Tag: Liam Neeson

REVIEW: Widows (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of Widows — Directed by Steve McQueen.

Based on Linda La Plante’s 1980s crime drama of the same name, Widows is only the fourth feature film from Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and BFI Fellowship-winning film director Steve McQueen, who has now teamed up with crime writer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl & Sharp Objects). After having made films about Irish history, sex addiction, and the American history of slavery, McQueen’s latest film tackles themes such as class, politics, and gender via an audience-pleasing genre. Continue reading “REVIEW: Widows (2018)” →

REVIEW: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs — Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.

Netflix has come a long way since its first original film in the western genre, 2015’s The Ridiculous Six, which was so poorly received that it still now, at the time of writing, has a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes‘ Tomatometer. Not a single Rotten Tomatoes approved critic liked the film that I called “possibly the worst film of 2015.”

Now here we are in November of 2018, and now Netflix has a new western original film to champion. Netflix has teamed up with the widely celebrated Coen Brothers to release a collection of American western stories presented as an anthology film and not as a series, as it was previously reported as. The Coens’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is hysterical, sad, and morbid, and it is one of my favorite films of the year thus far.  Continue reading “REVIEW: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)” →

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: Silence (2016)

Theatrical Release Poster - Paramount Pictures
Theatrical Release Poster – Paramount Pictures

The following is a review of Silence – Directed by Martin Scorsese

Based on the 1966 Japanese novel of the same name, legendary film director Martin Scorsese’s next historical epic Silence is a story about the limit to one’s faith for a priest in a foreign, strange, and Godless land. It takes place in the 17th Century and the film opens by showing intense punishment in Japan. Father Ferreira (played by Liam Neeson) is witnessing Christians being tortured, and we soon learn that he eventually renounced his faith. Continue reading “REVIEW: Silence (2016)” →

RETRO REVIEW: Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins Poster
Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros.

The following retro review of Batman Begins was written in August 2016.

I grew up with many different takes on a live-action Batman and Bruce Wayne. Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. George Clooney. But it wasn’t until I saw Christian Bale in Batman Begins that I loved, I don’t just mean liked, a live-action version of the character. When I first saw Batman Begins, I hadn’t seen Bale in a lot of films (probably just American Psycho and Reign of Fire), but when I saw Bale as Bruce Wayne I was just overjoyed this was going to be my Batman – like I, at that time, saw Roger Moore as my James Bond. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Batman Begins (2005)” →

RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Drew Struzan’s Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a retro review of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a George Lucas film.

The first return of Star Wars didn’t go as well as planned. Way back in 1999, George Lucas resurrected the greatest movie franchise of all-time with The Phantom Menace. It included politics, fan-service, and a very young Darth Vader. Fans were certain that this franchise reboot was going to work, but, unfortunately, the end result did not live up to most fans’ expectations. To this day, the end result is remembered as one of the worst examples of prequel films, but, while I can’t say that I like the film, I don’t think it is as catastrophic as its sequel. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)” →

My 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2016

Anticipated Films 2016

2015 is almost over, which doesn’t feel remotely real considering how fast this year has gone by. It seem appropriate to look ahead to 2016, which will feature a ton of sequels, comic book films – the Hollywood we know so well. Today I look at the 2016 U.S. release schedule, and pick 10 of my most anticipated films of the 2016. Let’s get to it! Continue reading “My 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2016” →