Month: January 2018

REVIEW: I, Tonya (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Neon

The following is a review of I, Tonya — Directed by Craig Gillespie.

Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya is a biographical picture about Tonya Harding (played by Margot Robbie), centered around her relationship with her mother — LaVona (played by Allison Janney) — and her husband — Jeff Gillooly (played by Sebastian Stan) — as well as the events surrounding the infamous 1994 attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan (played by Caitlin Carver), which, in the film, is referred to as ‘the incident.’
Continue reading “REVIEW: I, Tonya (2017)” →

REVIEW: Step Sisters (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Step Sisters — Directed by Charles Stone III.

Step Sisters is a dance comedy film about an African-American college student, Jamilah (played by Megalyn Echikunwoke), who wants so desperately to go to Harvard. So, when a damaging video of white sorority girls goes viral, Jamilah tries to secure a letter of recommendation from the Dean by teaching a mostly white sorority how to step dance. Continue reading “REVIEW: Step Sisters (2018)” →

REVIEW: A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of A Futile and Stupid Gesture — Directed by David Wain.

Here is a thing that I don’t think Americans have ever thought about. When I was younger and I watched National Lampoon’s Vacation or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and so on and so forth, I had no idea what the hell National Lampoon was. I vividly remember asking my parents several times what National Lampoon was, and they didn’t really have a firm grasp of it either. Honestly, I don’t think most Non-Americans really know about National Lampoon. So, really, A Futile and Stupid Gesture — a film about the rise and fall of the parody magazine — is probably a pretty good idea. Continue reading “REVIEW: A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)” →

Reaction to the Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards – Special Features #15

I made my predictions, I was ready to watch the nomination announcement, and I gave my live-reactions on Twitter. But I’ve got more to say, and I’ll do that here in this week’s Special Features. Let’s talk about the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards! Continue reading “Reaction to the Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards – Special Features #15” →

REVIEW: Darkest Hour (2017)

UK Theatrical Release Poster – Focus Features

The following is a review of Darkest Hour — Directed by Joe Wright.

Darkest Hour — not to be confused with The Darkest Hour, a 2011 alien invasion movie set in Russia — is the newest film from British director Joe Wright, who is behind such films as 2007’s beautiful, heart-wrenching, and soul-crushing Atonement.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Darkest Hour (2017)” →

REVIEW: This is Us – Season One (2016-2017)

Season 1 Poster –
NBCUniversal

The following is a review of the debut season of This Is Us.

This is Us is a television dramedy about five characters, the way they are connected, and obstacles in life. You have Jack (played by Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca Pearson (played by Mandy Moore), a married couple expecting triplets. Randall (played by Sterling K. Brown), an affluent commodity trader looking for his biological father. Kate (played by Chrissy Metz), an obese woman who is traumatized by the death of her father. And, finally, Kevin (played by Justin Hartley), a sitcom actor who is tired of not being taken seriously as an actor.  Continue reading “REVIEW: This is Us – Season One (2016-2017)” →

Final 90th Academy Awards Nomination Predictions – Special Features #14

In a couple of days, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will reveal the full list of nominees for the 90th Academy Awards. That means that it is finally time to unveil my list of predicted nominees. I’ve tried to predict the nominated films for every category excluding the short film awards. Continue reading “Final 90th Academy Awards Nomination Predictions – Special Features #14” →

REVIEW: The Open House (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Open House – A Netflix Original Film.

A couple of months ago, I had my first genuinely effective nightmare in my adult life. In it, I was watching television when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone standing in the doorway. It wasn’t just anyone. It was a figure that seemed to have been constructed from different images from Stephen King adaptations. Imagine something of a mix between the leper from Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of IT and the moonlight man from Gerald’s Game.

In the nightmare, I was unable to move as this figure kept moving towards me ever so slowly. Needless to say, home invasion movies have a strong effect on me. A home invasion is one of my biggest fears. Therefore, as you might imagine, The Open House was a horror film I had on my radar. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Open House (2018)” →

REVIEW: All the Money in the World (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – TriStar Pictures

The following is a review of All the Money in the World – Directed by Ridley Scott.

All the Money in the World is, easily, one of the most talked about films these last couple of months. It isn’t because it is one of the big favorites for the Academy Awards (it isn’t), and it isn’t because it was one of the most anticipated films of 2017 (it wasn’t). No, actually, the reason why people couldn’t stop talking about this film is for the simple fact that controversy is all over this film like moths around a flame. Continue reading “REVIEW: All the Money in the World (2017)” →

REVIEW: The Polka King (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Polka King – Directed by Maya Forbes.

The Polka King is a comedic biopic that tells the true story about Jan Lewan (played by Jack Black), a Polish polka band leader and con artist, who became a convicted criminal while exploring the depths of the American Dream. The film is far more interested in his successes and deceptions than in his time in prison, however, and that gives us plenty of time to see surprisingly strong supporting cast of actors like Jenny Slate — playing his wife, Marla Lewan; Jacki Weaver — his mother-in-law, Barb; and Jason Schwartzman — his good friend and one of the band members in his polka band.
Continue reading “REVIEW: The Polka King (2018)” →