Category Archives: Instant Movie Review

In Universal Pictures’ American Made, TOM CRUISE reunites with his Edge of Tomorrow director, DOUG LIMAN (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), in this international escapade based on the outrageous (and real) exploits of a hustler and pilot unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to run one of the biggest covert operations in U.S. history.

Smuggler. Informant. Patriot. One of the wealthiest men in 1980s America is someone you’ve never heard of. With his devilish swagger and zest for life, TWA pilot Barry Seal (Cruise) is the hero of his sleepy Southern town.

Much to the surprise of his wife, Lucy (SARAH WRIGHT OLSEN, Walk of Shame), the charming entrepreneur has gone from a well-respected TWA pilot to a key figure in one of the greatest scandals in modern history. Little could they grasp that what started out as transporting contraband would lead to Barry’s help in building an army and funding a war.

Once the hotshot airman gets caught up in a shadowy division of the government—running crates of AK-47s and kilos of cocaine—he makes a fortune as a key player in the Iran-contra affair. From trading arms for hostages to training forces of Central and South American kingpins, Barry becomes an improbable hero working against the system. So, how does he sleep at night? It’s all legal if you do it for the good guys.

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Based on a true story, American Made co-stars DOMHNALL GLEESON (Unbroken) as CIA operative Monty Schafer, Barry’s point man in the bureau; E. ROGER MITCHELL (All Eyez on Me) as FBI special agent Craig McCall; JESSE PLEMONS (Bridge of Spies) as Mena, Arkansas, Sheriff Downing, who is more than slightly suspicious of Barry’s side-gig; LOLA KIRKE (Gone Girl) as Judy Downing, the sheriff’s wife; ALEJANDRO EDDA (TV’s The Bridge) as Jorge Ochoa, Colombian grand drug trafficker; BENITO MARTINEZ (Netflix’s House of Cards) as James Rangel, the head of the DEA; MAURICIO MEJÍA (TV’s Narcos) as Medellín narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar; CALEB LANDRY JONES (Get Out) as JB, Lucy’s manipulative younger brother; and JAYMA MAYS (TV’s Glee) as attorney Dana Sibota, who is out to lock Barry up for good.

The film from a screenplay by GARY SPINELLI (Stash House) is produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Academy Award®-winning producer BRIAN GRAZER (A Beautiful Mind, American Gangster), Cross Creek Pictures’ TYLER THOMPSON (Everest, Black Mass), Quadrant Pictures’ DOUG DAVISON (The Departed, The Grudge), alongside KIM ROTH (Inside Man, Fences), BRIAN OLIVER (Black Swan, Everest) and RAY ANGELIC (The Wall, Friends with Money).

Liman is supported behind the scenes by an accomplished crew that is led by director of photography CÉSAR CHARLONE (The Constant Gardener, City of God), production designer DAN WEIL (The Fifth Element, The Bourne Identity), editor ANDREW MONDSHEIN (Chocolat, The Sixth Sense), costume designer JENNY GERING (Limitless, TV’s The Americans) and composer CHRISTOPHE BECK (Edge of Tomorrow, Frozen).

American Made is executive produced by PARIS LATSIS, TERRY DOUGAS, BRANDT ANDERSEN, ERIC GREENFELD, MICHAEL FINLEY, MICHAEL BASSICK and RAY CHEN. It is co-executive produced by RYAN AHRENS and LAUREN SELIG.

ABOUT THE CAST

TOM CRUISE (Barry Seal) is a global cultural icon who has made an immeasurable impact on cinema by creating some of the most memorable characters of all time in legendary films. such as Top Gun, Jerry Maguire, Risky Business, Minority Report, Interview with the Vampire, A Few Good Men, The Firm, Rain Man, Collateral, The Last Samurai, Edge of Tomorrow, The Color of Money and the Mission: Impossible series, among many others.

A consummate filmmaker involved in all aspects of film production, Cruise’s versatility is evidenced by the films and roles he chooses.  He has made 42 films, had a producing role on many of them and worked with a remarkable list of celebrated film directors, including Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Martin Scorsese, Barry Levinson, Oliver Stone, Ron Howard, Rob Reiner, Sydney Pollack, Neil Jordan, Brian De Palma, Cameron Crowe, Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Edward Zwick, Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, J.J. Abrams, Robert Redford, Brad Bird, Doug Liman and Chris McQuarrie.

Having achieved extraordinary success as an actor, producer and philanthropist in a career spanning over three decades, Cruise is a three-time Academy Award® nominee and three-time Golden Globe Award winner whose films have earned $8 billion in worldwide box office—an incomparable accomplishment.  Seventeen of Cruise’s films have grossed more than $100 million in the United States alone, and a record 22 have grossed over $200 million globally.

Released in July 2015, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was one of the biggest hits of Cruise’s career, grossing nearly $700 million worldwide.  Combined, the Mission: Impossible franchise has brought in nearly $2.8 billion since Cruise conceived the idea for the films and began producing them, and starring as the legendary spy Ethan Hunt.  Cruise is currently in production on M:I 6 – Mission Impossible.

Cruise’s past few films include Edge of Tomorrow, which opened to massive critical acclaim; Oblivion; the suspense thriller Jack Reacher, which earned more than $218 million worldwide; its follow up, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which reunited him with Ed Zwick; and The Mummy.  Prior to that, Cruise’s films included an appearance in Ben Stiller’s comedy smash Tropic Thunder, as the foul-mouthed Hollywood movie mogul Les Grossman.  This performance, based on a character Cruise created, earned him praise from critics and audiences, as well as his seventh Golden Globe Award nomination.

Cruise received Academy Award® nominations for Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, in addition to a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Magnolia.  He has also garnered three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor wins for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, and one for Best Supporting Actor for Magnolia, as well as nominations for his roles in Risky Business, A Few Good Men and The Last Samurai.  In addition, Cruise has earned acting nominations and awards from BAFTA, the Screen Actors Guild, the Chicago Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review.

Cruise has also been honored with tributes ranging from Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Award, to the John Huston Award from the Artists Rights Foundation, as well as the American Cinematheque Award for Distinguished Achievement in Film.  In addition to his artistic contributions, Cruise has used his professional success as a vehicle for positive change, becoming an international advocate, activist and philanthropist in the fields of health, education and human rights.  He has been honored by the Mentor LA organization for his work on behalf of the children of Los Angeles and around the world and, in May 2011, he received the Simon Wiesenthal Humanitarian Award.  In June 2012, he received the Entertainment Icon Award from the Friars Club for his outstanding accomplishments in the entertainment industry and in the humanities. He is the fourth person to receive this honor after Douglas Fairbanks, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra.  Empire Magazine awarded Cruise the Legend of Our Lifetime Award in 2014.

DOMHNALL GLEESON (Monty “Schafer”) is an Irish actor proving to be one of Hollywood’s most versatile talents—working alongside some of the most respected filmmakers in the industry across a number of diverse roles.

This fall, Gleeson is starring in a multitude of buzz-worthy films. First up, Gleeson will star in Goodbye Christopher Robin opposite Margot Robbie and Kelly Macdonald. Directed by Simon Curtis, the film explores the life of author A.A. Milne (Gleeson), the creator of the popular children’s book series “Winnie the Pooh.” Fox Searchlight Pictures will release the film on October 13. Following that, Gleeson will appear in Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming horror thriller Mother! alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem and Michelle Pfeiffer. Paramount Pictures will also release the film on October 13. Gleeson is also set to star alongside Will Forte in David Wain’s A Futile & Stupid Gesture. The biopic tells the story of National Lampoon’s brilliant and troubled co-founder, Douglas Kenney. Additionally, Gleeson will reprise his role as General Hux in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi from director Rian Johnson. Walt Disney Pictures will release the film on December 15.

In 2018, Gleeson will be seen in Will Gluck’s live action/CGI animated comedy Peter Rabbit opposite James Corden, Robbie and Daisy Ridley. Based on Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s tale, the film follows the rebellious Peter Rabbit as he tries to sneak into a local farmer’s vegetable garden. Gleeson plays Mr. McGregor, a farmer who is determined to keep hungry rabbits away from his precious garden. Sony Pictures Entertainment is slated to release the film on February 9, 2018.

Currently, Gleeson is in production in Lenny Abrahamson’s mystery drama The Little Stranger, opposite Ruth Wilson. Taking place in a post-WWII Britain, the film follows Dr. Faraday (Gleeson) who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. During summer 1947, he is called on to treat a patient who inhabits a haunted, broken-down house called Hundreds Hall, where his mother once worked as a nursemaid. As Dr. Faraday becomes wrapped up in the life of his patient, life as he knows it changes forever.

Additional film credits include Star Wars: The Force Awakens from director J.J. Abrams; John Crowley’s Academy Award®-nominated film Brooklyn; the Coen Brother’s adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s book Unbroken from director Angelina Jolie; John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary; Abrahamson’s Frank opposite Michael Fassbender and Maggie Gyllenhaal; Richard Curtis’ About Time opposite Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy; the role of Bill Weasley in David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Parts I and II); Tom Hall’s Sensation, opposite Patrick Ryan and Marie O’Neill; Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go; Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit; Pete Travis’ Dredd; James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer; Ian Fitzgibbon’s Perrier’s Bounty; Stephen Bradley’s Boy Eats Girl; Nicholas Renton’s When Harvey Met Bob; and in Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, a role for which he received an Empire Award nomination for the category of Best Male Newcomer in 2013 and an Irish Film and Television Award nomination for the category of Best Supporting Actor Film.

In short films, Gleeson has been featured in Martin McDonagh’s Oscar®-winning short Six Shooter; Asif Kapadia’s The Tale of Thomas Burberry opposite Lily James and Sienna Miller; a reprise of his role as Bill Weasley in Thierry Coup’s Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts; and Hugh O’Conor’s Corduroy opposite Ruth Negga and Caoilfhionn Dunne. Gleeson has written and directed short films of his own such as Noreen, which starred Brendan and Brian Gleeson, and What Will Survive of Us, which starred Brian Gleeson.

On the small screen, Gleeson has been seen in Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror on Channel 4, A Dog Year for HBO Films opposite Jeff Bridges, Paul Mercier’s Studs and John Butler’s Your Bad Self, for which he co-wrote sketches with Michael Moloney.

Notably, on stage, Gleeson was featured in the Broadway production of Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore for which he received a Tony Award nomination in the category of Best Featured Actor in a Play, a Lucille Lortel Nomination and a Drama League Citation for Excellence in Performance. The actor’s work on stage also includes Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce, directed by Seán Foley, at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin opposite his father Brendan Gleeson and brother Brian Gleeson; Now or Later at the Royal Court Theatre; Druid Theatre Co.’s production of The Well of the Saints; Selina Cartmell’s Macbeth; Wilson Milam’s Chimps at the Liverpool Playhouse; Great Expectation; and American Buffalo at the Gate Theater, for which he earned an Irish Times Theatre Award nomination for his performance in the latter.

Gleeson currently resides in Dublin, Ireland.

A natural talent with undeniable beauty and poise, SARAH WRIGHT OLSEN (Lucy Seal) is one of Hollywood’s most dynamic actresses in film and television.

On the small screen, Wright Olsen most recently appeared in NBC’s Marry Me. She also had recurring roles in NBC’s critically acclaimed comedy series Parks and Recreation and TBS’ Men at Work. Her other television credits include Mad Men, Hello Ladies, How I Met Your Mother, Happy Endings and The Loop.

Wright Olsen’s previous film credits include the hit comedy The House Bunny, opposite Anna Faris and Emma Stone; Walk of Shame opposite Elizabeth Banks; Demi Moore’s Streak; Surfer, Dude, which starred Matthew McConaughey; 21 & Over with Miles Teller; and Touchback opposite Kurt Russell.

Off screen, Wright Olsen is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, wife and mother of two. Last year, she collaborated with Teresa Palmer to launch Your Zen Mama, an all-encompassing space for parents and caregivers to build an online community discussing the comedy, beauty, and complexity of pregnancy and parenthood.

E. ROGER MITCHELL (Agent Craig McCall), born Edgar Roger Mitchell, Jr., is a Miami, Florida, native, the youngest of 10 siblings and has had an affinity for the craft of acting since the age of nine.

He is a film, television, stage, voice-over talent and producer. Mitchell spent his formative years in Miami and, after relocating, went on to graduate from high school in South Carolina, in 1989 (Senior Superlatives, Most Talented). It was there he rekindled his passion for the craft and where he became a “great debater.”

Mitchell was part of Who’s Who Among America’s Black Colleges and Universities class of 1993, a 1996 Alliance Theatre Internship graduate, and received a master of fine arts from CUNY Brooklyn College in 1999. Mitchell studied under Margaret Linney, David Garfield, Tom Bullard and F. Murray Abraham.

Mitchell has appeared on film, television, stage and voice-overs in over 140 projects. Notable credits include both Flight and The Equalizer opposite Denzel Washington; HBO Film’s Warm Springs opposite Kenneth Branagh, Cynthia Nixon and Kathy Bates; Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which starred Will Ferrell; The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which starred Jennifer Lawrence; Selma and Captive, both opposite David Oyelowo; Triple 9, which starred Casey Affleck; The Legend of Bagger Vance, opposite Will Smith and Matt Damon; S.W.A.T. and Cell, both opposite Samuel L. Jackson; HBO’s Boycott, opposite Jeffrey Wright, Terrence Howard and Clark Johnson; and in Clint Eastwood’s Sully, which starred Tom Hanks; The 5th Wave; Kill the Messenger; Battle Los Angeles; and Daddy’s Little Girls.

Television credits include The Walking Dead, Devious Maids, Powers, Being Mary Jane, Survivor’s Remorse, The Originals, Nashville, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, Drop Dead Diva, House of Payne, A Smile as Big as the Moon, One Tree Hill and The Shield, among others. Mitchell is currently a series regular on BET’s The Quad.

JESSE PLEMONS (Sheriff Downing) received an early start as an actor, making his debut at age three in a Coca-Cola commercial. His Texas charm helped him land the role and would shape the early part of his career all the way to his breakout role in Friday Night Lights. Cast as Landry Clarke, Plemons was a fan favorite on the Primetime Emmy Award-winning show that followed the Dillon Panthers, a fictional Texas high school football team.

Following the conclusion of Friday Night Lights, Plemons appeared in a number of films, including a role in the epic action film Battleship (2012) that was written specifically for him. Additionally, he was cast in the final season of the acclaimed show Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008-2013). There, Plemons played Todd Alquist and was recognized by IGN as 2013’s Best TV Villain. He appeared opposite the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically lauded drama The Master (2012).

In 2015, he appeared as Kevin Weeks in Black Mass, the Whitey Bulger biopic opposite Johnny Depp; Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama Bridge of Spies; as Floyd Landis in Stephen Frears’ cycling film The Program; as well as in season two of the Golden Globe Award-winning show Fargo, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and won a Critics’ Choice Award. Recent film credits include Other People and The Discovery, a sci-fi film also starring Riley Keough, Rooney Mara, Jason Segel and Robert Redford. He recently finished shooting Scott Cooper’s Hostiles with Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi and Christian Bale.

He just wrapped Game Night starring opposite Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in the New Line Cinema comedy. Currently, he is shooting Spielberg’s The Papers with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

LOLA KIRKE (Judy Downing) can be seen in the original Amazon Studios television series Mozart in the Jungle, as the lead female star Hailey. The first season of Mozart in the Jungle debuted exclusively on Amazon Prime on December 23, 2014. The second season premiered on December 30, 2015, and the third season premiered on December 9, 2016. In January 2016, Mozart in the Jungle won a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical. The series was nominated for another Golden Globe Award the following year.

Recently Kirke completed production on Untogether alongside Ben Mendelsohn, Jemima Kirke and Jamie Dornan. The film follows the affair between Andrea (Jemima Kirke), a former teen prodigy turned heroin addict who is trying to be a writer now that she is sober, and Nick (Dornan), a writer who has found success with his memoir of war-time bravery. Meanwhile, Andrea’s little sister, Tara (Lola Kirke), finds her solid relationship with her older boyfriend, Martin (Mendelsohn), shaken when she is drawn to a charismatic rabbi with an even larger age gap. Kirke also recently completed production on Gemini, alongside Zoë Kravitz and John Cho. The Los Angeles-set thriller is written and directed by Aaron Katz.

On September 30, 2016, Kirke debuted her self-titled EP and subsequently embarked on an eight-stop tour between New York and Los Angeles.

Earlier that year, Kirke appeared in Deb Shoval’s AWOL, alongside Breeda Wool. AWOL follows a young woman, Joey, who is in search of direction in her small town. This film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 15, 2016.

Kirke also appeared in the film Fallen, alongside Jeremy Irvine, Addison Timlin and Joely Richardson. Additionally, Kirke produced and stars in the Aaron Fisher-Cohen project, titled Active Adults.

In 2015, Kirke appeared in Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America, opposite Greta Gerwig. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2015. Ahead of its premiere at Sundance, Fox Searchlight announced that they acquired the distribution rights to the film. The film was released on August 14, 2015.

In 2014, she appeared in the film Free the Nipple, which was acquired by Sundance Selects for distribution. The film was released on December 12, 2014. Additionally, Kirke appeared in the anticipated film adaptation of Gone Girl as Greta. The David Fincher film was released in the theaters on October 3, 2014, and brought in over $365 million worldwide.

Kirke’s other film credits include Another Happy Day and Reaching for the Moon. Her television credits include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Leftovers. Additionally, Kirke starred, directed and wrote the short film project titled My Rifle, My Baby, and Me.

Best known for his charismatic and positive personality, ALEJANDRO EDDA (Jorge Ochoa) was born in Puebla, Mexico, on May 17, 1984. Growing up as an only child, Edda always had the curiosity of creating non-existing worlds and characters. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the Instituto Ruso Mexicano, one of the finest Russian Conservatory Schools for drama and cinema in Mexico City, where he studied the Stanislavsky Method. After completing his studies, Edda moved to Los Angeles where he continued his studies at the Sanford Meisner Center acting studio. Working as a parking valet and delivering wines, he managed to pay his tuition and, in July 2007, he graduated as one of the top five actors of his class.

Living in Los Angeles, Mexico and Colombia, Edda has become a budding star. He first broke out after landing a recurring role on the FX series The Bridge, which starred Demián Bichir and Diane Kruger. Quickly thereafter, he landed pivotal roles in AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead and Fox’s Lethal Weapon. Since then, he’s continued to build his tremendous career, appearing in movies like Sundown, Riding to the Light and, most recently, Cocaine Godmother opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones.

BENITO MARTINEZ (James Rangel) is an American actor who grew up on a small ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He got his start on stage at the age of eight with his father’s mariachi band. He went to Hollywood High Performing Arts Magnet and then on to study at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
Martinez received national and international attention for his portrayal of David Aceveda in the Golden Globe Award-winning television series The Shield (FX). He won the 2007 ALMA Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was also recognized by the NOSOTROS Foundation and the National Hispanic Media Coalition for Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series.

Most recently, he has garnered critical acclaim for his multiple roles over three seasons in John Ridley’s anthology series American Crime (ABC). His other notable work includes recurring arcs on the hit shows How to Get Away with Murder, House of Cards, The Blacklist and Sons of Anarchy. His film credits include Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby; Bless Me Ultima; Lies in Plain Sight, for which he was a 2

011 NAACP Image Award Best Actor nominee; Unthinkable, which starred Samuel L. Jackson; New Suit; Kill Your Darlings; Mi Familia; Saw; and Beyond the Lights.

One of Hollywood’s top emerging young actors, CALEB LANDRY JONES (JB) will next be seen in Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri opposite Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. He was most recently seen in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which grossed over $250 million worldwide.

In 2012, Jones starred in Brandon Cronenberg’s directorial debut Antiviral, which also starred Sarah Gadon and Malcolm McDowell.  Antiviral premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released by IFC Films.  Cronenberg won Best Canadian First Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Jones’ performance was cited as one of the Best Performances of 2012 by Indiewire alongside the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix, Denis Lavant and Michelle Williams.

In 2014, Jones starred in Joshua and Benny Safdie’s Heaven Knows What, which was released by RADiUS-TWC and was awarded the Tokyo Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival after premiering at the Venice Film Festival and screening in Toronto and New York.  That same year, he starred in John Boorman’s Queen & Country, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and he was seen in John Slattery’s directorial debut God’s Pocket, which starred the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Other film credits include Gerardo Naranjo’s upcoming English-language film Viena and the Fantomes, opposite Dakota Fanning and Evan Rachel Wood; Roland Emmerich’s Stonewall; and John Michael McDonagh’s film War on Everyone, opposite Theo James and Michael Peña.

In 2012, Jones starred opposite Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton and Sam Riley in Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, in which he played a young man dying of leukemia and struggling with his mortality.  He also starred in 20th Century Fox’s summer blockbuster X-Men: First Class and in Universal Pictures’ box-office hit Contraband opposite Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale.

JAYMA MAYS (Dana Sibota) is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses. She was last seen starring opposite John Lithgow and Sherri Shepherd in NBC’s new hit comedy Trial & Error. Mays is most recognized for her wonderful portrayal of Emma Pillsbury on FOX’s award-winning series Glee.

Mays has starred in numerous films including The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2 opposite Neil Patrick Harris. The Smurfs was the first ever CGI/live-action hybrid franchise to be produced by Sony Pictures Animation. The incredibly successful 3D films have grossed close to $1 billion worldwide. Other credits of note include a recurring role on HBO’s Getting On, Wes Craven’s Red Eye, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop and 20th Century Fox’s Epic Movie, where she met her husband Adam Campbell.