Legendary Chicago Cubs infielder Ernie Banks said in his Hall of Fame induction speech, "Let's Play Two." With that spirit in mind, let's transition from the ballpark to the Lazy-boy, and let's watch two. I recently revisited a mid- nineties classic, Good Will Hunting; celebrating it's 20th anniversary of release this year. Feeling the nostalgia, and still early enough in the night, I dug into the archives for a second flick that I thought would pair well with it. Deciding I would get my privileged white boy fix satisfied in one fell swoop, I grabbed Dead Poet's Society from the shelf.
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Love or hate writer/director Darren Aronofsky (Noah, Black Swan), there's no denying his visions are bold and unique. In an era of cinema bursting at the seams with unoriginality, Aronofsky consistently stands apart from conventional studio storytelling. In many cases, it's a minor miracle that studios even throw bank in his direction, knowing the return on the investment might not pan out.

In his latest, mother!, perhaps his most daring film to date, he unleashes a cacophony of sight and sound unlike anything seen on screen in a long time, if ever. It's a film that revels in its audaciousness. But, is mother! another feather in the cap for Aronofsky, or are the legions of casual moviegoers spouting outrage over the content (the film holds a rare Cinemascore of F), causing some to walk out of theaters, correct in their assessment?  

Honestly? A little of both.
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Stephen King film adaptations are a mixed bag, ranging from acclaimed (Shawshank Redemption, Carrie, The Shining), to abysmal (Maximum Overdrive, The Dark Tower.) Hollywood seems to have a burning obsession with the horror master's works of late, churning out three films this year alone. The most recent is It, directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama), and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. 

Full disclaimer, I HATED the book. I respect King's place in literary history, but I find a lot of his stuff to be long winded and tiresome. I took four stabs at reading It before I finally forced myself to choke it down. I don't begrudge anyone their fandom of a property. It certainly has its legions of followers, but I cautiously approached the film expecting to come away underwhelmed. Yet, as far as adaptations go, this one mostly succeeds, and it does so by ditching many of the things that doomed the book for me. I was pleasantly surprised with the result. 
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Ingrid Goes West, the first feature length directing effort by Matt Spicer, is a biting commentary about social media and celebrity obsession. Think of it as Single White Female for the smart phone generation. The script by Spicer and David Branson Smith, winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, succeeds in balancing sharp witted satire of our plugged in culture and the consequences that come from defining self worth by the number of "followers" and "likes" that make up our online presence. 

BUT, and this is a big but, all of the good will Ingrid Goes West builds up over 96 minutes of its run time is nearly relinquished in the final minute with a creative choice I found to be both unfortunate and in some ways, dangerous. More on that in a bit....
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The latest entry into the Conjuring cinematic universe (yes, this is now apparently a thing), Annabelle: Creation, dabbles with the origin story of the creepy doll that first surfaced as a prop in The Conjuring (2013). Think of it as a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them spinoff to the Ed and Lorraine Warren story, but with less Nifflers. But does this film add anything significant to the franchise, or does it simply fall into line with other passable horror films we'll forget about in a few years?
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When the latest version of the Spider-Man surfaced in the middle of Captain America: Civil War, fans of the web-slinger had reason to hope. In just a few brief glimpses, something existed that was sorely missing from earlier screen adaptations. The lightheartedness was there. The quippy one-liners were on point. We finally had a Spider-Man that felt aligned with the comic book source material. It's about how I felt when Hulk finally just smashed and proclaimed "Puny God" in the first Avengers film. 

But, is this a character best served in small bites, or does a full course cinematic meal prove that Spider-Man is now a legitimate player in the MCU?
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"There are nights when all my aching bones won't let me sleep,
And demons come to plague me as I lie in bed."
​     - Crash Test Dummies

What happens when compassion conflicts with suppressed urges?

Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) runs a school for girls in the Civil War era Virginia countryside. She teaches the ways of prim and proper southern lady etiquette, as an accompaniment of cannon fire echoes a bit too close for comfort. When a wounded Union soldier, Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell), is unexpectedly tossed into the mix, allegiances are tested, nerves are frayed, and unspoken desires are gradually unleashed.
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"Cause the world keeps spinnin'
'Round and 'round
And my heart's keepin' time
To the speed of sound"
     - from Hairspray

With every toe-tapping, dashboard banging note, Baby Driver energizes. It's not a musical about driving, but music drives the movie; each screeching tire perfectly synched to a tune selected specifically to ride shotgun with the action on screen.

Every once in a while you come across a small indie gem tucked away in the dark corners of Netflix and it satisfies your entertainment craving for something different. Unfortunately, Little Boxes is not that film. 

This week over on feelinfilm.com, I discuss my thoughts on the newest entry into the DC universe, Wonder Woman. While I consider the film's merits as blockbuster entertainment, I also add some commentary on the significance of Hollywood's first female led superhero film, and why that's the most important factor when judging its success or failure.  Check out the article HERE.