The Upside

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 / Tom / 5 Comments

Whoops, wrong poster. That's my fault. Here we go: Release: Friday, January 11, 2019 →Theater Written by: Jon Hartmere Directed by: Neil Burger I am an unapologetic fan of Kevin Hart. He's the reason I stood in the line that never was for The Upside, an update of a hugely successful French film from 2011 that goes by several … Continue reading The Upside

Year in Review: 2018 on Thomas J! (Part 2 of 2)

January 6, 2019January 9, 2019 / Tom / 7 Comments

In Part 2, we finish up the year (July thru December) in movie reviews, my seventh (technically sixth full-year) since first joining WordPress back in 2011. (Click here or just scroll your happy self to the bottom of this post if you missed Part 1!) The back half of 2018 found Thomas J putting up … Continue reading Year in Review: 2018 on Thomas J! (Part 2 of 2)

Year in Review: 2018 on Thomas J! (Part 1 of 2)

January 3, 2019January 3, 2019 / Tom / 3 Comments

It has been some time since I went overboard and put together one of these long-winded end-of-year summaries; I think the last time I did anything like this was when I last "hosted" my own little version of the Academy Awards presentation -- circa 2016, I think? Long-time readers remember this annual feature as The … Continue reading Year in Review: 2018 on Thomas J! (Part 1 of 2)

Mock and Roll

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 / Tom / 7 Comments

Release: Friday, November 30, 2018 (watch now on Amazon Prime) →Vimeo Written by: Ben Bacharach-White; Mark Stewart Directed by: Ben Bacharach-White You don't need to be a groupie to join in on the fun in Mock and Roll, a low-budget yet high-spirited independent film representing the Columbus, Ohio underground filmmaking scene and styled as a mockumentary that follows … Continue reading Mock and Roll

Assassination Nation

December 4, 2018December 4, 2018 / Tom

Release: Friday, September 21, 2018 →Theater Written by: Sam Levinson Directed by: Sam Levinson With a title like Assassination Nation, you probably shouldn't go in expecting a film of subtlety and nuance, and that is exactly what you do not get in director Sam Levinson's sophomore feature. In fact, a lack of subtlety and nuance is the … Continue reading Assassination Nation

Month in Review: November ’18

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 / Tom / 8 Comments

To encourage a bit more variety in my blogging posts and to help distance this site from the one of old, I’m installing this monthly post where I summarize the previous month’s activity in a wraparound that will hopefully give people the chance to go back and find stuff they might have missed, as well … Continue reading Month in Review: November ’18

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

November 12, 2018 / Tom / 13 Comments

Release: Friday, October 19, 2018 (limited) →Theater Written by: Nicole Holofcener; Jeff Whitty Directed by: Marielle Heller Can You Ever Forgive Me? reflects on the life and crimes of Leonore Carol Israel, a Brooklyn-based journalist who, despite making an honest living in the 1970s and '80s writing biographies of high-profile women, one time even landing on the New … Continue reading Can You Ever Forgive Me?

mid90s

October 30, 2018November 3, 2018 / Tom / 13 Comments

Release: Friday, October 26, 2018 →Theater Written by: Jonah Hill Directed by: Jonah Hill Ahead of its premiere at TIFF earlier this year, débuting writer-director Jonah Hill said of his mid90s, a rough-around-the-edges, scrappy little slice-of-life drama extracted from the streets of L.A., that what he really didn't want to do was create nostalgia porn. Honestly, this is … Continue reading mid90s

That Ryan Reynolds Movie Everyone is Talking About

June 1, 2018June 30, 2018 / Tom / 12 Comments

Release: Friday, May 18, 2018 →Theater Written by: Rhett Reese; Paul Wernick; Ryan Reynolds Directed by: David Leitch In Deadpool Deuce, Wade Wilson's greatest enemy isn't some psychotic surgeon, a mutant-hating criminal or even those gosh-darn regenerative powers of his, but rather the writers who are trying to keep things interesting. The highly-anticipated sequel takes all the R-rated, fourth-wall-breaking … Continue reading That Ryan Reynolds Movie Everyone is Talking About

Isle of Dogs

April 26, 2018May 15, 2018 / Tom / 5 Comments

Release: Friday, April 13, 2018 →Theater Written by: Wes Anderson Directed by: Wes Anderson When it comes to Wes Anderson, 'more of the same' is absolutely a compliment. I don't find myself saying that about many other filmmakers. Now nine films deep into a career that has netted him an ever-growing, passionate and devoted fanbase it is clear … Continue reading Isle of Dogs

Thomas J

My Journey Through Film

#comedy