Tag: film

REVIEW: Top tier performances power ‘The Apprentice’

In a vacuum, releasing a biopic about a well-known figure isn’t that big of a deal. But we’re certainly not in a vacuum right now.

This film indeed is about the Republican candidate for president Donald Trump, who’s seeking a second term in office. However, the movie is set decades before he entered the realm of politics. The picture begins in 1973 with a 27-year-old Trump who has a vision for development, but few prospects.

Portrayed by Sebastian Stan, Trump is working with his father Fred’s (Martin Donovan) real estate company, but wants to develop his own buildings, too. His journey gets a jumpstart when he meets and befriends attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who becomes a mentor to Trump, showing him how to build his own path in life, regardless of the consequences.

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REVIEW: ‘The Outrun’ is fine, Ronan is superb

In the past decade, Saoirse Ronan has established herself as one of the best actresses of her generation and she’s proven that’s true once again.

“The Outrun” is a drama inspired by the 2016 memoir of the same name written by Amy Liptrot. The central character in the film based on Liptrot is Rona (Ronan), a young woman who has fallen to rock bottom. Once a biology graduate student in London, Rona became an alcoholic, upending her life.

Her addiction deteriorated her relationships, her academic career and her path for the future. The film finds her trying to rehabilitate, moving back with her parents in the rural Northern Isles of Scotland in order to do so. The path forward, though, is a difficult one.

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REVIEW: ‘Piece by Piece’ is a fun, though standard, hip hop journey

Ten years ago, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller introduced the world to the concept of a narrative LEGO movie. Now, Morgan Neville has come along to show he can make a documentary with the animated blocks, too.

“Piece by Piece” uses the same animation style that was seen in previous LEGO films, to tell the story of musician Pharrell Williams. The picture tells his story with the format of a biographical documentary, taking the viewer through his life with recreations of concerts and talking head interviews.

Through this, the audience gets to see how he grew up in Virginia, fell in love with music, started making his own songs and became a sensation.

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REVIEW: Song-filled ‘Joker’ sequel doesn’t hit high note

The first “Joker” was a polarizing film, with strong opinions for and against it. The review on this site, though, came down in the middle. That’s pretty much the same case this time around.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is set two years after the events of the first film. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), whose actions resulted in riots and upheaval after his murders, is now confined to Akrham State Hospital as he waits for his trial to get underway.

Inside, the treatment toward Fleck ranges from admiration to amusement, from the prisoners and guards alike. One fellow inmate in another section, though, Lee (Lady Gaga), is infatuated, and begins a relationship that pushes Fleck even more toward his Joker persona as the trial gets started.

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REVIEW: ‘The Wild Robot’ is a spectacular, emotional adventure

After every stumble, Dreamworks Animation always seems to get back on track. It’s done so again, following up the disappointing “Kung Fu Panda 4” with a movie that could win the animation Oscar.

Set in the future, “The Wild Robot” centers on its follows its titular character, known initially as ROZZUM Unit 7134, (Lupita Nyong’o), who washes up on an island only inhabited by animals after a failed delivery. Though it takes some time, her processing power eventually allows her to speak with the island’s animals.

Unfortunately, her attempts to befriend the animals and help them with their tasks don’t go well. That is until she finds a lone goose egg and decides to raise the young bird inside. Along the way, she gets help from a red fox (Pedro Pascal) who’s mischievous at first but soon becomes a loyal friend.

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REVIEW: ‘My Old Ass’ overplays generic romance angle

It’s usually a good sign for a movie when Aubrey Plaza is in the lineup. When that’s the case, though, one usually expects her to have more screentime.

Plaza’s time in “My Old Ass” is rather limited, though, as the main star of this movie is Maisy Stella, who plays the character Elliott. A teenager in rural Canada, Elliott is wrapping up a summer of working on her family’s farm before going to Toronto for college.

Before she takes off, her and her friends decide to experiment with some hallucinogens and in Elliott’s case, her trip allows her to speak with her older self (Plaza). Now with a connection to her future personality, she starts getting advice about her future while also sparking a new relationship in her present.

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REVIEW: ‘Megalopolis’ is a mega misstep for Coppola

Director Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film was an ambitious project, huge in scope and scale. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit of an unmitigated disaster

“Megalopolis” is a film that blends political drama and science fiction. The movie is set in the sprawling city of New Rome, the epicenter of the American Republic. Outwardly, it has all the looks of New York City, but inside, it has aesthetics and fashion reminiscent of ancient Rome.

The film centers on Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an architect hoping to build a biomechanical utopia via new technology. He’s challenged, though, by Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), and his cousin Clodio (Shia LaBeouf). Though he has support from his uncle Crassus III (Jon Voight).

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REVIEW: ‘Transformers One’ is fun, but has small screen vibe

After making the jump to live action in 2007, the “Transformers” series has gone back to its roots, once again going to the big screen in animated style.

Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) are two best friend robots living in the mechanical world of Cybertron. The duo are at the bottom of the robotic hierarchy on the planet, working in the mines to collect energy resources vital to the population’s survival, after depletion due to a war.

They get a chance to prove themselves to Cybertronian leadership, though, when they discover a potential solution to the planet’s energy problems. What they and friends Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) find, though, changes their destinies forever.

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REVIEW: ‘A Different Man’ succeeds with dark comedy, superb acting

Depressing, awkward, funny, cringey and shocking. They’re all words that can be used to describe “A Different Man,” in a good way.

The movie stars Sebastian Stan as Edward, a man who’s not only struggling to make it as an actor in New York, but also suffering neurofibromatosis. The condition leaves him with tumors that have grown on his face.

However, he manages to enter a trial run for a new procedure that can remove the tumors and completely treat the condition. The treatment ends up working, giving Edward the life he’s always wanted, at least that’s what he thinks.

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REVIEW: Double the ‘Beetlejuice,’ double the fun? To an extent, yes

After more than 35 years, the Ghost with the Most (Michael Keaton) is back on the big screen, getting a legacy sequel of his own.

In addition to Betelgeuse, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) also comes back, though she has traded her gothic, rebellious attitude for a TV personality, albeit still wearing black. She has to step away from her paranormal-centric show, though, as she has to attend the funeral of her late father.

Joining her is her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), though the latter isn’t as excited to be there as she has a strained familial relationship. However, when the family goes back to their old house, some dangerous afterlife shenanigans begin, forcing them to not only band together, but call on help from the titular character.

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