Tag: Review

REVIEW: The Wrong Missy (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Wrong Missy — Directed by Tyler Spindel.

As far as I am aware, Tyler Spindel’s The Wrong Missy is the eighth film that Netflix has distributed for Happy Madison Productions, the production company founded by Adam Sandler. Most of these films feature Adam Sandler in the lead role, and, often, the films take place in sunny locations. This has led to these films jokingly being referred to as ‘vacations’ that Sandler takes his friends and family on to relax between takes. I don’t know if there is any truth to that common joke, but, come to think of it, The Wrong Missy, which, notably, doesn’t feature Adam Sandler, actually does take place in sunny Hawaii.  In any case, this film, unfortunately, isn’t the return to form for Happy Madison that I wanted it to be. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Wrong Missy (2020)” →

REVIEW: The Half of It (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Half of It — Directed by Alice Wu.

Netflix has, in a way, become the home of the teenage coming-of-age romantic-comedy genre. Since they achieved great success with Susan Johnson’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Netflix has been eager to return to that same subgenre and treat their worldwide audience to stories about young Americans finding themselves, discovering their own identities, and expressing their true feelings. Netflix has successfully cornered that market as of late, and their latest teenage romantic-comedy success story comes from filmmaker Alice Wu, whose second feature has finally come out for all to see fifteen years after her directorial debut was originally released. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Half of It (2020)” →

REVIEW: Ser du månen, Daniel? (2019)

Danish Theatrical Release Poster – Nordisk Film

The following is a review of ‘Ser Du Månen, Daniel?‘ (also known as ‘Daniel‘) — Directed by Niels Arden Oplev and Anders W. Berthelsen (co-director).

Although the Danish entry — May el-Toukhy’s outstanding film, Dronningen — was not, ultimately, nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature, 2019 was a pretty great year for Danish films. Outside of the aforementioned May el-Toukhy film, last year also saw the release of other great Danish films like Michael Noer’s period piece Før Frosten and Rasmus Kloster Bro’s claustrophobic directorial feature film debut Cutterhead. Mads Brügger also released his award-winning documentary Cold Case Hammarskjold. Continue reading “REVIEW: Ser du månen, Daniel? (2019)” →

REVIEW: Extraction (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Extraction — Directed by Sam Hargrave.

The straight-to-Netflix action thriller Extraction is based on the comic book Ciudad, which was written by Ande Parks (comic book writer), and the Russo brothers (the directors of Avengers: Endgame, one of whom also wrote Extraction). Extraction was even directed by a Marvel movie veteran. This is the directorial debut of Sam Hargrave, who has experience as a stunt double and stunt coordinator on multiple Marvel movies. Unlike Disney-Marvel movies, however, Extraction is filled to the brim with excessive violence. Hargrave’s debut, though not narratively challenging, is a thrilling exercise in hectic action set pieces. It’s not exactly John Wick-quality, but it is one of the best Netflix original action films to have been released thus far. Continue reading “REVIEW: Extraction (2020)” →

REVIEW: Sergio (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Sergio — Directed by Greg Barker.

Greg Barker’s Sergio is a biographical drama about Sérgio Vieira de Mello’s career as a United Nations diplomat and peace activist. The seasoned Brazilian humanitarian lost his life in a terrorist attack in Baghdad in 2003, and this film takes us back to his final moments. The straight-to-Netflix true story is based on both the 2009 documentary of the same name, which was also directed by Greg Barker, and Samantha Powers’ biography Sergio: One Man’s Fight to Save the World. Since Barker directed an award-winning documentary about the aforementioned diplomat, it is not exactly a surprise to see that he has now made a narrative feature film about the same non-fictional subject-matter. What is, however, quite interesting is that Greg Barker has made a film where a love story is at the heart of it. Continue reading “REVIEW: Sergio (2020)” →

REVIEW: Coffee & Kareem (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a short review of Coffee & Kareem — Directed by Michael Dowse.

Michael Dowse’s Coffee & Kareem is an action-comedy buddy film about police officer James Coffee (played by Ed Helms) and his attempt to connect with and establish a rapport with his girlfriend’s son, Kareem (played by Terrence Little Gardenhigh), who both doesn’t trust law enforcement and is protective of his mother (played by Taraji P. Henson). While driving Kareem home from school, both Kareem and officer Coffee become involved in dangerous criminal activity and encounter dirty cops. Continue reading “REVIEW: Coffee & Kareem (2020)” →

REVIEW: Tigertail (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Tigertail — Directed by Alan Yang.

While most Netflix subscribers are watching and discussing the immensely popular docuseries Tiger King, an ambitious film of a similar title has been released on the streaming service. Netflix’s Tigertail is the directorial feature film debut of Alan Yang, an Emmy-winning writer who has previously produced, written, and directed shows such as Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, and Netflix’s Master of None. This 90-minute Asian-American feature film is loosely inspired by Yang’s own family history and, in particular, his father’s story. Continue reading “REVIEW: Tigertail (2020)” →

REVIEW: After Hours (1985)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Martin Scorsese’s 1985 classic After Hours — Written by Joseph Minion.

Although his 1980 feature film Raging Bull earned Martin Scorsese rave reviews and industry awards recognition, its success did not ensure that Martin Scorsese’s 1980s would be a nice and smooth ride with nothing but successes. Even though he had already made films that we still talk about today, Scorsese was not the box office draw that modern cineastes might have imagined. His follow-up to Raging Bull, his 1982 near-masterpiece The King of Comedy struggled at the box office. Then Paramount Pictures got cold feet due to a sizable budget as well as religious protests, and, as a result, they, eventually, canceled the production of Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, which was finally made and released with the help of Universal Studios in 1988. So one might understand if, in the mid-to-early 1980s, Martin Scorsese needed to make something wildly different. It was at this point when, before he finally got to make his aforementioned controversial religious passion project, Martin Scorsese made his frantic black comedy After Hours. Continue reading “REVIEW: After Hours (1985)” →

REVIEW: El Hoyo (2019)

Festival Release Poster – Basque Films; Mr. Miyagi Films; Plataforma La Película; A.I.E

The following is a review of El Hoyo, also known as The Platform — Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.

I have been looking forward to this movie for close to six months. I heard it described as one of the best horror films of 2019 and one of the coolest movie concepts of that year. People whose opinions I pay attention to were praising this movie so much that I ended up having fairly strong expectations for the film. Thankfully, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s feature film directorial debut did not disappoint, even though the debut director failed to make his film stand out from other similar films. Continue reading “REVIEW: El Hoyo (2019)” →

REVIEW: Lost Girls (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Lost Girls — Directed by Liz Garbus.

Netflix is starting to build itself a strong reputation for being a good home for true-crime content. There are numerous Netflix exclusive true-crime docu-series and films that I have been very fascinated by. The latest true-crime content from Netflix is Lost Girls, the narrative film debut from the seasoned documentary film director, Liz Garbus, who I don’t think, ultimately, does enough with this incredible true story. Continue reading “REVIEW: Lost Girls (2020)” →