The following is a review of Call Me By Your Name — Directed by Luca Guadagnino.
A film as a work of art is a an attempt. It is a risk, but it is a risk that you need to take. Actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster recently said that, for her, filmmaking was about figuring out your place in the world, or, simply, about evolving as a person. In reference to this film, one might say that becoming a filmmaker is choosing to speak. Continue reading “REVIEW: Call Me By Your Name (2017)”
The following is a review of Stronger — Directed by David Gordon Green.
When Peter Berg’s Patriots Day was released in 2016, a lot of people took issue with the kind of story it was — and some people even said it was too soon for that kind of film. But while Patriots Day, a dramatization of the events that dealt with the bombing head-on, was the subject of this type of controversy, backlash, what-have-you, David Gordon Green’s Stronger deals with that act of terrorism very differently. Continue reading “REVIEW: Stronger (2017)”
The following is a review of Pixar’s Coco — Directed by Lee Unkrich.
“Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them,” English novelist Mary Ann Evans once wrote under the pen-name George Eliot. That tiny quote encapsulates a fear we all hold. That we will be forgotten once we are no longer here, and that we could forget the loved ones that have passed away. Continue reading “REVIEW: Coco (2017)”
The following is a review of The Cloverfield Paradox — Directed by Julius Onah.
There is nothing quite like Cloverfield. The production and release of Matt Reeves’ found footage monster movie was kept under wraps for a long time. The existence of Dan Trachtenberg’s 10 Cloverfield Lane — the spiritual sequel — was only revealed one or two months before it was set to be released in theaters. And, now, The Cloverfield Paradox is released on Netflix just a few hours after the first trailer for it was released during Super Bowl LII. There is nothing quite like Cloverfield, and yet there are so many things like the immensely disappointing The Cloverfield Paradox.
Continue reading “REVIEW: The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)”
The following is a review of I, Tonya — Directed by Craig Gillespie.
Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya is a biographical picture about Tonya Harding (played by Margot Robbie), centered around her relationship with her mother — LaVona (played by Allison Janney) — and her husband — Jeff Gillooly (played by Sebastian Stan) — as well as the events surrounding the infamous 1994 attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan (played by Caitlin Carver), which, in the film, is referred to as ‘the incident.’
Continue reading “REVIEW: I, Tonya (2017)”
The following is a review of Step Sisters — Directed by Charles Stone III.
Step Sisters is a dance comedy film about an African-American college student, Jamilah (played by Megalyn Echikunwoke), who wants so desperately to go to Harvard. So, when a damaging video of white sorority girls goes viral, Jamilah tries to secure a letter of recommendation from the Dean by teaching a mostly white sorority how to step dance. Continue reading “REVIEW: Step Sisters (2018)”
The following is a review of A Futile and Stupid Gesture — Directed by David Wain.
Here is a thing that I don’t think Americans have ever thought about. When I was younger and I watched National Lampoon’s Vacation or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and so on and so forth, I had no idea what the hell National Lampoon was. I vividly remember asking my parents several times what National Lampoon was, and they didn’t really have a firm grasp of it either. Honestly, I don’t think most Non-Americans really know about National Lampoon. So, really, A Futile and Stupid Gesture — a film about the rise and fall of the parody magazine — is probably a pretty good idea. Continue reading “REVIEW: A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)”
The following is a review of Darkest Hour — Directed by Joe Wright.
Darkest Hour — not to be confused with The Darkest Hour, a 2011 alien invasion movie set in Russia — is the newest film from British director Joe Wright, who is behind such films as 2007’s beautiful, heart-wrenching, and soul-crushing Atonement. Continue reading “REVIEW: Darkest Hour (2017)”
The following is a review of The Open House – A Netflix Original Film.
A couple of months ago, I had my first genuinely effective nightmare in my adult life. In it, I was watching television when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone standing in the doorway. It wasn’t just anyone. It was a figure that seemed to have been constructed from different images from Stephen King adaptations. Imagine something of a mix between the leper from Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of IT and the moonlight man from Gerald’s Game.
In the nightmare, I was unable to move as this figure kept moving towards me ever so slowly. Needless to say, home invasion movies have a strong effect on me. A home invasion is one of my biggest fears. Therefore, as you might imagine, The Open House was a horror film I had on my radar. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Open House (2018)”
The following is a review of All the Money in the World – Directed by Ridley Scott.
All the Money in the World is, easily, one of the most talked about films these last couple of months. It isn’t because it is one of the big favorites for the Academy Awards (it isn’t), and it isn’t because it was one of the most anticipated films of 2017 (it wasn’t). No, actually, the reason why people couldn’t stop talking about this film is for the simple fact that controversy is all over this film like moths around a flame. Continue reading “REVIEW: All the Money in the World (2017)”
I'm Jeffrey Rex 