Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan discuss working together in Shame and each of their recent projects Maestro and The Killer.
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Actors on Actors – Michael Fassbender & Carey MulliganRead More »
Actors on Actors – Michael Fassbender & Carey Mulligan Read More »
2023 was a challenging year for many reasons, both personal and across the movie industry, but in the end it also gave us a number of quality films. Here’s a look back on the year that was and my countdown of the best movies of 2023.
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Top Ten Movies of 2023 Read More »
Based on a true story of a washed-up soccer coach exiled across the world and tasked with turning around the worst international soccer team in the world after their historic loss 31-0 on the world stage, Next Goal Wins is pretty much what you would expect following in the footsteps of films such as Cool Runnings, A League of Their Own, or The Mighty Ducks… just not as good.
While perfectly acceptable as family friendly TV entertainment for something like The Hallmark Channel, Next Goal Wins lacks the heart of a champion and is more notable for Kaimana‘s role portraying Jaiyah Saelua, the first openly non-binary and trans woman to compete in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, than the story of the coach (who does little on-screen to teach soccer and whose motivations seem to come and go when the film needs them to without ever providing any proper motivation to change his attitude towards himself, his situation, or the team).
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Movies about assassins almost always fall into the forgettable B-movie action-thriller variety, however there are some exceptions. Michael Fassbender stars in this slow burn thriller as a skilled assassin who fails an assignment. The first 20 minutes of the film show Fassbender waiting patiently for events to line up to take out his latest target focusing on both the methodical routine and readiness he sticks to and the large amount of downtime, boredom, and waiting involved. When the hit goes wrong, out killer flees the scene and makes his escape only to discover his employers have decided to take precautions and remove him as well.
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Based on the memoirs of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free New England man kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 years while visiting Washington, D.C., the historical drama from director Steve McQueen and screenwriter John Ridley is an accounting of those experiences and the long road Northup takes to make it home to his wife and children. It’s often not an easy film to watch but it is an example of exceptional filmmaking that mark it as one of the best films of 2013.
Any discussion of the film must begin with Chiwetel Ejiofor, a longtime favorite of mine. Ejiofor’s terrific performance of a man caught-up in events and circumstances far beyond his control, struggling with loosing hope or ever seeing his family again while doing what he must to survive, is a brilliant piece of acting. Against the harshness of the events which surround his character, Ejiofor’s humanity shines through as a witness to the sin of slavery. Without what he’s able to bring to the role the stark honesty of McQueen’s film would be difficult to endure.
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