Walking in to see Chad Stahelski's John Wick: Chapter 2, I had one principal concern. Great as the first film had been, I was worried that the filmmakers -- many of them part of the stunt community -- would use the follow-up to further emphasize the amazing action and downplay the detailed world of assassins that had been designed in the original movie. Because I know others will share this concern, I will address this directly: that is absolutely not the kind of sequel that audiences are being delivered in John Wick: Chapter Two, as we have instead received a movie that blissfully accentuates everything that is excellent about its predecessor...
Read moreBest Films Of 2016
I’m the damned fool who waits until the year actually ends before rolling out my Best Of… list every year, and that’s because I’m often able to squeeze in about a dozen or more films in the last few weeks of December, mostly stuff that others have told me is worth checking out that I either o or things that simply never came out locally. I also tend to do a great deal of re-watching in that timeframe, mostly in an effort to solidify my top 10...
Read moreRogue One (spoiler free) Review
In my opinion, the most moving moments in the history of Star Wars are always the darkest. The end of The Empire Strikes Back, the deaths of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are but a few examples on a much longer list. Thankfully, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story understands that and more. It’s a movie that nails what it means to be Star Wars in seemingly every way, and it’s not afraid to scare the bejeezus out of a few kids to get there.
Read moreFantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Review (spoiler free)
If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books and films, then trust me when I say Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is going to be a treat for you. While I myself have never read the Harry Potter books, nor was I the biggest fan of the films or main character. I was very intrigued by the overall world that was created, and was always hoping for another movie to come set in the same universe, just not centered on the Harry Potter character. Mrs. J.K Rowling, who actually wrote the script for this film, reveals a little more of the magical world by taking us to the United States and showing us how they live there.
Read moreDoctor Strange Review (spoiler free)
In a year that sees Disney sitting atop the box office charts with the four highest-grossing films worldwide of the year, with one more likely waiting in the wings (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), and with more than $4.7 billion in global receipts so far (with another likely $3.433 bigllllion to come), the studio’s next potential blockbuster franchise is just around the corner. Marvel’s Phase 3 kicked off this summer with the release of Captain America: Civil War, taking $1.15 billion at the box office, and now the MCU’s next entry arrives November 4th when Doctor Strange hits theaters. With a mix of popular superhero and fantasy elements plus the seemingly invincible Marvel branding...
Read moreBlair Witch Review (spoiler free)
Somehow Lionsgate has put one of the most influential horror franchises in film history into the hands of two of our most promising and exciting young filmmakers without anyone knowing. Blair Witch, as the film is now called. It was originally promoted as The Woods, was directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett. They’re the team behind the underrated genre films You’re Next and The Guest, and now they’ve created a sequel that in my opinion both pays tribute to the original but also elevates it in ways that only 17 years of space could allow...
Read more31 mini movie review (spoiler free)
Combining elements of BATTLE ROYALE and THE RUNNING MAN, the stage for 31 is simply set: Five carnies (including one played by Sheri Moon Zombie) are abducted and forced to enter a survival game. Conceptualizing his scenario from the statistic that Halloween (i.e. October 31) is the day that the most people go missing, Zombie creates a “Murder World” where three bewigged British fops (the leader played by Malcolm McDowell) take mortality bets on the five captured circus folk as they are chased around an industrial labyrinth. Those doing the chasing are a series of pseudo archetypal evil clowns...
Read moreSuicide Squad Review (non-spoiler)
Ever since that first bit of footage was leaked from Comic Con last year…:) Suicide Squad has been presumed to be destined for resounding critical praise and warm audience embrace. The marketing has been out of this world, interest and awareness are high, and it taps into some of the same sensibilities that made Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool so beloved and popular. In fact, if you can imagine Guardians of the Galaxy’s anti-hero team dynamics and humor (dialed down a couple of notches but still frequent) mixed with Deadpool’s more cynical tone and extreme ultra violence, that’s a pretty good way to describe what to expect from Suicide Squad. After having just seen this movie I think this movie will mostly get the sort of positive reaction everyone expects when it officially comes out Aug 5th, but I also think it won’t wind up quite as acclaimed as those two films, for a few reasons...
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