Snowden: Movie Review

A dramatization of Edward Snowden and the interesting man he became.

Snowden is a compelling film because Edward Snowden is a compelling person. But it’s still an odd choice for a bio-pic since he had one moment of intense significance, the rest of his life was just little things that add up to the man currently hiding out in Russia. The film cuts back and forth between his 2013 meetings with documentarian Laura Poitras and journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, and a more chronological telling of his life starting in 2004.		2016 Directed by: Oliver Stone Screenplay by: Kieran Fitzgerald, Oliver Stone Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley

Brother Nature: Movie Review

Fish-out-of-water, nature hijinks and familial dysfunction served up
with some chaotic, rambling and unpleasant comedy.

It’s the classic fish-out-of-water story where meticulous up-and-coming politician Roger (Taran Killam) is brought by his soon-to-be fiancée Gwen (Gillian Jacobs) to meet her free-spirited family at their lake house, including soon-to-be brother-in-law Todd (Bobby Moynihan). But Brother Nature seemed to decide to tell this entire story on meth. Funny at times, but chaotic, rambling and mostly unpleasant.		2016 Directed by: Oz Rodriguez, Matt Villines Screenplay by: Taran Killam, Mikey Day Starring: Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan

Sully: Movie Review

A hero to believe in.

While Sully is the story of a hero, the lesser-known story behind it casts doubt. The movie opens with an impressive and dramatic plane crash – not a real plane crash but the product of his nightmares. He’s a man hounded by the media, separated from his family, and the subject of a contentious National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing. It’s that latter part that didn’t make the media cycle (they don’t like anything that might take away national hero status) and the part that this movie focuses on.		2016 Directed by: Clint Eastwood Screenplay by: Todd Komarnicki Based on "Highest Duty" by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart