Author: Cory Woodroof
Review: James Gray’s ‘The Lost City of Z’
James Gray’s The Lost City of Z has moments that hearken back to any old Hollywood adventure epic – the grand journeys of yesteryear in which destination and discovery were the sole rewards. The music swells, the actors look stalwart, sly and in charge, and the scope widens to reveal a scenic vista worth many…
Doctor Strange Brings Metaphysics and Mysticism to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
By the time you’re watching stoic kung fu sorcerers chasing bad kung fu sorcerers through a labyrinth of twisting cityscapes and magical portals that lead to who knows where, you know this isn’t a normal Marvel Studios venture. The behemoth studio behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe has developed a sprawling storyline that has had some…
In Clint Eastwood’s engrossing “Sully,” earnest heroism hits turbulence
Seven years removed from the “Miracle on the Hudson,” it’s a bit silly to think of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger as anything else but a hero. The longtime pilot used his expertise, gumption and level head to land a major aircraft with failing engines onto the Hudson River and managed to keep everyone on-board alive…
Reviewing Florence Foster Jenkins: The Challenge of Dream-Chasing
There’s a pivotal moment at the end of Florence Foster Jenkins, the latest from director Stephen Frears, in which a gravely ill Jenkins (Meryl Streep) gently confronts her husband St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) about a negative review of one of her concerts. The review isn’t necessarily incorrect – it states, rather bluntly, that Foster is…
Folksy ‘Pete’s Dragon’ charms with homespun feel
The original Pete’s Dragon was a 70s family musical produced by a different Disney in a different era, complete with singing villagers, a lighthouse, Helen Reddy and a cartoon gentle giant dragon spliced into the landscape of a live action film (taking a page from the Mary Poppins playbook). The film has a fan base…