A True Story of Dedication
MOVIE REVIEW Hit the Road (Jaddeh Khaki) –
MOVIE REVIEW The Green Perfume (Le Parfum Vert) –
MOVIE REVIEW Metronom –
MOVIE REVIEW There are No Saints –
MOVIE REVIEW The Worst Ones –
MOVIE REVIEW Firestarter (2022) –
MOVIE REVIEW Under the Fig Trees –
MOVIE REVIEW The Bad Guys – (I will put an asterisk here because I feel your mileage may vary.)
MOVIE REVIEW Banksy Most Wanted –
MOVIE REVIEW The Revolution Generation –
MOVIE REVIEW Year of the Jellyfish (L'année des méduses) (likely R) –
MOVIE REVIEW Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness –
MOVIE REVIEW Reflection (Vidblysk) –
MOVIE REVIEW Pompo: The Cinéphile (likely PG-13) –
MOVIE REVIEW The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent –
MOVIE REVIEW The Boys in Red Hats –
MOVIE REVIEW Take Me to the River: New Orleans –
MOVIE REVIEW 12th Hour – Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2022 (streaming release) Runtime: 56m Director(s): Susan Kucera Writer(s): Jim Swift Cast: David Morse, Peter Russell Where To Watch: available on April 26 on Kanopy
MOVIE REVIEW The Northman – Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 16m Director(s): Robert Eggers Writer(s): Sjón, Robert Eggers Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Elliott Rose, Willem Dafoe Where To Watch: In theaters nationwide now
MOVIE REVIEW Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 22m Director(s): Steve Kloves Writer(s): Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Mads Mikkelsen, Jessica Williams, Callum Turner, William Nadylam Where To Watch: In theaters nationwide now
MOVIE REVIEW Life After You – Genre: Drama Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 30m Director(s): Sarah T Schwab Writer(s): Florencia Lozano, Sarah T Schwab Cast: Florencia Lozano, Gary Perez, Kathryn Erbe, Tina Benko, Craig “muMs” Grant, Jake Ryan Lozano, Domenica Feraud, Erick Betancourt, Emily Kratter, Nelson Avidon, Melanie Nicholls-King Where To Watch: Available on Pay-Per-View, VOD, and other Major Platforms
MOVIE REVIEW Intervention – Genre: Horror, Thriller Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 45m Director(s): Samesh Ramjattan Writer(s): Samesh Ramjattan & Tiffany Flynn Cast: Amber Doig-Thorne, Bibi Lucille, Laura McQuiggin, Jasmine Rachelle, Heather Elise, Lucia France Where To Watch: Drops 4/22 on digital and VOD
MOVIE REVIEW The Duke – Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama Year Released: 2020 (Venice Film Festival), 2022 (wider release) Runtime: 1h 36m Director(s): Roger Michell Writer(s): Richard Bean, Clive Coleman Cast: Jim Broadbent, Heather Craney, Stephen Rashbrook, Helen Mirren Where To Watch: Premiering in New York & Los Angeles on 4/22
MOVIE REVIEW Sexual Drive – Genre: Drama Year Released: 2021 (International Film Festival Rotterdam), 2022 (wider release) Runtime: 1h 10m Director(s): Kôta Yoshida Writer(s): Kôta Yoshida Cast: Manami Hashimoto, Ryô Ikeda, Mukau Nakamura Where To Watch: Premieres via Virtual Cinema, VOD & Digital on 4/22 from Film Movement
MOVIE REVIEW The Earth Is Blue as an Orange – Genre: Documentary, War Year Released: 2020 (Sundance Film Festival) Wide release 2022 Runtime: 1h 14m Director(s): Iryna Tsilyk Writer(s): Iryna Tsilyk Cast: Ganna Gladka, Stanislav Gladky, Anastasiia Trofymchuk Where To Watch: Premiering in theaters and virtual cinemas on April 22nd
MOVIE REVIEW Virus-32 – Genre: Horror Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 30m Director(s): Gustavo Hernández Writer(s): Gustavo Hernández, Juma Fodde (idea by) Cast: Sofía González, Daniel Hendler, Paula Silva Where To Watch: Streaming on Shudder April 21st
MOVIE REVIEW We're All Going to the World's Fair – Genre: Drama, Horror Year Released: Initially, 2021 (Sundance Film Festival), Wider release 2022 Runtime: 1h 26m Director(s): Jane Schoenbrun Writer(s): Jane Schoenbrun Cast: Anna Cobb, Holly Anne Frink, Michael J Rogers Where To Watch: In select theaters and streaming on April 22 (HBO Max)
MOVIE REVIEW Marvelous and the Black Hole – Genre: Comedy Year Released: Initially, 2021 (Sundance Film Festival), Wider release 2022 Runtime: 1h 21m Director(s): Kate Tsang Writer(s): Kate Tsang Cast:Miya Cech, Rhea Perlman, Leonardo Nam, Kannon Where To Watch: In select theaters on April 22nd
MOVIE REVIEW Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 2m Director(s): Jeff Fowler Writer(s): Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington Cast: James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba Where To Watch: In theaters nationwide now
MOVIE REVIEW Surviving Theater 9 Genre: Short, Drama Year Released: Initially, 2018 (Tribeca Film Festival), Wide release 2022 Runtime: 40m Director(s): Tim McGrath Writer(s): Tim McGrath Cast: Tim McGrath, Corbin Bernsen, Brittany Ishibashi, Chelsey Crisp, Luna Blaise, Stacey Oristano, Robert Palmer Watkins, Donnell Turner, Richard Fancy, Chris Tashima Where To Watch: Releasing Wednesday, April 20th on both Digital | Video On Demand
MOVIE REVIEW The Absurd, Surreal, Metaphysical, and Fractured Destiny of Cerebus the Aardvark Genre: Animation Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 10m Director(s): Oliver Simonsen Writer(s): Oliver Simonsen, Dave Sim (based on comics by) Cast: John Di Crosta, Yuell Newsome, Stephen Mendel Where To Watch: For free on Tubi, Plex, Xumo, Just 99 cents on Vimeo on Demand
MOVIE REVIEW Surviving Sex Trafficking Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 10m Director(s): Sadhvi Siddhali Shree Where To Watch: In select theaters on March 25, streaming online on April 15th
MOVIE REVIEW Room 203 – Genre: Horror Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 44m Director(s): Ben Jagger Writer(s): Ben Jagger, Nanami Kamon (novel), John Poliquin Cast: Francesca Xuereb, Viktoria Vinyarska, Eric Wiegand Where To Watch: Debuts on VOD and in Limited Theaters on April 15th
MOVIE REVIEW Fabian: Going to the Dogs Original title: Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde – Genre: Drama, Romance Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 2h 56m Director(s): Dominik Graf Writer(s): Erich Kästner(novel), Constantin Lieb, Dominik Graf Cast: Tom Schilling, Albrecht Schuch, Saskia Rosendahl Where To Watch: Coming to All Major VOD Platforms April 12
MOVIE REVIEW The Cellar – Genre: Horror Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 34m Director(s): Brendan Muldowney Writer(s): Brendan Muldowney Cast: Elisha Cuthbert, Eoin Macken, Dylan Fitzmaurice Brady Where To Watch: Select theaters and streaming on Shudder on April 15th
MOVIE REVIEW Everything Everywhere All at Once – Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller (and more) Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 19m Director(s): Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert Writer(s): Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis Where To Watch: Currently in select theaters now, hopefully with more coming soon.
MOVIE REVIEW Night's End – Genre: Horror Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 21m Director(s): Jennifer Reeder Writer(s): Brett Neveu Cast: Geno Walker, Felonious Munk, Daniel Kyri, Michael Shannon, Kate Arrington Where To Watch: Streaming on Shudder
MOVIE REVIEW Stunt Rock – Genre: Action, Drama, Music Year Released: 1978, 2022 (New 4K Restoration) Runtime: 1h 31m Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith Writer(s): Paul-Michel Mielche Jr., Brian Trenchard-Smith Cast: Grant Page, Monique van de Ven, Margaret Gerard Where To Watch: In select theaters across the US. Visit kinomarguee.com to see the location nearest you.
MOVIE REVIEW Good Life – Genre: Drama Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 50m Director: Bonnie Rodini Writer(s): Bonnie Rodini Cast: Erica Wessels, Robyn Scott, Sven Ruygrok, Nicky Rebelo, Caleb Payne, Jennifer Steyn, Adam Neill, Leon Clingman Where To Watch: In select theaters and ON DEMAND starting April 15th
MOVIE REVIEW Death on the Nile – Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 7m Director: Kenneth Branagh Writer(s): Michael Green, Agatha Christie Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Sophie Okonedo, Annette Bening, Ali Fazal, and MORE Where To Watch: In theaters and HBO Max
MOVIE REVIEW The Sound of Scars – Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 30m Director: Leigh Brooks Where To Watch: Available on Cable VOD and Digital HD Across North America
MOVIE REVIEW Poppy Field (Câmp de maci) – Genre: Drama Year Released: 2020 Runtime: 1h 21m Director: Eugen Jebeleanu Writer(s): Ioana Moraru Cast: Conrad Mericoffer, Alexandru Potocean, Radouan Leflahi Where To Watch: Premiering via Virtual Cinema, VOD, & Digital on April 8th
MOVIE REVIEW Until the Wheels Come Off Genre: Documentary, Sport Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 38m Director: Matt Dearborn, Rick Weis Where To Watch: Releasing on VOD on April 5
TV REVIEW Better Call Saul (Season 6, Episodes 1 & 2) Genre: Comedy, Drama Year Released: 1991/2022 (restoration) Runtime: 1h 45m Director: Michael Morris/Vince Gilligan Writer(s): Peter Gould/Tom Schnauz & Ariel Levine Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Mando, Tony Dalton Where To Watch: Premieres with back-to-back episodes Monday, April 18 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.
It’s that time of year when I come to terms with not being on the same page as The Academy regarding the films I like. A year after what had to be one of the most awkward Academy Awards (thanks to COVID and the odd restrictions set in place), we follow it up with probably the most memorable (for better or worst) moments in the Oscars televised history. Although I may not agree with everything they like, I am happy to say that I can predict them pretty well. Especially this year, I ended up correctly guessing 21 of the 23 categories (hopefully, you used the picks on your ballot as I suggested!) That’s a 91.3%, god enough for an A- (although I still disagree with the selections that differed.) Unfortunately, my picks that I wanted to win didn't fair as well; that was 12 of 23 or 52.17%, which is a big fat F.
MOVIE REVIEW Pushing Hands (Tui shou) New 2K restoration Genre: Comedy, Drama Year Released: 1991/2022 (restoration) Runtime: 1h 45m Director: Ang Lee Writer(s): Ang Lee, James Schamus Where To Watch: Premiering at Brooklyn’s Bam Rose Cinemas on 4/1 with additional markets. DVD/Blu-ray 5/10
MOVIE REVIEW More Than Robots TV-PG - Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 29m Director: Gillian Jacobs Where To Watch: Disney+
MOVIE REVIEW On the Trail of UFOs: Night Visitors Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 21m Director: Seth Breedlove Writer(s): Seth Breedlove Where To Watch: Available April 5th, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu and FandangoNOW
MOVIE REVIEW Madelines Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 20m Director: Jason R. Miller Writer(s): Brea Grant, Jason R. Miller Cast: Brea Grant, Parry Shen, Richard Riehle Where To Watch: In select theaters and ON DEMAND starting 4/1
MOVIE REVIEW Ahed’s Knee (Ha'berech) Genre: Drama Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 49m Director: Nadav Lapid Writer(s): Nadav Lapid, Haim Lapid Cast: Avshalom Pollak, Nur Fibak, Oded Azulay Where To Watch: It opens on Friday, April 1, in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center. (as well as other locations)
Today is the big day! For most people, it’s just Sunday, March 27th; for a select group of people out there and me, it’s like Christmas. I’m not nominated for an Oscar, I’m not even attending the ceremony, but this is the night that I spend half my year and have for over a decade looking forward to. It’s the culmination of what I use as my calendar year.
MOVIE REVIEW The Batman – Genre: Action, Crime, Drama Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 56m Director: Matt Reeves Writer(s): Matt Reeves, Peter Craig Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Andy Serkis Where To Watch: In theaters now, Streaming on HBO Max April 19
MOVIE REVIEW Occupation / Occupation: Rainfall – / Genre: Action, Sci-Fi Year Released: 2018/2020 Runtime: 1h 59m/2h 8m Director: Luke Sparke Writer(s): Luke Sparke, Felix Williamson/Luke Sparke, Dale Dye, Felix Williamson Cast: Dan Ewing, Temuera Morrison, Stephany Jacobsen/Daniel Gillies Where To Watch: Tribeca Shortlist/Netflix
MOVIE REVIEW Infinite Storm – Genre: Drama, Thriller Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 38m Director: Malgorzata Szumowska Writer(s): Joshua Rollins, Pam Bales (based on the life of) Cast: Naomi Watts, Billy Howle, Denis O’Hare Where To Watch: In theaters March 25th
MOVIE REVIEW X – Genre: Horror Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 45m Director: Ti West Writer: Ti West Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell Where To Watch: In theaters now
It’s that time of year, something I look forward to more than any holiday. It’s almost Oscar Sunday! Wow, this was so much harder than I could’ve imagined. I decided to make a top movie list like I do every year. However, I ran into an issue; I liked far too many movies this year. I also had the honor of screening so many films that I usually would never have gotten to see. Technically speaking, some of these didn’t release this past year, but they are all ones that I got to see within that time frame. So, I decided to do a top ten; those are the ten films that exceeded all expectations and delivered an experience I won’t forget.
MOVIE REVIEW Turning Red – Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 40m Director: Domee Shi Writer(s): Domee Shi, Julia Cho, Sarah Streicher Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse Where To Watch: Streaming on Disney+
MOVIE REVIEW Deadly Cuts Genre: Comedy Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 30m Director: Rachel Carey Writer: Rachel Carey Cast: Angeline Ball, Ericka Roe, Lauren Larkin Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
MOVIE REVIEW The Art of Making It Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 34m Director: Kelcey Edwards Where To Watch: Premiere at SXSW. Stay tuned to www.theartofmakingitfilm.com for more information.
TV SERIES REVIEW WeCrashed Genre: Biography, Drama Year Released: 2022 Age Rating: TBA (somewhere between TV14 and TVMA) Cast: Jared Leto, Anne Hathaway, O-T Fagbenle, Kyle Marvin Where To Watch: Apple TV+ (starting 3/18 with a three-episode premiere)
MOVIE REVIEW The Race to Save the World Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2021 Director: Joe Gantz Where To Watch: Available via VOD and on www.theracetosavetheworld.com
MOVIE REVIEW You Will Remember Me Genre: Drama Year Released: 2020 Runtime: 1h 48m Director: Éric Tessier Writer(s): François Archambault, Éric Tessier Cast: L. Fernando Becerra Sánchez, David Boutin, France Castel Where To Watch: Available via virtual cinema on www.corinthfilms.com
MOVIE REVIEW Millie Lies Low Genre: Comedy, Drama Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 40m Director: Michelle Savill Writer(s): Michelle Savill (Writer), Eli Kent (co-writer) Cast: Ana Scotney, Chris Alosio, Alice May Connolly Where To Watch: Premiering at the SXSW film festival (will be available on VOD soon)
MOVIE REVIEW The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic (Sokea mies joka ei halunnut nähdä Titanicia) Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 22m Director: Teemu Nikki Writer(s): Teemu Nikki Cast: Petri Poikolainen, Marjaana Maijala Where To Watch: Premiering at the SXSW film festival (will be available on VOD soon)
MOVIE REVIEW Fear (Strah) Genre: Drama, Romance Year Released: 2020 Runtime: 1h 40m Director: Ivaylo Hristov Writer(s): Ivaylo Hristov Cast: Svetlana Yancheva, Michael Flemming, Stoyan Bochev Where To Watch: Available to rent on Amazon Prime
MOVIE REVIEW Cyrano – Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 2h 3m Director: Joe Wright Writer(s): Edmond Rostand (play), Erica Schmidt Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr. Where To Watch: In select theaters now, and available via VOD
MOVIE REVIEW The Hating Game – Genre: Comedy, Romance Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 42m Director: Peter Hutchings Writer: Christina Mengert (screenplay by), Sally Thorne (based on the novel by) Cast: Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell Where To Watch: Rent/buy on Amazon Prime
MOVIE REVIEW The Cherry Bushido Genre: Drama, Fantasy Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 5m Director: Hiroshi Akabane Writer: Sayaka Okawa(screenplay), Ryuho Okawa(original story) Cast: Fumika Shimizu, Hiroaki Tanaka, Rin Kijima Where To Watch: Opening March 11 in select theaters
MOVIE REVIEW Ultrasound Genre: Sci-Fi Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 43m Director: Rob Schroeder Writer: Conor Stechschulte Cast: Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Breeda Wool Where To Watch: Opening March 11 in theaters and on demand
MOVIE REVIEW The Seed Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 31m Director: Sam Walker Writer: Sam Walker Cast: Lucy Martin, Sophie Vavasseur, Chelsea Edge Where To Watch: Streaming on Shudder March 10th
MOVIE REVIEW Being the Ricardos – Genre: Biography, Drama, History Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 2h 11m Director: Aaron Sorkin Writer: Aaron Sorkin Cast: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
MOVIE REVIEW Sundown – Genre: Drama Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 22m Director: Michel Franco Writer: Michel Franco Cast: Tim Roth, Iazua Larios, Charlotte Gainsbourg Where To Watch: Available to rent on all major VOD apps
MOVIE REVIEW After Yang Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi Year Released: 2021 Runtime: 1h 36m Director: Kogonada Writer: Kogonada, Alexander Weinstein (based on the short story "Saying Goodbye to Yang") Cast: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja Where To Watch: In theaters & streaming on Showtime
MOVIE REVIEW The Lost Daughter –
MOVIE REVIEW Fresh – Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 1h 54m Director: Mimi Cave Writer: Lauryn Kahn Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs Where To Watch: Streaming on Hulu March 4
MOVIE REVIEW Four Good Days – Genre: Drama Year Released: 2020 Runtime: 1h 40m Director: Rodrigo García Writer(s): Eli Saslow, Rodrigo García, Amanda Wendler (inspired by) Cast: Mila Kunis, Glenn Close Where To Watch: Hulu
MOVIE REVIEW Let Me Be Me –
MOVIE REVIEW The Worst Person in the World (Verdens verste menneske) –
MOVIE REVIEW JonBenét's Tricycle –
MOVIE REVIEW The Tragedy of Macbeth –
MOVIE REVIEW The Cursed Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery Year Produced: 2022 Rating: Not Yet Rated Writer/Director: Sean Ellis Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie Where To Watch: In Theaters February 18.
MOVIE REVIEW Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Year Produced: 2022 Rating: PG Director: Jennifer Kluska, Derek Drymon Cast: Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Hull, Fran Drescher, Brad Abrell, Asher Blinkoff, Richard “Ninja” Blevins, Zoe Berri Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
“Hi, I’m Chucky, Wanna Play?” may be one of the most iconic lines in the 80s horror genre. This phrase was spoken by the titular character from the new SyFy/USA network series “Chucky.” In his big-screen debut in 1988s “Child Play,” Chucky makes a lasting impression covering eight films and is now a TV series.
After a lot of thought, I gave this film a 2.5/5. On the one hand, I wanted to give it a 4 out of 5; on the other hand, a 1 out of 5.
Are we in the midst of another Disney renaissance? Disney has had a couple of ups and downs in their time; it usually comes in waves. Lately, I feel like Disney and Pixar both have had a lot of mediocre films; they have potential but never blow me out of the water. “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen,” and “Big Hero 6” were the last of the newer wave that impressed me.
So I’m going to start by saying I still don’t know how I feel about this movie. I saw it, tried to let it sink in, and I’m still wholly crossed. My first DVD was “The Matrix” I was the perfect demographic when the film came out, and I loved (and still do) everything about it. Not only was it a beautiful film but it also gave you something to think about. It takes you down a rabbit hole, one that you honestly can’t answer. I mean, are we in a computer simulation? If we are, and it’s a good one, no one would ever know. So I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I honestly don’t believe we are, but I found it interesting that the question really can’t be answered.
WandaVision – 2021 (Action/Adventure/Comedy) Mini-Series |
“Who ya gonna call?” The answer is the 1980’s; in the never-ending rush to capitalize on proven franchises, we get to revisit (again) a franchise that was so iconic that it needed to be handled with baby gloves.
“Father, son and House of Gucci.” What is possibly one of the most memorable lines in recent movie history for me. Star of the film Lady Gaga (“A Star is Born,” “American Horror Story”) ad-libbed the line. She said, "I would do it in the trailer all the time. I was doing it in the trailer and then something about that scene when we were doing it felt right. We did it, and it's a testament to [director] Ridley Scott as a director because he uses the stuff. He uses the creativity. He uses the love."
While not 100% accurate, this semi-autobiographical film about American composer, lyricist, and playwright Jonathan Larson (“Rent” Broadway production) played to its strengths. It hit every note just right.
“A fable from a true tragedy,” and honesty those words were one of the film’s most significant faults. I have a hard time calling this a "biography." I’ve always been a fan of Diana, Princess of Wales. She indeed was the "People's Princess," and although her life was tragically cut short, she cemented her place in history as an icon.
Another week, another Marvel film (I swear Disney has something releasing weekly, on the big screen or Disney+.) I’m a big Marvel fan, and I usually try to keep myself from reading anything from other reviewers or aggregator sites such as Rotten Tomatoes. I intentionally do this so that I don’t have my view of a film skewed. Sadly I was unable to avoid the response to the Rotten Tomatoes critics scores on this one. Usually, I wouldn’t care, as I often disagree with the popular critics.
I have so many things going through my mind right now! Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Baby Driver”) does it again, and this time in a mixed genre film that was everything I wanted it to be and more. Let me preface this review with the fact that if you have any desire to see this, please don’t read other reviews or anything about it. As always, my reviews are spoiler-free and mainly my thoughts and feelings about the film, cast, and crew. A word of warning, the film has a lot of horror elements and flashing lights, so just in case either of those bothers you.
“Dune” has long been considered an “unfilmable” work, and honestly, after watching this, I may have to agree. To be fair, I’ve never seen the 1984 version by David Lynch (although I do own it, so I need to get on that.) Previously the film was in preproduction by the director Alejandro Jodorowsky; this was such an infamous achievement that an entire documentary has been made just on the work he had put into a film that was never made.
I’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started! First, I’d like to bring attention to the fact that my Facebook page was deleted (I’m trying to appeal, but I’ve heard the odds aren’t in my favor.) Anyway, make sure to go follow my new page; you should still be able to find it by searching “Overly Honest Movie Reviews.” Make sure to visit my link at the bottom of the page and follow my other social media accounts.
Where to start with this, I guess the best I can do is say that it’s not a terrible film to entertain children when it becomes available to stream for free. I don’t know where they went wrong with this, but it was a big swing and miss for me. I wasn’t a fan of the original animated film, and this one doesn’t do anything to impress me.
“Bond, James Bond”… One of the most classic lines ever delivered in cinematic history, right up there with “No, I am your father.” The 25th film in the James Bond franchise, produced by Eon Productions, is also Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as the titular character of James Bond.
What does 2016’s “La La Land” (my favorite film of 2016 and one of my all-time favorites) as well as 2017’s “The Greatest Showman” (my favorite film of 2017 and one of my all-time favorites) have to do with “Dear Evan Hansen”? They all three had music composed by Pasek and Paul (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,) an American songwriting duo who have also created incredible songs for a ton of Broadway musicals. Sadly, this is where the train stops, “Dear Evan Hansen” will not be my favorite film of 2021.
The film was Justin & Christian Long’s directorial (and writing) debut. A cast straight out of the ’90s, including Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures,) Judy Greer (13 Going on 30,) Justin Long (Accepted,) Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions,) Luis Guzmán (Boogie Nights,) & Patrick Duffy (Step by Step) this felt every bit as dated as you’d imagine. As much as I appreciate Justin Long’s acting in general, he picked a stinker to start with, unfortunately.
From first-time feature film director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan comes a pretty standard action film. It isn’t to say it was good or bad, and this fits into an ever-growing list of movies that are cookie-cutter copies of each other. If you’ve seen “Gunpowder Milkshake” (which, based on my review several weeks ago, you probably wouldn’t have,) “Anna,” “Atomic Blonde,” “Ava,” “Hanna,” “Lucy,” “Salt,” “Aeon Flux,” “Wanted,” Colombiana,” “Ultra Violet,” “Violet & Daisy,” “Red Sparrow,” etc. then you’ve seen everything that “Kate” has to offer.
Let me start by saying that this is a Marvel movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). If you go into this expecting anything else, I place the blame purely on you. With that out of the way, this will sound hypocritical, but I would say that this is more than a standard Marvel movie.
Before I get into the review, this movie has a lot of trigger moments. The film has so many moments that feel like shock moments, just to be shock moments. Constant swearing, blasphemous content, drug use, and more litter this film from start to finish; I knew that going into the movie, though, so if you’re going to watch this, do so at your own risk.
Film This past Saturday; I had the honor of attending (virtually) the Bedford Falls Film Festival. Bedford Falls Film Festival celebrates black and white cinema that was birthed at a very vintage and vibrant NYC venue. The founders wanted to pay homage to an earlier time in cinema where gents such as Jimmy Stewart and Jimmy Durante were captivating cinemagoers.
From the guy (Shawn Levy) who brought us six episodes of “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” three episodes of “Animorphs,” “Jett Jackson: The Movie (and 47 episodes),” “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Real Steel,” and all three “Night at the Museum” films comes what is possibly one of the best “superhero” style films. In a nutshell, this was a fun and yet meta take that tackled many different things and did most of them well. They missed some moments, but overall, I would say the entire team succeeded in what they were going for. Some moments felt like they were playing in the larger video game/movie universes, similarly to how “Space Jam: A New Legacy” failed and how “Ready Player One” did so well.
Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. If this title sounds familiar, it’s because DC/Warner Brothers released “Suicide Squad,” a film with a very similar story just five short years ago. Just a few years later, why did they release another movie with the same name (plus the word “the”?) That is up for debate. Is this a remake, reboot, or sequel? So, there are returning cast members such as Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang (then 13 NEW members as well, that’s an issue for further in the review.)
Before I get into the review, I want to say that even though the film isn’t rated, it most definitely isn’t meant for children. While the language wasn’t terrible, some suggestive scenes would make it inappropriate for children.
What do you get if you combine “John Wick” and “Captain Marvel”? Well, unfortunately, you get a film that doesn’t hit a home run either way. There aren’t many successful “John Wick” rip-offs; most falter, except for “Nobody.”
The only way I can start this is by saying I’m still not sure who this movie was for. It’s not for fans of the original (they’ve aged out of the humor,) it doesn’t seem to be for diehard LeBron James fans, Looney Tunes fans may be upset about the drastic change in animation styles (and in my opinion, some of the worst voices for the Tunes.) There wasn’t anything I truly hated about this film, it wasn’t what I would typically call a “bad” movie, but it had few if any saving graces.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” was released in theaters 737 days before “Black Widow,” resulting in the most prolonged delay between two Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films since the gap between “The Incredible Hulk” and “Iron Man 2” (693 days.) This time around was a bit different, being as though it was due to a worldwide pandemic. We also were given two entire MCU series (“WandaVision” and “Falcon and The Winter Soldier”) on Disney+ as well as almost the entirety of a third one (“Loki”). On that note, this is also the first time in history that we’ve received two MCU offerings in the same week, the newest episode of “Loki” and “Black Widow.”
So let me get this out of the way; I hated that they showed the "creatures" in the original film "A Quiet Place." The film would've been better, in my opinion, without that unnecessary addition. The suspense and not knowing would make it so much better. There were multiple scenes early on that were so well done and only showed glimpses and flashes.
Before I get started, I need to point out that this is most definitely not a kid-friendly animation. It contains a lot of violence and crude language. I believe this may be the lowest-rated review I’ve done here so far. Sadly, the film started with a lot of potential and then quickly faded away. This short synopsis explains the basis of the movie better than I could “A chainsaw-wielding George Washington teams with beer-loving bro Sam Adams to take down the Brits in a tongue-in-cheek riff on the American Revolution.” I love an excellent satirical film. They just didn’t hit the marks in this one that they were aiming for, in my opinion.
Where to start, I had a hard time with this one. Pixar traditionally hits a home run with every production. This film didn’t do it for me; unfortunately, that seems to be a common thread with many movies that I’ve seen so far this year. There haven’t been many that have blown me away, although that’s usually the standard, to be fair. There tends to be a film or two that I enjoy before August, then a flood of great films from August to January.
From the creator of “Hamilton” comes the newest musical extravaganza, “In the Heights.” So I loved “Hamilton,” it was one of the most original and action-packed experiences I’ve enjoyed recently. Sadly I haven’t seen the production in person, just the recording of the stage production on Disney+; however, that was amazing enough. I wish that they had gone forward with a live-action film of “Hamilton” instead of “In the Heights,” though. It’s not that there was anything bad about the movie, but it didn’t have quite the same punch as “Hamilton.”
There are great voice casts, and then there are voice casts like this; Disney hit an absolute home run with the voice cast for this film. Including Kelly Marie Tran (“Star Wars,”) Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians,”) Gemma Chan (“Humans,”) Benedict Wong (“Doctor Strange,”) Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy,”) Lucille Soong (“Fresh Off the Boat,”) Alan Tudyk (“Firefly,”) and more!
In the words of the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies, “It's all been done, done before,” and when I say all, I mean all. This film was almost a direct remake of “The Devil Wears Prada,” which is generous.
If any director has successfully covered a more comprehensive range of genres, I don’t know who it would be. Zack Snyder started with the zombie genre and has made his return in his latest film ‘Army of the Dead.’ Snyder has had many hits in my book, my favorite being ‘Sucker Punch’ by far. Although it’s been panned by critics in general, I loved everything about it. Most of you have probably heard about the recent drama that ended up getting Warner Brothers to release ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ a four-and-a-half-hour version of his final vision of the film (he stepped down from directing during a family emergency.) They gave in and let him do his dream, and by all accounts, it’s been a huge success financially for Warner Brothers, especially their streaming service HBO Max.
Graduation - noun : the award or acceptance of an academic degree or diploma.
I usually wouldn’t do a full review on a foreign film, not because I don’t enjoy them but because I know there’s a limited audience for them. I decided to check this out on Netflix, and it ended up being the exception to the rule. As per usual, I do my best not to know anything about a film before I watch it. That led to an exciting discovery here; I started the movie. Almost half an hour into the adventure, I realized my subtitles weren’t on (I like to watch pretty much everything with subtitles just to make the viewing experience easier with ambient noises.) I noticed that the film I was watching is a French film, that says something that I hadn’t seen. Netflix put the English dub on by default. I usually would never recommend a dubbed movie outside of animation; this may very well be the exception to that rule.
So in my recent memory, there haven’t been many animations that blew my mind. Last year, my favorite was ‘Wolfwalkers’ by a long stretch. This year I may have already found the one. This film had such heart and emotion it truly touched me.
So I was never a straight-A student, but a C minus isn’t precisely what I was hoping for either! I hope that if any of you took my advice on my Oscar picks this year, that whomever you were going up against picked worse than I did! In an average year, I’ll miss anywhere from three to five categories because flukes just happen. This year I picked wrong in seven categories, the worst for me in the last eight years.
Usually, I would have my weekly review here; this week will be a little different, though. Hopefully, you all caught my Oscar preview last week, and if you're getting this on the 25th, make sure to follow along with my picks. If you missed them, they will also be posted midday on Sunday on my Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter (visit the link at the bottom of this story to see those picks.)
The time has come to talk of many things: of shoes - and ships - and Oscar wins…
Love and Monsters – 2020 (Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-fi) –
Promising Young Woman – 2020 (Crime, Drama, Thriller) –
Stranger than Fiction – 2006 (Comedy/Drama/Fantasy) –
Earwig and the Witch – 2020 (Animation, Family, Fantasy) –
WandaVision – 2021 (Action/Adventure/Comedy) Mini-Series |
Wolfwalkers – 2020 (Animation/Adventure/Fantasy) –
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