Tag: Ben Affleck

Reviews

JUSTICE LEAGUE

Michael J. Casey

DC and Warner Brothers’ Justice League enters the movie-sphere lugging a fair amount of baggage. Wonder Woman — 2017’s previous installment in DC’s extended universe — was a success but the two prior outings — Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) — did little to flesh out the world beyond a couple of ill-shaped, somewhat moody, superheroes not quite sure of their place in the world. While Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), struggled with his powers of supreme deliverance, questioning every ramification of his actions along the way; Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne (Ben … Continue reading JUSTICE LEAGUE

Reviews

LIVE BY NIGHT

Michael J. Casey

Adapted from the 2012 novel by Dennis Lehane, Live By Night is a great American epic wrapped inside a misguided movie. Written for the screen, produced and directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars, Live by Night starts overseas in the trenches of World War I, where Joe Coughlin (Affleck) makes up his mind to never again take orders from anyone. But it doesn’t take long for Coughlin, a two-bit Boston bank robber, to learn never-say-never and he finds himself working for Albert White (Robert Glenister), an Irish gangster he eventually betrays, and then Maso Pescatore (Remo Girone), the Italian … Continue reading LIVE BY NIGHT

Reviews

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Michael J. Casey

It’s been said many times before — probably every four years — but rarely has it been said with such vitriol, or rung as true: “Americans are going to get the president they deserve.” Gone are the days of 2008’s campaign of hope and change we can believe in. Nope, nowadays candidates sour the conversation, poison the rhetoric and behave like petulant children. A nation shrugs. We brought this upon ourselves. The same can be said of Zack Snyder’s perverse and uneven superhero slobber knocker, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Picking up during the climatic battle between General Zod … Continue reading BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 10.04.13

Michael J. Casey

A.C.O.D. – Adult Child of Divorce, a very common thing these days, “the least parented generation in history.” That might explain all the hang-ups. Or the parents might have just been basket cases to begin with and never should have had children in the first place. Adam Scott is the Adult Child in question who is dealing with his divorced parents played by Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara while his younger brother, played by Clark Duke, gets engaged. Jane Lynch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Amy Poehler, and Jessica Alba all join in on the fun. Ben Karlin and Stu Zicherman wrote … Continue reading Movie Beat – 10.04.13

Reviews3 Comments

TO THE WONDER

Michael J. Casey

Dear Grandma Mary – Thank you very much for coming with me to see To The Wonder. I really enjoyed it, and I hope you did too. The first thing you said to me when the credits came up was, “Deep”. Well played! It is deep, but I like that little touch of comedy in you. I also agree with your initial review, “good music and good pictures.” I suppose that is all that really matters when it comes to a movie. We could have just left it there: deep, good pictures, good music, but you asked for more. You … Continue reading TO THE WONDER

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 04.12.13

Michael J. Casey

42 – Jackie Robinson was the first to cross the color barrier in baseball and boy did he take an awful lot of hell for it. The other man who laid it all on the line to make this statement was the manager that signed him, Branch Rickey. The Brooklyn Dodgers started Robinson at first base in 1947 and quickly became the center of attention. Chadwick Boseman plays Robinson and Harrison Ford gives an actual performance as Rickey. Co-starring Christopher Meloni, Jon Bernthal, and Nicole Behaire. Brian Helgeland writes and directs this biopic just in time to get everyone excited about … Continue reading Movie Beat – 04.12.13

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 10.12.12

Michael J. Casey

3,2,1… Frankie Go Boom – We kick this week’s list of releases with writer/director Jordan Roberts’ second feature.  Frankie (Charlie Hunnam) has a problem, and that problem is his brother (Chris O’Dowd), a recovering addict who loves to film Frankie’s every embarrassing and personal moment, including, Frankie and a girl (Lizzie Caplan) having sex. Now Frankie has to track the video down and keep it out of the hands of a notorious pornography producer (Chris Noth) who happens to be the girl’s father. This is one of those movies where nothing is easy.  You can’t even go and hire an old prison cellmate without some dramatic twist. … Continue reading Movie Beat – 10.12.12