Cinema Clash

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: U.S. Special Forces ride to victory in 12 STRONG, a war movie with a western vibe; Annette Bening channels Oscar-winner Gloria Grahame (who?) in the sanitized romantic melodrama FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL; Nicolas Cage lends star power to a dark horror comedy about parents who act on the urge to kill their obnoxious kids in the cult-classic wannabe, MOM AND DAD; and a glimpse into the inner-workings of President Obama’s smart and compassionate foreign-policy team proves downright depressing in the documentary, THE FINAL YEAR.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: A villainous Hugh Grant nearly upstages a warm-hearted bear in the superb sequel PADDINGTON 2; Liam Neeson is forced to employ his particular skills – this time, on a train - in the all-too-familiar action thriller THE COMMUTER; and Daniel Day-Lewis reaps what he sews as a fastidious dressmaker in his (allegedly) final film, the period drama PHANTOM THREAD. Plus, a brief AWARDS SEASON update, and a look ahead at what promises to be a crazy busy week at the movies.

On this special year-end edition of the Cinema Clash: Charlie and Hannah count down their respective top five Best Movies of 2017. Plus, a veritable smorgasbord of honorable mentions. Did your favorites make the cut? Tune in and find out!

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: Hugh Jackman is indeed THE GREATEST SHOWMAN; The Bellas hit a sour note in PITCH PERFECT 3; Spielberg, Streep and Hanks deliver a timely message with THE POST; Christopher Plummer is good, but it’s hard to erase what might have been with Kevin Spacey in ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD; Margot Robbie and Allison Janney score high marks in the quirky biopic I, TONYA; and what’s up with DOWNSIZING? Let the clash begin!

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: The critic-proof saga continues with STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI; animated bull FERDINAND enters the ring in a fine but forgettable flick for kids; Timothee Chalamet is the name to remember this awards season for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; a Finnish drama, THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE comes with a heaping side of deadpan humor; and let’s face it, THE THOUSAND FACES OF DUNJIA, will only appeal to fans of Chinese wuxia films. Let the clash begin!

On this special, expanded edition of the Cinema Clash: Gary Oldman shines as Winston Churchill in the WWII drama DARKEST HOUR; Sally Hawkins captivates as a mute in love with an aquatic creature in the adult fairy tale THE SHAPE OF WATER; Woody Allen directs a good cast in a mediocre period drama, WONDER WHEEL; Plus, the winners, losers, shocks, surprises, disappointments and debate surrounding the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Awards. With special guest, WAFCA critic and Cinema Clash devotee Christian Hamaker!

On this edition of The Cinema Clash: THE DISASTER ARTIST is rather brilliant, if you see THE ROOM first; Charlie champions Norway’s entry in the Oscar race, THELMA while Hannah prefers the Swiss contender, THE DIVINE ORDER; plus, two movies that won’t make the cut for any awards – the South Korean heist film THE SWINDLERS, and the formulaic fractured family Hallmark-esque drama, KEPLER’S DREAM.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: The superhero force du jour, JUSTICE LEAGUE; two must-see potential Oscar contenders, THREE BILLBOARDS and MUDBOUND; a heartwarming family film, WONDER; a faith-based cartoon for young ‘uns about the first Christmas, THE STAR; a French drama about AIDS activism in the early 1990s, BEATS PER MINUTE (BPM); a documentary on the life and potential legacy of BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY; and a small indie (with a rugged Matt Bomer) about father-son bonding in Big Sky Country, WALKING OUT.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: All aboard for Kenneth Branagh’s take on Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS; Greta Gerwig makes a solid directorial debut with the coming-of-age comedy-drama LADY BIRD; Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne shine in Richard Linklater’s bittersweet comedy-drama-war-roadtrip movie LAST FLAG FLYING; and the ‘clash’ intensifies over a raw, authentic foreign film about a gay romance on a remote farm in England, GOD’S OWN COUNTRY.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: THOR: RAGNAROK rocks it as the most fun flick of the week; A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS is a pretty bad sequel; LBJ feels all too familiar but still manages to be interesting; NOVITIATE takes you into the world of nuns-in-training at a pivotal time in Catholic Church history; THE SQUARE managed to win the Palm d’Or, so why didn’t we like it more?; and BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL delivers just that – a slasher film about a Samurai cursed with immortal life. Guess who took a pass on that one? Let the Clash begin:

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: SUBURBICON takes Coen Bros material into dark territory; THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE does a serviceable job exploring PTSD among war veterans; WONDERSTRUCK delivers a double dose of Julianne Moore; THE PARIS OPERA fails to sing, while another French doc, FACES PLACES is très bien! Plus, random musings from the Middleburg Film Festival.

On this epic edition of the Cinema Clash: A deadly teen horror film - HAPPY DEATH DAY; a political thriller action revenge movie - THE FOREIGNER; a biopic that’s really a courtroom drama - MARSHALL; a distressing biopic about A.A. Milne and the origins of Winnie the Pooh - GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN; a kinky biopic about the creator of a comic superhero - PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN; a dark comedic drama about adult siblings sorting through their Daddy issues – THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES; a poignant slice-of-life drama about a precocious kid who lives at a cheap motel on the outskirts of Disney World – THE FLORIDA PROJECT; and a documentary about a surfing legend, TAKE EVERY WAVE: THE LIFE OF LAIRD HAMILTON.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: spoiler-free chat about the epic return of BLADE RUNNER; two powerhouse actors elevate a superficial meet-cute disaster movie in THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US; the late great character actor Harry Dean Stanton ponders life – and death – in the contemplative indie LUCKY; Norway tosses its crown into the copious canon of World War II dramas with THE KING’S CHOICE; and archaeologists and film historians are voted most likely to dig the documentary THE LOST CITY OF CECIL B. DEMILLE.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: Tom Cruise is flying high in the poorly-titled crime drama AMERICAN MADE; Judi Dench reprises her role as the Queen of England in the (somewhat) true story of an unexpected friendship in VICTORIA AND ABDUL; Kirsten Dunst stares into the void in the shockingly bad WOODSHOCK; and the world’s most famous luxury shoemaker gets the documentary treatment in MANOLO: THE BOY WHO MADE SHOES FOR LIZARDS.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: The KINGSMAN sequel offers up more of the same – in a good way; BATTLE OF THE SEXES is a winner but not an ace; STRONGER is both compelling and disappointing; BRAD’S STATUS is ‘conflicted’; and YEAR BY THE SEA is Charlie’s pick for worst movie of the year. But he’s not the target demo. Let the clash begin!

Okay, so we didn’t see MOTHER! or AMERICAN ASSASSIN. That means four (much) smaller films get some love – or at least discussion: REBEL IN THE RYE, a biopic about reclusive author J.D. Salinger and his beloved character Holden Caulfield; DOLORES, a documentary about an influential labor organizer whose name you should know but probably don’t; SCHOOL LIFE, a charming documentary about a pair of dedicated, long-time teachers at a boarding school in Ireland; and THE VILLAINESS, a bloody action thriller from South Korea that makes ‘Atomic Blonde’ look tame.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: The horrifying appeal of IT; the cheesy comfort (not) of HOME AGAIN, and the intellectual stimulation of VICEROY’S HOUSE. Plus, competing beverages (Hannah wins)..(Hannah wrote this).

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: CROWN HEIGHTS recalls the maddening true story of a guy who spent 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit; I DO… UNTIL I DON’T struggles to be a comedy about marriage; and a gifted ballerina pirouettes away from her classical dance training so she can move to her own beat in the French-Russian drama POLINA.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: Two high-spirited orphans escape to 1880s Paris to follow their dreams in the French-Canadian animated flick LEAP! (aka “Ballerina”); INGRID GOES WEST explores mental illness and Instagram in a most uncomfortably comedic way; Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back for a third culinary excursion in THE TRIP TO SPAIN, but their witty banter may be getting stale; and a bevy of Native American musicians get some high-profile recognition for their surprisingly strong influence on music history in the documentary RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD.

On this edition of the Cinema Clash: 'Deadpool' protects an assassin in the formulaic but action-packed buddy movie THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD; 'Oceans Eleven' gets the hillbilly treatment in Steven Soderbergh’s comedic heist drama LOGAN LUCKY; Robert Pattinson (Twilight) delivers the goods in GOOD TIME; Indiana architecture captures the spotlight in the contemplative drama COLUMBUS; an aspiring rapper shatters stereotypes in the infectious indie PATTI CAKE$; and DAVE MADE A MAZE scores points for thinking ‘inside the box’ - but that doesn’t make the indie comedy horror film any less weird.