A fantastic space adventure awaits
February 8, 2018
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
In this latest installment of the newest trilogy, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” directed by Rian Johnson, one can witness the oldest stars such as Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, alongside the newest cast members, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Adam Driver. Boyega, a rising star, has appeared in...
“Dunkirk”: A truly human experience
October 2, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
On July 21, the much-anticipated World War II movie “Dunkirk” was released. It told the story of the 1940 evacuation of 400,000 trapped Allied soldiers from the beach of Dunkirk, France, after the area had become surrounded by the German army. It is a masterpiece. With the threat of enemy U-boats,...
Wooden acting and dumb beards in a sad “King Arthur” knock-off
April 14, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
I realize that, right now, Hollywood is currently in the phase where remaking movies is all the rage. Sometimes that works out and the audience gets a halfway decent movie, like the recent “Godzilla” movie. And then other times, the remake drifts into the territory of “lock it in the basement...
Disney remake brings beauty and anachronism to the big screen
April 14, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
“Beauty and the Beast” was extravagantly gorgeous, well written and performed well. Director Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 1 and 2) struck a good balance between following the old story and adding new material. While most of the new material is nice, none of it is essential, and some...
Throwing back to hairspray and classic rock in “Adventureland”
March 23, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
Hey, do you like the ’80s? Teenage angst? Kristen Stewart trying her damnedest to make a normal human expression? Well then, “Adventureland,” featuring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, is the movie for you. Even though this movie came out only a few years ago, it has that definite feel...
Wolverine’s last ride
March 23, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
Three years after his second solo film, Wolverine has returned to the big screen with his claws out and his taciturn demeanor fully intact. Following the enormous success of last year’s “Deadpool,” 20th Century Fox has released its second attempt at an R-rated X-Men film: “Logan,” the 10th...
Bad accents and other misses
March 9, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
Does anyone remember Val Kilmer at his prime, in movies like “Top Gun” or “Tombstone”? And then you watch him in his more recent works and he just looks tired and bloated? That’s what watching Nicolas Cage (“National Treasure”) in the American-Canadian-Chinese action film “Outcast”...
Batman in a Lego world
March 9, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
On the surface, the idea of making a movie using Lego versions of other intellectual property is pretty ridiculous. As it turns out, the reality of such a movie is still ridiculous, but in more of an amusing and heartwarming way. As with the first Lego movie, “The Lego Batman Movie” proves that a...
Nazi bratwursts and other stupidity
February 16, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
I have seen the true face of the Devil, and it looks an awful lot like the poster for the movie “Yoga Hosers.” Coming from the mind of Kevin Smith, the director of “Clerks,” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” this movie stars Smith’s daughter as one of the leading roles. This movie...
“Maximum Ride” tramples childhoods
February 2, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
In the world of book-to-movie adaptations, there are only two possible ways that these movies can be made. They can either be mostly true to the source material, with only a few alterations or missing things, or they can absolutely butcher the source material. Unfortunately, the film “Maximum Ride,”...
A new kind of Disney princess
February 2, 2017
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
Disney princess movies have followed a fairly standard formula for nearly 80 years, usually based on a fairy tale and including a prince in some capacity. November’s “Moana” broke that pattern with style, delivering stunning visuals and a riveting plot. Directed by Ron Clements and John...
Sanctimonious Sanctum Sacking in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”
December 8, 2016
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Movies
There might be something Strange in the neighborhood, but no one is calling the Ghostbusters this time. The newest Marvel superhero film brings us the origin story of Doctor Stephen Strange, a neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands to a terrible car accident (don’t drive distracted, kids!)...
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