Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dan Brown’s Inferno may be the one that kills the franchise. Inferno is more of the same with a crazy weird puzzle that must be solved to prevent a dead biochemist’s plan to kill off half the world’s population (to save it) from coming to fruition. This must be done by […]
Category: Movie Reviews
Ouija: Origin of Evil – Not At All Abominable!
2014’s Ouija was an abominable attempt at a horror movie. It placed 5th on our list of Bottom Feeders for 2014. The prequel – Ouija: Origin of Evil – is not abominable at all, it’s actually very good.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – Pure Action Movie Fun!
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – based on the novel by Lee Child – is both a typical and atypical Tom Cruise action movie. It has a decent plot; plenty of action, chases (on foot and by car), clever solutions to difficult problems, and a lead female role that is an equal protagonist – and […]
The Accountant: Jason Bourne Via A Beautiful Mind!
Christian Wolff is a master accountant who uncooks the books for clients varying from mob fronts to cutting edge technology providers. He is also somewhere on the high functioning autism spectrum/scale – which makes his other very particular set of skills somewhat unexpected.
The Secret Life of Pets Suffers from Rehashing a Well-Known Plot
The Secret Life of Pets is an animated family romp focused on Max (Louie C. K.), a loveable house pup, who enjoys the good life in his New York City apartment with doting owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper). When Katie brings home a shaggy, raucous stray named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max finds his idyllic world in […]
Shin Godzilla –Definitely NOT Tokyo’s Savior!
Shin Godzilla – which opens in over 400 theaters for an eight-day run beginning Tuesday, October 11th – is the 29th in the franchise’s 32 year history. Unlike all but the first few films in the franchise, this Godzilla is not campy – Godzilla is not Japan’s champion. Instead, it’s a destructive force of nature […]
The Girl on the Train Is Derailed By Uninvolving Characters!
I once asked Mike Phillips and A.O. Scott what do you say when a movie is well made; the pace is appropriate for the story; the score is perfect; that cast are acting their hearts out – and the film just connect with you. One of them replied that I already had my answer. And […]
Queen of Katwe Is a Near Flawless Tale of Achievement Despite Obstacles!
Phiona Metusi is a Ugandan girl who rose from the slum/ghetto town of Katwe in Uganda to become a champion chess player. Her story – as adapted for film by writer William Wheeler and director Mira Nair – rising above the clichés of ‘the sports story’ by virtue of being true and being adapted with […]
Ungainly At First, Storks Soars Once It’s Off The Ground!
Storks is a bit slow and ungainly (kinda like a stork…) as it sets up the characters and plot but once it shifts into gear it flies.
The Magnificent Seven – Fun But Not Quite Magnificent!
Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven is not the movie that the John Sturges one was and that’s okay. Fuqua has a lot of fun playing with the clichés/tropes of westerns and succeeds in producing a fun movie that is most notable for having a uniquely integrated Seven – and least notable for having a villain […]
Morris from America Arrives with Heart and Humor
Morris from America is a coming of age story about a young black teenager growing up in Germany. Morris (Markees Christmas) has been transplanted to a small suburban town when his father, Curtis (Craig Robinson), takes a job as a local soccer coach. Curtis is a widower and as his son moves through adolescence as […]