Tag: Ethan Hawke

Celebrate Sally Hawkins’ birthday with ‘Maudie’

Jeff Mitchell

Happy Birthday, Sally Hawkins!  Yes, Ms. Hawkins turns 45 years young on April 27, and this talented thespian has several notable performances on her resume.  Sally’s breakout turn in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky” (2008) placed her on the cinematic map, and she garnered Oscar nominations for ‘Blue Jasmine’ (2013) and ‘The Shape of Water’ (2017) too. Although The Academy fawned over work in Guillermo del Toro’s “Shape”, we think that she delivered an even better performance that year as real-life Canadian artist Maud Lewis in ‘Maudie’.   Here is our review.  …

Our 10 favorite Oscar nominations: 8. Paul Schrader – Best Screenplay

Jeff Mitchell

8.  Paul Schrader – Best Screenplay for “First Reformed” – Writer/director Paul Schrader wrote “Taxi Driver” (1976), “American Gigolo” (1980), “Raging Bull” (1980), “The Mosquito Coast” (1986), and “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988), so a screenplay Oscar nomination for the man is way overdue.  The Academy finally recognized Schrader for his written work  about a reverend (Ethan Hawke) preaching sermons to a small congregation in rows of white pews, while black outlooks fill his soul in “First Reformed”. The film asks big questions within a small Upstate New York…

Schrader and Hawke form a dark, absorbing partnership in ‘First Reformed’

Jeff Mitchell

“First Reformed” – Rev. Toller (Ethan Hawke) isn’t well. He’s hurting both mentally and physically. At 46, he feels lost.  To cope, he drinks.  He drinks too much. Thankfully, he is working.  Reverend Kyles (Cedric the Entertainer) secured him a job at the First Reformed Church.  A small, tourist place of worship, which is known more for its history rather than its present.  The pews remain mostly empty during Rev. Toller’s Sunday sermons, save a handful of followers, but First Reformed was built in 1767, and it is about to…