Directed by Scott Cooper, ‘Black Mass‘ is a 2015 true crime biographical film about how the FBI struck a deal with the mobster Whitey Bulger in order to get information about other criminals. FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) arrives in his old neighborhood in Boston, being assigned to the FBI branch there. He convinces…
‘City of Lies‘ is a crime drama directed by Brad Furman. It was originally meant to premier in 2019 and even had a limited release in Italy, but was delayed. It was picked up in 2021 by Saban Films and released as a video-on-demand. LA reporter Jackson (Forest Whitaker) is assigned to work on a…
Slice-of-life anime ‘Fruits Basket‘ is preparing to enter its third and final season. The official English Twitter account has confirmed that Funimation will be providing the English dubbing and voice acting as with previous seasons. “Can you believe the last season of Fruits Basket begins in just over a month??” They continued, “Get a refresher…
Mike Cahill writes and directs the science fiction drama ‘Bliss.’ It was produced by James D. Stern who made it with Endgame Entertainment and released via Amazon Prime. Greg Whittle (Owen Wilson) is a daydreaming pencil pusher recently divorced. He sketches a strange coastal house and fakes a shoulder injury to take painkillers. When his…
Matt Green directs, co-writes, and co-produces ‘The Man From Nowhere,’ an indie drama co-written by Chris Dowling and produced by John Sullivan. It also features music by Grant Fonda. California attorney Jake (Seth Bowling) is a shark who only sees dollar signs when it comes to a case. However, his alcoholism angers his partners who…
Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström takes the director’s chair of ‘Outside The Wire,’ a science fiction war drama that made its premiere on the Netflix streaming service. In 2036, Eastern Europe is destabilized once again prompting a civil war in which both the Russians and the Americans have an interest, both sides using robots called Gumps.…
‘The Dig‘ is a historical drama based on the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo. It was released on Netflix and is directed by Simon Stone. It is based on the titular novel by John Preston, which I have not read. In 1939, widow Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires excavator Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), suspecting a…
‘Fruits Basket‘ was recently announced to be entering its final season along with a poster to stir up excitement. Fans of the popular manga and anime were excited at the announcement, despite their despair that the slice-of-life series is coming to an end. Funimation, the company producing the English dub, shared the image on social…
‘The Ramen Girl‘ is a 2006 romantic comedy directed by Robert Allan Ackerman based on a screenplay by Becca Topol. It is co-produced by the film’s star Brittany Murphy. Abby (Brittany Murphy) has moved to Tokyo, Japan to be with her boyfriend Ethan (Gabriel Mann), who breaks up with her after he gets a job…
‘Walkaway Joe‘ is a coming-of-age indie drama directed by Tom Wright and written by Michael Milillo. The movie was shot on location in the state of Louisiana. Fourteen-year-old Dallas (Julian Feder) is a young man who looks up to his father Cal McCarthy (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a known pool hustler living in Louisiana. His mother…
‘Judgement in Berlin‘ is the final film directed by Leo Penn. It was released in 1988 and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was written by Leo Penn and producer Joshua Sinclair, based on a book of the same by Herbert J. Stern. Federal judge Herbert J Stern (Martin Sheen) is called to West Berlin…
HBO’s ‘Perry Mason‘ is a reboot of the classic courtroom drama television series from CBS. Team Downey turns the story into a 1932 period drama that explores a possible origin for the Los Angeles attorney. This is your spoiler warning. Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) is a private investigator working for LA attorney Elias Birchard “E.B.”…
Miriam Kruishoop drops by StudioJake to discuss her name short film ‘Estilo Americano.’
‘Emma‘ is a 2020 adaption of Jane Austen’s Regency Era novel of the same name. It is the directorial feature film debut for Autumn de Wilde, a critically-acclaimed photographer and music video director. Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) lives alone with her widowed father Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy). She becomes friends with the shy Harriet Smith…
‘The Lost Husband‘ is a drama film written and directed by Vicky Wight. It was produced by Six Foot Pictures and distributed by Quiver Distribution and RedBox Entertaiment. It was based on a novel of the same name by Katherine Center which I have not read. Libby Moran (Leslie Bibb) and her two kids Abby…
‘The Way Back‘ is a sports drama directed by Gavin O’Connor and written by Brad Ingelsby. It was made by Warner Bros. Pictures and Bron Creative, being released through streaming. Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) is a man whose wife Angela (Janina Gavankar) has separated from due to his alcoholism. He wanders in and out of…
Released on Netflix, The Night Clerk is a crime thriller directed by Michael Cristofer from Saban Films. The movie explores the life of a young boy who suffers from mental health issues who is a suspect in a serious crime. Bart Bromley (Tye Sheridan) is a young man who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome and lives…
The slice-of-life anime reboot Fruits Basket from TMS Entertainment was a surprise hit with viewers thanks in part to its elements of drama and fantasy. Funimation provided the English dubbing for the show and it is returning for a second season. Who would have thought a sweet, kind girl like Tohru could melt the hearts…
Seth Green goes the extra mile in Changeland, which he starred in, wrote, and made his directorial review. Released by Gravitas Ventures, the film is drama but also has several comedic moments. Brandon (Seth Green) meets his best friend Dan (Breckin Meyer) in Thailand, where he reveals that he discovered his wife has been cheating…
Paul Newman was truly one of the greats and this movie definitely highlights why. Directed by Marek Kanievska, Where The Money Is was based on a story by E. Max Frye. It is a comedy-drama film that got lost in the shuffle of the year 2000. It was distributed USA Films, now known as Focus…
How do you make Nazis and Nazism funny? Taika Waititi writes and directs Jojo Rabbit, a comedy-drama based in Germany during the end of the Second World War. It has been nominated for multiple awards at various ceremonies and was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten movies of 2019.…
Written and directed by Tyler Perry, A Fall From Grace, is a deviation from his comedic films and is a brutal, dark piece of cinema that was released onto Netflix. Public defender Jasmine (Bresha Webb) is assigned the case of a woman named Grace (Crystal Fox), who is accused of murdering her husband Shannon (Mehcad…
Parasite is a Korean dark comedy directed by Bong Joon-ho, who also co-produced and co-wrote it. The film was released CJ Entertainment and won Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Golden Globes, a first for a Korean movie. The young Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) lives with his poor family in a basement apartment. He…
If you’re not as willing or wager to go and see the new Star Wars movie this weekend, Amazon Prime has released The Aeronauts and its ready to offer you a different glimpse into the reimagined past, although it’s in this galaxy and not as so long ago. There are some minor spoilers below. The…
Husband and wife tag-team Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer, who masterminded such documentaries as FrackNation, Not Evil Just Wrong, and Mine Your Own Business, plus the feature film Gosnell, brings to us “FBI Lovebirds | How Two FBI Operatives Tried To Take Down Donald Trump.” It is a dramatic reading of the texts between disgraced…
