Reviews: "The Post" and "The Greatest Showman"

This review was originally published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad. It is reprinted here in slightly altered form...

If you take film critics, Rotten Tomatoes, or any review aggregate site seriously you might think that future Oscar contender The Post (86%) is a pricey gift from Santa Spielberg that’s come exquisitely wrapped for Christmas. You might also believe that the new Hugh Jackman musical The Greatest Showman (51%) is an oversized lump of coal fouling up your otherwise pretty stocking. Don’t fall for that anti-fun / theme=worth messaging; See both for a well-rounded holiday week at the movies...

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Review: "All the Money in the World"

by Chris Feil

On its surface, All the Money in the World has enough stodgy elements of familiarity to convince you it is something you have seen dozens of times. Stately period detail, imposing masculine figures, Ridley Scott’s sheen of seriousness over its true story. The kind of thing where its grey color palate reflects our engagement with its narrative. Luckily the film is surprisingly thrilling and its chillier aspects make an interesting embodiment of the monolith of its steely upper upper class villain. Or even the indifference of a world that allows his greed to thrive.

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The Glamorous Life of a Movie Star

by Jason Adams

That there is a shot of the actor Tom Hardy on the set of Venom, the forthcoming Spider-man spin-off starring him as Eddie Brock, the dude who gets taken over by a gooey tar-like alien symbiote (we already saw this happen to Topher Grace in the third Sam Raimi movie) and proceeds to go a lil' wacky. Tom Hardy does good wacky! There have been a few brief videos popping up on social media this week (see here) that involve Hardy flopping around on the pavement in twenty degree weather - what a weird life actors have!

Venom is being directed by Zombieland and Gangster Squad's Ruben Fleischer and he's managed to gather up quite the killer cast for his comic-book film - besides Hardy there's Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Williams! Imagine these actors in a movie actually about something! There was a funny chat with Williams that popped up yesterday about the movie (which she can of course say nothing about yet because you know how these things roll) that just oozed with... enthusiasm? Sure, enthusiasm:

"I’ve done one other movie where I was asked to track a tennis ball with my eyes and pretend it was a giant creature thing. Not my favorite thing in the world to do, but it is a skill set and I’m trying to learn it."

Exploring the Humanity of Deafness in "Wonderstruck"

By Spencer Coile  

At my showing for Wonderstruck this week, there were only six other people in the audience: a young couple and a gaggle of older ladies who felt comfortable talking their way through the whole movie. And while I was initially annoyed at this inconvenience, I was instantly sucked into the world Todd Haynes assembled in his period piece about loss, life, and the family we seek comfort in. Something was especially strange about my experience, though -- the entire film played with subtitles. Was this intentional and I just didn't know it was supposed to be shown this way? Was this a mistake by the theater? Or did one of my fellow moviegovers request this specifically? 

These questions were never answered, but it didn't matter. I personally consume all my media with the subtitles on, so this was a total delight. But how perfect it was to sit back and enjoy a film that celebrates our differences (one of which being the characters' deafness) while also incorporating a feature that is used to help enhance movie watching for those who are visually impaired. And so it began: Wonderstruck, another story suitable for Haynes' illustrious career. 

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"Greatest Showman" Posters Say "This Is... We"

Chris here. I have seen a few folks suggesting online that The Greatest Showman could currently be greatly underestimated in the Oscar race. Sure, we're talking about an opulent original musical with one of the biggest movie stars taking center stage, so dismissing it entirely from the conversation is perhaps historically unwise. While the trailer and first two released songs have gotten a decidedly mixed response, let's not underestimate the financial success of recent musicals during the Christmas holiday window - maybe this is a splashy musical with box office gold in its sights ahead of statues.

But its also perhaps wise to note that the film's promotional campaign is just beginning, and we've got some new character posters to ogle! Let's do just that and drum up some Oscar talk while we're at it...

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