Saturday, February 29, 2020

MA (2019)



Directed By: Tate Taylor 
Written By: Scotty Landes 
Cinematography: Christina Voros 
Editor: Lucy Donaldson & Jin Lee 

Cast: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, McKalley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, Missi Pyle, Allison Janney, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown 

A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.

LITTLE MONSTERS (2019)


Written & Directed By: Abe Forsythe 
Cinematography: Lachlan Milne 
Editor: Jim May & Drew Thompson 

Cast: Alexander England, Lupita Nyong’o, Josh Gad, Diesel LaTorraca, Kat Stewart, Nadia Townsend, Marshall Napier, Glenn Hazeldine 


A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.

KNIVES AND SKIN (2019)


Written & Directed By: Jennifer Reeder 
Cinematography: Christopher Rejano 
Editor: Mike Olenick 

Cast: Kate Arrington, Kayla Carter, Raven Whitley, Ireon Roach, Robert T. Cunningham, Jalen Gilbert, Grace Smith, Tim Hopper, Marika Enbgelhardt, James Vincent Meredith 

A mystical teen noir that follows a young girl's disappearance in the rural Midwest and its effect on teens and parents.

UNITED SKATES (2019)



Directed By: Tina Brown & Dyana Winkler 
Written By: Dyana Winkler 
Cinematography: Tina Brown, Dynana Winkler & Matthew Peterson 
Editor: Katharine Paterson 

Featuring: Salt N Pepa, Coolio, Queen Latifah, Reggie Brown, Vin Rock, Alonzo Williams 


When America's last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure, a community of thousands battle in a racially charged environment to save an underground subculture--one that has remained undiscovered by the mainstream for generations, yet has given rise to some of the world's greatest musical talent.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

LIKE A BOSS (2020)



Directed By: Miguel Arteta 
Written By: Sam Pitman & Adam Cole-Kelly 
Story By: Danielle Sanchez-Witzel 
Cinematography: Jas Shelton 
Editor: Jay Deuby 


Cast: Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne, Salma Hayek, Billy Porter, Jennifer Coolidge, Jessica St. Clair, Ari Graynor, Ryan Hansen, Jimmy O. Yang, Karan Soni, Jacob Latimore, Natasha Rothwell  

Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.

THE INTRUDER (2019)


Directed By: Deon Taylor 
Written By: David Loughery 
Cinematography: Daniel Pearl 
Editor: Melissa Kent 

Cast: Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Joseph Sikora, Alvina August 

 A young married couple buys a beautiful house on several acres of land, only to find out that the man they bought it from refuses to let go of the property.

Friday, February 21, 2020

MOVING (1988)


Directed By: Alan Metter 
Written By: Andy Breckman 
Cinematography: Donald McAlpine 
Editor: Alan Balsam 


Cast: Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, Randy Quaid, Dana Carvey, Stacey Dash, Traci Lind, Morris Day, Gordon Jump, Dave Thomas, Lynn Marie Stewart, Alan Oppenheimer, King Kong Bundy, Leslie Jordan 


Arlo accepts what seems to him to be a dream promotion to Idaho. He soon discovers, however, that moving has its own share of problems. The film is more of a situational comedy than a movie. As it just seems like every new scene there is a ridiculous adventure the film gets distracted with and an equal ridiculous solution to it.


SWEETHEART (2019)



Directed By: J.D. Dillard 
Written By: Alex Hyner, Alex Theurer & J.D. Dillard 
Cinematography: Stefan Duscio 
Editor: Gina Hirsch 


Cast: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence 


Jenn has washed ashore a small tropical island and it doesn't take her long to realize she's completely alone. She must spend her days not only surviving the elements, but must also fend off the malevolent force that comes out each night.

Friday, February 14, 2020

MARRIAGE STORY (2019)



Written & Directed By: Noah Baumbach 
Cinematography: Robbie Ryan 
Editor: Jennifer Lame 

Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johannson, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Laura Dern, Julie Hagerty, Wallace Shawn, Merrit Wever, Mickey Sumner, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Irene Choi, Robert Smigel, Carlos Jacott, Lucas Neff 

An incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

LOVE ROSIE (2014)


Directed By: Christian Ditter 
Written By: Juliette Towhidi 
Based on a novel by: Cecelia Ahern  
Cinematography: Christian Rein 
Editor: Tony Cranstoun 

Cast: Lily Collins, Sam Clafin, Jamie Winstone, Christian Cooke, Suki Waterhouse, Tasmin Egerton, Jamie Beamish 


Rosie and Alex have been best friends since they were 5, so they couldn't possibly be right for one another...or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.

SHE'S THE ONE (1996)


Written & Directed By: Edward Burns 
Cinematography: Frank Prinzi 
Editor: Susan Graef 

Cast: Edward Burns, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Amanda Peet, John Mahoney, Mike McGlone, Leslie Mann, Frank Vincent, Maxine Bahns 

The love lives of two brothers, Mickey and Francis, interconnect as Francis cheats on his wife with Mickey's ex-girlfriend, while Mickey impulsively marries a stranger.

GOODBYE COLUMBUS (1969)



Directed By: Larry Peerce 
Written by: Arnold Schulman 
Based on a Novel By: Philip Roth 
Cinematography: Enrique Bravo & Gerald Hirschfeld 
Editor: Ralph Rosenblum 


Cast: Richard Benjamin, Ali MacGraw, Jack Klugman, Nan Martin, Jaclyn Smith, Michael Nouri, Michael Myers, Monroe Arnold 


A Jewish man and a Jewish woman meet and while attracted to each other, find that their worlds are very different. She is the archtypical Jewish American Princess, very emotionally involved with her parents' world, and the world they have created for her, while he is much less dependent on his family. They begin an affair, which brings more differences to the surface.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (2020)



Directed By: Cathy Yan 
Written By: Christina Hodson 
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique 
Editor: Jay Cassidy & Evan Schiff 


Cast: Margot Robie, Rosie Perez, Ewan McGregor, Chris Messina, Jurnee Smolett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ella Joy Basco, Ali Wong, Daniel Bernhardt, Steven Williams 


After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.

Saturday, February 8, 2020

SHAFT (2019)



Directed By: Tim Story 
Written By: Kenya Barris & Alex Barnow 
Based Upon the character John Shaft from the novel by: Ernest Tidyman 
Cinematography: Larry Blanford 
Editor: Peter S. Elliot 

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jesse T. Usher, Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp, Richard Roundtree, Avan Jogia, Luna Lauren Velez, Issach De Bankole, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Matt Lauria, Tashiana Washington 

JJ Shaft, a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES & UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HALL OF FAME: FILE #0063: BAD BOYS 2 (2003)


Directed By: Michael Bay 
Written By: Ron Shelton & Jerry Stahl 
Story By: Ron Shelton, Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley 
Based on characters created by: George Gallo 
Cinematography: Amir Mokri 
Editor: Roger Barton, Mark Goldblatt & Thomas A. Muldoon 

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Molla, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Shannon, Theresa Randle, Henry Rollins, Jon Seda, Peter Stormare, Yul Vasquez, Otto Sanchez, John Salley, Oleg Taktarov 

Narcotics cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett head up a task force investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami. Their search leads to a dangerous kingpin Johnny Tapia, whose plan to control the city's drug traffic has touched off an underground war. Meanwhile, things get sexy between Mike and Syd, Marcus's sister.

BRIAN BANKS (2019)


Directed By: Tom Shadyac 
Written By: Doug Atchinson 
Cinematography: Ricardo Diaz 
Editor: Greg Hayden 


Cast: Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd, Dorian Missick, Morgan Freeman, Tiffany Dupont, Melanie Liburd, Xosha Roquemore 


A football player's dreams to play in the NFL are halted when he is wrongly convicted and sent to prison. Years later, he fights to clear his name within an unjust system.

TYREL (2018)



Written & Directed By: Sebastian Silva 
Cinematography: Alexis Zabe 
Editor: Jennifer Lame & Sofia Subercaseaux 

Cast: Jason Mitchell, Christopher Abbott, Caleb Landry Jones, Michael Cera, Michael Zegen, Reg E. Cathey, Ann Dowd, Roddy Bottum, Nicolas Arze 


Tyler, a sole black man, attends an otherwise all-white weekend of drunken bro debauchery on a birthday trip to a cabin in the Catskills.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

QUEEN & SLIM (2019)



Directed By: Melina Matsoukas 
Written By: Lena Waithe 
Story By: Lena Waithe & James Frey  
Cinematography By: Tat Radcliffe 
Editor: Pete Beaudreau 


Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeen Woodbine, Sturgill Simpson, Indya Moore, Flea, Chloe Sevingy, Benito Martinez, Jahai Di’allo Winston 


Slim and Queen's first date takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls them over for a minor traffic violation. When the situation escalates, Slim takes the officer's gun and shoots him in self-defence. Now labelled cop killers in the media, Slim and Queen feel that they have no choice but to go on the run and evade the law. When a video of the incident goes viral, the unwitting outlaws soon become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people all across the country.

MOVIES WATCHED IN JANUARY (2020)



A Scene From LADYBIRD

Saturday, February 1, 2020

POETIC JUSTICE (1993)



Written & Directed By: John Singleton 
Cinematography: Peter Lyons Collister 
Editor: Bruce Canon 

Cast: Tupac Shakur, Janet Jackson, Regina King, Joe Torry, Maya Angelou, Q-tip, Tyra Ferrell, Khandi Alexander, Jenifer Lewis, Tone Loc, Ricky Harris, Clifton Collins Jr., Michael Rapaport, Lloyd Avery II, Robi Reed, Roger Gueneveur Smith, Yvette Wilson, Kimberly Brooks, Maia Campbell, Michael Colyar, Sarena Mobley, Lori Petty, Billy Zane 


After witnessing the murder of her first and only boyfriend, young Justice decides to forget about college and become a South Central Los Angeles hairdresser. Avoiding friends, the only way for her to cope with her depression is by composing beautiful poetry. On her way to a convention in Oakland, she is forced to ride with an independent-minded postal worker whom she has not gotten along with in the past. After various arguments between them and their friends, they start to discover that their thoughts on violence, socially and domestically, are the same. Justice may finally feel that she is not as alone as before.

LOVE DON'T COST A THING (2003)


Directed By: Troy Byer 
Written By: Troy Byer & Michael Swerdlick 
Based On The Screenplay “Can’t Buy Me Love” By: Michael Swerdlick 
Cinematography: Chuck Cohen 
Editor: David Codron 


Cast: Nick Cannon, Christina Milian, Steve Harvey, Kal Penn, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Kenan Thompson, Al Thompson, Sam Sarpong, Nichole Robinson, Melissa Schuman, Nicole Scherzinger, Dante Basco, Mayate Garcia, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Imani Clark 


A high school loser pays a cheerleader to pose as his girlfriend so he can be considered cool