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Hot Take: As a sucker for boxing movies and native of the Philly suburbs, do you really think there’s a chance I didn’t love this movie? 

Someone asked me recently if Rocky was a real person. Even though Rocky Balboa — the character at the center of a cinematic franchise which has now spawned 8 films — is loosely based on a real boxer (Chuck Wepner), Rocky is technically not real. However, if you’re from the Philadelphia area and you’re familiar with the Rocky story right down to the “Rocky steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art or the Rocky statue which once lived outside the old Spectrum but now spends its days just northeast of those famed steps, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t consider Rocky Balboa influential. If you really want to understand how important Rocky is to the city of Philadelphia, Sylvester Stallone who portrays Rocky is beloved in Philadelphia AND a native New Yorker. So, even though I eventually answered “no” to the question about Rocky’s reality, it wasn’t as simple as that. Now, that the Rocky universe has a second life in Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed (portrayed in the first four Rocky films by Carl Weathers before meeting his demise at the hands of Ivan Drago), it still continues to hang on to Rocky as the catalyst to keep this story moving along. For this franchise to live on, it’s going to take the Adonis character (eventually), to continue the Rocky legacy. What would have seemed like an impossible task before Creed, at least seemed like something to consider. We’re going to have to say goodbye to Rocky at some point as sad as that is for all of us invested in the Rocky character. The question remains: Can Adonis Creed connect enough to carry the Rocky franchise into the next decade? If Creed II is an indication, it feels as though the answer is still maybe but it’s closer to yes than it was before Creed II.Read More →

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Hot Take: Dark, depressing true story of David, son Nic Sheff and meth addiction with great performances from Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet. Bring tissues.

Once you read the synopsis of Beautiful Boy, you’ll realize you’re in for a depressing tale. While the subjects of this tale have obviously lived long enough to pen concurrent memoirs of their battle with (for son Nic) addiction and subsequent dealing with (for dad David) a child addicted to meth, Beautiful Boy is a heavy story with very few bright moments throughout. It’s an accurate portrayal of the cycle of addiction that many go through when dealing with a family member addicted to drugs or alcohol. Often mentioned, the film focuses on relapse and it’s role in recovery as well as the difficulty it can pose to constantly care for someone who only really cares about their next high. It would be lying if I described the film as following the ups and downs of addiction and recovery as there aren’t enough ups present to give them film credit for that side of the tale. Instead, Beautiful Boy dwells on the downs and while it makes for a compelling tale, it’s hard to say it’s an enjoyable watch as it’s just so damn depressing.Read More →

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Hot Take: Want to reach a depressive state? Watching a family cope with a mother in the later stages of Alzheimer’s is usually reserved for Lifetime Movie status but Elizabeth Chomko’s feature film debut rises above.

Remember those forgettable popcorn action flicks from this summer when you might have been asking for something with a little more emotional weight (maybe leave out Avengers: Infinity War from this discussion)? Well, writer/director Elizabeth Chomko has filled that void with her first feature film, What They Had. Featuring a great ensemble cast and all too real subject (It is based on the true story of Chomko’s real life family), What They Had takes an emotional toll on the viewer with the dexterity to avoid hitting on the cliches that usually see these films bound for the Lifetime Movie of the Week. Filled with solid performances from Blythe Danner, Robert Forster, Hilary Swank (Does every movie she appears in have to require a box of tissues?) and Michael Shannon, Chomko makes a film that will register with anyone part of a family whose dealt with the care of a mother or father suffering from illness or disease, even if it’s not Alzheimer’s, specifically. While the film does have a handful of lighthearted moments, they are fleeting and, for the most part, you’re in for a gut wrenching portrayal of the affects of an illness such as Alzheimer’s on everyone involved in the family from husband to children, in this instance.Read More →

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Hot Take: Proof you don’t need to be a good movie to find success at the box office. 

If you were to ever peruse my comic book collection (Yes, I have a comic book collection somewhere.), you’d quickly realize Venom is my favorite comic book character. Notice I didn’t say superhero? Also, I’m on record about Tom Hardy being one of the most underrated performers in Hollywood. So, Venom starring Hardy as the titular character’s alter ego Eddie Brock should be a slam dunk no brainer for me, right? Well, not so much. The latest non-MCU Marvel film is yet another dumbed down, silly take on one of the more serious comic book characters you’ll find out there. It completely misses the tone and premise behind the tormented Brock and his anti-hero alter ego. There’s efforts made to portray the relationship and the effects are really cool (It erases away all of the mistakes made in 2007’s Spider-Man 3 with the character) but falls short of competency with its portrayal and effects only take you so far.Read More →

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Hot Take: The mix of a coming-of-age story and an introspective into racial relations works exceptionally well and it’s timely, too.

Racial division is something we’re seeing more and more in our current political climate. All too often, fragile racial relations have been weaponized for political gain which has heightened tensions between races in some cases. This makes The Hate U Give a timely addition to the cinema. Similar to Monsters and Men yet different as it focuses on a young African American woman who witnesses an accidental police shooting during a routine traffic stop. It brings to light some major issues between police and the black community and tells it from a unique perspective. With a solid cast featuring Amandla Stenberg in the lead role, The Hate U Give finds a delicate balance between coming-of-age and social justice and sends a strong message regarding our current climate and what needs to change.Read More →

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Hot Take: A crowd pleasing celebration of Freddie Mercury, his extraordinary talent and Queen, the band he fronted until his untimely death due to HIV/AIDS. It might not sit well with some how glossy this film appears but Rami Malek is amazing in the lead role and if he’s not a Best Actor candidate, I’m not sure who is.

Taken for granted is the level to which British rock band Queen was groundbreaking in the ’70s and ’80s. One thing Bohemian Rhapsody does well is remind the audience of their musical accolades. There’s another side of the tale, the life of eccentric front man Freddie Mercury, which gets attention but feels like maybe we’re not getting the full picture, at times. Some critics have called the biopic too safe and that’s a fair criticism. Holding a mirror up the Mercury’s life and times isn’t the film’s ultimate goal which may disappoint some audience members but others, especially the crowd I saw the film with on opening night, might just break out into applause and cheer along with some of the well done concert recreations peppered throughout the film. It’s also an amazing feature film breakout performance from Rami Malek, best known for his role as the main character in Mr. Robot. While the film is unlikely to make much noise come Oscar season, Malek should be written in permanent marker under the nominees for Best Actor right now as his portrayal of Mercury is one to remember.Read More →

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Hot Take: You can tell it’s a passion project for Jonah Hill who makes his debut as writer/director. There are parts that are fantastic and parts that completely miss but, for the most part, Hill’s debut hits often enough to make it a successful one.

I’m 8 years older than Jonah Hill and would have made me 20 when his feature directorial debut Mid90s likely took place. It’s not quite a groundbreaking piece of work from Hill who taps into his childhood for some aspects of the film. Referred to as loosely autobiographical, it seems appropriate to note that Hill was not the child of a single mother (his dad was an accountant whose client list included Guns N’ Roses and mom was a costume designer and fashion stylist) and while he grew up in Los Angeles, it was in Chaviot Hills, one of the more wealthy neighborhoods of the city. He worked in a skate shop, was obsessed with skating and surely knew characters like the ones in his film. The blueprint for this type of film was already laid out in 1995’s Kids which takes on the time period and the kids of that generation full bore while Hill’s Mid90s has a more nostalgic feel even with some rather dark and gritty moments. The films are vastly different yet similar in many senses but Mid90s is more sugary, less anarchistic and more self-indulgent than the genre-busting film of that time period. Hill weaves a rather poignant coming of age film which provides a glimpse into a relatable tale for many even if skating was never their thing.Read More →

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Hot Take: First Man is exactly as you’d expect and that’s not necessarily good or bad. I was just glad that this history lesson didn’t come with a pop quiz at the end.

Don’t get me wrong, First Man, the latest effort from director Damien Chazelle, is well done. There’s something about this obvious Oscar bait that left me wanting something more though. Then again, if you push me to pinpoint why, I don’t know if I give anything more than just my gut saying there’s just something missing here. While the story is great, the production value is high, the performances are solid and the script is solid, there’s a lack of connection that exists between the audience and the material unfolding on screen. The film is the story of Neil Armstrong first and foremost and there’s plenty to admire about the first man to ever set foot on the moon but it dips so heavily into the territory of docudrama, it’s nearly impossible to get immersed emotionally. This is evident when we reach the third act and a number of secondary characters have become fatalities yet my eyes weren’t even a little bit puffy and my nose as dry as it is in mid-summer in Las Vegas. Read More →

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Hot Take: The chemistry of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga carry this vanity project which should get some Oscar buzz.

It seems as if most big actors, at some point, want to write and/or direct. So, it should come as no surprise to see Bradley Cooper take on all three roles with A Star Is Born. Sure, it’s a remake of a 1937 classic which was already remade twice over (starring Judy Garland in 1954 and Barbara Streisand in 1976) and all three previous iterations have fared very well with the Academy. When Cooper chose this as his first film, it was at the very least a smart choice though a poor showing would have brought more criticism considering how successful the previous versions were. The choice of Lady Gaga was also a smart one as the main character and Gaga share some similarities and the charismatic music star was meant to be on the big screen. Even if you want to be overly critical of Cooper’s decision to take a stab at writing and directing with a fourth generation version of a timeless tale, the end result makes it difficult if near impossible to roast one of today’s top performers for what essentially is a vanity project from the four time Academy Award nominee. A Star Is Born is quite good and nails the modernization of the story. It should hang around long enough to make a little noise at the Oscars, too, with at least one guaranteed nomination for Best Original Song for Cooper and Gaga’s duet.Read More →

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Hot Take: A showcase for Keira Knightley’s talents in a provocative role. You know it’s a period piece but it feels so fresh at the same time.

If you don’t know who Colette is (I didn’t), it won’t make this period biopic from writer/director Wash Westmoreland which showcases the talents of Keira Knightley and Dominic West any less interesting. Actually, it might add to the intrigue. Having little exposure to previews of the film, the provocative nature of the story of a young French girl who marries a successful Parisian writer who then becomes one of his ghostwriters and launches a series of sexually explicit novels around Claudine, a young country girl who ventures to Paris. The film digs into issues of gender equality and expectations around sexual proclivity which continue to remain relevant today despite the film’s period setting. It’s Knightley though that shines more than the story in one of the more impressive performances of her acting career. It’s likely not quite Oscar worthy but it is a reminder of what a talent Knightley is. For her performance alone, the movie is worth seeing and the biopic’s ability to rise above the standard expectations of the typical nature of a biopic isn’t a bad secondary reason to check it out.Read More →