Brock Swinson

Much like the Cubanos and three-cheese Paninis created throughout the film, Chef warms the soul like a favorite comfort food. The underlying story of the film revolves around reuniting a father and son — a relationship lost to long hours and busy schedules. After a social-media shouting-match, writer/director/character Jon Favreau loses his job and follows […]

  Brock Swinson

“The U.S. financial markets had always been either corrupt or about to be corrupted,” writes Michael Lewis in his new book Flash Boys. The shadow-casting book about high frequency traders hit the publishing arena as the feds were simultaneously hitting the streets to uncover the secretive, billion-dollar world. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the […]

  Brock Swinson

Despite having the deadly combination of an inspiring true story and a remarkable cast, The Monuments Men has that all-too-familiar feel of a Hallmark movie-of-the-week. George Clooney stars, directs, and co-writes the film, with writing partner Grant Heslov (The Ides of March; Good Night, and Good Luck.). The Monuments Men present a unique situation where […]

  Brock Swinson

Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, and Sam Shepard lead the remarkable ensemble that pick and drag their self-centered, infectious bodies through the captious county of Osage in August. Adapted from her Tony and Pulitzer-winning play by the same title, Tracy Letts pairs with director John Wells (The Company Men, Showtime’s Shameless) to […]

  Brock Swinson

“Let me give y’all a little news flash,” begins Ron Woodroof, after being diagnosed with HIV. “There ain’t nothin’ out there can kill Ron Woodroof in thirty days.” Matthew McConaughey portrays the part-time electrician and full-time hustler, forced into the mainly homosexual muster of AIDS patients in 1981 Dallas, Texas. Nominated for Best Performance by […]

  Brock Swinson

It’s difficult to determine if there is simply an ingredient missing or if something is wrong with the entire recipe. In Charlie Countryman, originally titled The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Lawless) plays a traveling nomad who falls deeply in love with a foreign cellist player, portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood (The […]

  Brock Swinson

Following up his pre-financial crisis film, Margin Call, writer-director J.C. Chandor’s second film, All is Lost, hits indie theaters like a storm. The film opens with a voice over and quickly jumps to a sleeping Robert Redford who is awoken from a collision with a shipping container. Floating amidst the Indian Ocean, Redford seems effortlessly […]

  Brock Swinson

With most shows, viewers spend countless hours discussing possible endings for the series. With Breaking Bad, however, there were certain truths that had to happen and most of us were able to sit back and let Vince Gilligan and his crew lead us to salvation. As writer and director of the final show, “Felina,” Gilligan […]