Review: ‘Black Mass’ – Depp Shines as the Oscar Season Kicks Off

Black Mass

After a series of box office disappointments, Johnny Depp returns with his finest performance of his career in Black Mass, the story of the rise and fall of Whitey Bulger, Boston’s most notorious gangster. Based on the 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill and directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart), this period crime drama is captivating in it’s ruthless storytelling, which grabs you from the very beginning and pulls you closer with each passing scene. Oscar needs to stand up and take notice because Black Mass is the first real contender for this year’s award season.

Black Mass

James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) is a recently released convict and the leader of The Winter Hill Gang  and one of the most respect men in South Boston. John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) is an FBI agent who’s recently returned to Boston to head a task force to rid the city of the Italian mob. James and John grew up on the streets of South Boston together and Connelly knows the influence of Bulger. Knowing that the best way to infiltrate organized crime is from the inside, Connelly, along with Whitey’s brother, Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch), a state senator and Boston public figure, strike a deal with Whitey to trade secrets and take down Boston’s Italian Mafia, a deal that would catapult Whitey from small time crime boss to the king of Boston.

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Director Scott Cooper, working from a script by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow), tells Bulger and Connelly’s story over a series of decades which culminates in Bulger making the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. Each act of the story perfectly illustrates the challenges each character involved in this unholy alliance face leading to life altering situations and decisions that no one can turn back from. Cooper is gifted with an amazing cast lead by the memorizing Depp who turns in an Oscar winning performance. Depp, who is barely recognizable as the godfather of the Irish Mob, is relentless in his commitment to the character and his portrayal is both haunting and meticulous in his execution.

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Joel Edgerton embodies the invincibility and arrogance of his character with ease and turns in the performance of a lifetime. Benedict Cumberbatch is limited in his screen time, but he makes the most of every scene by portraying the confidence and calmness of an American politician and brother of a notorious gangster. My one wish for this film would have been for a bit more interaction between Depp and Cumberbatch as both actors were ripe for some great scenes. The rest of the cast, which includes Rory Cochrane, Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott, and David Harbour, were outstanding in this supporting roles.

Overall, Black Mass is a fantastic crime drama with plenty of drama and wonderful performances and one that demands to be seen. Don’t miss this film.

Stars:

4 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

None

Trailer:

September Movie Preview – 61 movies opening including 12 documentaries & 13 also on demand

September-Movie-Preview-Reel-News-DailyThere are an insane amount of movies releasing this September. There are 12 that are on the top of my watchlist. Which are on yours?

  1. 99 Homes
  2. About Ray
  3. Ashby
  4. Cooties
  5. Dragon Blade
  6. Finders Keepers
  7. Mississippi Grind
  8. Prophet’s Prey
  9. Sicario
  10. Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
  11. Stonewall
  12. The Keeping Room

September 2nd

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

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Produced by PBS, this is likely to be in a classic documentary style.


A Walk in the Woods

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Robert Redford tried to make a comeback last year with his solo effort, All Is Lost, but this time he teams up with Nick Nolte. Potential to be great.


September 4th

Before We Go – available to rent

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Chris Evans directs with the unpredictable and amazing Alice Eve. She also stars with Matthew Broderick in Dirty Weekend, out this same day.


Bloodsucking Bastards
Also on VOD
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Liz is reviewing – stay tuned!


Break Point

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Dirty-Weekend_Press_1 TribecaDirty Weekend
Tribeca Film Festival 2015, also on VOD
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This didn’t impress Liz or myself, but Jeremy is going to give it a try. Stay tuned for his review!


Dragon Blade

Also on VOD
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Adrien Brody, Jackie Chan and John Cusack. Swords, armor and anticipated over-acting.


My Voice, My Life

Documentary

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Number One Fan

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The Transporter Refueled

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Coming Home

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Welcome to Leith

Documentary[imdb id=”tt3962848″ plot=”short”]

Jeremy is reviewing – stay tuned!


chloe and theo stillChloe and Theo
Also on VOD
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Jordan is reviewing – stay tuned!


Steve Jobs-3Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
Also on VOD
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Liz and I will attended a special screening and Q&A with director Alex Gibney – stay tuned for their side-by-side reviews! Can you guess which is the iPhone user?


Wolf Totem


September 9th

The Visit

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Are you going to give M. Night another shot?


Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

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September 11th

TIME OUT OF MIND NYFFTime Out of Mind

On demand September 18th
New York Film Festival 2014
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Sleeping with Other People
Tribeca Film Festival 2015
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Don’t even think about it – just see it. I raved about it here.


Breathe

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Mélanie Laurent directs. I’m there.


Goodnight Mommy

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Listening
also on VOD
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Meet the Patels

Documentary

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Paul Taylor Creative Domain

Documentary

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Triple 9

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TBD


90 Minutes in Heaven

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The Perfect Guy

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September 18th

Captive

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Cooties

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Pawn Sacrifice

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Kate Macer (Emily Blunt, right), Dave Jennings, (Victor Garber, center right), Phil Coopers (Hank Rogerson, center left) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya, left) in SICARIO. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt, right), Dave Jennings, (Victor Garber, center right), Phil Coopers (Hank Rogerson, center left) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya, left) in SICARIO. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman

Sicario
Toronto International Film Festival 2015
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Emily Blunt once more kicking ass. Love it.


About Ray
Toronto International Film Festival 2015
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Black Mass-00001Black Mass

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You can catch the doc on Netflix right now here.


Everest

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This might be worth the extra moola for IMAX.


Katti Batti

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The New Girlfriend

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Prophet’s Prey

Documentary

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Amy Berg has wowed me with West of Memphis and Deliver Us From Evil, so I’m looking forward to this.


Uncle John
Also on VOD

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War Pigs

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Some Kind of Hate
Also on VOD
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Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer

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September 23rd

Pay the Ghost
Also on VOD
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Trailer TBA


September 24th

The Reflektor Tapes

Documentary, Toronto International Film Festival 2015

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September 25th

Finders Keepers

Documentary[imdb id=”tt3462002″ plot=”short”]


Mississippi Grind

Ben Mendelsohn is one of those actors that greatly elevates the movie without overshadowing it. CAN’T WAIT. (Insert joke from @harmonov about Ryan Reynolds)

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Stonewall

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Before I Wake

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The Green Inferno

[imdb id=”tt2403021″ plot=”short”]


Misunderstood

Also on VOD, New York Film Festival 2014

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Mission to Lars

Documentary

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The Intern

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10 Days in a Madhouse

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99 Homes

[imdb id=”tt2891174″ plot=”short”]


A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Documentary

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Ashby

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Ashby TrailerLife is about knowing how to take a hit. Brace yourself, Ashby opens in Select Theaters, On Demand and DIGITAL HD September 25th!

Posted by Ashby on Saturday, August 22, 2015


Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon

Documentary[imdb id=”tt1674785″ plot=”short”]


Labyrinth of Lies

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The Keeping Room

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Before I Wake

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Hotel Transylvania 2

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Brand: A Second Coming

Documentary

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Could not find a trailer. This is not a good sign.


Wildlike

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September 30th

The Walk
New York Film Festival 2015
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Warner Bros Debuts New ‘Black Mass’ Trailer

Black Mass

Warner Bros. Pictures has revealed the new Black Mass trailer and we have it for you below!

Three-time Oscar nominee Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetFinding Neverland, the Pirates of the Caribbean films) stars as notorious mobster James “Whitey” Bulger in the drama Black Mass, directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart).

The film also stars Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty) as FBI Agent John Connolly; Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) as Whitey’s brother, powerful State Senator Billy Bulger; Rory Cochrane (Argo) as Steve Flemmi, Whitey’s closest partner in crime; Jesse Plemons (TV’s “Fargo”) as Whitey’s main henchman, Kevin Weeks; and Kevin Bacon (Crazy, Stupid, Love, TV’s “The Following”) as FBI Special Agent in Charge Charles McGuire.

In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster Jimmy Bulger (Depp) to collaborate with the FBI in order to eliminate their common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement while consolidating his power and becoming one of the most ruthless and dangerous gangsters in Boston history.

Cooper directed Black Mass from a screenplay by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. John Lesher, Brian Oliver, Scott Cooper, Patrick McCormick and Tyler Thompson produced the film, with Brett Ratner, James Packer, Peter Mallouk, Ray Mallouk, Christopher Woodrow, Brett Granstaff, Gary Granstaff, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross serving as executive producers.

The film also stars W Earl Brown (Draft Day) as Bulger hit man Johnny Martorano; David Harbour (End of Watch) as FBI Agent John Morris, who is complicit in the deal between Bulger and Connolly; Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) as Lindsey Cyr, Whitey’s former girlfriend and mother of his only child; Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County) as John Connolly’s wife, Marianne; Corey Stoll (Ant-Man) as federal prosecutor Fred Wyshak; Peter Sarsgaard (Blue Jasmine) as Brian Halloran; Adam Scott (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”) as FBI Agent Robert Fitzpatrick; and Juno Temple (Maleficent) as Flemmi’s young mistress, who is also his own stepdaughter, Deborah Hussey.

The behind-the-scenes creative team was led by director of photography Masanobu Takayanagi (Silver Linings Playbook, Out of the Furnace), production designer Stefania Cella (The Great Beauty), Oscar-nominated editor David Rosenbloom (The Insider), and costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone (Foxcatcher).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Cross Creek Pictures and RatPac-Dune Entertainment, a Cross Creek Pictures Production in association with Le Grisbi Productions, Free State Pictures and Head Gear Films, a Scott Cooper Film.

Black Mass hits theaters worldwide beginning September 18, 2015, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Johnny Depp in new trailer for ‘Black Mass’

BM-05197rJohnny Depp stars in BLACK MASS, in theaters September 18th.
http://blackmassthemovie.com

In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the true story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history.

Trailer for Johnny Depp’s ‘Black Mass’ has Arrived

blackmassheader2

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the trailer for director Scott Cooper’s crime drama Black Mass and we have it for you to view below!

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

The film stars Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Dakota Johnson, Jesse Plemons, Corey Stoll, Rory Cochrane, Sienna Miller and Adam Scott.

Black Mass is opening in theaters on September 18.

Michael’s Top Movies to See in 2015

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Forget 2014! 2015 is where it’s at! Right?! I mean, 2015 is the coooolest! Well, if you’re talking about film releases you would be correct, 2015 is the coolest and most anticipated bunch in as long as I can remember. This will be a year that film fans will remember for a long long time. I have compiled some of the movies I am geeking out over for this year:

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April 17th, 2015

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May 1st, 2015

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May 15th, 2015

jurassic_world

 

June 12th, 2015

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July 1st, 2015

Ant-Man

 

July 17th, 2015

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August 14th, 2015

 

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October 2nd, 2015

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 October 16th, 2015

Spectre

No trailer available yet

November 6th, 2015

Mockingjay2_1419011809

No trailer available yet

November 20th, 2015

in_the_heart_of_the_sea

 

December 11th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. ..#TheForceAwakens #StarWarsVII

 

December 18th, 2015

Also looking forward to:

Mission Impossible 5

July 31st, 2015

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Black Mass

September 18th, 2015

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The Reverent 

December 25th, 2015

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Of course this isn’t all I will be seeing, but you get the idea…What’s on YOUR list?! I need to fill mine up so give some good ones!