REVIEW: Wind River (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – The Weinstein Company

The following is a review of Wind River – Written and Directed by Taylor Sheridan.

When Taylor Sheridan gets one of his screenplays made, you pay attention. The first two films in his so-called ‘frontier trilogy’ — Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario and David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water — were amazing films that both ended up on my top ten films of the year lists in 2015 and 2016 respectively. And although Sheridan’s presumably last film in his frontier trilogy — Wind River, the first in the trilogy that he has directed himself — won’t be among my ten favorites of 2017, this modern western is still one hell of a movie. Continue reading “REVIEW: Wind River (2017)”

REVIEW: Bright (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Bright — Directed by David Ayer.

2017 has been a remarkable year for Netflix, in that they’ve given us a handful of great films to be watched in the comfort of our own homes, as well as some great seasons of television. Okja, The Meyerowitz Stories, and Mudbound are terrific Netflix original films. But none of those films were this year’s biggest Netflix risk: Bright, on the other hand, is, and, unfortunately, the first Netflix blockbuster, which reportedly has a budget of $90 million, is a disappointment. Continue reading “REVIEW: Bright (2017)”

REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Disney / Lucasfilm

The following is my review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi — Directed by Rian Johnson.

There is nothing like Star Wars. The Star Wars saga includes the biggest films of all-time, the most influential films of all-time, and one of the most rabid and passionate fandoms in popular culture. There is an innumerable amount of lore about the galaxy far, far away, and the philosophy of Jediism was once recorded as a religion. Star Wars, as author Chris Taylor wrote, conquered the universe, and its influences can be felt throughout popular culture.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)”

REVIEW: The Square (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Magnolia Pictures

The following is a review of The Square — Directed by Ruben Östlund.

Had you told me in the beginning of the year that a Swedish film about a Dane looking for his stolen smartphone while he has to take part in discussions about the amorphous nature of ‘the exhibitable’ at an art museum, then I probably wouldn’t have known whether to laugh or cry. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Square (2017)”

REVIEW: Justice League (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros.

The following is a review of Justice League – Directed by Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon.

A couple of months ago, I was looking through some old pieces of paper that I had found in a drawer. In it, I found a membership certificate for some sort of Danish Batman-fan club, and it had my name on it (actually, it was misspelled). This certificate was from when I was just around the age of six or seven.

I am telling you this to provide you with a bit of context for my own background and my love for DC Comics. I’m one of those kids who would hunker down and read Superman comics in the back of the store, while my dad was talking to the comic book store owner. Did I read Marvel Comics too? Definitely, but that shouldn’t take away from my love for DC Comics. I am now, and always have been, a fan of these characters. Continue reading “REVIEW: Justice League (2017)”

REVIEW: Good Time (2017)

Release Poster – A24

The following is a short review of Good Time – Directed by The Safdie Brothers.

Have you ever been awake for more than twenty-four hours and then felt like a whole week has passed? Well, what if one night was so anxiety-inducing that it felt like it lasted a lifetime? That is Good Time, a misguided young man’s journey through a hellish night in New York to save his developmentally challenged brother from a hellish existence behind bars. Continue reading “REVIEW: Good Time (2017)”

REVIEW: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – A24 & Curzon Artificial Eye

The following is a review of The Killing of a Sacred Deer – Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Danish auteur Lars Von Trier — the director behind such films as Breaking the Waves, Melancholia, and Anti-Christ — once said that a film should be ‘like a rock in your shoe.’ The newest work from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos titled The Killing of a Sacred Deer is that kind of film. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)”

REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Thor: Ragnarok – Directed by Taika Waititi

Are you the kind of person whose idea of a good time is watching a Norse God beat up countless of faceless goons on a rainbow bridge while Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song plays? If that is a ‘yes,’ then there is a pretty good chance that you are going to fall in love with Thor: Ragnarok, which also includes a scene where the Hulk fights a supersized wolf. It sounds too good to be true. It isn’t. Continue reading “REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)”

REVIEW: The Book of Henry (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Focus Features

The following is a review of The Book of Henry – Directed by Colin Trevorrow

About a month ago, Colin Trevorrow was replaced by J. J. Abrams as the director of the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. Why am I putting that information into my review of a completely different movie?

Well, because when The Book of Henry was released in the United States back in June, critics actually speculated that this film might cost Trevorrow his chance at directing a Star Wars movie. I think it probably did factor into Lucasfilm’s decision, because The Book of Henry really isn’t a good movie. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Book of Henry (2017)”

REVIEW: The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) – Directed by Noah Baumbach

Adam Sandler is a really great actor, when he wants to be one. Every seven or eight years it seems like Sandler lands a role with which he manages to wow even his biggest critics. Normally, when I watch a new Sandler Netflix-film, I am greeted with lazy attempts at humor that sometimes becomes downright offensive in films like The Do-Over and The Ridiculous Six. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)”