Tag: Joel Edgerton

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Boy Erased

by MCDave

Actor-turned-director Joel Edgerton appeared at last night’s Philadelphia premiere of his new awards contender, Boy Erased, and proclaimed that he was pushed into making the film as an embattled inner-reaction to reading Garrard Conley’s memoir by the same name. Conley’s lifetime of trials and tribulations as the son of a pastor coming to grips with his own sexuality through a forced conversion therapy clearly provoked a bitterness in the director, something Edgerton felt compelled to bring to big screen as an eye-opening realization of this outdated procedure. And through the filmmaker’s respectful portrayal of Conley’s burdened journey into adulthood, Boy Erased highlights a still-present debate in our society’s ongoing quest for acceptance and equality.

Jared (Lucas Hedges) is a popular teen living what many would label as a “normal” life. He’s the son of loving parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman) who push him to to remain dedicated to God, while also playing on sports teams and dating a popular girl in school. Yet, despite this wholesome and envious upbringing, Jared finds deep-rooted temptation in his undeniable attraction to the same sex. And after an incident at college brings this secret to his parent’s attention, Jared attempts to correct his natural impulses by attending a gay conversion program at the demand of his pastor father.

Boy Erased’s non-chronological flow helps unveil iconic moments to Garrard Conley’s true experiences in a substantially appropriate sequence. This young man’s difficult journey, both emotionally and psychologically, is often inconsolable, scarred by tragedy and a helpless uncertainty that brings depth and moral complexity to the lead character. Rising star Lucas Hedges absorbs these wide-ranging emotions, illustrating a truly ambivalent onscreen persona that’s absolutely heartbreaking at times, and unapologetically fearless at others. It’s truly empowering to witness Jared’s metamorphosis from a scared and confused teenager to a self-accepting and resolute young adult. He faces off against his overbearing and religious father, who’s wonderfully portrayed by Russell Crowe, and even alters his mother’s stance on the family dilemma. Speaking of which, Nicole Kidman generally targets Oscar-baity roles, ones which allow her to suck all the air out of scenes. Yet, in a surprising turn of events she delivers a more tempered performance, but one that still highlights her singular talents. If anything, Boy Erased places a focus on the absurdities surrounding these conversion programs, knowing very well which audiences can and can’t be swayed by this dramatization. While I continue to waver back and forth on the film’s Best Picture prospects, Boy Erased still marks a strong and impactful follow-up feature for Joel Edgerton.

GRADE: 4/5

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Geekscape Movie Reviews: It Comes at Night

by MCDave

Having experienced both of his films, it’s clear that Trey Edward Schults cares more about how his movies make you feel rather than the boldness of their stories. Consequently, the young filmmaker has maneuvered a stranglehold over the independent filmmaking world with his festival-darling debut feature, Krisha. Countless accolades from the most prominent indie awards groups bridged Schults’ accessibility to bigger talent and larger funds in order to return with his shamefully mis-marketed follow-up, It Comes at Night.

A highly infectious disease has dwindled mankind and a former history teacher (Joel Edgerton) has managed to keep his wife and teenage son alive in a secluded and enclosed shelter in the middle of the woods. But when a stranger arrives at their safe-haven seeking water and refuge for his family, they agree to stay in the shelter together and combine resources. Yet, tensions arise when both families quickly discover that they’ll do whatever’s necessary to stay alive.

I can’t understand why It Comes at Night has been branded as a horror film when its most terrifying scenes all occur in a handful of brief dream sequences. If you’re chasing scares, then look elsewhere. Instead, Schults’ sophomoric effort blends feelings of claustrophobia, paranoia and fear into a rangy psychological drama that offers rare and thinly-spread moments of suspense. Trey Edward Schults uses a manipulation of aspect ratios and clever camerawork to frame instances in the story that elicit various emotions from the viewer. It’s a unique ability that resonates well, but one that also needs a complement of other factors to fully appease the audience. Therefore, despite the film’s narrowly developed story, exceptional performances from the entire cast help ease its slow-building tension that mounts like a well-choreographed dance as the stakes for survival grow higher and higher. It Comes at Night shows a darker side of humanity through a largely ambiguous lens. Personally, I enjoyed connecting the dots and cementing my own belief to the film’s events. However, if you’re someone who needs to know every little detail of a story, then expect to be frustrated. But either way, we’ll all remember exactly how the film’s explosive finale made us feel.

GRADE: 3.5/5

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Black Mass

by MCDave

Scott Cooper has developed into a very intriguing filmmaker. After guiding Jeff Bridges to Oscar immortality with his 2009 directorial debut, Crazy Horse, Cooper then followed with the gripping, albeit flawed, drama, Out of the Furnace. Hence, cinephiles watched closely as news developed regarding Cooper’s third major motion picture, Black Mass. And as details emerged and footage of leading star Johnny Depp began to surface, moviegoers everywhere awaited eagerly in hopes of watching Cooper take the next big step in his career. However, things don’t always go according to plan.

On the mean streets of Southie in Boston during the 1970s, local Irish gangster, James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp), finds himself pitted against the Italian mob who have infiltrated the city’s criminal underground. And when a loyal Southie native and FBI agent, John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), is ordered by his superiors to take down the Italian mob boss, Gennaro Angiulo, he reaches out to Bulger for assistance. While the feds dismantle Anguilo’s crew, Bulger and his “Winter Hill Gang” become an unstoppable force throughout the entire city of Boston and beyond.

It’s very difficult to pinpoint a specific tone for Scott Cooper’s latest offering, Black Mass. The film lacks depth with its dramatic elements and paces along too aimlessly to sustain any true sense of action. In fact, Black Mass serves as nothing more than a highlight reel of Whitey Bulger’s murderous repertoire. Instead of developing some form of moral conflict or complexity with its writing, the audience is forced to sit through scene after scene of Scott Cooper’s glorification of violence. Make no mistake about it, the film caters solely to a visceral appeal and circumvents any attempt at telling a deeply layered story. Perhaps, notorious criminal mastermind “Whitey” Bulger is simply a cold-blooded and ruthless killer, nothing more. If so, then there’s really no interesting story worth telling in a major motion picture setting. Leave that for the ID Channel or any of its other similar true crime programmers.

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Despite all of the many issues surrounding Black Mass, Johnny Depp provides handfuls of memorable scenes that keep the film from utter disaster. This isn’t the devoted actor’s finest work, but his performance is still magnetic. Solid enough that it makes Cooper’s painful journey down the mob movie checklist somewhat fathomable. An absence of originality and authenticity reveal Black Mass for what it truly is, a superficial one-man show that’s as cold and lifeless as its main character.

Expectations undeniably carry a bias toward any movie experience and, admittedly, I was hoping for much more from Black Mass. Scott Cooper’s first two films were on the fringe of something special but instead of propelling his career to another level, he takes a big step backwards with this latest effort. Character development through storytelling is such an integral part of any cinematic experience and, unfortunately, it’s nowhere to be found here.

Grade: 2.5/5

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Geekscape Movie Reviews: The Gift

by MCDave

Australia, the land down under, is most commonly known for its massive Great Barrier Reef and a wide variety of unique animals such as kangaroos, koala bears and duck-billed platypuses. But as of late, Australia has delivered some exceptional Hollywood talent that is headlined by a relatively unknown writer, director and actor, Joel Edgerton. After a breakout in 2010 with the overlooked sibling drama, Warrior, Edgerton is best known for his role in Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby. And whether or not you’re familiar with this rare multifaceted industry talent, once Edgerton’s controversial psychological thriller, The Gift, generates quite a stir following its nationwide release this weekend, he’ll become a household name.

Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple who relocate to the nearby suburbs of Simon’s childhood looking for a fresh start. While doing some routine shopping for their new home, they’re approached by Gordo (Edgerton), an old classmate of Simon. And after Gordo oversteps his welcome in their lives and eventually references a past secret between him and Simon, the couple quickly grows fearful of his intentions.

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One of the beauties surrounding Joel Edgerton’s major motion picture directorial debut, The Gift, is the effective manner in which it utilizes its tension. Where countless other films look to surprise jumps and scares as a flimsy device to shock its audiences, Edgerton and the rest of his talented cast are exceptional and convincing enough to transform these often hokey tactics into legitimate moments of terror. Furthermore, The Gift does an immaculate job of tearing down the safe haven and boundaries of the home dynamic. Part of the feature’s allure is how vulnerable the home environment becomes and it leads to a wildly impressive and thrilling ride. My highest praises go out to the entire cast. Edgerton himself delivers an eerily iconic performance that’s balanced perfectly with the work of his co-stars Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. Detailed writing and top-flight performances allow The Gift to take on a life of its own.

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Despite all of its amazing attributes, The Gift suffers from a sluggish midsection that trades thrills for dramatics. And although the film loses its suspenseful tone during this portion, it’s a necessary evil that evolves into an explosive and unforeseen finale that’s guaranteed to keep audiences talking long after the credits roll. The Gift paints a unique and realistic picture of humanity. We all have our demons and the movie intentionally shows every character’s true colors before it unravels in the craziest and most compelling of fashions.

Joel Edgerton has emerged as a true industry talent not only on screen, but behind the camera and as a writer as well. The Gift is one of those rare psychological thrillers that transcends the norm and takes chances. Thankfully for audiences everywhere who are destined to enjoy this fine piece of work, those chances pay off in one of the year’s most cerebral and taut films.

GRADE: 4/5

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First Trailer For Kathryn Bigelow Directed ‘Zero Dark Thirty’

by Scott Alminiana

Here’s the first trailer for Zero Dark Thirty from Oscar winning director Katheryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker (and the awesome Point Break). The film tells the story of Navy SEAL Team 6’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

The film stars Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton and Mark Strong and opens December 19th.

Geekscape Casts: The Fantastic Four!

by Shawn Madden

With Jeremy Slater currently writing a script and Josh Trank attached to direct the movie, it definitely seems that we will be seeing The Fantastic Four hitting the big screen again soon. But who should play the iconic Marvel characters? Who should they go head to head with? Us at Geekscape have some ideas…

Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Andrew Lincoln)

Now, I know he may not be able to take time out of his busy schedule with The Walking Dead. But if Lincoln could I think he would a great choice for Reed as well as drawing plenty of fans of The Walking Dead in.

Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman (Chalize Theron)

Let’s keep it real ladies and gentlemen…we all want a sexy Sue Storm right? But we also want her to be kind of a bad ass. Who better than Charlize Theron to accomplish that?

Ben Grimm/The Thing (Joel Edgerton)

If the picture above doesn’t sell you then you may want to go watch Warrior. Edgerton is a great actor, looks the part and definitely has the body type.  The Thing should definitely be motion capture this time around versus being live action because that one really didn’t work out last time.

Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Garrett Hedlund)

We’ve already seen him do the young and rebellious role before. He did a great job at it so why not let him do it again?

So, we have our team. Now who should we see as the fantastic family’s first villan?

Harvey Rupert Elder/The Mole Man (Eddie Marsan)

Wait, I am NOT making Dr. Doom the first villain the Fantastic Four go against? Yes, you read that correct. Because in the comics the first villain that they go head to head with is The Mole Man. And much like The Amazing Spider-Man I think we should have a few villains establishing the team while we have Doom in the background until it’s finally time to bring him in much like The Amazing Spider-Man is doing with Norman Osborn. And on that note…

Victor Von Doom pre-Dr. Doom (Jonathan Rhys Meyers)

Not only is he in the same age range as Andrew Lincoln (making sure of that due to them attending the same university together) but have you ever seen Meyers on The Tudors? Trust me when I say that if anyone out there is perfect to play a young Victor Von Doom it is this guy. Why not have him just be Dr. Doom you say? Because what we need is to establish that character. Make him interesting as we see his descent into madness. We don’t need to jump straight to the man in the mask until we know who the man is.

Would you see this Fantastic Four on the big screen? Or do you have anyone you would rather see in these roles? Sound off in the box below!