Director: Jim Cummings Cinematography: Lowell A. Meyer Writers: Jim Cummings Editors: Dustin Hahn, Brian Vanucci Stars: Jim Cummings, Kendall Farr, Nican Robinson Rating: 84 When we look back at film in 2018, Jim Cumming’s “Thunder Road” will always be one of those hidden gems, featuring possibly my favorite performance of the entire year.   The … More “Thunder Road” by Jim Cummings

Director: Paul Dano Cinematography: Diego Garcia Writers: Paul Dano, Zoe Kasan, Richard Ford (novel) Editing: Louise Ford, Matthew Hannam Stars: Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbould Rating; 75 Hearing Paul Dano was directing a film in 2017 made a ton of sense. An actor who not only has played a wealth of diverse roles but … More “Wildlife” by Paul Dano

Everything about Orson Welles is larger than life… In his work, personal life, and persona he was an almost mythical figure inside Hollywood because of his early success. And because of that, all of his films were set to the highest standard as the boy-wonder film director, who achieved expansive and vast works of immense … More The Bitterness of Orson Welles Career; A Review of “The Other Side Of The Wind” and “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead”

Director: Luca Guadagnino Cinematography: Sayombhou Mukdeeprom Writers: David Kajganich (screenplay), Dario Argento (characters), Daria Nicoldi (characters) Editor: Walter Fasano Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia Goth Rating: 68 As someone who lives-and-dies with Argento’s original film, a highly stylized horror that, in many ways, helped mold the genre. The news of a … More “Suspiria” (2018) by Luca Guadagnino

Director: Jonah Hill  Cinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt Writer: Jonah Hill Stars: Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges, Na-Kel Smith, Olan Prenatt Rating: 76 Mid90s isn’t some new found experience that gives us perspective. At its core, it’s a simple hangout film and instead of taking the themes and story seriously, it’s better to just sit back and enjoy the experience of these lively … More “mid90s” by Jonah Hill

Director: Sara Colangelo Cinematography: Pepe Avila Del Pino Writers: Sara Colangelo (screenplay), Nadav Lapid Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Gael Garcia Bernal Rating: 85 My journalism professor pounded into my head to never bury the lede, and for Sara Colangelo’s “The Kindergarten Teacher,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s desperate performance is the high-mark in an endearing and uncommon … More “The Kindergarten Teacher” by Sara Colangelo

Director: Damien Chazelle Cinematography: Linus Sandgren Writers: Josh Singer (screenplay), James R. Hansen (novel) Starring: Ryan Gossling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Olvia Hamilton Rating: 88 “First Man” is a trip. More specifically, it’s Neil Armstrong’s long and tenuous journey to the moon through the eyes of one of the worlds great young filmmakers, … More “First Man” by Damien Chazelle

Director: Drew Goddard Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey Writers: Drew Goddard Stars: Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Ervio, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Lewis Pullman Rating: 66 The dazzling opening scene of “Bad Times at the El Royale” is wild, stylish, and a great tone-setter for the rest of the film. However, the rest of the film fails … More “Bad Times At The El Royale” by Drew Goddard

Director: Paul Greengrass Cinematography: Pal Ulvik Rokseth Writers: Paul Greengrass (screenplay), Asne Seierstand (Novel) Stars:  Anders Danielsen Lie, Jonas Stan Gravli, Jan Oigarden, Maria Brock Rating: 80 Paul Greengrass films envoke many emotions, but the most prevalent will always be his ability to anger and shock. “22 July” is his latest experience film portraying the 2011 Norway attacks. It’s … More “22 July” by Paul Greengrass

Director: David Lowery Cinematography: Joe Anderson Writers: David Lowery, David Gran Stars: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover Rating: 70 In “Old Man & the Gun,” Robert Redford (Forrest Tucker) delivers a meaningful sendoff to his career with a performance that sums up his career with the perfect type of character. This is … More “Old Man & The Gun” by David Lowery