Brandon Streussnig On Film

"An art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and symbolic revenge tale" Directed by: Tom Ford Written by: Tom Ford (Screenplay)                      Austin Wright (Novel) Starring: Amy Adams                  Jake Gyllenhaal                   Michael Shannon                  Aaron Taylor-Johnson  Tom Ford's sophomore effort is better than his debut ( A Single Man ) in a lot of ways but in the ways that count it falls short. That's not to say Nocturnal Animals is a bad film, it's quite good, but to live up to such an excellent career-starter is tough work and it falls just a bit short. This one is a little interesting because I'm not sure how to classify it. It's two different films and yet one whole film all the same and as a whole film I don't think it gels the way it needs to. Amy Adams plays Susan, a comprised character that at some point in her life

I needed this. In the last few weeks the America I thought I knew fell flat on its face as we elected Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. That's the first time I've typed that sentence in full and it still doesn't feel real.  I, like millions of other Americans felt an almost debilitating combination of boiling rage, stunning confusion and a profound sense of sadness. As I went through a haze the last two weeks, I kept reminding myself that as a straight, white male in America, I wouldn't be affected all that much. That brought little comfort because so many people that I care about will be. You can try to reassure yourself, "It's only four years" you've probably said to yourself. We all know that's just a lie though. We live in an uncertain, scary time and as we begin to embark into uncharted waters, I attended a screening of the film "Freedom to Marry" at the 35th Annual Three Rivers Film Festival. Like I said,

"A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing person's investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life." Directed by: Tate Taylor Written by: Erin Cressida Wilson (Screenplay)                      Paula Hawkins (Novel) Starring: Emily Blunt                  Haley Bennett                  Rebecca Ferguson                   Justin Theroux                  Luke Evans                  Edgar Ramirez  Tate Taylor's fourth directorial effort highlights more than ever, that the biggest problem I have with his films: They're manipulative fluff anchored by a great performance. Sometimes multiple as seen in the saccharinely triumphant "The Help." His style doesn't make for a bad film but it doesn't end up in anything memorable aside from his actors. This film is no different but this is 100% the Emily Blunt show. It's impossible to talk too much about this film without spoiling it somewhere so the bare bone

As I work my way through 2016, I find myself being severely behind on the films that I was excited for at the beginning of the year. I'm still catching up on things I missed in 2015, 2014, 2013....it's insanity. Sometimes I feel like there's just entirely too much content and it's borderline impossible to get through everything that I'm interested in. However, I'll never be one to complain about the ever increasing deluge of film each year. I know some people think the pool is becoming more and more diluted, but as someone who'll never get enough of the medium, I welcome it. Something I'd like to try more often is a compilation post here or there, detailing my thoughts on 3-5 films that I've caught recently that I missed on opening weekend or just didn't have a theatrical run in my city. These reviews will be smaller than my usual ones so these can more digestible rather than exhausting. Today I'll be focussing on four films in total; tw

"In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods." Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos Written by: Yorgos Lanthimos                    Efthymis Filippou Starring: Colin Farrell                Rachel Weisz               John C. Reilly               Lea Seydoux               Ben Whishaw Whatever you're expecting going into "The Lobster" is wrong. I just want to get that firmly out of the way. Yorgos Lanthimos' ("Dogtooth") biggest film to date is a daring, bold and unrelentingly bleak look into a future so removed from anything resembling sense. Most trailers advertise this as yet another quirky, indie comedy where everything is placed just so with actors uttering kitschy lines of dialogue. However, as soon as the film starts you're greeted with a jarri

"After witnessing a murder, a punk rock band is forced in a vicious fight for survival against a group of maniacal skinheads." Directed and Written by: Jeremy Saulnier Starring: Anton Yelchin                Imogen Poots                Alia Shawkat                Joe Cole                Callum Turner                Patrick Stewart                Macon Blair Some films just leave you feeling completely satisfied and that's really it. Such is the case with Jeremy Saulnier's 3rd directing effort  Green Room . Building onto his resume of sparse, taut thrillers, Saulnier delivers his most complete film to date. It's very rare that I see a film that I can find almost no complaints with and yet not feel completely blown away. While it's not my favorite movie of this year, it's absolutely what it sets out to be which is never a bad thing. What works here is damn near everything. It's a tautly written and directed film with no line of dialogu