Knives Out - Movie Review

The Movie: Knives Out

The Director: Rian Johnson

The Cast: Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell

The Story: A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

12 Strong - Movie Review

The Movie: 12 Strong

The Director: Nicolai Fuglsig

The Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, Austin Hébert, Austin Stowell, Ben O'Toole, Kenny Sheard, Jack Kesy, Rob Riggle, William Fichtner, Elsa Pataky, Nate Boyer

The Story: 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.

The Shape of Water - Movie Review

The Movie: The Shape of Water

The Director: Guillermo Del Toro

The Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones, David Hewlett, Nick Searcy, Stewart Arnott, Nigel Bennett

The Story: In a 1960s research facility, a mute janitor forms a relationship with an aquatic creature.

Complete Unknown (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Complete Unknown

The Director: Joshua Marston

The Cast: Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Michael Chernus, Condola Rashad, Kathy Bates, and Danny Glover

The Story: As a man contemplates moving to a new state with his wife for her graduate program, an old flame - a woman who often changes identities - reenters his life at a birthday dinner party.

Nocturnal Animals - Movie Review

The Movie:
Nocturnal Animals, written and directed by Tom Ford, is a dramatic thriller about a writer whose violent novel has his ex wife wondering if he may be seeking revenge for their failed marriage. The film features acting performances from Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Robert Aramayo, and Laura Linney.

Loving - Movie Review

Loving, written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Mud), reveals the true story of an interracial couple living in 1950's Virginia who are arrested simply for being married. The film features acting performances from Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, Terri Abney, Sharon Blackwood, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, Jon Bass, and Michael Shannon.

Midnight Special - Movie Review

Midnight Special is a science fiction adventure movie written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud). The film features acting performances by Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, Adam Driver, Bill Camp, Scott Haze, and Sam Sheppard.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Movie Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the second installment in Warner Brothers Studios' DC Comics Cinematic Universe (Man of Steel) and was directed by Zack Snyder. The movie features Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in the title roles along with Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto, Michael Shannon, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

The Night Before - Movie Review

The Night Before is a very unique take on the holiday comedy genre and was directed by Jonathan Levine who's previous efforts include Warm Bodies and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. The movie stars Seth Rogan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Shannon, Ilana Glazer, Tracy Morgan, Randall Park, Mindy Kaling, and Lorraine Toussaint.

Man of Steel - Review

Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, and Zack Snyder have combined forces to bring Superman back to the big screen with Henry Cavill putting on the cape this time around as the famous Man of Steel. Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, and Russell Crowe also star in what DC Comics hopes to be a rebirth of their most iconic superhero property.

Mud - Movie Review

Mud seems to be intended as a vehicle for Matthew McConaughey to flex his acting muscle and further his career as a viable leading man candidate while director Jeff Nichols looks to add another building block to the foundation of his budding career. Sam Sheppard, Reese Witherspoon, and Tye Sheridan also star in a story about man hiding from his ghosts and the two boys who try to help him reclaim a lost love.

Machine Gun Preacher - Movie Review

First I would like to say thank you to the Seattle International Film Festival for presenting a special preview screening of this film and for bringing in Sam Childers and screenwriter Jason Keller for a post movie Q&A.

Machine Gun Preacher is based on the true story of Sam Childers as he goes from heroin addicted drug dealer and all around trouble maker to becoming a major force in protecting children and families from violence bordering on genocide in the heart of war ravaged Sudan. When I very first heard the name of this movie, my instant reaction without knowing any story details was that this would fall in to the same category as Hobo With a Shotgun and Machete which were very stylized Grindhouse movies that play for cheap thrills and indulgence. This movie turned out to be about as different as could possibly be and surprised me in several different ways.