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THE DARK TOWER Director: Nikolaj Arcel Starring: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Dennis Haysbert, Fran Kranz, Jackie Earle Haley It was hard for me to not go into The Dark Tower with a little bit of bias. I consider myself a lifelong and devoted fan of Stephen King, yet this eight book series isn’t as deep in my DNA like some of his other works. I’m currently in the middle of reading the series for the first time. It’s an immensely rich universe that asks a lot out of its readers, but the end product is so rewarding. I say this all as aRead More →

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GOLD Director: Stephen Gaghan Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach, Bruce Greenwood The term “McConaissance” arose as a way of acknowledging Matthew McConaughey’s career shift from standard rom-coms to heavier, more meaningful projects. He won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club and won praise for projects like HBO’s True Detective and The Wolf of Wall Street. Some may even claim he became a parody of himself and his “alright, alright, alright” image. I fear now he may be falling into that trap without realizing it himself. In his latest film, Gold, he plays gold prospector KennyRead More →

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KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS Director: Travis Knight Starring: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei I’ve seen quite a few animated films this year, and Kubo and the Two Strings ranks as the very best of that list. A young boy named Kubo (Parkinson) lives in a rocky cliff above town. He wears a patch over his eye, which was taken by his grandfather, Moon King (Fiennes) when he was a little boy. His father perished while trying to protect him, and now his mother keeps him in hiding from his grandfather and two aunts (both voiced by RooneyRead More →

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DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993) Writer/Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Jason London, Shawn Andrews, Rory Cochrane, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Sasha Jenson, Matthew McConaughey, Wiley Wiggins, Marissa Ribisi Truth be told I watched Dazed and Confused for the first time just a few weeks ago. The film has received a cult classic status, yet somehow I let it slip through the cracks. One of the first questions I had was that if I watch a movie in 2015 that was made in 1993 that was set in 1976, does it at all feel dated? Absolutely not! There isRead More →

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INTERSTELLAR Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, Mackenzie Foy, John Lithgow, Timothée Chalamet, David Gyasi Christopher Nolan is one of those directors whose films I go into with grand expectations. He’s that kind of director that always pushes himself to new heights with each project he tackles. I have talked about my love of The Dark Knight Trilogy multiple times before. With Interstellar, he is pioneering his biggest and most ambitious project to date. Earth is starting to see it’s final days. A steady blow of dirt makes the living conditions hardly livable and there is aRead More →

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FALL 2014 MOVIE PREVIEW 1. INTERSTELLARDirector: Christopher NolanStarring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Michael CaineI am a huge fan of Christopher Nolan, the visionary director of Inception and The Dark KnightTrilogy. This film may be his biggest challenge to date. It is still shrouded in secrecy, but a couple of trailers have been released.  I am stunned and awed by everything I am seeing so far. It has been in the works for the past few years and was originally inspired by physicist Kip Thorne and his theories behind using wormholes in space to time travel. Matthew McConaughey continues his hot streak by leading this ensembleRead More →

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THE 86th ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS   BEST PICTURE 12 YEARS A SLAVE BEST DIRECTOR Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity BEST ACTOR Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM The Great Beauty, Italy BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Spike Jonze, Her BEST ANIMATED FILM Frozen BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Catherine Martin and Beverly Dunn, The Great Gatsby BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity BEST SOUND MIXING Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, and Chris Munro, Gravity BEST SOUNDRead More →

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THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Director: Martin Scorsese Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Rob Reiner, Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Joanna Lumley, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Christine Ebersole Who’s in for a three hour ride full of drugs, debauchery, profanity, and horrible people? I do not think Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) quite knew what was in store for him when he decided to become a stockbroker. A luncheon meeting with his new boss Mark Hanna (McConaughey) becomes a lesson on what it will take to survive in this market. He recommends an excessive supply of cocaine, martinis, and prostitutes to get through the average dayRead More →

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DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Director: Jean-Marc Vallée Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Gardner, Denis O’Hare, Dallas Roberts, Steve Zahn, Deneen Tyler Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) has already depleted a majority of his immune system by the copious amounts of drugs and alcohol he has ingested into his body. After a drug fueled trip to the hospital, he is diagnosed with HIV and given the standard 30 days to live. He is a racist and homophobe who recently learned of Rock Hudson’s diagnosis with the disease and is quick to make it clear that he is not gay so there must be some mistake. Ron does someRead More →

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MUD (2013) Director/Writer: Jeff Nichols Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Ray McKinnon, Michael Shannon There are always those movies you intend to see in theaters, but somehow they get passed you. Mud came out in early 2013 to critical acclaim, and I am just now getting around to it. Ellis (Sheridan) and Neckbone (Lofland) boat out to a small little island to get a closer look at this mysterious boat that is stuck in a tree. The sight of bread and beans quickly tell them that someone is living it. They soon meet Mud (McConaughey) who triesRead More →