power behind Cooper’s steady direction, one that sneaks up on us by the powerful ending. Cooper acted his best, and the acting performance by Lady Gaga was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2018. Marvel’s INFINITY WAR may have sent audiences staggering out of the theatre, but A STAR IS BORN sent us home weeping, and struck that strong emotional chord that the great films always play. 

THE BEST FILMS OF 2018

1. A STAR IS BORN
2. FIRST MAN
3. WIDOWS
4. GREEN BOOK
5. MARY POPPINS RETURNS
6. THE OLD MAN & THE GUN
7. BLACKKKLANSMAN
8. A QUIET PLACE
9. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT
10. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

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Read Reel Speaks' Worst of 2018 HERE 

A Reel Opinion: The Best & Worst Films of 2018 - Part 1

Filmmaking is a hard job. The massive efforts undertaken every year by writers, directors, producers, actors and actresses…along with thousands of effects artists, costume designers, makeup people and the hands that build the sets; all the people behind the scenes and in front making a living at what they love, the movies. Their efforts tower over film critics and bloggers, but sometimes giving an “A” for effort isn’t enough. The product on the screen needs to pay off, and in 2018, as in every year, not every effort does. Every year produces greatness on the silver screen, and it also produces films that missed the mark and fell short of expectations and quality. This first part of Reel Speak’s annual Best and Worst lists takes a look at the Worst of 2018. 

The worst of 2018 happened behind the silver screen, as we said goodbye to many popular and successful actors, actresses, and filmmakers. In the past year we said farewell and adieu to Jerry Van Dyke, Penny Marshall, Milos Forman, R. Lee Ermey, Verne Troyer, William Goldman, Donald Moffat, Burt Reynolds, Margot Kidder, and Stan Lee; all notable names and legends of the screen. 

Back on the screen, this Blogger screened nearly 40 films in 2018, and of those 40, only five were deemed downright bad. Reel Speak avoided critically drubbed movies and obvious stinkbombs such as HOLMES AND WATSON, GOTTI, ROBIN HOOD, and LIFE ITSELF. These are the movies that could have and should have been better than what we got. 

The worst films of 2018 are…

5. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB

All filmmakers deserve credit, but this film which continues the DRAGON TATTOO series was the absolute laziest of the year. The plot to stop the world being wiped out by a nuclear strike was nothing new, our hero Lisbeth Sandler gets out of fixes thanks to dumb luck and having a million safe-houses fully stocked with gear all over the world, and the lazy-ass script repeats itself over and over. Worst of all, they wasted a great talent in Claire Foy. 

4. THE PREDATOR

Director Shane Black, who had a supporting role in front of the camera in the original PREDATOR from 1987, seemed like the perfect director to finally deliver a proper sequel for our favorite skull-collecting alien. But what we got was a bloody mess; scenes started in odd places, sections of the film felt like they were missing, and characters did idiotic things for no reason. Worse, the movie tried to explain too much into the backgrounds of the Predator creatures, even to the point that the classic 1987 film gets ruined. 

3. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

Every sequel made to Steven Spielberg’s classic dinosaur romp JURASSIC PARK (1993) always ends up the same way; dinosaurs chasing and eating people. This fourth sequel is much of the same but tried to change things up by throwing in a million other plots. First we’re rescuing dinos, then we’re into a corporate takeover, then we’re creating new dinosaurs, then we’re cloning humans, then it’s a soap opera, and then we’re dealing with Russian mobsters and terrorists. It felt like 50 movies crammed into one and it never made any sense. JURASSIC WORLD? More like JURASSIC TURD. 

2. VENOM

One of the dumbest trends in Hollywood right now is the wave of solo super-villain films where the villain is the main character and the superhero is left out of the picture. Filmmakers are left with the insurmountable task of filling in the gap, and for VENOM, one of Spider-Man’s most vicious and worthy opponents, that gap was filled by making the alien creature who bites off heads a goddamn romantic comedy. The great Tom Hardy was left to crack painfully un-funny jokes with a CGI blob and the entire film came off as stupid. Add on terrible editing where scenes started in mid-conversation, and we’re left with the absolute worst comic-book adaptation of 2018 and one of the worst ever made. Flawed in concept and execution. 

1. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

This box-office bomb in which muppets interact with humans was first announced in 2008, and it’s mind-boggling that something that was in development for a decade could turn out so rotten. Directed by Brian Henson (son of Jim), this stinker was a dull re-hash of every single cliché the world has seen in a detective film noir, leading to a plot so predictable a three-year old could have figured it out. The attempts at humor ranging from dick jokes to puppet sex would only be laughed at by a 13-year old boy, and lead actress Melissa McCarthy is blander than the muppets she’s trying to act against. The most frustrating thing is that the puppetry work is outstanding and takes the old craft to places that the senior Henson would have been proud of…if he wasn’t rolling over in his grave. 

THE WORST FILMS OF 2018

1. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS
2. VENOM
3. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM
4. THE PREDATOR
5. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB

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Read Reel Speak's Best of 2018 HERE  

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2019 - Episode I

Happy New Year! January is here and that means we’re into the first of the two “dump months”; as they say in the industry. It’s a Siberia of sorts, where films deemed not good enough for Oscar season and un-capable of pulling in Summer dollars go to die. This first month of 2019 is exactly that, with one or two hidden gems hoping to surprise us. Here are the notable releases for January...

It all escapes with…

ESCAPE ROOM – This psychological horror film has six strangers trapped in one of those “escape rooms”, which has deadly traps. It is directed by Adam Robitel, who helmed the INSIDIOUS sequel, THE LAST KEY. 

A DOG’S WAY HOME – This family film follows a lost dog who travels over 400 miles to find his way home. Directed by Charles Martin Smith (DOLPHIN TALE). 

REPLICAS – In this sci-fi thriller, Keanu Reeves plays a neuroscientist who tries to bring his family back from the dead. It co-stars Alice Eve (STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS). 

THE UPSIDE – Neil Burger (DIVERGENT), brings us this comedy-drama in which a wealthy quadriplegic (Bryan Cranston) hires an unemployed man from the criminal world (Kevin Hart), to assist him in his day-to-day life. Nicole Kidman co-stars. 

GLASS – M. Night Shyamalan returns to direct this sequel to his mind-bending thrillers UNBREAKABLE (2000), and SPLIT (2016). Reprising their roles for the first time since the first film are Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, with James McAvoy reprising his many characters from SPLIT. Sarah Poulson co-stars. 

THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING – In this modern day fantasy, a young boy stumbles upon King Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur and forms a round table to fend off an evil force. Patrick Stewart (X-MEN) stars as Merlin. 

SERENITY – This thriller tells the story of a fishing boat captain who is approached by his ex-wife to murder her new husband. The impressive cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke, Dijimon Hounsou, and Jeremy Strong. It is directed by Steven Knight, who brought us the outstanding LOCKE in 2014. 

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of February.