#Joshua Harto

[camyfilms]

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM 2020

Life ain't shit. You can put it in a paper bag and carry it around with you. It ain't got no balls. Now death... . death got some style. Death will kick your ass and make you wish you never been born. That's how bad death is. 

[ruleof3bobby]

UNTHINKABLE (2010) Grade: C

It was actually really for 75% of the film. I hated the last 25 min or so. Seem like a new writer took over. The actual ending was not my cup of tea at all. Didn't seem to fit the lead up at all.

[byneddiedingo]

Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies (Steven Spielberg, 2015)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan, Dominick Lombardozzi, Victor Verhaege, Scott Shepherd, Sebastian Koch, Austin Stowell, Will Rogers, Mark Fichera, Brian Hutchison, Joshua Harto, Henny Russell, Rebekah Brockman. Screenplay: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski. Production design: Adam Stockhausen. Film editing: Michael Kahn. Music: Thomas Newman.

Steven Spielberg is unquestionably a great director, with a seldom-equaled skill at visual storytelling and at building tension and suspense. But he tries too hard to make a statement in Bridge of Spies -- something about defending the Constitution -- when it could have been simply an engaging film about Cold War tensions. It also suffers from the wrong kind of star power: Tom Hanks has devolved from a terrific actor, skilled at both comedy and drama, into the movies' iconic Good Guy. Casting him as the lawyer James Donovan, forced to defend a Soviet spy, deprives the film of any ambiguity about Donovan's defense of Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). Hanks's Donovan can simply wrap himself in the Constitution and we're with him all the way, even as public opinion of the time turns against him. As a film actor Hanks has lost his dark side, so we know that whoever he plays will triumph. Imagine Bridge of Spies with Donovan played by George Clooney or Bradley Cooper, stars with just a touch of shadow in their personae, and you can see what I mean. Fortunately, the film is otherwise well-cast, including Rylance's Oscar-winning turn as Abel, as well as Scott Shepherd's impatient CIA man and Sebastian Koch's duplicitous East German lawyer, and the screenplay by Matt Charman and Joel and Ethan Coen manages a good deal of suspense. (Sometimes at the expense of historical accuracy: Donovan was never shot at in his home, as the film has it.) The Coen brothers were brought in to work on the first draft of Charman's screenplay, specifically on the section in which Donovan finds himself negotiating separately with the Soviets and the East Germans to engineer an exchange of Abel for imprisoned U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) and an American student, Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers), who has been accidentally arrested in East Berlin. It's the best part of the movie, as Donovan wrangles not only with the conflicting egos and bureaucracies of the Soviet and East German officials but also with the CIA's insistence that only Powers need be included in the deal. Unfortunately, Spielberg doesn't know when his movie is over. Bridge of Spies should end with the exchange of spies at the bridge, but Spielberg keeps it running as Donovan boards the plane for home, returns to the arms of his family just as the news of his successful negotiation is breaking, gives his wife (Amy Ryan) the jar of marmalade he promised to bring her from London, witnesses her realization that he wasn't in London after all, and soon afterward rides to work on the bus where a woman who had previously frowned at him as a traitor now smiles at him as a hero after seeing his picture in the newspaper. All the while, Thomas Newman's score is telling us what we're supposed to feel. It's  sentimental anticlimax, of the sort that many critics decry in what are usually regarded as among Spielberg's greatest films, Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Schindler's List (1993). Bridge of Spies would have been a lot better if Spielberg hadn't given in to his instinct for overemphasis.

[ulkaralakbarova]

Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson’s play. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Ma Rainey: Viola Davis Levee: Chadwick Boseman Cutler: Colman Domingo Toledo: Glynn Turman Slow Drag: Michael Potts Irvin: Jeremy Shamos Sturdyvant: Jonny Coyne Dussie Mae: Taylour Paige Sylvester: Dusan Brown Policeman: Joshua Harto Band Singer: Quinn VanAntwerp Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Chloe Davis Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Mayte Natalio Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Johanna Elmina Moise Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Onyxx Noel Ma Rainey’s Dancer: LaWanda Hopkins Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Sierra Stewart Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Malaiyka Reid Ma Rainey’s Dancer: Catherine Foster Laborer (uncredited): Antonio Fierro Chicago Worker (uncredited): Daniel Johnson Film Crew: Director: George C. Wolfe Producer: Denzel Washington Original Music Composer: Branford Marsalis Production Design: Mark Ricker Producer: Dany Wolf Executive Producer: Constanza Romero Costume Designer: Ann Roth Producer: Todd Black Editor: Andrew Mondshein Director of Photography: Tobias A. Schliessler Casting: Avy Kaufman First Assistant Director: Michele Ziegler Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan Stunt Coordinator: Chuck Jeffreys Art Direction: James F. Truesdale Set Designer: Travis Kerr Assistant Art Director: Wes Hottman Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara Set Buyer: Paul Bucciarelli Set Decoration: Diana Stoughton Set Decorating Coordinator: Darlene Salinas Script Supervisor: Megan Graham Makeup Department Head: Matiki Anoff Makeup Artist: Sergio Lopez-Rivera Makeup Artist: Sian Richards Makeup Artist: Carl Fullerton Makeup Supervisor: Debi Young Supervising Sound Editor: Skip Lievsay Screenplay: Ruben Santiago-Hudson Prosthetics: Gary Archer Makeup Artist: Rachel Geary Makeup Artist: Bethany Montecalvo Makeup Artist: Bethany Townes Makeup Artist: Jai Williams Supervising Sound Editor: Paul Urmson Theatre Play: August Wilson Visual Effects: John Allegretti Movie Reviews: Manuel São Bento: If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Usually, at the end of each year, I prepare my watchlist for the next twelve months. Obviously, no matter how many movies I add to the list, I know dozens of more films will be announced and released throughout the year. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of them. I didn’t know a thing about this flick, but it received the always interesting awards buzz, which turned it into a mandatory viewing before Christmas comes around. I went in knowing only one thing: this is Chadwick Boseman’s (Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War) last appearance after he passed away a few months ago. I really didn’t know what to expect from this Netflix’s Oscar-bait, but I was afraid that Boseman’s nomination chances were high only due to what happened in real-life instead of him truly deserving that recognition… Well, I can safely and confidently write that Boseman delivers his career-best interpretation, and it wouldn’t be unfair for him to get tons of awards posthumously. From an impeccable accent to his mind-blowing emotional range, passing through long monologues and uncut takes effortlessly, Boseman is the strong glue that holds everything in place. What seems, at first, a hangout movie (narrative without a clear central plot) turns into a character-study. Levee wants to follow his dreams, do what he does best in his own conditions and with his personal interpretation of music and soul. Boseman incorporates this character seamlessly, delivering a memorable performance that I hope will be remembered as a worthy Oscar winner if this situation ends up becoming true. Even though Boseman is the actor that shines brighter, every single one is absolutely outstanding. Viola Davis shares the main spotlight with him by representing the (real-life) iconic blues singer, Ma Rainey. To be completely honest, I didn’t know who this singer was nor how she impacted soul music. Ruben Santiago-Hudson first feature-film sc...

[wornoutspines]

[scenesandscreens]

Unthinkable (2010)

Director - Gregor Jordan, Cinematography - Oliver Stapleton

"Every man, no matter how strong he is, lies to himself about something. I will find your lie. I will break you."

[welcometoyouredoom]

[serenitysvision]

When I saw Joshua Harto in Veronica Mars Season 3 Episode 1 "Welcome Wagon"...

All I could picture was...

Ben 'Stinky' Sturky from That's So Raven.

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2018) - #165: Campfire Stories (2001) - dirs. Bob Cea, Andrzej Krakowski and Jeff Mazzola

The horror anthology Campfire Stories is honestly one of the worst trashpiles I’ve ever endured in almost a quarter-century of being aware of movies, but even the most embarrassingly amateurish excuse for cinema can be fun to watch just for the cast. A young, pre-"It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Charlie Day (sporting a very 2001 earring) and Joshua Harto (I remember him well from The Dark Knight and The Lifeguard) play Joe and Teddy, two young men who are driving through the woods when they nearly crash their car when another teen, Natalie (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), standing in the middle of the road. Citing a busted tire on her own vehicle, Natalie convinces the guys to help her out, suggesting that they all go find a nearby campsite in the forest where Natalie claims she saw a group of people who might be able to lend further assistance.

Surprise, surprise: a fire is burning yet the supposed campers are nowhere in sight. Instead, our three protagonists meet Ranger Bill (David Johansen), a menacing fella portrayed with all the subtlety you would expect from the former New York Doll/Buster Poindexter weighing every word down with a Southern molasses drawl. Ranger Bill orders the trio to sit with him until a tow truck arrives, then proceeds to regale them with three spooky tales as the night grows ever darker. Because that’s totally normal, right?

Only the third segment of the stories is worth seeing, and that’s primarily because yet another soon-to-be IASIP star, Rob McElhenney, appears, as well as Abigail Spencer and Kerry Butler. Indeed, the best that can be said about Campfire Stories is that it has some interesting actors in its cast; besides the aforementioned performers, John Hensley (whom I just saw in Teeth), Perez Hilton (credited by his real name, Mario Lavandeira) and Sunrise Coigney (perhaps best known for being married to Mark Ruffalo) all have roles, and the band The Misfits shows up in the penultimate scene. They’re the only reasons why anyone would want to suffer through this poorly made feature, unless maybe you have specific fetishes for hilariously cheap special effects, slo-mo, dialogue that a ten-year-old could have written (my favorite line went something like this: “Stop being such a sanitary napkin, dude!”) and/or early 2000s post-grunge soundtracks.

[milliondollarbaby87]

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) Review

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) Review

Chicago in 1927, a recording session with Ma Rainey and tensions rise when her ambitious horn player Levee and white management team try to control the uncontrollable “Mother of the Blues” based on August Wilson’s play. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (more…)

[persinsala]

Gold - La grande truffa

Gold – La grande truffa

Un personaggio eccessivo e buffonesco al centro di un’avventura esotica che vorrebbe far la morale sulla sete di denaro dell’Americana raeganiana: meno divertente e più compiaciuto di quanto potrebbe sembrare. (more…)

[straighttohellbuddy]

Watching YouTube Rewind 2018 like

[ulkaralakbarova]

The government gets wind of a plot to destroy America involving a trio of nuclear weapons for which the whereabouts are unknown. It’s up to a seasoned interrogator and an FBI agent to find out exactly where the nukes are. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Henry Harold ‘H’ Humphries: Samuel L. Jackson Agent Helen Brody: Carrie-Anne Moss Steven Arthur Younger: Michael Sheen Charles Thompson: Stephen Root Rina Humphries: Lora Kojovic Jack Saunders: Martin Donovan Agent Vincent: Gil Bellows Agent Leandro: Vincent Laresca Agent D.J Jackson: Brandon Routh Agent Phillips: Joshua Harto General Paulson: Holmes Osborne Col. Kerkmejian: Michael Rose Mr. Bradley: Randy Oglesby Alvarez: Benito Martinez Lubitchich: Sasha Roiz Winston: Dayo Ade Katie: Yara Shahidi Peter Humphries: Sayeed Shahidi Jehan Younger: Necar Zadegan Samura Younger: Jillian Bruno Ali Younger: Coby Seyrafi Major Pierce: Chris McGarry CNN Announcer: Angela Martinez ESPN Host: David E. Willis Young Sergent: Geoff Meed Observer: Kirk B.R. Woller TV News Announcer: Kelly Vaughn Announcer #2: Bill A. Jones Soldier: Phil Somerville Bomb Disposal Expert: Austin Nichols Pedestrian with Child: Delaine Yates Film Crew: Casting: John Papsidera Music: Graeme Revell Stunt Coordinator: Charles Croughwell Producer: Bill Perkins Producer: Marco Weber Director of Photography: Oliver Stapleton Line Producer: Samson Mucke Writer: Peter Woodward Visual Effects: Chris Ervin Key Hair Stylist: Robert L. Stevenson Producer: Caldecot Chubb Producer: Vanessa Coifman Editor: Scott Chestnut Director: Gregor Jordan Production Design: Steven Jones-Evans Key Makeup Artist: Francisco X. Pérez Makeup Department Head: Allan A. Apone Digital Intermediate: Keith Shaw Still Photographer: Dale Robinette Camera Operator: Chris Lombardi Art Direction: Nick Ralbovsky Visual Effects: Lucas Krost Costume Design: Danielle Hollowell Executive Producer: Vince Cirrincione Executive Producer: Rachel Rose Set Decoration: Amber Haley Gaffer: Jack English Costume Supervisor: Marisa Aboitiz Supervising Sound Editor: Chad J. Hughes ADR Supervisor: Angela Hemingway Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Jonathan Wales Music Editor: Ashley Revell Property Master: Guillaume DeLouche Special Effects Coordinator: William Dawson Script Supervisor: Tracy Scott Dolly Grip: Sam Stewart First Assistant Camera: Patrick McArdle Digital Intermediate: Brian Beard Key Grip: Patrick R. Heffernan Casting Associate: Jennifer Cram Lighting Technician: Jesse Mather Lighting Technician: Simone Perusse Prosthetic Makeup Artist: Brad Look Digital Intermediate: James Ahern Dolly Grip: Jeff Smith Construction Coordinator: Lars Petersen Movie Reviews: DoryDarko: Unthinkable raises a question which has been an issue for many people all over the world for a very long time, and especially since 9/11. This question is, is it ever justified to torture an individual to save the lives of many? And if the answer is yes, how far can you go? This issue is indeed a very sensitive subject and I think it takes guts for any filmmaker to put it out there in the open like Gregor Jordan did. Add to that the clever fact that he doesn’t actually make a choice, but rather lets the audience decide on whatever they want to think and feel, and you have a pretty gutsy and controversial concept. In a nutshell, this film is about a man of American descent who has become a Muslim and has now, as an act of terrorism, planted 3 nuclear bombs in 3 major American cities which will go off in four days. Screenwriter Peter Woodward made some very tactical decisions considering the characters in the story. They are all somewhat stereotypical, but this is no bother because they’re all there for a reason. Carrie-Anne Moss, as an FBI investigator, represents the conscience, the sensitivity and the struggle to make the right decision. Samuel L. Jackson is her polar opposite; the brutal, rational, stone cold “interrogator” who does what he does because he’s the only one who can and willing to do it. The means he is willing to go to in order to get his subject to talk ...

[sextonsharpwinhalstead]

Press Release

HALLOWEEN BRINGS MADNESS TO CHASTAIN ON AN ALL-NEW "THE RESIDENT" TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, ON FOX While looking for a distraction on Halloween, Conrad treats a group of witches who send the ER into chaos. Also, Devon treats a patient who thinks he is being haunted by ghosts. Meanwhile, on the way back from his vacation, Bell picks up a hitchhiker who is not what he seems to be in the all-new "The Thinnest Veil" Halloween-themed episode of THE RESIDENT airing Tuesday, Oct. 19 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (RES-505) (TV-14 D, L, S, V) Cast: Matt Czuchry as Conrad Hawkins; Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Randolph Bell; Manish Dayal as Devon Pravesh; Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Dr. AJ Austin; Jane Leeves as Dr. Kit Voss; Morris Chestnut as Dr. Barrett Cain; Jessica Lucas as Billie Sutton; Anuja Joshi as Dr. Leela Devi. Guest Cast: Michael Hogan as Dr. Albert Nolan; Tasso Feldman as Dr. Irving Feldman; Denitra Isler as Nurse Hundley; Jessica Miesel as Nurse Jessica Moore; Duke Davis Roberts as Ethan Eriksten; Heather Mazur as Magdalena Axenberg; Erin Ownbey as Holly Caswith; Emily Grace Dunn as Cat Crisforth; Joshua Harto as Mike (Michael) Jonah Rellie; Jennifer Sears as Keitra; Ana Mackenzie as Marion; Ren Haggerty as Lil Superhero; Javier Vazquez Jr. as Zombie; Gissette Valentin as EMT 1; Jacobi Hollingshed as EMT 2

[movs4up-blog]

Unthinkable

A convert to Islam sends the U.S. government a tape showing him in three nondescript storage rooms, each of which may contain a nuclear bomb set to detonate in less than a week. Helen Brody, an FBI agent in L.A., is tasked with finding the bombs while a CIA “consultant”, known as H, interrogates the suspect who has allowed himself to be caught. The suspect, whose wife and children have left him…

[movieswithkevin27]

Gold

A rising star in the 1990s only to wind up being written off as a pretty face in the 2000s, Matthew McConaughey found the first half of the 2010s to be the kindest and most successful of his career. Starring in critical hit after critical hit, McConaughey nabbed financial success via Magic Mike and Interstellar and netted Oscar gold in Dallas Buyers Club. Toss in some of the best performances of the decade in indie darling Mud and HBO series True Detective and the early 2010s are guaranteed to go down as the most successful critical stretch of the Texan actors career. Since then, however, he has struggled. From Gus Van Sant's stinker The Sea of Trees to the mixed Free State of Jones (which, as a McConaughey apologist, I liked), McConaughey's live action worked has slumped. In fact, aside from an animated turn in Kubo and the Two Strings, he has not been in a truly good film since 2014. It may not seem like that long of a time period, but for a man who made appearances in eight critical darlings between 2011 and 2014 plus an acclaimed television series in the time period, it is a real drought especially considering he was in five films in 2016.

One can see what drew him to Gold. Directed by Stephen Gaghan, Gold marked Gaghan's first directorial work since 2005's Syriana. For Gaghan to get up and direct again, it likely had to be one heck of a script. With the project having roots in 2011 with Michael Mann and Christian Bale sniffing around it, one cannot be blamed for being elated to see this modern day Treasure of the Sierra Madre pop up with Gaghan at the helm and McConaughey in the leading role. The end result, however, is a rather safe film that is enjoyable, often truly engaging, but always a big sloppy mess. One thing is for sure though: it is not a mess due to McConaughey, who once more fires on all cylinders. He is, however, starting to lose much of that good will built up in the "McConaissance". Should his next two projects, The Dark Tower and White Boy Rick, also be met with a mixed reception, who knows what the future will have in store for the man.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre this is not , however, even with Gaghan snatching the themes from that film of desperation, hope, greed, and dreams of striking it rich, and tossing it into this real life tale of two men who had fooled everyone into thinking they had the biggest gold find of the 1980s. A rags to riches tale, the film feels as though it is trying to play off of recent financial scam films such as The Wolf of Wall Street or The Big Short with the film being somewhat tongue-in-cheek and often told through narration. With the narration being in the form of an FBI interview, the film hardly earns any originality points. Taking the party scenes of those aforementioned financial films, blended with a gangster-style story of a man who strikes it rich, fights with his wife and dumps her for blonde bimbos, and has uproariously insane encounters abroad and at-home, Gold is a film that has been done many times before. For this, it is rather disappointing to watch in many respects given its general stale quality and the eternal feeling that this has all been done before.

Featuring a 1980s punk rock soundtrack that includes Joy Division, Iggy Pop, and Depeche Mode, Gold is a film about a moron and a genius coming together to strike it rich. The moron, Kenny Wells (Matthew McConaughey), is along for the ride. Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) is a skilled con artist who, when Wells comes up to him with an offer to drill wherever, he opts to go 50-50 with the man and takes the financial world for a ride. Kenny, flush with cash and newly single from Kay (Bryce Dallas Howard), parties it up with naked blondes and has more play money than a man with his mental capacity should have. This punk rock party music accompanies these party scenes and adds this loose and casual nature to these scenes where it is easy to see that these moments are fleeting and the cash disposable. Kenny, a classic figure of a man who wishes to get rich but has no idea how to not be poor, rapidly finds himself in a position where all of the fame, fortune, and notoriety has crumbled around him. Right when he thought he was king of the world, it turned out everything he thought he knew could not have been further from reality.

The film’s clichés do hold it back as previously mentioned, but they are hardly detrimental. On the surface, its story and themes are compelling even if Gaghan breaks no new ground. In fact, in its depiction of a man who is just along for the ride rather than the mastermind himself, Gold does manage to set itself apart from any number of similar biopics. Unlike other films, this one gives you a hero who is an awful businessman and constantly makes the wrong decision, ensuring that the audience will recognize he could never be the mastermind behind this scandal. That said, the film’s refusal to really break out of classic biopic formula and hitting all of the checkmarks on a “rags to riches” tale is frustrating. What saves the film throughout, however, is the strong pairing of Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez. Together, the really embody the spirit of prospecting and have a clear passion for it, especially McConaughey’s Kenny Wells. Playing this boisterous man who is well past his frame physically and mentally, McConaughey ditches the easy coolness he is known for, in favor of an off-putting desperation. Wells is a man who needs a hit and knows he does. Putting his life and finances on the line to try and make his dream come true, McConaughey captures this desperation, anger, frustration, and undeniable sadness perfectly. He is a truly tragic figure that garners great sympathy, especially when McConaughey’s nervous energy in the role shines through during the entirety of the film. Alongside him, Ramirez is believable as the two-sided Michael Acosta. A good friend to Kenny, but a bit too self-absorbed and sleazy, he is a man who is believable as someone who would rip others off. Ramirez brings a great calmness to the role with him always in control and in full knowledge of that fact. Compared to McConaughey’s out-of-control downward spiral, Ramirez’s Acosta exudes confidence that only comes from knowing it is all rigged.

That said, the editing leaves a lot to be desired, as does the direction. With Stephen Gaghan clearly trying to pigeon hole this film into becoming a standard biopic, Gold feels rather sliced and diced. Some scenes, especially early on, end far too early. Others drag on. Some never really establish why they are there beyond being pure exposition, providing unnecessary detail, and trying to garner sympathy for the characters. Some moments, especially those in Indonesia especially with the initial dream-inspired trip are woefully short. The inciting action of the film, Kenny Wells having a dream about gold in Indonesia, is largely rendered pointless. With the film only showing the brief dream sequence before whisking him away to Indonesia to show us nothing more than the same image as before, it feels as though Gaghan was in a hurry to get the film really going. The pacing, as a result, feels rather awkward. At times, such as in that aforementioned moment, Gold acts like a college student wrapping up a paper that is due in five minutes. At other moments, however, it is like a college student who just assigned a huge project due in two weeks. As is often the case with that college student, there is no balance or natural flow to this film. Instead, it feels as though it is a film constantly trying to find itself and that remains unsure of what it is really supposed to all mean in the end. It is rather enjoyable, but it is hard to describe Gold as anything better than being a mess or being like a compilation album of all of cinema’s greatest biopic hits.

In spite of its flaws, Stephen Gaghan's Gold is a fine film. With strong performances across the board, the film's energy and general entertainment value do help it overcome many of its issues. Its fragmented feeling, general reliance upon cliches, and heavy borrowing of the style of other similar tales in recent times and in film history, do render Gold a largely typical experience. In this case, however, typical feels quite nice given the film's engrossing true story and characters that would have been better served by an improved film, but remain compelling all the same.