Tag: 2018

REVIEW: Maniac (2018 – Mini-Series)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a full review of Netflix’s Maniac — Developed by Cary Joji Fukunaga & Patrick Somerville.

It is a good time to be Cary Joji Fukunaga, the director of Sin Nombre and Beasts of No Nation, who won an Emmy for directing the first season of HBO’s True Detective. Although Fukunaga’s career has seen him deal with behind-the-scenes production issues, with his exit from 2017’s IT being the primary example, he may have just had the best week of his career. Continue reading “REVIEW: Maniac (2018 – Mini-Series)” →

REVIEW: Thoroughbreds (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster — Focus Features / Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Thoroughbreds — Directed by Cory Finley.

Remember My Chemical Romance? It was a rock band that my sister loved back in the day. I really liked their album The Black Parade, and every now and then some of the band’s songs come to mind. When I was watching writer-director Cory Finley’s directorial debut Thoroughbreds, I started to think about their song “Teenagers” — more specifically about the line “All teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone will bleed.” The late-great acting talent Anton Yelchin, in what seems to be his final role on film, has a similar line in the film, but he manages to express himself in much fewer words: “fucking evil children.” Continue reading “REVIEW: Thoroughbreds (2018)” →

REVIEW: BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018)

blackkklansmanpostr
Theatrical Release Poster – Focus Features

The following is a review of BlacKkKlansman — Directed by Spike Lee.

Director Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is based on the memoir of Ron Stallworth, the first African-American officer and detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, and the film tells the story of how Ron (played by John David Washington) and his partner Detective Flip Zimmermann (played by Adam Driver) infiltrated the ranks of the Ku Klux Klan.  Continue reading “REVIEW: BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018)” →

REVIEW: The Predator (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of The Predator — Directed by Shane Black.

While I enjoy both franchises, I’ve always been more of an Alien-fan than a Predator-fan. I don’t rewatch the classic original Predator-film often, I don’t have a particularly favorable opinion about the sequels. In fact, the spin-off film Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is one of the films that I dislike the most. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Predator (2018)” →

REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Piñata”

The following is a recap and review of the sixth episode of the fourth season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers. 

In the sixth episode of the fourth season — Piñata — Kim Wexler (played by Rhea Seehorn) makes an important decision for her career, Mike (played by Jonathan Banks) meets a German construction crew, and Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) gets his revenge. Piñata was written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Andrew Stanton. Continue reading “REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Piñata”” →

REVIEW: BoJack Horseman – Season Five (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of the fifth season of BoJack Horseman — Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg.

Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Daredevil, GLOW, The Crown, or Stranger Things? — Over the years there have been many Netflix favorites for the streaming audience, but, in my opinion, no Netflix show has managed to be consistently great for as long as BoJack Horseman has. Though I might say The Crown is currently the best live-action Netflix show, I feel confident in saying that BoJack Horseman is the greatest show on the streaming service — and the fifth season is just as excellent as the one that came before it. Continue reading “REVIEW: BoJack Horseman – Season Five (2018)” →

Remakes at the Oscars – Special Features #31

This year, Bradley Cooper is giving us his highly anticipated directorial debut with his version of A Star is Born. Notice how I said ‘his version?’ Good, well, the fact of the matter is that Cooper’s A Star is Born is the third remake released of the 1937 William Wellman romance drama. So, what does that mean for its Oscar chances? Can a remake be nominated for, or even win, the biggest categories at the Oscars? Well, let’s see.  Continue reading “Remakes at the Oscars – Special Features #31” →

REVIEW: The Nun (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of The Nun — Directed by Corin Hardy.

A funny thing happened when I sat down in a local movie theater room to watch The Nun — the newest The Conjuring spin-off film (this one having been inspired by a demon from James Wan’s The Conjuring 2). It was a packed theater full of people of all ages, shapes, and sizes, and right behind me, three young men sat and talked with one another. When the film opened with a scene from The Conjuring 2, I could hear one of them say: “wait, is this a Conjuring-movie?” Then another one said with his mouth full of popcorn: “oh, I haven’t seen the second one yet.” Continue reading “REVIEW: The Nun (2018)” →

REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Quite a Ride”

The following is a recap and review of the fifth episode of the fourth season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers. 

In the fifth episode of the fourth season — Quite a Ride — Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) starts to ignore her main client, and Jimmy (played by Bob Odenkirk) goes to the Dog House. Quite a Ride was written by Ann Cherkis and directed by Michael Morris. Continue reading “REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Quite a Ride”” →

REVIEW: Next Gen (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Netflix’s Next Gen — Directed by Kevin R. Adams & Joe Ksander.

You may be surprised when the first acting credit that pops on the screen in the relatively unpromoted Netflix animated film Next Gen is that of actor-director John Krasinski. At the very least, I was surprised to see names like Krasinski’s, but also other actors like Jason Sudeikis and Michael Peña. You start to ask yourself how this animated movie had managed to go relatively unnoticed with those names attached to it, and then you hope that you’ve found a new hidden gem. Next Gen isn’t quite that good, but I did enjoy it for what it was. Continue reading “REVIEW: Next Gen (2018)” →