09 December
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WEST SIDE STORY Director: Steven SpielbergStarring: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d’Arcy James, Corey Stoll The combination of Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner (Lincoln) working with the classic musical by Steven Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, and Arthur Laurents comes with massive expectations knowing the caliber of these creative geniuses. Let me reassure you that their adaptation of West Side Story is potent and more relevant than ever before. As the snaps and percussion of Leonard Bernstein’s score ring out, Spielberg opens the film in the rubble of what will become Lincoln Center. The local gang of White AmericansRead More →

30 September
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THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK Director: Alan TaylorStarring: Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr, Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga, Billy Magnussen, Corey Stoll, John Magara, Michela Dr Rossi, Jon Bernthal Fans of The Sopranos have been begging series creator David Chase for more since the finale aired 14 years ago. He has written a story that should please fans as he opens this world up to a time decades before Tony Soprano would leave a lasting impression. In his film, The Many Saints of Newark, a young Tony Soprano always looked up to his uncle Dickie Moltisanti, played by Alessandro Nivola. The name Moltisanti meansRead More →

29 September
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In Interviews

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK Interviews – Entering the World of THE SOPRANOS The Many Saints of Newark is a knockout film taking us back to the world of The Sopranos from creator David Chase. I sat down with Michael Gandolfini, Alessandro Nivola, Ray Liotta, Leslie Odom, Jr, Billy Magnussen, Corey Stoll, Michela De Rossi, and director Alan Taylor to talk about the highly-anticipated new film. Highlights include: -Michael Gandolfini talking about playing Tony Soprano versus playing his dad, James Gandolfini -Ray Liotta fighting for roles despite the long career he’s had -Leslie Odom Jr describes not knowing the role he was even auditioning forRead More →

29 June
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In Movie Trailers

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK In my opinion, The Sopranos is one of the greatest television series of all time. It paved the way for the quality programming we’ve come to associate with HBO. James Gandolfini made audiences latch onto a classic anti-hero with Tony Soprano. That archetype of a character would go on to lead shows like Deadwood, Breaking Bad, Dexter and more. Fans should rejoice as creator David Chase has come back to the world of The Sopranos with a new movie, The Many Saints of Newark. This isn’t a follow up/sequel of a movie, but rather a look back at where itRead More →

12 October
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FIRST MAN Director: Damian Chazelle Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, Lukas Haas, Patrick Fugit, Pablo Schreiber, Jason Clarke, Shea Whigham, Ciarán Hinds Oscar winning director Damian Chazelle brings Neil Armstrong’s story to the big screen with First Man. Ryan Gosling stars as Armstrong along with Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler. Here’s my review where I also stress the importance of seeing movies like this in the theater as opposed to waiting for it to hit a streaming service.Read More →

26 January
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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 →

17 September
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BLACK MASS Director: Scott Cooper Starring: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, Rory Cochrane, Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll Black Mass is the intriguing true story of James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) who was known as one of the most violent and dangerous gangsters in South Boston. The film spans twenty years from 1975-1995 when Whitey was working as an informant to the FBI. Throughout that time he was working closely with John Connolly (Edgerton), a childhood friend turned FBI agent, in order to bring down the Angiulo family. They were an Italian family of gangsters who were rivalsRead More →

17 July
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In Movie Reviews

ANT-MAN Director: Peyton Reed Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michael Peña, David Dastmalchian, Tip “T.I.” Harris It’s time for another Marvel movie, thus concluding Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You may have thought that Avengers: Age of Ultron would have been the conclusion, but they’ve snuck this little guy in there and tied him into the story lines of what came before in terms of the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D, and Hydra. Scott Lang (Rudd) is seen enjoying his last few hours in prison by getting a goodbye ritual. He is looking forward to getting his lifeRead More →

19 September
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THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Director: Shawn Levy Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Dax Sheperd, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Abigail Spencer, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schwartz I must admit that I have a soft spot for these types of family ensemble stories. Two films in my top ten, American Beauty and The Ice Storm, both center on dysfunctional families. This is Where I Leave You takes a lighter approach than both of those films. It’s even lighter than last year’s August: Osage County, which has a similar premise. For Judd Altman (Bateman), when it rains it pours.Read More →

29 May
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In Movie Trailers

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Director: Shawn Levy Starring: Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Rose Byrne, Dax Shepard, Timothy Olyphant, Debra Monk It’s become a joke with my parents that I love movies about dysfunctional families. As an actor, I’m always drawn to those types of large ensemble dramas as there are rich characters for the actors to play with. I was immediately drawn to This is Where I Leave You when I first saw the cast list and a publicity photo in Entertainment Weekly. Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver,Read More →