Tag: Film Review

REVIEW: The Tale (2018)

Release Poster – HBO Films

The following is a review of The Tale — Directed by Jennifer Fox.

When Jennifer Fox was a thirteen year old girl, she had what she for the longest time would always refer to as her ‘first relationship.’ It was with an older man, she would explain. She had much love for him, she would claim. She had made use of that experience to get a good grade in English class, she would explain. She had fictionalized some of the story she had presented in class, she claimed. But none of those assertions or explanations told the whole story. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Tale (2018)” →

REVIEW: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — Directed by J. A. Bayona.

When Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World in 2015 tried to bring back the world that Spielberg perfected back in 1993, it came with the promise of a fully functioning park. But in living Hammond’s dream of a fully operational dinosaur park, we also knew it would eventually all fall apart — there wouldn’t be a movie if it didn’t.
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REVIEW: The Commuter (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Lionsgate

The following is a review of The Commuter — Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

A couple of months ago, when I was getting ready to write about the box office potential of the January 2018-releases, I noted that I had grown tired of the endless supply of Liam Neeson action films. It isn’t that the films are egregiously bad, and they are in no way, shape, or form detrimental to the power of cinema — but each time Neeson has starred in another action film, it almost always felt like a tired retread of Taken.  Continue reading “REVIEW: The Commuter (2018)” →

REVIEW: Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Insidious: The Last Key — Directed by Adam Robitel.

Insidious: The Last Key is the fourth film in the Insidious-franchise. This one is a prequel film that is centered around Lin Shaye’s character, Elise, and how she grew up. In The Last Key, a demon brings Elise back to her childhood home to face up to her past. Meanwhile, she attempts to fix her relationship with her brother, who doesn’t want to see her.
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REVIEW: Before Midnight (2013)

Theatrical Release Poster – Sony Pictures Classics

The following is a spoiler-filled review of Before Midnight — Directed by Richard Linklater.

When I started writing this review, I had watched all of these films twice. In what probably amounts to the course of 72 hours, I have seen all three films twice, and each time the series has managed to warm my heart, break it, and pick up the pieces in its last moments. Continue reading “REVIEW: Before Midnight (2013)” →

REVIEW: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Theatrical Release Character Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Solo: A Star Wars Story — Directed by Ron Howard.

Okay, let us get one thing out of the way early on. We all expected this film to fall apart. Most of us had this sinking feeling that told us we were getting a film that had fallen apart during production. Just like with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, behind the scenes news made us worry about the film, but it was even worse this time with Solo. Continue reading “REVIEW: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)” →

REVIEW: Cargo (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Cargo — Directed by Yolanda Ramke & Ben Howling.

Cargo is a post-apocalyptic thriller set in Australia wherein Martin Freeman plays a father who is running out of time. After having been infected by a virus, he now needs to find a place for his very young daughter, and a person — a guardian — that can look out for her and raise her, because sooner or later even he will turn into one of the zombie-like infected brain-eaters that roam the Australian wilderness. Continue reading “REVIEW: Cargo (2018)” →

REVIEW: Tully (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster — Focus Features

The following is a review of Tully — Directed by Jason Reitman.

I think none of us truly understand how hard it is to be a full-time mother, at least not before our friends, close relatives, or ourselves become parents. In a way, full-time mothers are the strongest of us, and sometimes they even exhaust themselves without asking for help — something they absolutely should be able to ask for, just like husbands should be expected to take on more responsibilities than is the norm. Continue reading “REVIEW: Tully (2018)” →

REVIEW: Deadpool 2 (2018)

Release poster — 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of Deadpool 2 — Directed by David Leitch.

I was a big fan of Tim Miller’s Deadpool. Miller’s directorial debut somehow exceeded my expectations. It was an immature but hilarious superhero movie that found a lot of success in poking fun at its own subgenre, even though it still suffered from some of the same problems as the lesser films in its subgenre. What made me love the film, however, was the central love story, which was the driving force of the origin story. Continue reading “REVIEW: Deadpool 2 (2018)” →

RETRO REVIEW: Before Sunset (2004)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Independent Pictures

The following is a retro review of Before Sunset — Directed by Richard Linklater.

There is a quote in this movie that sort of explains very well the differences between the outlook of Before Sunrise and the worldview of Before Sunset. Very late in the film, Celine tells Jesse that “reality and love are almost contradictory to me.” In Before Sunset, one character has absorbed the romance that another had previously exuded but now is almost absent of. 

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