Green Room is a very simple horror story with not a trace of the supernatural – and by simple, I mean it’s a straightforward linear tale that has the simplest of plots: a hardcore band lacking funds gets a last-minute gig at a backwoods skinhead bar and just before they can collect their money, one […]
Category: Movie Reviews
The Jungle Book Is Pure Disney Magic!
Put aside any fond remembrance you might have for Disney’s original animated Jungle Book. The new take on Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale is an absolutely thrilling adventure.
Hardcore Henry: They Keep Killing Jimmy!
Hardcore Henry is a shot of pure adrenalin on top of an urn of coffee, a six-pack of Coke and about a pound of rice krispie treats. It replicates the experience of watching an expert play a first person shooter video game while layering in a love story and several unexpected dollops of wit.
The Boss Is Wildly Uneven But Fun for McCarthy Fans!
The Boss stars Melissa McCarthy as Michelle Darnell – the 47th wealthiest woman in America. When she’s found guilty of insider trading, her empire crumbles – and is swept up by her business rival (and ex-boyfriend), Renault. On her release, she’s forced to live with regular folks – her former assistant, Claire and her daughter […]
Batman v Superman Is Surprisingly OK!
The first trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was ponderous, portentous and pretentious. It really worried me. Then the succeeding trailers told us that we were getting Lex Luthor and Doomsday in the same movie – on top of adding the introduction of Wonder Woman. That seemed like an awful lot of apples […]
Eye in the Sky: Dr. Strangelove Played Straight!
Eye in the Sky is an intense war film that examines the price of war. It suggests that the cost of war is too high – whether you’re in an actual on the ground conflict, or not. This is Alan Rickman’s last film and it’s one that does his talent – and that of everyone […]
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Same Shtick; Same Effect!
It’s been fourteen years since Nia Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out of nowhere to do $254 million dollars because of its exploration of how large Greek families react when one of them falls in love with a non-Greek. The sequel is equally as filled with that unique mix of culture and shtick, […]
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Awesome with a Touch of Messiness!
After a lot of controversy and one of the worst marketing campaigns in movie history; the movie most fanboys and girls have been dreaming of, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, finally flies into theaters with half a wing clipped. Is it the disaster we all thought it would be? Hell no! This movie hit […]
The Bronze – Faded Glory and Second Chances!
The Bronze is the story of a woman who achieved an impossible medal in gymnastics but instead of using that to go on to better things, coasted on the glory of that achievement – then, for all the wrong reasons, found a way to move on… and nearly blew it.
The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Running In Place; Jumping Up and Down; Standing Still!
I enjoyed the first two movies in the Divergent series – enough to give them both a B grade. The characters were riffs on ones we’d seen before, but Shailene Woodley and Theo James brought substantially more to them than the scripts might have indicated. Now comes Allegiant – third in the series and part […]
10 Cloverfield Lane Is An Inventive Thriller!
Now this is how you start a career as a filmmaker! For most of its 103 minutes, 10 Cloverfield Lane is set in a doomsday bunker with three characters – and before you know it, BAM! The movie is over and you’re thinking ‘what just happened?’ – in the best possible way.