Before we begin, I would like to touch briefly on the subject of sequels. As we all know, Hollywood has been putting out sequels with surprising regularity. A good sequel is supposed to use the original film as a jumping-off point, using established characters and setting to explore new situations and tell a story that demands to be told;...
While he is an amazing satirist in front of the camera with expressive hand gestures and funny rants, Jon Stewart is a tad awkward as a director in his first movie, “Rosewater.” Based on Mazier Bahari’s imprisonment in an Iranian government’s jail for being an alleged spy, the film accomplishes its main goal — discussing the need to protect...
Fresh off the success of his “Dark Knight” trilogy, Christopher Nolan returns with another hit. “Interstellar” is a science-fiction adventure film about a team of explorers who must travel through space in search of a new hospitable planet. In the near future, Earth becomes unable to sustain humanity as crops are ravaged by blight and dust storms. Cooper, a...
“Big Hero 6” is the latest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and it doesn’t disappoint: It’s a fun, action-packed film with a comedic edge but also contains some surprising depth and heavy emotional scenes. It’s fun for everyone regardless of age or gender, which fits right in with the Disney formula for their good movies. “Big Hero 6”...
“Nightcrawler” is a crime thriller written and directed by Dan Gilroy, telling the story of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man desperate for work and the desire to make a name for himself by any means necessary. When Bloom witnesses a car crash on the freeway he gets a brief introduction into the world of video journalism. Bloom...
Rowan Joffe tries his director’s hat at a psychological thriller with “Before I Go to Sleep,” and he half-heartedly hits the mark. The film at first glance seems as if it could have been stripped right from the Lifetime movie network channel. What saves this movie from totally treading down that line is an impressive ensemble cast and production...
Ready, aim, fire! “Fury,” the war movie directed by film connoisseur David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman and Shia Labeouf is a stellar account of a brutal tank battle during the tumultuous World War II. While it may draw heavy similarities from its senior film “Saving Private Ryan,” make no mistake that this film crafts its own...
Movies based on board games are awful. With the occasional exception of a film like “Clue,” the majority of stories based on board games become “Dungeons and Dragons” or “Battleship.” Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that I walked into “Ouija” with a heady dose of cautious skepticism.
“Ouija” didn’t disappoint. It’s awful in all the wrong ways,...
“V/H/S: Viral” is a found-footage horror anthology directed by Nacho Vigalondo, Marcel Sarmiento, Gregg Bishop, Aaron Scott Moorhead and Justin Benson. It is the third installment of the V/H/S saga created by Brad Miska, owner of the popular horror film news site Bloody Disgusting. The film seems to be the runt of the three films. It presents fun and...
It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited over an animated film. While I enjoy the typical Disney or DreamWorks film, seeing a minority director like Jorge Gutierrez direct a children’s film fills me with a unique sense of joy. I believe wholeheartedly in representation of minority characters and stories in the media and seeing “The Book of...