Jared Mobarak

6 days ago | thefilmstage.com | Jared Mobarak

Remaking a film on the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry is hardly a task that one should take lightly. Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet dials up the pressure by placing a Golden Bear victory and Oscar nomination on its mantle too. That much acclaim puts a ton of expectation upon the shoulders of whoever would choose to take the leap and bring its romantic comedy thirty years forward into the present.

2 weeks ago | thefilmstage.com | Jared Mobarak

It’s a month full of “operatives” (see Freaky Tales on April 4, The Amateur on April 11, Warfare on April 11, and The Accountant 2 on April 25) and each received an effective if familiar campaign. The same goes for April’s videogame adaptations too (Minecraft on April 4 and Until Dawn on April 25). Glossy, plastic, and muddy. Once again, Hollywood plays it safe. Get the job done, don’t alienate audiences, and never truly inspire them either.

1 month ago | thefilmstage.com | Jared Mobarak

The Oscars have ended, and the nominees and winners should garner some interest both in theaters and at home––viewership was marginally up from last year and we can assume many hadn’t heard of the films until now. That means less time for getting eyeballs on new releases, and it seems the studios are aware considering Snow White (March 21) and Novocaine (March 14) are the only big mainstream titles opening (unless Warner Bros. surprises with their offerings).

2 months ago | thefilmstage.com | Jared Mobarak

Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’ve reviewed every short film in each category: Animation, Documentary, and Live Action. Below are the Best Animated Short nominees:Beautiful Men | Belgium/France/Netherlands | 18 minutesThree brothers. One appointment. A lot of fog.

2 months ago | thefilmstage.com | Jared Mobarak

Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing every short film in each category: Animation, Documentary, and Live Action. Follow here this week. Below are the Best Documentary Short nominees:Death by Numbers | USA | 33 minutesFour years. That’s how long the survivors and families of the fallen had to wait for justice after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting in Parkland, FL. Four years knowing that the murderer still took breath.