Tag: Review

RETRO REVIEW: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Theatrical Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of Alien vs. Predator – Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. For more Alien reviews, check out this category.

Some might say that in 2016, Hollywood had ‘a thing’ for blockbuster movie mash-ups. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was one of the most anticipated films of the year, and so was Captain America: Civil War, which easily could’ve been called ‘Captain America vs. Iron Man.’

But in both of those cases these movie mash-ups were made to both improve and continue a cinematic universe. Those cases didn’t feel like last ditch attempts at making money, they were just the next chapters in those two cinematic universes.

In the early to mid-2000s, Hollywood also loved movie mash-ups, but back then the most well-known of those involved characters that had never really appeared in the same film. Freddy vs. Jason was one of those crazy movie mash-ups, and the science fiction equivalent of that was Alien vs. Predator, which I’m going to review for you right now.
Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Alien vs. Predator (2004)” →

CLASSIC REVIEW: Alien (1979)

Theatrical Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a review of Alien – Directed by Ridley Scott. For more Alien reviews, check out this category.

Who could’ve known back before Alien was released in 1979 that director Ridley Scott – a relative late bloomer when it comes to filmmaking, who had only previously directed one film – would create one of the most iconic science-fiction horror films of all-time.

‘Jaws in space,’ or ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre of science-fiction’ as it has apparently sometimes been called by both director Ridley Scott and writers Ronald Shusett and Dan O’Bannon may not have seen the light of day where it not for the science-fiction boom caused by George Lucas and his first Star Wars film, but with Alien Ridley Scott managed to carve out his own distinctive corner of science-fiction filmmaking. Continue reading “CLASSIC REVIEW: Alien (1979)” →

REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Sunk Costs”

The following is a review and recap of the third episode of the third season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers. 

In the third episode of the third season – Sunk Costs – Mike (played by Jonathan Banks) and Gus Fring (played by Giancarlo Esposito) discuss what to do about Hector Salamanca, and Jimmy (played by Bob Odenkirk) pleads not guilty. Sunk Costs was directed by John Shiban and written by Gennifer Hutchison. Continue reading “REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Sunk Costs”” →

REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Marvel Studios

The following is a review of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 – Directed by James Gunn

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film was very special to me. It arrived at the right time for me and family. My Godmother had just passed away, and Guardians of the Galaxy was the first film we saw as a family since she had passed away. Guardians of the Galaxy made me laugh, it made me cry, and I, to this day, still think of it as one of my favorite films of all-time. It had a huge effect on me.

I, however, never expected Volume 2 to have as big an impact on me as James Gunn’s first Marvel film had and, honestly, it didn’t. But while Volume 2 isn’t as good as the original film, I still really loved it and it did make me emotional more than once. Continue reading “REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017)” →

REVIEW: The Leftovers – “Don’t Be Ridiculous”

The following is a review and recap of the second episode of the third season of The Leftovers (HBO). Expect Full Story Spoilers.

In the second episode of the third season – Don’t Be Ridiculous – Nora Durst (played by Carrie Coon) travels to St. Louis to meet a cast-member from the ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers, the ‘Pillar Man’ (played by Turk Pipkin) dies, and four Australian women on horseback look for a police chief named Kevin. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Leftovers – “Don’t Be Ridiculous”” →

REVIEW: 13 Reasons Why – Season One (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of the first season of 13 Reasons Why – Developed by Brian Yorkey 

13 Reasons Why is based on Jay Asher’s young adult novel of the same name, and the first season of the show follows Clay Jensen (played by Dylan Minnette), a high school student, who, one day, receives a mysterious package containing seven double-sided cassette tapes.

The tapes have been recorded by Hannah Baker (played by Katherine Langford), a classmate of his who recently committed suicide, and each side of the cassette tapes details one of the reasons why she took her own life as well as who is to blame.  Continue reading “REVIEW: 13 Reasons Why – Season One (2017)” →

REVIEW: Girls – Season Six (2017)

Release Poster – Season Six – HBO

The following is a spoiler-filled review of the final season of HBO’s Girls – Created by Lena Dunham

The sixth and final season of HBO’s Girls had everything a final season of a series like it needed. Well, perhaps except a more satisfying conclusion. From pregnancy to lactation. From friendship to being alone. The final season of Girls was an excellent last look into the lives of four women whose friendships weren’t always as strong as their individual ambition. Continue reading “REVIEW: Girls – Season Six (2017)” →

REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Witness”

The following is a review and recap of the second episode of the third season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers. 

In the second episode of the third season – Witness – Chuck (played by Michael McKean) lays his trap, Jimmy (played by Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) hire an assistant, and Mike Ehrmantraut needs Jimmy’s help to figure out who has been watching him. Better Call Saul co-creator (and creator of Breaking Bad) Vince Gilligan directed Witness, and the episode was written by Thomas Schnauz. Continue reading “REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Witness”” →

REVIEW: The Leftovers – “The Book of Kevin”

The following is a review and recap of the first episode of the third season of The Leftovers (HBO). Expect Story Spoilers.

Damon Lindelof and Tom Perotta’s The Leftovers is back on HBO for its final eight episode long season. I managed to bingewatch the first two seasons of the show during my Easter break last week, and I am, honestly, hooked. Therefore I’ve decided that I will review each and every episode of this last season of The Leftovers. So, without further ado, let’s get to it. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Leftovers – “The Book of Kevin”” →

REVIEW: The Leftovers – Season Two (2015)

The following is a review of the second season of The Leftovers – Created by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perotta

After a terrific and underrated first season, the writers of The Leftovers decided to open their second season with a change of scenery. First, a supremely odd prologue that had me scratching my head and made me wonder if I was watching a different show. It’s a sequence that manages to foreshadow a lot of the events of the second season, but it was an odd way to open a season nonetheless.

Then, after the prologue ended, Axis Mundi – the first episode of the season – becomes a point of view-episode from the perspective of a family from Jarden, Texas — a town that lost zero people during the ‘Sudden Departure.’ We soon learn that these people are Kevin (played by Justin Theroux), Nora (played by Carrie Coon), and Jill’s (played by Margaret Qualley) new neighbors. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Leftovers – Season Two (2015)” →