Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Iron Fist – Season One (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a full season review of Marvel’s Iron Fist – Created by Scott Buck

After the success of both Daredevil seasons, as well as Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s debut seasons, the final Netflix-Marvel season to lead up to the big event series The Defenders has arrived. It is time to finally focus on Danny Rand (played by Finn Jones) – Marvel’s Iron Fist.

When Danny was a boy, he and his parents where involved in an accident. Danny was the only survivor, but he spent more than a decade away from the Western world. Now, Danny has returned to the United States to reclaim his family’s company, but, seeing as people thought he was dead, not everyone is willing to welcome him back with open arms immediately. Continue reading “REVIEW: Iron Fist – Season One (2017)” →

REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Beauty and the Beast – Directed by Bill Condon

I was born in the early 1990s, and, as a result, one of my first favorite movies was the animated ‘classic’ Disney’s Beauty and the Beast from 1991. My mom recently reminded me and my sister that we would watch it over and over again when we were kids, and my father seems to have become tired of the film as a result.

I still absolutely love the animated film, but, seeing as I’ve enjoyed both Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book remake and Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella remake, I was confident in Disney’s ability to remake another one of their most beloved films. Yet while I can say that I enjoyed this remake by Bill Condon, it does feel rather unnecessary and it doesn’t hold a candle to the animated classic. Continue reading “REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast (2017)” →

REVIEW: Burning Sands (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a quick review of Burning Sands – Directed by Gerard McMurray

Burning Sands is a story about the hazing that a group of young college students are put through in order to be accepted into a prestigious all African-American fraternity – Lambda Phi. One of the young students, Zurich (played by Trevor Jackson), is a very smart kid, and Professor Hughes (played by Alfre Woodard) takes a special interest in him. As he and his potential future fraternity brothers get closer to Hell Night, the final night of pledging and hazing, Zurich must decide how far he is willing to go to stand by the brotherhood. Continue reading “REVIEW: Burning Sands (2017)” →

REVIEW: Grand Piano (2013)

Poster – Magnet Releasing

The following is a review of Grand Piano – Directed by Eugenio Mira

Grand Piano is a mixture of a simple classical concert and Joel Schumacher’s thriller Phone Booth. Tom Selznick (played by Elijah Wood), a well-known pianist who has developed stage fright, is playing a comeback concert in Chicago. During his opening performance, Selznick notices a note written with a red marker on his sheet music. Continue reading “REVIEW: Grand Piano (2013)” →

REVIEW: Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Kong: Skull Island – Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

In 2014, no film disappointed me more than Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla. It’s not a bad film, per se – and I do think Gareth Edwards is a talented director – but it remains one of the biggest movie disappointments over the last few years, for me. Therefore, I was, obviously, apprehensive about the next film in Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s monster movie cinematic universe.

My main issues with Godzilla were that Godzilla, essentially, had a story that was populated with mostly uninteresting characters, and that I also felt the marketing had promised me much more of both Bryan Cranston and the titular monster than we were given. Does Kong: Skull Island share those issues? Well. Yes and no. Continue reading “REVIEW: Kong: Skull Island (2017)” →

REVIEW: Moonlight (2016)

Release Poster - A24
Release Poster – A24

The following is a review of Moonlight – Directed by Barry Jenkins

Whenever a smaller film becomes the ‘Best Picture’ winner at the Academy Awards, there is a pretty big chance that it will labeled as an overrated film later on. People will watch those kinds of films for the first time, and maybe they won’t be blown away the way they were expecting to be. The general moviegoing audience may encounter these films and question the Academy’s decision to give them that award.

Now, I, unfortunately, had to wait until after the Academy Awards to see Moonlight. So, when I finally got the chance to see the newest ‘Best Picture’ winner, I will admit that I was a bit worried. As I left the theater – still thinking about the film, obviously – I didn’t feel that this was my favorite film of the year. Another 2016 film had already stolen my heart. But make no mistake. Moonlight is a masterpiece. Continue reading “REVIEW: Moonlight (2016)” →

REVIEW: Sausage Party (2016)

Release Poster - Columbia Pictures
Release Poster – Columbia Pictures

The following is a quick review of Sausage Party – Directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan

It might not have been one of the ten films I was most excited for in 2016, but Sausage Party’s trailers really started to get me fired up about the film. I think the red band trailers were solid, and I was definitely getting more and more excited about the film. I didn’t get to see it in theaters, though, and I had to wait this long to finally see Seth Rogen’s animated project. Frankly, it’s a pretty disappointing film, even if it isn’t all that bad. Continue reading “REVIEW: Sausage Party (2016)” →

REVIEW: Logan (2017)

Poster - 20th Century Fox
Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of Logan – Directed by James Mangold

It’s been a long time since Hugh Jackman first joined the X-Men series. He was never the franchise’s first choice to play the iconic comic book character. Supposedly, the filmmakers of the original X-Men film always wanted Russell Crowe to play the Canadian mutant, but, instead, got Jackman.

Jackman has now confirmed that Logan will be his final film as the Wolverine (unless Ryan Reynolds convinces him to appear in a Deadpool movie), and I expect that people will always want him back. After all, Hugh Jackman is now – and always will be – our Wolverine. Continue reading “REVIEW: Logan (2017)” →

REVIEW: The Wolverine (2013)

Release Poster - 20th Century Fox
Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a spoiler-filled review of The Wolverine – Directed by James Mangold

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was an unnecessary, bloated mess of a film that managed to – not just butcher the Deadpool character – but also harm the legacy of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. In 2013, James Mangold managed to restore Jackman’s legacy with an exciting chapter in that character’s story. So, today, in anticipation of the release of James Mangold’s Logan, I want to do a spoiler-filled review of Mangold’s first film about Wolverine. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Wolverine (2013)” →

REVIEW: I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

Release Poster - Netflix
Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore – Directed by Macon Blair

One of last year’s most genuine and shocking surprises were Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, a violent thriller set in a neo-nazi bar. Green Room was a great little film, which starred Macon Blair in a supporting role, and it made me look back at what Saulnier had made before.

I soon came across Saulnier’s 2013 thriller Blue Ruin, which also starred Macon Blair (this time in a leading role). Both Green Room and Blue Ruin are great, violent thriller films, and I particularly enjoyed Blue Ruin. Therefore my interest was instantly piqued when Macon Blair’s directorial debut – I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore – went on to win the Sundance Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for the U. S. Dramatic competition. Continue reading “REVIEW: I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)” →