Category: 2019

REVIEW: ‘Lego’ sequel is satisfactory

Like the original, while not perfect, “The LEGO Movie 2” puts together the building blocks in a nice enough way to create a pretty good movie.

The first Lego movie was released in 2014 and the five year difference is reflected in the sequel. The protagonists of the first film, having seemingly saved the world, came under an immediate new threat right away, this time from other types of Lego blocks. As a result, Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), and the other heroes are forced to live in a world that looks like “Mad Max” in Lego form.

The situation only gets worse when several characters, including Lucy, are kidnapped by the new foe. As a result, it’s up to Emmet to go on a rescue mission and save his friends.

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REVIEW: ‘Miss Bala’ mostly misses the mark

So the name of the movie is “Miss Bala” but a big part of the film has to do with a beauty pageant called “Miss Baja.” Consider me somewhat confused.

Anyway, “Miss Bala” follows the character Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), a young woman who takes a trip to visit her friend in Mexico. During her time there, she and her friend go out to a night club. A fun night out turns deadly, though, when a cartel shooting takes place and Gloria barely makes it out of the crossfire. Unfortunately, despite getting out of the club safely, Gloria soon learns that her friend, Suzu (Christina Rodlo), is missing.

As a result, Gloria begins exploring her surroundings to find her friend. However, in doing so, she’s dragged into a dangerous situation involving both a powerful cartel and United States Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

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Monday Movie Report: Directors Guild, animation awards announced

“Roma” is continuing its good run this award season, picking up another big win in the Oscar race on Saturday.

At the 71st Directors Guild of America Awards ceremony Saturday, Alfonso Cuaron won the top prize for feature film. The win follows the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards also giving Cuaron the top honor for directing.

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Movie trailers with Super Bowl LIII

Over the course of a thrilling (?) 13-3 victory in the Super Bowl by the New England Patriots over the Los Angeles Rams, movie studios took time during the commercial breaks to push upcoming features. In between action on the field, previews for several films were broadcast over the airwaves.

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REVIEW: Poor twist sinks ‘Serenity’

On the surface, “Serenity” looks like a film maybe worth checking out. Written and directed by a filmmaker with plenty of experience along with a cast of Oscar winners and nominees, it seems like it could be fine.

However, one should beware of what lies beneath.

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Monday Movie Report: Screen Actors Guild Winners

The best performances of 2018 were celebrated in Hollywood Sunday evening with the Screen Actors Guild Awards Ceremony.

The annual event, now in its 25th year, gave its top award of the night to the ensemble of “Black Panther.” Another big winner on the night was Rami Malek, who won the SAG’s best male actor performance for his work in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

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Special Movie Report: Producers Guild Award Winners

The film “Green Book” followed up its Golden Globes success Saturday with another big win.

During its annual ceremony, the Procucers Guild of America honored the period piece dramedy with its top honor, the award for outstanding producer of a theatrical motion pictures. The win was another strong result for “Green Book,” which is having a good award season run.

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Top 10 Favorite Trilogies

Director M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” releases to theaters this week, marking the conclusion of the trilogy which began with “Unbreakable” in 2000 and continued with 2016’s “Split.”

With another trilogy set to be wrapped up soon, I figured it was a good time to take a look at some of my favorite three-movie franchises. Small disclaimer, film is subjective and art can be difficult to quantify in numbers and data. With that in mind, this top 10 is more a way to organize these trilogies and less a matter of fact.

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REVIEW: By-the-books ‘Upside’ has its moments

“Upside” is a film with both ups and downs, leaving the overall quality of this film about friendship somewhere in the middle.

The film follows the story of Dell Scott (Kevin Hart), a man out on parole, estranged from his family and looking for a new job. In his search, he crosses paths with Philip (Bryan Cranston), a billionaire who became disabled in an accident and is in need of a life auxiliary.

In a state of depression and with little care to who works for him, Philip decides to hire Dell. Despite both being unenthusiastic about the situation, the two eventually form a friendship which is explored through the rest of the picture.

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