Matthew Liedke

REVIEW: ‘Asteroid City’ is a fine addition to Anderson’s filmography

Another Wes Anderson movie. Come for the quirks, stay for the feels.

The latest film from the auteur director is a few layers deep. The movie showcases a television broadcast of the play “Asteroid City,” and through that broadcast, the audience is also able to see behind-the-scenes of that production.

In the play itself, Jason Schwartzman plays the character Augie Steenbeck, whose son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) is attending an event celebrating teens who excel at science. During the event, the small rural town, known for being next to a crater where a meteor struck, is visited by an extra-terrestrial. Through this event, the audience learns more about the characters in the play, as well as the cast and crew of the production.

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REVIEW: Lawrence helps ‘No Hard Feelings’ punch above its weight

It’s nice to see a straightforward, R-rated comedy on the big screen again, and it certainly helps that this one features an Academy Award winner.

That Oscar recipient is of course Jennifer Lawrence, who plays the character Maddie in “No Hard Feelings.” Short on cash and wanting to prevent her late mother’s house from being taken by the bank, Maddie is trying to make money as an Uber driver. Unfortunately, she wakes up one morning to see her car being repossessed.

Needing a new ride, she follows up on a Craigslist ad from two parents offering a car in return for dating their shy, awkward son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), who’s going to Princeton in the fall. Maddie initially balks at the idea, but ends up going for it out of desperation. At first, she just reluctantly agrees, but as time goes on, Maddie starts bonding with Percy.

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REVIEW: Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ is a miss for the studio

Pixar movies can often turn on the water works or leave a person fired up when the credits roll. Surprisingly and disappointingly, “Elemental” doesn’t do either.

The studio’s latest film, “Elemental,” is set in a sprawling metropolis inhabited by beings made of air, water, plants and fire. Most of the different elements stick to their own kind, though, especially the fire people, who are the most recent immigrants to the city and reside in a more dilapidated part of town.

In their community, though, residents have found success, such as Ember (Leah Lewis) and her parents who operate a small convenience shop that she plans to take over. That plan hits a road block, though, when a water being named Wade who works for the city lets Ember know the shop isn’t up to code. However, in a twist of fate, the meeting actually brings the two together.

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REVIEW: ‘Past Lives’ is a romantic drama triumph

One of the most common aspects of the human experience is considering how different things could be if one made a different choice or a life event went an alternate way.

In stirring fashion, “Past Lives” writer/director Celine Song explores this concept, that boils down to the simple words “what if.”

The film, inspired by Song’s own life, centers on Nora (Greta Lee), a woman whose story began in South Korea before her family immigrated to Canada when she was a pre-teen. When she was growing up in South Korea, she was close friends with a boy named Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), but the two lost contact.

The two reconnect a dozen years later via social media and begin speaking regularly via Skype, but again are unable to consistently stay in touch as life takes them on different paths. The movie then follows up with the characters in the present day, when Hae Sung is able to visit Nora. who’s now a married writer in New York City.

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REVIEW: New ‘Spider-Verse’ is a disappointing slog

The latest “Spider-Man” adventure is in the midst of a critical coronation, but unfortunately, there will be some rain on the parade in this review.

“Across the Spider-Verse” largely focuses on the character Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenager juggling life as a private school student and as New York City’s hero Spider-Man. The movie picks up with Miles dealing with a new villain, the Spot (Jason Schwartzman), who has the ability to cross space and time through portals.

The villain’s power brings the attention of Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), a Spider-Woman from another dimension introduced in the first film. Since then, she’s been working with other Spider heroes from different universes to maintain balance. Unfortunately, Miles’ newest villain starts a series of events putting Miles at odds with Gwen and other Spider heroes.

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REVIEW: It doesn’t hurt to watch ‘You Hurt My Feelings’

The many complexities that exist in a relationship, even a loving one, come up in this smart dramatic comedy.

“You Hurt My Feelings,” written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Beth. The film opens with Beth, an author and writing-class teacher, feeling somewhat discouraged. Despite her efforts over the last several months, her latest novel just isn’t getting a great response from her agent.

That feeling only grows when she overhears her husband Don (Tobias Menzies) saying to another person that he doesn’t like her new book, despite saying otherwise to her face. The rest of the movie explores how this impacts their relationship and the people around them.

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REVIEW: ‘The Little Mermaid’ sets new bar for Disney’s live adaptations

After some rough waters with previous live action adaptations, Disney has found calmer seas thanks to an impressive remake of “The Little Mermaid.”

As the story goes, Ariel (Halle Bailey) is a mermaid fascinated by the human world and often looks for man-made items lost at sea. These actions, though, are all forbidden by Ariel’s father King Triton (Javier Bardem), who deems humans as dangerous.

This eventually leads to a conflict where Triton forbids Ariel from leaving the kingdom after she rescues a man during a sinking. Wanting to meet him again and explore the surface world, Ariel bypasses her father and goes to the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) who turns her into a human, but with a catch.

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Ten Powerful Political Films

Not too long ago, I finished watching “The West Wing” for the first time.

Yes I was very late to the party on that one, seeing it more than two decades after it first aired on NBC. It was a very enjoyable watch, though, providing a fast-paced look into day-to-day politics.

It’s true that the show’s enjoyment can vary in terms of where one’s politics align, some finding it too left wing, and many seeing it as not left wing enough. However, what really hooks a person in at the end of the day with the show were the characters and the drama unfolding between them.

Now, while I hadn’t watched “The West Wing” for the time I’ve been writing on this site, I have reviewed plenty of political flicks, and watched many more released before that time.

So here’s a simple list of some movies in the political sphere that I’ve found to really get the genre right.

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REVIEW: UnfasTEN your seatbelts, ‘Fast X’ shows the ride is over

Didn’t you watch the last movie, meathead? Hell, you’re doing the same thing that it did.

In the 11^th movie in this franchise, the audience learns that the villain this time around was wronged by the heroes during the heist in part five. In the present day, the Fast crew is still going on spy missions for the secretive Agency, with the latest taking place in Rome.

The antagonist Dante (Jason Momoa) makes his presence known to the family during said mission, though, and nearly destroys Rome in the process. From there, the Agency basically has the Fast crew take the fall, which puts them on the run not only from the relentless Dante, but law enforcement as well.

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REVIEW: ‘Guardians 3’ is a bit of good, a bit of bad, and a bit of both

Director James Gunn has given us one last ride with the “Guardians” before he ships off from Marvel to DC.

It may not be on the level of the first two, but it’s nice to see these characters again.

This time around, the crew is setting up a new shop on the world Knowhere. Well, most of the crew is. The captain of the Guardians, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), is in a rough spot. While it’s been some time, he’s still mourning the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who was killed in the Infinity War.

Peter is thrust into action quickly, though, when an unknown being attacks, specifically targeting crew-member Rocket (Bradley Cooper). Rocket is severely injured and to save him, the Guardians have to take on a powerful foe who is connected to the raccoon’s history. As part of the mission, the Guardians get help from an alternate Gamora, who came from a different timeline.

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