Tag: 2018

REVIEW: Creed II (2018)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The following is a review of Creed II — Directed by Steven Caple, Jr.

Back in early July this year, I watched and reviewed the highly anticipated sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario. The sequel subtitled Day of the Soldado was directed by Stefano Sollima and his film provided us with a perfect example of just how wrong it can go when you make a change in the director’s chair for a sequel. Day of the Soldado was offensive and hollow, and it is one of the biggest film disappointments of the year for me. Continue reading “REVIEW: Creed II (2018)” →

REVIEW: Bird Box (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Bird Box — Directed by Susanne Bier.

The post-apocalyptic novel upon which Susanne Bier’s film of the same name, Bird Box, is based came out in 2014. So, let’s just get one thing out of the way, its ideas, though perhaps stale in a world where A Quiet Place just came out months ago, do not deserve to be cast aside just because Krasinski beat Bier to the punch. Besides, A Quiet Place isn’t even the film Bird Box resembles the most. Continue reading “REVIEW: Bird Box (2018)” →

IJR Awards 2018: Nominations, Part One of Two

Today I’m revealing the first half of the 2018 nominations for this blog’s IJR Awards (I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards, but you probably already guessed that). The two legend awards (Film Legend and TV Legend) aren’t getting any nominees, instead, I’ll reveal the winners, or honorees, in the two upcoming IJR Awards 2018-posts. Continue reading “IJR Awards 2018: Nominations, Part One of Two” →

2019 Film Preview: Franchise Films and Blockbusters – Special Features #38

It’s that time of the year again. We are still in awards season, Golden Globe hopefuls are getting their acceptance speeches ready, and we are getting closer and closer to the new year. We are getting closer to the end of December. So, I thought, this is probably a good time to look at what films we’ll fall in love with in 2019. In this, the first of two articles about 2019 films, I present you with select franchise or blockbuster films that I have on my watchlist for the upcoming year. Continue reading “2019 Film Preview: Franchise Films and Blockbusters – Special Features #38” →

REVIEW: Roma (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Roma — Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

There was something very nice and special about my experience of watching Alfonso Cuarón’s latest drama on Netflix, the sole distributor of this film. This is a streaming platform that hopes to be able to take this Mexican heartbreaker all the way to the Academy Awards. Netflix gets a lot of criticism from the film community and, for a lot of it, it is well-earned. Their logo is bright red-on-white, its logo’s sound effect is loud and intrusive, and once the film comes to an end you are yanked away by the service to watch the trailer for some other Netflix Original, thus rushing you out of the experience of sitting with a film, taking it in properly, during the final credits. Continue reading “REVIEW: Roma (2018)” →

REVIEW: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Sony Pictures Releasing

The following is a review of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman

The late, great, legendary film critic Roger Ebert opened his review of my favorite Spider-Man film, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, with the line: “Now this is what a superhero movie should be,” a sentence that feels pretty appropriate to use today when describing the first of, likely, many theatrically released Sony Pictures Animation Spider-Man-related films because Into the Spider-Verse is a special movie in virtually every way imaginable.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)” →

REVIEW: Aquaman (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Aquaman — Directed by James Wan

If you are reading this as a die-hard Aquaman-fan, I’m sorry but I have to start off my review like this: I’ve never thought that highly of the character. I didn’t make dumb water-jokes about him, but, for the longest time, the first things I thought about when I heard someone mention ‘Aquaman’ was, first, Alan Ritchson in CW’s Smallville and, then, the fake James Cameron film from HBO’s Entourage. Continue reading “REVIEW: Aquaman (2018)” →

Next Oscar Host – Special Features #37

Does the Academy have a plan B? I’m not sure. After the Kevin Hart fiasco, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences now find themselves without the host that they had originally selected. Some are suggesting that they should have no host this year, but I don’t like that idea — there has to be a host at the Oscars. So, let’s help the Academy out. Here are my top ten Oscar host suggestions.  Continue reading “Next Oscar Host – Special Features #37” →

REVIEW: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle — Directed by Andy Serkis.

I feel so bad for Andy Serkis. Back in 2014, Andy Serkis, who, in spite of some secondary or assistant positions on other films, had never directed a film before, was hired to direct Warner Bros.’ CGI-heavy version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Though the studio had been in talks with prominent directors since 2012, it was Serkis who was eventually chosen to bring this film to audiences around the world. Continue reading “REVIEW: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)” →

Golden Globes Film Nominations: Reaction – Special Features #36

The film nominations for the 2019 Golden Globe Awards have been announced. As always there are surprises, and, of course, there are some snubs that really hurt. In Special Features #36, I present you with the complete film nominations list as well as five reaction sections to the film nominations. In short: Oh, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, I am so angry with you today. Continue reading “Golden Globes Film Nominations: Reaction – Special Features #36” →