This year’s Adventure in B-Movies was a tale of two cities.
The three movies watched for the 2024 edition took place in the nation’s largest metros on both coasts, New York City and Los Angeles. Yes, terror and mayhem take the Big Apple and the City of Angels by storm this year, to varying degrees.
The first two films have an Empire State of mind, while the third shows some California love. So, let’s dive in.
Continue reading “Adventures in B-Movie Horror 2024: Coast to Coast”
Come for the papal politics, stay for the drama.
“Conclave” was directed by Edward Berger who helmed the Oscar-nominated film “All Quiet on the Western Front” in 2022. Set in present days, the film centers on the death of a fictional Pope and the subsequent voting process to choose a successor.
Leading the process is Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who oversees the rules and schedule. Over the course of several days, Lawrence is roped into several ongoing political situations as Cardinals Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Tremblay (John Lithgow) and Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) vie for power.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Conclave’ is an engrossing look into Vatican governance”
An episode of “SNL” usually includes its likable cast performing a plethora of sketches, some good and some bad, for a fairly average experience. In that sense, this movie is pretty similar
A dramatic comedy, “Saturday Night” takes place inside Rockefeller Plaza in New York as producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) prepares to get his new live television show ready for broadcast. Unfortunately, things aren’t going entirely well and NBC doesn’t have much faith in the show.
It’s already considered a long shot, as it’s populated by unknown comedians like Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien) and John Belushi (Matt Wood). The situation is made worse by mishaps on set. However, Lorne remains committed to make sure “Saturday Night” goes live.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Chaotic ‘Saturday Night’ has plenty of ups and downs”
In a vacuum, releasing a biopic about a well-known figure isn’t that big of a deal. But we’re certainly not in a vacuum right now.
This film indeed is about the Republican candidate for president Donald Trump, who’s seeking a second term in office. However, the movie is set decades before he entered the realm of politics. The picture begins in 1973 with a 27-year-old Trump who has a vision for development, but few prospects.
Portrayed by Sebastian Stan, Trump is working with his father Fred’s (Martin Donovan) real estate company, but wants to develop his own buildings, too. His journey gets a jumpstart when he meets and befriends attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who becomes a mentor to Trump, showing him how to build his own path in life, regardless of the consequences.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Top tier performances power ‘The Apprentice’”
In the past decade, Saoirse Ronan has established herself as one of the best actresses of her generation and she’s proven that’s true once again.
“The Outrun” is a drama inspired by the 2016 memoir of the same name written by Amy Liptrot. The central character in the film based on Liptrot is Rona (Ronan), a young woman who has fallen to rock bottom. Once a biology graduate student in London, Rona became an alcoholic, upending her life.
Her addiction deteriorated her relationships, her academic career and her path for the future. The film finds her trying to rehabilitate, moving back with her parents in the rural Northern Isles of Scotland in order to do so. The path forward, though, is a difficult one.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘The Outrun’ is fine, Ronan is superb”
Ten years ago, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller introduced the world to the concept of a narrative LEGO movie. Now, Morgan Neville has come along to show he can make a documentary with the animated blocks, too.
“Piece by Piece” uses the same animation style that was seen in previous LEGO films, to tell the story of musician Pharrell Williams. The picture tells his story with the format of a biographical documentary, taking the viewer through his life with recreations of concerts and talking head interviews.
Through this, the audience gets to see how he grew up in Virginia, fell in love with music, started making his own songs and became a sensation.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Piece by Piece’ is a fun, though standard, hip hop journey”
The first “Joker” was a polarizing film, with strong opinions for and against it. The review on this site, though, came down in the middle. That’s pretty much the same case this time around.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is set two years after the events of the first film. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), whose actions resulted in riots and upheaval after his murders, is now confined to Akrham State Hospital as he waits for his trial to get underway.
Inside, the treatment toward Fleck ranges from admiration to amusement, from the prisoners and guards alike. One fellow inmate in another section, though, Lee (Lady Gaga), is infatuated, and begins a relationship that pushes Fleck even more toward his Joker persona as the trial gets started.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Song-filled ‘Joker’ sequel doesn’t hit high note”
After every stumble, Dreamworks Animation always seems to get back on track. It’s done so again, following up the disappointing “Kung Fu Panda 4” with a movie that could win the animation Oscar.
Set in the future, “The Wild Robot” centers on its follows its titular character, known initially as ROZZUM Unit 7134, (Lupita Nyong’o), who washes up on an island only inhabited by animals after a failed delivery. Though it takes some time, her processing power eventually allows her to speak with the island’s animals.
Unfortunately, her attempts to befriend the animals and help them with their tasks don’t go well. That is until she finds a lone goose egg and decides to raise the young bird inside. Along the way, she gets help from a red fox (Pedro Pascal) who’s mischievous at first but soon becomes a loyal friend.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘The Wild Robot’ is a spectacular, emotional adventure”
It’s usually a good sign for a movie when Aubrey Plaza is in the lineup. When that’s the case, though, one usually expects her to have more screentime.
Plaza’s time in “My Old Ass” is rather limited, though, as the main star of this movie is Maisy Stella, who plays the character Elliott. A teenager in rural Canada, Elliott is wrapping up a summer of working on her family’s farm before going to Toronto for college.
Before she takes off, her and her friends decide to experiment with some hallucinogens and in Elliott’s case, her trip allows her to speak with her older self (Plaza). Now with a connection to her future personality, she starts getting advice about her future while also sparking a new relationship in her present.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘My Old Ass’ overplays generic romance angle”
Director Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film was an ambitious project, huge in scope and scale. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit of an unmitigated disaster
“Megalopolis” is a film that blends political drama and science fiction. The movie is set in the sprawling city of New Rome, the epicenter of the American Republic. Outwardly, it has all the looks of New York City, but inside, it has aesthetics and fashion reminiscent of ancient Rome.
The film centers on Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an architect hoping to build a biomechanical utopia via new technology. He’s challenged, though, by Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), and his cousin Clodio (Shia LaBeouf). Though he has support from his uncle Crassus III (Jon Voight).
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Megalopolis’ is a mega misstep for Coppola”
Matthew Liedke on Film 