In my 2019 Movie Catch-Up post, I ragged on how reviewers just don’t seem to like comedies these days, most notably in the cases of “Stuber” and “Shaft,” two superb comedies that got the short end of the aggregate stick. Gene Stupnitsky’s adolescent comedy “Good Boys” is the complete opposite, sitting atop an 80 percent fresh Rotten Tomatoes score that I feel like is wholly … Continue reading Not So Good | ‘Good Boys’ Review
Gangster movies are to modern cinema what Westerns were in early Hollywood. A genre defined by strong men who are willing to get their hands dirty for money, loyalty, and family. And just like how Westerns have opened themselves to re-interpretation and subversion, the gangster movie genre gets a new spin with Andrea Berloff’s “The Kitchen.” Set in Hell’s Kitchen during the 1970s, the movie … Continue reading Girl-fellas | ‘The Kitchen’ Review
2019 was a big year for movies, and was one where I saw myself going less and less to the theaters and relying more on streaming services like Netflix. It’s also been a year where I returned to review writing, albeit not every movie I saw warranted a full review. Thus, this is where this post comes in! Here is a little roundup of all … Continue reading 2019 Movie Catch-Up Part 1 | Reviews In Brief
Halloween seems to be coming earlier and earlier every year, or rather, it’s always with us, as horror films are regularly released throughout the year. Still, not all horror films are strictly Halloween films, but I do roll my eyes when I see a film so fit for October like this year’s “Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark” released in August, or the beginning … Continue reading It’s Halloween in August | ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ (2019) Review
The early nineties introduced audiences to three of the most influential directors in Hollywood; Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. Of the novel visionaries, none of them have been more influential than Tarantino. With a filmography consisting of “Pulp Fiction”, “Kill Bill”, and “Django Unchained”, Tarantino shows homage to old films that shape his canvas. This is especially the case in his latest film, … Continue reading Cult Fiction | ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Review
There’s no such thing as a bad movie concept, just bad execution. People can complain about the ideas of bad movies, but without any risks, some of the greatest movies wouldn’t have been made. There would be no Star Wars, none of the Disney library would have had the chance to be loved worldwide, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe would just be a pipe dream … Continue reading A Three-Star Stuber Ride | ‘Stuber’ Review
The Beatles, the worldwide phenomenon from Liverpool. Breaking into popularity in the 1960’s, their music has stood the test of time. But what would the world be like if the Beatles’ music never existed? Well, that’s what Director Danny Boyle and writer Richard Curtis answers that question in the movie Yesterday. Continue reading “I Saw a Film Today, Oh Boy | ‘Yesterday’ Review”
“Russian Doll” is a tightly-focused, high concept time loop adventure set in New York, starring Natasha Lyonne, who apparently has been in everything, but whom I wasn’t familiar with before seeing this.
At least not knowingly. Apparently she was in “Robots,” “American Pie,” and “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.” Lyonne is one of those actresses that has a wealth of secondary and background roles but lacked a role that gave her real star power until Netflix gave her that opportunity. Continue reading ““Russian Doll” another tight Netflix show that works”
Sometimes life gives you a movie that has so many interesting moving parts that you just have to write 2,000 to 3,000 words about it. Sometimes life gives you some perfectly-acceptable films that, while they leave room for fleshed out opinions on thm, there just isn’t a lot to talk about it. This week in film did that very thing to me, henchforth this first installment of InReview Briefs. Today’s lineup comprises of “The Equalizer 2” and Disney’s “Christopher Robin.”
So let’s just jump into it. Continue reading “Reviews in brief: The Equalizer 2 and Christopher Robin”
Here we go again.
When I first saw that subtitle for the new “Mamma Mia!” film, I read it with some contempt. Memories of Pierce Brosnan and pre-“Into The Woods” Meryl Streep singing plagued my memories, and I couldn’t sleep. I put “Mamma Mia!” 2 on my most anticipated summer movies list only because I thought that certainly there was no way it could be good. It was a sequel to a movie based on a musical that butchered the “musical” part by forcing tone-deaf celebrities to sing, only saved by its fantastical cinematography and ABBA soundtrack. It’s a film that I’ve never been able to finish, though to be fair, I’ve never been given the first film a proper shot. Jukebox musical romantic comedies aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but I’m a firm believer that with effort, any good genre film can be enjoyed based on the codes and conventions of its native genre, the trick is just picking up on them and adjusting your expectations accordingly.
So for the second film, I was actually able to get into it. Continue reading “Mamma Mia! 2 is a goofy, fun time”
