EYE IN THE SKY (2016)

Directed By: Gavin Hood 
Written By: Guy Hibbert 
Cinematography By: Haris Zambarloukos 
Editor: Megan Gill 


Cast: Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Phoebe Fox, Iain Glen, Michael O’Keefe, Jessica Jones, Faisa Hassan 

Colonel Katherine Powell is a UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya. Through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from "capture" to "kill." But as American pilot Steve Watts is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute, reaching the highest levels of US and British government, over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.

MONEY FOR NOTHING (1993)

Directed By: Ramon Menendez 
Written By: Ramon Menendez, Tom Musca & Carol Lebowski 
Based on an article By: Mark Bowden 
Cinematography By: Newton Thomas Sigel 
Editor: Nancy Richardson 


Cast: John Cusack, Debi Mazar, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Rapaport, Michael Madsen, Maury Chaykin, James Gandolfini, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Frankie Faison, Fionnula Flanagan 

When unemployed dockworker Joey Coyle finds $1.2 million that fell off of an armored car, he decides to do the logical thing: take the money and run. After all, he says, finders keepers. He turns to his ex-girlfriend Monica, who works in an investment firm, for advice, before turning to the mob for help laundering the money. While Joey makes plans to leave the country, however, a detective is following his ever-warmer trail in order to recover the cash.


 *Please note that some trivia and facts have been republished from imdb among other sources In this review

OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE (1987)

Directed By: Arthur Hiller 
Written By: Leslie Dixon 
Cinematography By: David M. Walsh 
Editor: Tom Rolf 


Cast: Bette Midler, Shelly Long, Peter Coyote, Robert Prosky, George Carlin, John Schuck Anthony Heald, Jerry Zaks, Diana Bellamy, Florence Stanley, Christopher McDonald, Robert Pastorelli


Lauren and Sandy are total opposites who end up in the same acting class and who don't know they are sharing a lover. When he disappears under mysterious circumstances they refuse to believe that he is dead and are the only ones who are searching for him across several states. Ending up in the western US., they discover he had other interests as they find their lives in danger.

TERMINAL VELOCITY (1993)

Directed By: Deran Sarafian 
Written By: David Twohy 
Cinematography By: Oliver Wood 
Editor: Peck Prior & Frank J. Urioste 



Cast: Charlie Sheen, Nastassja Kinski, James Gandolfini, Christopher McDonald, Suli McCullough, Melvin Van Peebles, Gary Bullock, Brooke Langton 


A maverick skydiver and a former KGB agent team up to stop the Russian mafia from stealing gold. I remember seeing this film as a free screening a few days before it came out. It was meant to help build positive buzz for the film.

ODDS& ENDS: THE BEST & THE WORST (PART 3 OF 3)

John Cassavettes in THE FURY


Part 3, The Finale. We are finally here. JEFF'S PICKS

AUTHOR: THE J.T.LEROY STORY (2016)

Written & Directed By: Jeff Feuerzeig 
Cinematography By: Richard Henkels 
Editor: Michelle M. Witten 


Featuring: Laura Albert, Savannah Knoop, Dennis Cooper, Bruce Benderson, Ira Silverberg 


The story behind literary persona JT LeRoy, the fictional writer created by American author Laura Albert.

ODDS & ENDS: 2016 ALTERNATE NOMINATIONS (PART 2 OF 3)

TOKYO TRIBE

TRASH FIRE (2016)

Written & Directed By: Richard Bates Jr. 
Cinematography By: Shane Daly 
Editor: Yvonne Valdez 


Cast: Adrien Grenier, Angela Trimbaur, Annalynne McCord, Fionulla Flanagan, Matthew Gray Gubler, Sally Kirkland, Ezra Buzzington, Ray Santiago 

The obnoxious, cynical and sarcastic web designer Owen lives with his girlfriend Isabelle. Owen has analysis with his psychiatrist Florence since he feels guilty for the fire that killed his parents and deformed his sister Beatrice. When Isabelle discloses that she is pregnant, she asks Owen to make up with his only family composed by his estranged grandmother Violet and Beatrice. Owen warns Isabelle that Violet is a nasty woman, but they travel to his hometown. They learn that Violet is a despicable woman that keeps Beatrice locked in her room. Isabelle realizes that Owen has told the truth about Violet, but they stay for a couple of days more because of Beatrice with tragic consequences.

SLASH (2016)

Written & Directed By: Clay Liford 
Cinematography By: Ellie Ann Fenton 
Editor: David Fabelo & Bryan Poyser 


Cast: Michael Johnston, Hannah Marks, Michael Ian Black, Missi Pyle, Sarah Ramos, Angela Kinsey, Sam Eidson 


Freshman Neil's Vanguard stories are all he cares about...until he meets the older Julia, who pushes him to put his own fan fic online. When the website's moderator takes a special interest in Neil's work, it opens up a whole new universe.

SPUN (2002)

Directed By: Jonas Akerlund 
 Written By: Will De Los Santos & Creighton Vero 
Cinematography By: Eric Broms 
Editor: Jonas Akerlund & Johan Soderberg 
Music By: Billy Corgan 


Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Mena Suvari, Patrick Fugit, China Chow, Julia Mendoza, Eric Roberts, Debbie Harry, Charloette Ayana, Peter Stormare, Alexis Arquette, Larry Drake, Rob Halford, Josh Peck, Billy Corgan, Ron Jeremy, Tony Kaye

A drug dealer introduces one of his customers, a 'speed freak', to the man who runs the meth lab. A crazy three-day adventure ensues.

 *Please note that some trivia and facts have been republished from imdb among other sources In this review

ODDS & ENDS: FAVORITES OF 2016

still from KNIGHT OF CUPS

The Following lists are not my top movies of the year, that is coming but a lead up, of some movie lists and awards. (Part 1 of 3)

 

BEST NEW TELEVISION OF 2016 (THAT I SAW)

RAMPAGE (2009)

Written & Directed By: Uwe Boll 
Cinematography By: Mathias Neumann 
Editor: Thomas Sabinsky 


Cast: Brendan Fletcher, Shaun Sipos, Michael Pare, Matt Frewer, Lynda Boyd, Katherine Isabelle, Michaela Mann 

 A man with a thirst for revenge builds a full body armor from Kevlar and goes on a killing spree.

THE REVENANT (2009)

Written & Directed By: Kerry Prior 
Cinematography By: Peter Hawkins 
Editor: Walter Montague Urch 


Cast: David Anders, Chris Wylde, Louise Griffiths, Jacy King, Eric Payne, Berando Badillo 


The night after his funeral, Bart, a soldier killed in Iraq gets up out of his grave and seeks out his best friend Joey. At dawn Bart's body falls to the floor, only to reawaken the following dusk. He and his buddy decide that he is a revenant: an articulate zombie that needs to drink blood to arrest the decomposition of his body

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2016

1. BEYONCE - Lemonade

WHAT I WAS READING IN 2016

31 books READ in total all year