Year: 2017

‘The Mountain Between Us’ is worth a small climb

Jeff Mitchell

“The Mountain Between Us” – The fear of flying in any type of aircraft is called aviophobia, but one might suspect that a fear of crashing is its close companion or the chief reason for the aforementioned diagnosis. Ben Bass (Idris Elba) and Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) do not suffer from aviophobia, because they – without a hint of second thoughts – step into a small plane that is headed from Idaho to Denver.  Ben is a neurosurgeon trying to make it to Baltimore via Denver to perform an operation,…

‘Blade Runner 2049’ director Denis Villeneuve’s best film is on Netflix and Amazon

Jeff Mitchell

“Blade Runner 2049” arrives in theatres on Fri., Oct. 6, and director Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking, 1982 film is garnering multitudes of buzz and anticipation.  Villeneuve is no stranger to science fiction, as his “Arrival” (2016) scooped up eight Oscar nominations in 2017, including Best Picture and Best Director, and it won for Sound Editing. With “Blade Runner 2049”, “Arrival”, “Sicario” (2015), and “Prisoners” (2013) proudly sitting on his resume, this Quebec native has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most respected directors. Art House Film Wire believes…

‘American Made’ reproduces a truly wild story

Jeff Mitchell

“American Made” – Thirty-one years ago, Tom Cruise “owned” the skies and movie theatres everywhere by playing a hotshot U.S. Navy pilot in “Top Gun” (1986).  This flashy, testosterone-filled box office juggernaut cemented Cruise’s big screen appeal after his breakout role in “Risky Business” (1983), just three years prior.  In 2017, Cruise plays a pilot again, another daredevil who takes massive risks, but sports a very, very different career in the wild, true story of Barry Seal, who made an American fortune in “American Made”. Barry’s tale of fortune begins during…