Southpaw
By Michael Parsons As I emerge from a fugue state after a slew of awards screenings, I’m reminded of why I love movies so much. Not because I’ve seen almost ever Oscar contender out there, but because the ever-expanding art of cinema never fails to churn out some surprises. As far as I’m concerned, every year is a great year in […]
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Outstanding performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams and promising youngster Oona Laurence land an emotional wallop in director Antoine Fuqua’s boxing drama, from a solid script by “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter. Gyllenhaal plays undefeated light heavyweight champ Billy Hope, a Hell’s Kitchen orphanage raised success story happily married to childhood soul […]
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Oscar Nomination Review (and Top 20 of 2015)
Here’s a quick Top 20 list to supplement my End-of-Year Review. But first, some brief thoughts on Thursday’s Oscar nominees (Full List Here): Opinion: As for period dramas, “Carol” should have taken the “Brooklyn” slot; “The Revenant” and “The Big Short” absolutely, one hundred percent, belong on that list (both in my Top 5); an unbelievable 8 nominations for “Mad Max: […]
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