Tag: David F. Sandberg

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) | REVIEW

Zachary Levi as SHAZAM! in SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Directed by David F. Sandberg — Screenplay by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods takes place four years after the events of the first film. Nowadays, Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel and Zachary Levi) and his Shazam Family of foster siblings are trying to balance being superheroes and being kids and teenagers at the same time. It’s not exactly going to plan as they are dubbed the ‘Philadelphia Fiascos’ by local media. Having grown older, the foster siblings are growing apart, and Billy is especially struggling with it, and right at this moment in time a trio of super-powered individuals appear. These are the daughters of the Titan Atlas — Hespera (played by Helen Mirren), Kalypso (played by Lucy Liu), and Anthea (played by Rachel Zegler) — they want revenge on the Wizard (played by Djimon Hounsou) and plan to remove the Shazam Family’s powers.

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REVIEW: His House (2020)

Film Poster His House
Release Poster – Netflix

Directed by Remi Weekes — Screenplay by Remi Weekes — Story by Felicity Evans & Toby Venables.

Every once in a while, you find yourself watching a feature-length debut that knocks you sideways and reminds you of just how magical debut films can be. Babak Anvari’s Under the Shadow was that kind of film and I think that Remi Weekes’ feature-length debut film, His House, is equally good. Weekes’ film has been released very close to Halloween 2020, and, even though the subject matter is not a classic horror story, the film is designed to fit into a classic horror movie subgenre. This is a brilliant haunted house flick. Continue reading “REVIEW: His House (2020)” →

REVIEW: Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Annabelle Comes Home — Directed by Gary Dauberman.

The lesson Hollywood first learned from the Marvel Cinematic Universe was to rush into these grand connected universes of films. The DC Cinematic Universe almost crashed and burned. The Godzilla-King Kong connected universe of films is currently struggling. Meanwhile, the Universal Monsters so-called ‘Dark Universe’ never really got off the ground. Surprisingly, the attempt to copy the highly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe that has worked the best has been the Ed and Lorraine Warren-inspired Conjuring Cinematic Universe. Continue reading “REVIEW: Annabelle Comes Home (2019)” →

REVIEW: Shazam! (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema

The following is a review of Shazam! — Directed by David F. Sandberg.

It pleases me to say that the DC Cinematic Universe has turned a corner. For so long, Wonder Woman, the first film in the connected universe to receive a majority of positive reviews from film writers, seemed like an anomaly in the inconsistent universe where mixed reception was the best that you could hope for. James Wan’s Aquaman, however, was a big hit — one that indicated that perhaps the DC connected film universe still had life in it. And for Shazam! — a character most audiences will be unfamiliar with — DC and Warner Bros. borrowed yet another director from the Conjuring-film universe, Swedish David F. Sandberg, who, thankfully, has made a huge homerun hit for the weakened connected universe.
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REVIEW: Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – New Line Cinema

The following is a review of Annabelle: Creation – Directed by David F. Sandberg.

Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to 2014’s Annabelle, which takes place twelve years prior to the first film. The film follows Sister Charlotte (played by Stephanie Sigman) and a group of orphans who move into the house of a former dollmaker, Samuel Mullins (played by Anthony LaPaglia).

The Mullins family lost their daughter to an accident twelve years earlier, but they are now ready to open their house to kids that will, at the very least, liven up the place. But not all dolls are created equal, and the Mullins family has one very special doll hidden in their daughter’s old room. That doll ‘is’ Annabelle, and she is ready to play on the young orphans’ fears. Continue reading “REVIEW: Annabelle: Creation (2017)” →

REVIEW: Lights Out (2016)

Lights Out Poster
Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Lights Out by David F. Sandberg.

The first job of traditional, modern day horror films is to scare you. The very best horror films can have a paralyzing effect on you. They can frighten you so much that you don’t dare move out of your seat, look behind you, or look into a mirror to see what may be behind you.

Some of the most effective horror films are also very simple. The filmmakers take a very common fear or thought, and they manage to elevate your emotional response to things that maybe shouldn’t be as scary as they seem in daily moments.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Lights Out (2016)” →