September 15, 2023

A Haunting in Venice (2023) - Review

September 15, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

Written by: Michael Green

Starring: Kyle Allen, Kenneth Branagh, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, Michelle Yeoh

Runtime: 103 min

Synopsis: Set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows' Eve, the film is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world's most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.

September 13, 2023

The Inventor (2023) - Review

September 13, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Jim Capobianco, Pierre-Luc Granjon

Written by: Jim Capobianco

Starring: Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue, Matt Berry

Runtime: 92 min

Synopsis: Famed inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci left Italy for France. In his new country, da Vinci joins the French court where he experiments with flying contraptions, invents machines and studies the human body, all in an effort to answer the question: "What is the meaning of life?"

September 06, 2023

In the Land of Saints and Sinners - Review | Venice 2023

September 06, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Robert Lorenz

Written by: Mark Michael McNally, Terry Loane

Starring: Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Ciarán Hinds, Sarah Greene

Runtime: 106 min

Synopsis: A newly retired assassin gets drawn into a lethal game of cat and mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists.

September 06, 2023

Origin - Review | Venice 2023

September 06, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Ava DuVernay

Written by: Ava DuVernay

Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood, Connie Nielsen, Emily Yancy, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, Finn Wittock, Victoria Pedretti, Isha Blaaker, Myles Frost

Runtime: 130 min

Synopsis: The remarkable life and work of Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson as she investigates the genesis of injustice and uncovers a hidden truth that affects us all.

September 05, 2023

Hit Man - Review | Venice 2023

September 05, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Written by: Richard Linklater, Glen Powell

Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta

Runtime: 113 min

Synopsis: Gary Johnson is the most sought-after professional killer in New Orleans. To his clients, he is like something out of a movie: the mysterious gun for hire. But if you pay him to rub out a cheating spouse or an abusive boss, you’d better watch your back - he works for the cops. When he breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive boyfriend, he finds himself becoming one of his false personas, falling for the woman and flirting with turning into a criminal himself.

September 03, 2023

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial - Review | Venice 2023

September 03, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: William Friedkin

Written by: William Friedkin

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund, Lance Reddick, Lewis Pullman, Elizabeth Anweis, Tom Riley, Francois Battiste, Gabe Kessler, Jay Duplass, Gina Garcia-Sharp, Stephanie Erb, Dale Dye, Denzel Johnson

Runtime: 109 min

Synopsis: A naval officer stands trial for mutiny after taking command from a ship captain he feels was acting in an unstable way, putting in danger both the ship and its crew.

September 03, 2023

The Killer - Review | Venice 2023

September 03, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: David Fincher

Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Kerry O’Malley, Sophie Charlotte, Sala Baker, Emiliano Pernía, Gabriel Polanco

Runtime: 118 min

Synopsis: After a fateful near-miss an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.

September 02, 2023

Maestro - Review | Venice 2023

September 02, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Bradley Cooper

Written by: Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Josh Hamilton, Scott Ellis, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton, Miriam Shor

Runtime: 129 min

Synopsis: A towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.

September 01, 2023

Poor Things - Review | Venice 2023

September 01, 2023/ MSB Reviews

Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos

Written by: Tony McNamara

Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, Hanna Schygulla

Runtime: 141 min

Synopsis: The incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.