Tag: Film Review

REVIEW: Game Night (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Game Night — Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein.

The creative duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s second directorial feature film Game Night is a black comedy about a highly competitive married couple — Max (played by Jason Bateman) and Annie (played by Rachel McAdams) — who first met when they were up against each other in a trivia contest. They are avid fans of party games, and they regularly host these game nights with their closest friends where they play games such as Jenga, pictionary, and Taboo. Continue reading “REVIEW: Game Night (2018)” →

REVIEW: MUTE (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of the Netflix Original Film MUTE — Directed by Duncan Jones.

Duncan Jones’ fourth feature film MUTE, which is dedicated to his late father David Bowie and his late nanny Marion Skene, is a science-fiction film in the vein of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. It tells the story of a search for a missing person in the melting pot of a futuristic and dirty Berlin, which, in true Blade Runner fashion, is bathed in neon lights and bluish colors. The film’s protagonist is an unlikely outsider — a tall and mute bartender named Leo (played by Alexander Skarsgård) who lost the ability to speak as a child in a violent motorboat propellor accident.  Continue reading “REVIEW: MUTE (2018)” →

REVIEW: Phantom Thread (2017)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Focus Features

The following is a review of Phantom Thread — Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

When Daniel Day-Lewis — one of the most decorated and, arguably, one of the best actors of all-time — signs on to star in a film, you pay attention to that film. When someone like Day-Lewis then re-teams with a director who, when they last worked together, brought an Oscar-winning performance out of the thespian, you become excited by every piece of news about it. Continue reading “REVIEW: Phantom Thread (2017)” →

REVIEW: Irreplaceable You (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Irreplaceable You — Directed by Stephanie Laing.

Cancer movies are a dime a dozen, which isn’t to say that I dislike these films. I’m a sucker for films like A Walk to Remember and 50/50, the latter of which I believe is actually a masterpiece — but I digress. What I am saying is that there are a lot of these films, so when you encounter a new one, it has to really stand out to be worthwhile. Netflix just released the feature film directorial debut for Stephanie Laing, who has previously worked on shows like Veep and Vice Principals. Laing’s first film, unfortunately, does not manage to stand out at all.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Irreplaceable You (2018)” →

REVIEW: Black Panther (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther — Directed by Ryan Coogler.

We’ve seen plenty of superhero films before. We’ve seen superhero films with social commentary before. We’ve had people of color as the leads of comic book films before — you need only look at the forgotten Blade-trilogy, which definitely deserves a rewatch, to figure that out. Continue reading “REVIEW: Black Panther (2018)” →

REVIEW: Seeing Allred (2018 – Documentary)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Seeing Allred — A Netflix Documentary.

I’ll be honest with you, I was not at all that familiar with Gloria Allred before I saw this documentary. Sure, I had seen her referenced in stuff like South Park or The Simpsons, and I remember the Gloria Allred scene in Jerry Zucker’s Rat Race. But that was pretty much it. This Netflix documentary definitely filled in some gaps, for me, but it still somehow feels incomplete. Continue reading “REVIEW: Seeing Allred (2018 – Documentary)” →

REVIEW: When We First Met (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Netflix’s When We First Met — Directed by Ari Sandel.

When We First Met is a romantic comedy from Oscar-winner Ari Sandel (having won that award for a live-action short), which is basically a mixture of Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day and Richard Curtis’ About Time that is so predictable that it becomes a waste of time to watch, in spite of it not being as bad as one might’ve feared.
Continue reading “REVIEW: When We First Met (2018)” →

REVIEW: Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Sony Pictures Classics

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)” →

REVIEW: Stronger (2017)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Lionsgate & Roadside Attractions

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)” →

REVIEW: Coco (2017)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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)” →