Matthew Liedke

Our Brand is Crisis review

Director:
David Gordon Green
Cast:
Sandra Bullock
Billy Bob Thornton
Anthony Mackie
Joaquim de Almeida
Ann Dowd
Rated: R

“Our Brand is Crisis” is based off a documentary of the same name and tells the story of an election in Bolivia in the early 2000s. Sandra Bullock plays Jane in the film, an experienced political strategist who has been tasked with helping a specific candidate win.

The film explores the different tactics that were used in the election and shows the game that is played for voters.

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Halloween Horror Fest 2015: Uwe Boll’s disaster, ‘Alone in the Dark’

To say that Director Uwe Boll has had a rocky career would be an understatement. Boll has helmed multiple films, many of which based off video games, and they have been critically panned, often times heavily.

My most memorable experience with Boll’s work was 2005’s “Alone in the Dark” which I watched in the theater, and like his other films, this one was a mess.

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Steve Jobs review

Director:
Danny Boyle
Cast:
Michael Fassbender
Kate Winslet
Seth Rogen
Jeff Daniels
Rated: R

“Steve Jobs” takes place over the course of three large scale unveilings of new computers. As these events take place, the film centers on Jobs’ (Fassbender) relationships with the important people in his life.

The film shows the tech mogul’s relationship with his associate Steve Wozniak (Rogen), former Apple CEO John Sculley (Daniels), his daughter Lisa and assistant Joanna Hoffman (Winslet).

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Rock the Kasbah review

Director:
Barry Levinson
Cast:
Bill Murray
Bruce Willis
Leem Lubany
Kate Hudson
Rated: R

“Rock the Kasbah” tells the story of Richie Lanz (Murray), a music talent manager who has fallen on hard times. In an attempt to get back on his feet, Lanz travels to Afghanistan for a USO show with his singer Ronnie played by Zooey Deschanel.

Things take an immediate downturn in the country, though, when his act practically abandons him. To get things back on track, Lanz seeks out talent for an Afghanistan TV series titled “Afghan Star.”

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Jem and the Holograms review

Director:
Jon M. Chu
Cast:
Aubrey Peeples
Ryan Guzman
Juliette Lewis
Stefanie Scott
Rated: PG

Jerrica (Peeples) is a young girl living with her aunt, sister Kimber (Scott) and two cousins Shana (Perrineau) and Aja (Kiyoko). While Jerrica is shy, she does have great musical talent and one day, under the disguise of Jem, records herself playing an original song.

After Kimber uploads the Jem video to Youtube, Jerrica’s alter ego becomes a sensation in the music industry. But the situation gets complicated when she has to start dealing with Erica Raymond (Lewis), the head of a huge music label.

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Bridge of Spies review

Director:
Steven Spielberg
Cast:
Tom Hanks
Mark Rylance
Domenick Lombardozzi
Rated: PG-13

Tom Hanks is insurance lawyer James B. Donovan in “Bridge of Spies,” a film which takes place in the late 1950s when the Cold War started to intensify. Donovan is a family person and is for most purposes, an every-man. This changes when U.S. agents arrest a suspected Soviet spy named Rudolf Abel (Rylance) and request Donovan to defend the operative in court to show that the country provides fair justice.

While a bit reluctant, Donovan decides to take up the case which subsequently presents challenges for his day to day life. For example he gets firsthand experience with the Red Scare and begins conversing with officials from agencies such as the CIA.

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The Last Witch Hunter review

Director:
Breck Eisner
Cast:
Vin Diesel
Rose Leslie
Elijah Wood
Michael Caine
Rated: PG-13

Vin Diesel is Kaulder (though it sounds more like Colder), a witch hunter working for a branch of the Church called the Axe and Cross.

After killing the Witch Queen hundreds of years ago, Kaulder was cursed with immortality. He’s used this ability to keep the world safe, but things start to get dangerous when rumors of the Witch Queen’s return begin to come out.

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Halloween Horror Fest 2015: The mess that was the ‘Texas Chainsaw’ franchise

To those who’ve followed my work, it’s no secret that I love “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I find it to be one of the best horror films ever made thanks to its style, detail, setting and more. I also admire its sequel for being a legitimate attempt at a horror-comedy which focused more on humor than downright scares.

Following the original two, though, the series took a complete nose dive with two more films that may or may not have been sequels to the original. Now, with all fairness, there was a reboot in 2003, and for all its faults, I think the 03 film comes close to at least trying to recapture the original film. I don’t consider it a horror classic and still think it pales in comparison to the original, but it’s an OK horror picture.

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Crimson Peak review

Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Cast:
Mia Wasikowska
Jessica Chastain
Tom Hiddleston
Charlie Hunnam
Rated: R

In “Crimson Peak,” Mia Wasikowska plays Edith Cushing, a young woman who is whisked away to the U.K. after meeting and falling in love with a man (Hiddleston) just after a family tragedy.

As she begins living with her new husband, Thomas, and his sister Lucille (Chastain) at their gothic mansion, she begins seeing frightening and disturbing things that make her start to question her decision.

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Goosebumps review

Director:
Rob Letterman
Cast:
Jack Black
Dylan Minnette
Odeya Rush
Ryan Lee
Amy Ryan
Jillian Bell
Rated: PG

“Goosebumps” is a film inspired by the childrens’ books written by R.L. Stine. The film is, in a way, in the same vein as “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare,” since R.L. Stine (Black) is actually a character who has to face his own creations.

The movie follows Zach (Minnette), a teen moving to a new city because of his mother getting a new job. As he gets settled into his new home, he meets Hannah (Rush), a teen living next door whom he befriends. He comes to find out, though, that her father actually is Stine. Stine right away comes off as frightening and things go from bad to worse when it’s discovered that his novels can come to life when they open.

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