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: ‘Book Club’ powered by talented cast

Academy Award winners Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen, along with Golden Globe winner Candice Bergen unite in this feature about four women who read “50 Shades of Grey” at their Book Club.

That’s the premise of the aptly named “Book Club,” with four professional, older women named Diane (Keaton), Vivian (Fonda), Carol (Steenburgen) and Sharon (Bergen) all taking a break from their usual novels to see what all the fuss is about with the best seller. As one might guess, comedic hijinks ensue as Diane, Vivian and Sharon are inspired by the book to get back into the dating game while Carol attempts to reconnect with her husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson).

As the film develops, Diane starts a relationship with a pilot named Mitchell (Andy Garcia), Sharon begins using a dating app and Vivian has the first meaningful relationship she’s had in years with Arthur (Don Johnson).

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REVIEW: ‘Show Dogs’ is a passionless canine caper

I don’t know if anyone was asking for a version of “Miss Congeniality” with dogs, but it was made anyway.

“Show Dogs” tells the story of Max, a Rottweiler voiced by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges who works as a police dog in New York City. The film picks up with him working on a case of panda theft. I know, stick with me. So, because of the case, Max has to team up with an FBI agent named Frank (Will Arnett) to go undercover at a dog show.

So, the dog and dude duo set out to Las Vegas for a prestigious dog show where they suspect the panda thieves will be. While there, Max meets some new friends and discovers that dog shows are more meaningful than he first thought.

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REVIEW: ‘Deadpool 2’ is a blast thanks to its relentless comedy

“Deadpool 2” is a lot like its predecessor. It’s very funny, but is at times shallow and carries its share of flaws.

The film sets off with Deadpool, AKA Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) now living a fairly comfortable life, working as a mercenary and living with his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Following a disastrous series of events, though, Wilson finds himself without the love of his life and in prison with only a young fire-powered mutant named Russell (Julian Dennison) as company.

Wilson’s problems only increase when a new foe named Cable (Josh Brolin) emerges. Cable soon reveals that his goal is to kill Russell, and Deadpool sets out to stop him.

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Enjoy ‘Deadpool?’ Hyped For ‘DP2?’ Cool, Then You’ll Love ‘Kick-Ass’

A main character dressed as a superhero fights crime, narrates his own story and in some moments breaks the fourth wall.

Think I’m talking about “Deadpool?” Nope. I’m talking about “Kick-Ass,” the 2010 action comedy adaptation of the comic book. In just a few days “Deadpool 2” will be released, with the first one coming to theaters in early 2016.

Despite both of these films having a great number of similarities to “Kick-Ass,” though, people seem to have forgotten the movie that’s now nearly a decade old. But the fact is that “Kick-Ass” deserves to be remembered and recognized because of how it raised the bar, especially in this period of time where we have the “Deadpool” films coming out.

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A Look At How ‘Mystery Men’ And ‘Unbreakable’ Were Ahead Of Their Time

“Avengers: Infinity War” continues to dominate the box office, now reaching a total of nearly $1.2 billion.

The theater tickets sold, as well as the great feedback from audiences and critics, is the latest example that we are in the superhero movie golden age. Since 2000, when the original “X-Men” came out and was followed by “Spider-Man” a few years later, the genre has been on an incredible upward trend.

“Infinity War” is just the latest highlight in a series of milestones that includes great films such as “The Dark Knight” and “Captain America: Winter Soldier.” Even comedy films based around the genre have popped up over the years to some solid success.

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REVIEW: ‘Life of the Party’

Melissa McCarthy is a talented individual but there’s no doubt her track record with movies hasn’t been perfect. As a result, there is only cautious optimism when I walk into one of her features, such as “Life of the Party.” Fortunately, this one was actually a pleasant surprise.

McCarthy’s latest starring role is playing Deanna, a housewife who didn’t finish her college degree and is suddenly met with divorce papers from her husband. As she weighs her options, Deanna sees this life-changing event as an opportunity to go back to college and complete her archaeology degree.

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REVIEW: ‘Isle Of Dogs’ Is A Witty, Funny Stop-Motion Animation Venture

Nearly a decade after producing the stop-motion feature “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Director Wes Anderson is back with another film using the same animation style, this time with “Isle of Dogs.” Like his previous animated feature as well as his other live action films, Anderson adds his own flair in both the visuals and writing.

“Isle of Dogs” takes place in a completely fantastical world. The movie is set in the city of Megasaki, located in Japan. The city seems to be a thriving metropolis except for one problem, the canines living there are infected with “dog flu” and have become a nuisance for their owners.

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REVIEW: Third ‘Avengers’ Is A Stunningly Well Made Feature

In 2012, the folks behind Marvel managed to put together numerous superheroes in one film and made it all work in “The Avengers.” This time around, in “Infinity War,” they use a lot of that same formula on a much bigger scale and even though there’s so much more going on, it still fires on all cylinders.

The latest “Avengers” takes place directly after the events of last year’s movie “Thor: Ragnarok.” In fact, the opening of “Infinity War” was even teased in “Ragnarok.” We soon find out that Thor (Chris Hemsworth), along with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are under siege by the powerful character Thanos (Josh Brolin).

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REVIEW: ‘Super Troopers 2’ Sadly Doesn’t Live Up To Original

Look, I didn’t want to do this. I really enjoyed the original “Super Troopers,” I remember renting it on VHS and laughing through most of its runtime. But, unfortunately, this sequel is multiple levels of bad.

The film picks up years after the original, with the five lead characters all in new jobs after getting fired from the local Police Department for a constantly hinted at incident involving a celebrity. Their luck changes, though, when they’re informed that a section of Canada actually is part of the United States (Vermont more specifically) and they’re recruited into a new highway patrol unit.

The problem is the local Canadians aren’t taking too kindly to the new law enforcement unit. This is especially true for the area’s Canadian Mounted Police, which see the new officers as rivals.

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