Production on the new James Bond flick is moving forward at full speed again with actor Daniel Craig coming back from injury.
According to Deadline|Hollywood, the 51-year-old actor had an ankle injury during filming in Jamaica. Following his injury in May, Craig underwent surgery and then had a several week rehabilitation process.
Continue reading “Monday Movie Report: Bond 25 production back on track”
An Oscar and Golden Globe winning director, a writer with several charming hits, along with a fantastic concept ripe for all sorts of possibilities. On paper, “Yesterday” looked like a slam dunk, which makes it a total shame that it turned out so poorly.
The movie follows a struggling singer named Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), who lives day-to-day playing small gigs with help from his manager Ellie (Lily James). Getting fed up with his lack of success and his dead-end job, Jack considers leaving music all together.
However, during one bike ride home, Jack is hit by a bus at the exact same moment a blackout occurs worldwide. When he wakes up and recovers from his injuries, he comes to find himself in a world where the Beatles never became a band and their music does not exist in the pop culture landscape. Seeing an opportunity, Jack starts singing the songs and claims credit for the work, which of course leads him to his own fair share of fame.
Continue reading “REVIEW: One can just move on to tomorrow, because ‘Yesterday’ doesn’t offer much”
On the surface, the set up for the latest “Annabelle” implies something new. However, as time goes on, it turns into the same old story.
“Annabelle Comes Home,” the seventh movie in the Conjuring Cinematic Universe, again follows the movie-version Warren family, who’re much more entertaining and compelling than their real life fraud counterparts. The movie opens with Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) driving home with the Annabelle doll in their, er, custody. After some freaky moments, the Warrens are able to get the cursed doll back to their artifacts room, where it’s secured in a holy case, and life seems to settle to normal.
As life goes on, the Warrens plan a business trip and leave their daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) in the care of a babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Despite dealing with the paranormal regularly, the Warren’s home and neighborhood is pretty straightforward suburbia. However, Mary Ellen’s friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) eventually comes over to hang out and has an interest in the Warren’s case files. Unfortunately, through a series of events, she lets loose the paranormal entities in the Warren’s artifacts room, including Annabelle.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Latest run in with ‘Annabelle’ doesn’t offer much new in horror”
So each month, the Large Association of Movie Blogs does a poll to select a “Movie of the Month” for members to take a look at. For the month of July, there are two movies in the polling currently that I wanted to write about. They include “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Chronicle.”
For reference, here are the films in the July poll:
Continue reading “LAMB Special: Large Association of Movie Blogs July Movies of the Month”
I’ll admit, when I first heard a new “Toy Story” was in production, I was skeptical, considering “Toy Story 3” was such a solid end to the trilogy. Fortunately, Pixar did some solid work with this fourth feature.
The latest film picks up seemingly not too long after the end of part three. The original gang, for example, have adapted pretty well to life with Bonnie’s other toys. That is, except for Woody (Tom Hanks). Woody appears to be involved less and less in times of play, and as a result, is getting little anxious.
However, when Bonnie creates a new toy from some materials, mainly a spork, named Forky (Tony Hale), Woody finds some purpose. Forky appears to be confused, thinking himself more akin to trash than a toy, but Woody is set on protecting him and keeping him around, as Forky has become Bonnie’s favorite. The work gets more difficult, though, when during a family trip, Forky escapes in a small town near a carnival. Woody sets off on an adventure immediately to save Forky, and fortunately, he gets some help from the long lost Bo Peep (Annie Potts).
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Toy Story 4’ doesn’t fly like predecessors, but still falls with style”
If only this hadn’t been called “Child’s Play.”
This new “Child’s Play” basically takes the framework, such as the character names and the iconic doll, and throws the rest out. Instead of using the original concept, with a murderer transferring himself into a doll through voodoo, this new “Child’s Play” goes with an artificial intelligence route.
The movie follows Andy (Gabriel Bateman), a young pre-teen who lives with his mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza). Karen works at a mid-size retailer that sells the new Buddi Dolls, which are toys that can also connect digitally to other electronics, like an Alexa. Karen eventually ends up lucky enough to snag a Buddi doll (voiced by Mark Hamill) through a stroke of luck. However, during its creation, that certain doll unfortunately became defective. As a result, the doll becomes aggressive.
Continue reading “REVIEW: When ‘Child’s Play’ isn’t trying to be a remake, it’s at its best”
There’s been a few movies over the last several years with women super spies, such as “Salt,” “Haywire,” “Atomic Blonde” and “Red Sparrow.” The latest flick in the sub-genre, “Anna,” doesn’t push the story boundaries too far from those, but overall, it may be the best one, or at least the most fun.
The picture, directed by Luc Besson, stars Sasha Luss in the titular role. Anna is a young woman who had some experience in Russian military training and as a result, is eventually recruited into the KGB.
As an agent, Anna becomes a fierce assassin, able to get even some of the most dangerous jobs done. Her latest work is especially, difficult, though, as it includes other adversarial international agencies.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Anna’ doesn’t reinvent spy genre wheel, but still entertains”
Oscar-nominee and Golden Globe winner Bill Murray will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rome Film Festival this year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murray will partake in a festival discussion moderated by Director Wes Anderson. THR also reports Anderson will present the award to Murray ahead of the discussion.
The “Hunger Games” series may be returning to the big screen, with word of a prequel project hitting Hollywood.
According to Variety, Lionsgate is now working on a prequel “Hunger Games” picture, based on a fourth book in the series by writer Suzanne Collins. The previous three books by Collins went on to be adapted into four blockbuster flicks starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence.
Continue reading “Monday Movie Report: ‘Hunger Games’ prequel in the works at Lionsgate”
This movie has three Shafts in a movie series that now has five “Shafts.” Yeah, there’s definitely history there.
So this film re-introduces the John Shaft from the 20 movie, played by Samuel L. Jackson. The audience soon learns that he and his girlfriend Maya (Regina Hall ) have had a child, JJ (Jessie T. Usher). Because of the danger associated with his job, though, Maya takes JJ away from New York City to live in a safe environment.
The story picks up in the present day, with JJ now a grown man and an FBI data analyst. While not a field agent, the death of a friend drags him out of the office and into NYC’s crime underground. To get some help, JJ enlists the help of his estranged father. Together they have to balance reconnecting and solving the latest case.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Shaft’ doesn’t break ground, but it still kicks some ass”
Matthew Liedke on Film 