REVIEW: Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Dave Bautista (left) in M. Night Shyamalan’s KNOCK AT THE CABIN — PHOTO. Universal Pictures.

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan — Screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, and Michael Sherman.

Like you may have read previously elsewhere, M. Night Shyamalan was once dubbed ‘the next Spielberg.’ It was meant as a great honor but became a bit of a challenge to live up to. After four or five disappointments in a row between the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, Shyamalan was no longer being compared to Spielberg but rather known for his reliance on twists and his cameo appearances, as well as for his kind of unconvincing dialogue. With The Visit and Split, fans of his — and I consider myself a fan — started to believe that he was making a return to form with simpler premises and genuinely strong films. Then Glass was released — the conclusion to his Unbreakable trilogy — and it was another crushing disappointment — a cruel twist on his supposed ‘return to form’ for fans of his. He’s not done, though. In 2021, he released Old to mixed reviews, and, this year, he’s got Knock at the Cabin to showcase his talents with. Unfortunately, neither of those films fully worked for me. They aren’t outright disasters like some of the works that derailed his career, but even though they indicate that Shyamalan is on his way back, they also show that he still has a ways to go before being back ‘in form.’

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REVIEW: #Alive (2020)

South Korean Theatrical Release Poster – Lotte Entertainment

The following is a review of #Alive — Directed by Cho Il-hyung.

Some say that by now the zombie movie genre has been done to death. But, in recent years, I’ve enjoyed watching South Korean films attempt to reanimate it. With Train to Busan and its sequel Peninsula, Yeon Sang-ho revitalized the horror subgenre and gained a worldwide audience. With #Alive, Cho Il-hyung may benefit from the recent interest in South Korean zombie films, as it has recently been given a worldwide platform on Netflix. I’m happy to report that Cho’s film fits right in with the Train to Busan-films as it is a South Korean zombie film that is very easy to recommend to fans of the horror subgenre.

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REVIEW: Train to Busan: Peninsula (2020)

Theatrical Release Poster – Next Entertainment World

The following is a review of Train to Busan: Peninsula (‘반도’) — Directed by Yeon Sang-ho.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cinephiles have stayed away from their beloved cinemas for several months, but, at the end of July, I finally went back to the movie theater. Now, obviously, I should say that this was only possible for me because I live in Denmark where movie theaters have been open since the end of May 2020. Please note that you should absolutely only go to the movie theaters if it is safe to do so where you live. But I will say that it was good to be back, even though the movie that I returned to the movie theater to watch maybe didn’t give me the escapism that I may have needed. After all, this is a movie about a dangerous epidemic in an Asian country that leads to quarantines and lockdowns. Nevertheless, I was very happy to be able to watch a new movie in an actual movie theater for the first time in several months. Again, it was good to be back. Continue reading “REVIEW: Train to Busan: Peninsula (2020)”

IJR Awards 2016: Nominations Announced, Part One of Two

I'm Jeffrey Rex Awards

Today I’m revealing the first half of the 2016 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 eventual IJR Awards 2016 post.
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REVIEW: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

X-Men Apocalypse Poster

The following is a review of X-Men: Apocalypse, a Bryan Singer film.

I think X-Men: First Class is one of the most brilliant superhero-team movies ever made. The sequel, Days of Future Past, was a confident time-travel film, and I thought that film really worked well too. Indeed, since we’ve been met with the second wave of X-Men-films, starting with First Class in 2011, the franchise has been pretty spectacular. Sadly, X-Men: Apocalypse doesn’t work as well as the two X-Men-films that preceded it. Continue reading “REVIEW: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)”

Marvelous Monday #26 – X-Men and the Fox Ownership

I'm Jeffrey Rex' Marvelous Monday - 26

This week’s topic is based on some rumors I heard last week. That perhaps Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox could make a deal after Marvel’s Phase Three. This could perhaps lead to an Avengers vs. X-Men storyline, and could give us the Illuminati storyline that Hickman focused on in his New Avengers run (2013-2015). But here’s the thing, I don’t really want that to happen. Here’s why.  Continue reading “Marvelous Monday #26 – X-Men and the Fox Ownership”