Tag: Film Review

REVIEW: Pet Sematary (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Paramount Pictures

The following is a review of Pet Sematary — Directed by Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmeyer.

A couple of months ago, I decided to rewatch Mary Lambert’s 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. My father is a big fan of that film, but, I hadn’t seen it in years, and I barely remembered if I even liked it. Much to my father’s disappointment, I really didn’t enjoy rewatching Lambert’s film. This experience, I’ll be honest, actually made me more excited for this year’s remake. Perhaps I would now get the Pet Sematary film to ‘call my own.’ While I ultimately do, based on my first viewing, believe Kölsch and Widmeyer’s 2019-version is better and more effective than Lambert’s film, I was still very disappointed by what they gave us here. Continue reading “REVIEW: Pet Sematary (2019)” →

REVIEW: The Highwaymen (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Highwaymen — Directed by John Lee Hancock.

Set in 1934, The Highwaymen, from director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side; Saving Mr. Banks), tells the story of two former Texas Rangers, Frank Hamer (played by Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (played by Woody Harrelson) who were hired by Texas governor ‘Ma’ Ferguson (played by Kathy Bates) to stop the notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow by any means necessary. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Highwaymen (2019)” →

REVIEW: Dronningen (2019)

Danish Theatrical Release Poster – Nordisk Film

The following is a review of the Danish film ‘Dronningen‘ (international title: Queen of Hearts) — Directed by May el-Toukhy.

Dronningen is a disturbing and twisted tragedy about double-standards, hypocrisy, and gender-roles from the female Danish-Egyptian filmmaker May el-Toukhy. The Danish film — and controversial conversation starter — stars the outstanding actress and critical darling Trine Dyrholm in the leading role as Anne, a Danish lawyer and mother of two girls. Anne is married to the Swedish doctor Peter (played by Magnus Krepper, who recently appeared in the Danish film Før Frosten), who has a 17-year old troublemaking son, Gustav (played by Gustav Lindh), from a previous marriage in Sweden.

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REVIEW: The Dirt (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Netflix’ The Dirt — Directed by Jeff Tremaine.

Based on the tell-all biography-of-the-same-name, which is co-authored by the band, Jeff Tremaine’s The Dirt tells the rise-and-fall-and-rise-again story of hair metal band Mötley Crüe, which included drummer Tommy Lee (played by Machine Gun Kelly), guitarist Mick Mars (played by Iwan Rheon), lead singer Vince Neil (played by Daniel Webber), and bassist Nikki Sixx (played by Douglas Booth).
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REVIEW: Triple Frontier (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Triple Frontier — Directed by J. C. Chandor.

From the director of All is Lost and A Most Violent Year, J. C. Chandor, and the writer of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal, Netflix’s Triple Frontier — named for the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay — includes arguably the most star-studded blockbuster-like cast for a Netflix Original Film yet. Continue reading “REVIEW: Triple Frontier (2019)” →

REVIEW: Captain Marvel (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Captain Marvel — Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

It’s good to be Marvel. One year ago, the industry was still in shock over the huge success of Marvel’s Black Panther. Only one month later, Avengers: Infinity War would break many records and, along with Black Panther, make sure that the first six months of 2018 was owned by Marvel. Now, in March of 2019, Marvel Studios can finally say that it has Oscars to its name following Black Panther‘s historic wins at the 91st Academy Awards. Some things never change, we are now waiting for another huge Avengers-film. Continue reading “REVIEW: Captain Marvel (2019)” →

REVIEW: Isn’t It Romantic (2019)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a quick review of Isn’t It Romantic — Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson.

Released in theaters on Valentine’s Day in North America and at the end of February on Netflix elsewhere, Isn’t It Romantic is a film about a woman tired of a stale film genre who, then, suddenly finds herself inside of such a film. The film follows Rebel Wilson’s Natalie, an Australian woman living in New York City whose mother turned her off romantic-comedies as they presented scenarios that ‘weren’t made for girls like them.’ Continue reading “REVIEW: Isn’t It Romantic (2019)” →

REVIEW: Paddleton (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a quick review of Paddleton — Directed by Alex Lehmann.

There is a way to sugarcoat and refuse to spoil what Paddleton is really about. I could tell you that it’s just about two old friends and neighbors playing some game they invented for 90 minutes. I could feed you some line about how it becomes surprisingly moving or something like that.

But, I’m not going to do that, because Alex Lehmann’s Paddleton essentially reveals its nature in its very first scene in which it is revealed that Mark Duplass’ Michael is suffering from terminal cancer. Paddleton, though — yes — named after the game that is two friends’ own invention, is a film about assisted suicide, saying goodbye, and reluctantly coming to terms with a loss.
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REVIEW: High Flying Bird (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of High Flying Bird — Directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh rose to directorial stardom with Erin Brockovich and his Ocean’s-heist trilogy. In 2018, Soderbergh’s low-budget thriller Unsane was released to strong critical reception. What made that film so interesting was the fact that the entirety of the film was shot on iPhone 7 Plus cameras. Now, in 2019, Netflix has given Soderbergh a worldwide audience for his second iPhone-film High Flying Bird, a sports drama centered around an NBA lockout. Continue reading “REVIEW: High Flying Bird (2019)” →

REVIEW: Vice (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Annapurna Pictures

The following is a review of Vice — Directed by Adam McKay.

In recent years, comedy filmmaker Adam McKay has successfully changed his reputation in Hollywood. He was once thought of as one of the great funny-man directors of the industry, with such films as Anchorman and The Other Guys. But with 2015’s The Big Short — a film about the financial crisis of 2008 — McKay became known for his unconventional techniques in covering a disastrous true story. It didn’t work for everyone, but, for the most part, I really enjoyed his first foray into this style of political filmmaking.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Vice (2018)” →