REVIEW: Game Night (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Game Night — Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein.

The creative duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s second directorial feature film Game Night is a black comedy about a highly competitive married couple — Max (played by Jason Bateman) and Annie (played by Rachel McAdams) — who first met when they were up against each other in a trivia contest. They are avid fans of party games, and they regularly host these game nights with their closest friends where they play games such as Jenga, pictionary, and Taboo. Continue reading “REVIEW: Game Night (2018)”

REVIEW: MUTE (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of the Netflix Original Film MUTE — Directed by Duncan Jones.

Duncan Jones’ fourth feature film MUTE, which is dedicated to his late father David Bowie and his late nanny Marion Skene, is a science-fiction film in the vein of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. It tells the story of a search for a missing person in the melting pot of a futuristic and dirty Berlin, which, in true Blade Runner fashion, is bathed in neon lights and bluish colors. The film’s protagonist is an unlikely outsider — a tall and mute bartender named Leo (played by Alexander Skarsgård) who lost the ability to speak as a child in a violent motorboat propellor accident.  Continue reading “REVIEW: MUTE (2018)”

Crazy Early 91st Academy Awards Predictions – Special Features #16

Okay, I know. This is insane. The 90th Academy Awards haven’t even been held, and I’ve only seen like ten or eleven films from 2018 at this point. But I love writing about the awards season, but, to be honest with you, I find the annual best picture frontrunner backlash to be draining. So, therefore, I think it’s much easier for me to write about next year’s awards season. And don’t you worry, I have a pretty good idea of what is coming out this year. So, without further ado, let’s get to it. Continue reading “Crazy Early 91st Academy Awards Predictions – Special Features #16”

REVIEW: First Team: Juventus – Part One (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of the first three episodes of the first season of Netflix’s First Team: Juventus.

As one person, during the second episode of First Team: Juventus, points out, it is a matter of black and white with Juventus in Italy — either you hate them or you love them. Juventus is one of the most storied clubs in world football. When it comes to legendary club kits the only kits that rival the striped black and white home kit of Juventus are those worn by Barcelona and Real Madrid from Spain. Juventus, arguably the greatest club in Italian football history, is that kind of club — a true winner.
Continue reading “REVIEW: First Team: Juventus – Part One (2018)”

REVIEW: Irreplaceable You (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Irreplaceable You — Directed by Stephanie Laing.

Cancer movies are a dime a dozen, which isn’t to say that I dislike these films. I’m a sucker for films like A Walk to Remember and 50/50, the latter of which I believe is actually a masterpiece — but I digress. What I am saying is that there are a lot of these films, so when you encounter a new one, it has to really stand out to be worthwhile. Netflix just released the feature film directorial debut for Stephanie Laing, who has previously worked on shows like Veep and Vice Principals. Laing’s first film, unfortunately, does not manage to stand out at all.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Irreplaceable You (2018)”

REVIEW: Black Panther (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther — Directed by Ryan Coogler.

We’ve seen plenty of superhero films before. We’ve seen superhero films with social commentary before. We’ve had people of color as the leads of comic book films before — you need only look at the forgotten Blade-trilogy, which definitely deserves a rewatch, to figure that out. Continue reading “REVIEW: Black Panther (2018)”

REVIEW: Seeing Allred (2018 – Documentary)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Seeing Allred — A Netflix Documentary.

I’ll be honest with you, I was not at all that familiar with Gloria Allred before I saw this documentary. Sure, I had seen her referenced in stuff like South Park or The Simpsons, and I remember the Gloria Allred scene in Jerry Zucker’s Rat Race. But that was pretty much it. This Netflix documentary definitely filled in some gaps, for me, but it still somehow feels incomplete. Continue reading “REVIEW: Seeing Allred (2018 – Documentary)”

REVIEW: When We First Met (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Netflix’s When We First Met — Directed by Ari Sandel.

When We First Met is a romantic comedy from Oscar-winner Ari Sandel (having won that award for a live-action short), which is basically a mixture of Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day and Richard Curtis’ About Time that is so predictable that it becomes a waste of time to watch, in spite of it not being as bad as one might’ve feared.
Continue reading “REVIEW: When We First Met (2018)”

Box Office Predictions – February 2018

Black Panther (Disney)

This month Box Office Predictions is all about the next big event movie — Marvel Studios’ Black Panther — which has followed in the footsteps of 2016’s Deadpool by opening in early February. Will it be as big of a success as the Merc with a Mouth’s first film was? Let’s talk about it.  Continue reading “Box Office Predictions – February 2018”