Tag: Film Review

REVIEW: Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Paramount Pictures

The following is a review of Ghost in the Shell – Directed by Rupert Sanders

Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell is a science fiction action film based on a Japanese science fiction franchise created by Masamune Shirow. The film is set in the near future, and it tells the story of Mira Killian (played by Scarlett Johansson) whose brain is implanted in a complete cyborg body following a terrorist attack. One year after being inserted into her new body, Major Mira Killian starts questioning her memories and her past when she constantly experiences these vision glitches during missions. Continue reading “REVIEW: Ghost in the Shell (2017)” →

REVIEW: Win It All (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Win It All – Directed by Joe Swanberg

Mumblecore filmmaker Joe Swanberg’s newest film – Win It All – is a Netflix ‘original film.’ As you may remember, Win It All isn’t Joe Swanberg’s first Netflix release. In 2016, Netflix released the first season of Joe Swanberg’s anthology dramedy series Easy, which was a show that I enjoyed even if it didn’t blow me away. I’m much more fond of Win It All, which, I believe, gives us one of the strongest performances Jake Johnson, who I’ve become a big fan of, has ever given. Continue reading “REVIEW: Win It All (2017)” →

REVIEW: Get Out (2017)

UK Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Get Out – The directorial debut for Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele’s Get Out is basically a horror movie version of Stanley Kramer’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?. Peele’s debut tells the story of an African-American man, Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya), who is spending the weekend with – and meeting – his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Continue reading “REVIEW: Get Out (2017)” →

REVIEW: The Discovery (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Discovery – Directed by Charlie McDowell

The Discovery – a Netflix original film from director Charlie McDowell – is a ‘romantic’ science fiction film set some time after Dr. Thomas Harbor (played by Robert Redford) is believed to have found proof of an afterlife. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Discovery (2017)” →

REVIEW: The One I Love (2014)

Release Poster – RADiUS-TWC

The following is a quick review of The One I Love – The feature film debut for director Charlie McDowell

The One I Love follows Ethan (played by Mark Duplass) and Sophie (played by Elisabeth Moss), a married couple going through a rough patch, who have been advised by their therapist (played by Ted Danson) to go on a weekend retreat to a secluded estate. But once they get there, they realize that their partner is only fun to be around in the guest house. Continue reading “REVIEW: The One I Love (2014)” →

REVIEW: Pete’s Dragon (2016)

UK Release Poster – Walt Disney Pictures

The following is a review of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon – Directed by David Lowery

Disney’s Pete’s Dragon is a re-imagining of the 1977 comedy musical of the same name. It is not a remake, which I assumed it was until I saw the new film. The original film was about an orphan who is adopted into an abusive family. The 1977 version is a mostly forgotten film, which I remember watching but hardly remember for anything really. That probably tells you why it took me this long to finally watch David Lowery’s re-imagining. Continue reading “REVIEW: Pete’s Dragon (2016)” →

REVIEW: The Most Hated Woman in America (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Most Hated Woman in America – Directed by Tommy O’Haver

The Most Hated Woman in America is a biographical drama about the life of Madalyn Murray O’Hair (played by Melissa Leo), an atheist activist, and her mysterious kidnapping and murder in 1995. The Most Hated Woman in America had a lot going for it. The cast is sublime. Melissa Leo, of course, is the lead actress, but the film has other noteworthy familiar faces like Juno Temple, Adam Scott, and Vincent Kartheiser.

It’s just a shame that they’re completely wasted in a biographical drama that I’m honestly shocked by, and not in a good way. Melissa Leo is the best thing about the film, but this project doesn’t deserve the talented cast or her performance in the film. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Most Hated Woman in America (2017)” →

CLASSIC REVIEW: Raging Bull (1980)

Release Poster – Tom Jung

The following is a classic movie review of Raging Bull – Directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest filmmakers – and my personal favorite – of all-time. But while I’ve loved his work for years, I still have a lot of his past films to watch for the first time. One movie that I, somehow, managed to always avoid was the classic biographical boxing tragedy Raging Bull. It’s been at the top of my Martin Scorsese watchlist for quite a while, and I’m happy to say that I understand the love Raging Bull has been getting. Raging Bull is, indeed, a masterpiece.  Continue reading “CLASSIC REVIEW: Raging Bull (1980)” →

REVIEW: Life (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Columbia Pictures

The following is a review of Life – Directed by Daniel Espinosa

Life, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (the writers of Deadpool and Zombieland), is an intense science fiction thriller. The film follows the International Space Station’s crew, which captures a space probe that holds an organism that proofs the existence of extraterrestrial life. The organism is named ‘Calvin,’ after an elementary school named after Calvin Coolidge, but the astronauts soon discover that the organism isn’t as harmless and friendly as they expected. Continue reading “REVIEW: Life (2017)” →

REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Beauty and the Beast – Directed by Bill Condon

I was born in the early 1990s, and, as a result, one of my first favorite movies was the animated ‘classic’ Disney’s Beauty and the Beast from 1991. My mom recently reminded me and my sister that we would watch it over and over again when we were kids, and my father seems to have become tired of the film as a result.

I still absolutely love the animated film, but, seeing as I’ve enjoyed both Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book remake and Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella remake, I was confident in Disney’s ability to remake another one of their most beloved films. Yet while I can say that I enjoyed this remake by Bill Condon, it does feel rather unnecessary and it doesn’t hold a candle to the animated classic. Continue reading “REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast (2017)” →