“Tomorrowland” takes a few Disneyland references and slaps them onto the background of a film that otherwise does not feel like a Disney movie. Brad Bird, known for his experiences in both writing and directing “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles,” takes viewers on a ride through space and time to a reimagined city-sized version of Disneyland’s future-themed area of the...
“13th” tells the harrowing tale of modern day slavery in America’s prison industry. From the beginning, powerful imagery traces the roots of inequality back to the antebellum South. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay does a brilliant job of conveying this systematic injustice in an easy-to-comprehend format by focusing on the money-making machine that is the current prison system.
The title of...
“Baywatch” centers around some meat-headed lifeguards who handle extremely farcical incidents that occur on a hazard-prone beach. With a beach so susceptible to danger, one would think the police would be involved, but no, it’s the unqualified lifeguards. As expected, the movie does try to parody the ‘90s “Baywatch” television series, but its gags quickly desiccate, concluding with no...
The 89th Academy Awards ceremony stirred considerable controversy when Faye Dunaway, the presenter for the Best Picture award, erroneously declared “La La Land” as the victor over “Moonlight” — the true winner. But that was not the only time goofs have been made during an Oscars ceremony. In fact, we here at The Highlander have just received secret documents...
Let’s face it: We all love comic book movies. Whether it’s the heroism, big-budget fight scenes or the humorous antics, movies based off comic books offer something for the kid inside all of us. At a time when the popularity for superhero flicks is at an all-time high, Marvel continues to strengthen its superhero dynasty with its latest offering,...
Considering the vastness and intricacies of David Mitchell’s novel, turning “Cloud Atlas” into a movie took considerable work and strategy to make it connect with the audience and required top-notch actors. In short, “Cloud Atlas” is a combination of six stories spanning from the South Pacific to the far future of Neo-Seoul to the post-apocalyptic future.
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On a cozy island located near New England, 12-year-olds Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop have begun writing letters to one another. On the surface, Sam and Suzy appear to be much like any ordinary child their age living in a small town community. Sam is an intelligent and ingenuitive "Khaki Scout" in a local summer camp, and Suzy is...
For a while now, Disney’s been aching to recapture that string of commercial success and universal acclaim that characterized the Disney Renaissance of the 90s. The entertainment powerhouse tried here and there, be it through live action flops of “John Carter” and “The Lone Ranger,” or through the commercially successful but critically panned “Planes.” Thankfully for us, “Frozen” quells...
When FilmDistrict brought director James Wan (“Saw,” “Dead Silence”) on board for “Insidious” (2010), his prior work with visceral, stomach-churning gore inspired optimism among fans for a well-made possession movie to revitalize the horror genre. Though Wan didn’t deliver with “Insidious,” he did bring casual fans across America a good, albeit tame, thriller. This time around, Wan took “Insidious:...
I think the biggest problem with movie remakes is they seem oblivious to the fact that the reason their source material worked so well back in the day was because they perfectly fit the cultural zeitgeist of their time. The original 1987 “Robocop” was such a smash hit not just because of its fun and bold action, but also...