Author: Matthew Liedke

Journalist and film critic in Minnesota. Graduate of Rainy River College and Minnesota State University in Moorhead. Outside of movies I also enjoy sports, craft beers and the occasional video game.

REVIEW: It’s really ‘Meh’ times at the ‘El Royale’

“Bad Times at the El Royale” is a film that juggles a lot of ideas, and some of them are good. However, director Drew Goddard and company weren’t able to bring everything together, and this feature suffers for it.

The picture takes place at a unique setting. The El Royale is a hotel located with two sections, one half is in California and the other is in Nevada. The film features a group of characters, including a priest named Daniel (Jeff Bridges), a singer named Darlene (Cynthia Erivo), a salesman by the name of Laramie (Jon Hamm) and a young woman who keeps to herself in Emily (Dakota Johnson), who all check into the El Royale on the same afternoon.

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10 years of horror: Looking back at 2010-2012

Here’s part two of my retrospective on horror movies from the past 10 years. I started reviewing films back in 2008, and since Halloween is close, I figured I’d take a look back at some of the best in horror.

These are the scary pictures that stood out in 2010, 2011 and 2012. For my look back at 2008-2009, click here.

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Monday Movie Report: ‘Flash’ production delayed

Production on the standalone “Flash” movie has been delayed by Warner Bros.

According to Variety, WB is pushing back production of the film, which was to follow the speedy hero after the events of “The Justice League.” Variety reports that while the movie didn’t have a set release date, the expectation was to shoot in March 2019.

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REVIEW: ‘First Man’ provides incredible snapshots of history and humanity

Political capital, time, money and lives. All of these were spent and sacrificed to push mankind out of the atmosphere and travel to the Moon. In “First Man,” all of these sacrifices weigh on Neil Armstrong, played here by Ryan Gosling.

As the name and the main real life character implies, “First Man” is about the lead up and mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to successfully land on the Moon. Director Damien Chazelle, known for his work helming “Whiplash” and “La La Land” takes audiences on a biographical tour this time around, documenting Armstrong’s training and following the astronaut’s journey to becoming the lead man on Apollo 11.

The picture covers both the continuous work at NASA, while also showcasing the lives of the agency’s workers in their home life. Specifically, the movie documents Armstrong’s relationship with his family, including his wife Janet (Claire Foy).

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10 years of Horror: Looking back at 2008 and 2009

I’ve been reviewing films for more than a decade now and during that time, I’ve seen plenty of films in the horror genre.

I can admit that not all of them have been particularly good. In fact, some have ended up on my top 10 worst of the year lists. However, some have stood out, and seeing that it is the month of spook and Halloween, I figured I could revisit some of the good flicks I’ve watched and make some recommendations.

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Monday Movie Report: Denzel Washington to receive AFI Lifetime Achievement

Acting legend Denzel Washington will be the 47th recipient of the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

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REVIEW: Deeply flawed ‘Venom’ still manages to offer some fun

For those of you who don’t know, this “Venom” movie has basically nothing to do with Spider-Man or the Marvel universe. Sad face.

“Venom” tells the story of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a broadcast news reporter who’s had good, consistent success in the journalism industry. His latest story, though, brings him into contact with a powerful pharma exec named Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). Because he asks too many questions in his interview, Drake manages to end Brock’s career.

As Brock struggles to get back on his feet, Drake’s company does unethical experiments, culminating with the forcing of a sentient alien substance to interact with humans. When Brock finds out, he decides to try his hand at investigative journalism again, but this lands him in more trouble when he becomes attached to one of the aliens named Venom. While the two begin at odds, they eventually form a deal to take Drake down.

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REVIEW: ‘A Star is Born’ will hook you in with passionate musical scenes

I’ll admit, when I hear the title, I think of the song at the end of the Disney “Hercules” movie.

In all seriousness, “A Star is Born” is actually a remake of a 1937 film with the same name. In fact, along with this most recent adaptation, that 1937 movie has been remade two other times in 1954 and 1976. This newest version was directed and co-written by Bradley Cooper, who also stars in the film as the lead character Jack.

Jack is a successful musician with plenty of hits, but also faces problems. Not only does one of his ears have a medical issue, but he’s also suffering from alcoholism. Despite, this, though, he meets a talented singer named Ally (Lady Gaga) who’s been overlooked her whole life. Not only do the two strike up a relationship, but Jack also helps Ally get her talent noticed. A strain remains, though, because of Jack’s health.

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REVIEW: Despite a nice concept, ‘Hell Fest’ feels largely generic

Want to visit a haunted attraction but have none close by? Well, you can always check out the latest horror film “Hell Fest.” Actually, don’t do that, because “Hell Fest” isn’t all that impressive.

This film follows a group of six college students who get together for a trip to Hell Fest. Basically, Hell Fest is a traveling horror amusement park that does the scary stuff better than anyone else in the business.

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