Tag: film

REVIEW: ‘Ad Astra’ is in the upper echelon of the space adventure genre

A star studded cast like this deserves to be on a grand scale film across the stars. That’s what we get with the new sci-fi “Ad Astra.”

The movie takes place in the fairly distant future, with mankind now able travel to the Solar System’s inner planets regularly and launch long range expeditions beyond the asteroid belt. The film follows Roy McBride, an experienced and fearless astronaut working for the United States’ Space Com.

However, Roy still lives in the shadow of his father Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones), a great, accomplished American space explorer who went on a venture to the outer reaches of the solar system near Neptune. The expedition was lost, though, decades ago, with the crew written off as dead. When power surges begin hitting the earth generated from a powerful space ship engine, Roy is tasked with finding out if his father is still alive and if so, if it’s the lost ship starting these power surges.

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REVIEW: ‘Hustlers’ is a flashy, fun crime story

Hustlin’ aint easy, but the main characters in this flick sure seemed good at it.

“Hustlers” follows the character Destiny (Constance Wu), a woman trying to make a living in New York City by working at a gentlemen’s club. On top of making a living for herself, she’s also working to support her grandmother. While she’s making some money with the job, she doesn’t hit her stride until she meets Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), who acts as a sort of mentor.

Things appear to be going well with more money coming in. However, the film is set around 2008 and as many may remember, Wall Street tanked and pulled the rest of the world economy down with it. In the ensuing years, with more financial strains, Destiny decides to join Ramona in a scheme of getting wealthy wall street clients drunk and then over-charging their credit cards.

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Monday Movie Report: Margot Robbie to produce, star in new comedy

New Line Cinema is negotiating with Margot Robbie for a new comedy titled “Fools Day.”

According to Variety, New Line acquired a short film also named “Fools Day” with the intention of adapting it to a full length picture. For Robbie, if the negotiation works out, she would be an executive producer and also join the cast in a supporting role.

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REVIEW: ‘It’ 2 lags behind first installment, but still worth a watch

The 1990 “It” mini-series adaptation took place over two nights and followed a group of characters in their youth, and as adults. The latest adaptation, spread over 2017 and 2019, takes a similar approach.

In both cases, the stories following the characters as kids was more compelling.

At the end of the 2017 movie, a group of friends in a small Maine town known as the Losers Club defeated the paranormal entity simply called “It” and made a promise to return to the northeast if the monster re-appeared. Well sure enough, 27 years later, It, taking the form of a clown, comes back to wreak havoc.

In response, Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one who stayed in Maine, calls the Losers back from across the country to once again defeat It (Bill Skarsgard). Bill (James McAvoy), Beverly (Jessica Chastain), Richie (Bill Hader) and Ben (Jay Ryan) all return to meet with Mike, but have trouble remembering the events of the first movie. However, that begins to change when they start seeing the evil clown around town.

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Monday Movie Report: Recapping Venice Film Fest awards

“Joker,” the suspenseful drama from Warner Bros. based on comic books, earned the biggest prize at the Venice International Film Festival last week.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Joker” earned the Golden Lion prize at the 76th Venice fest. Taking second place Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize was “An Officer and a Spy,” directed by Roman Polanski.

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2019 Summer Movie Awards

The 2019 summer has come to an end and it included the finale of both the “Avengers” series and the “X-Men” franchise, with one being far more successful than the other. Along with the action movies, there were a few indie gems out there that made the past few months really good.

Since some of these flicks might get overlooked during award season, they’re going to get some recognition in my award ceremony.

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REVIEW: ‘Ready or Not’ is a fun way to end summer 2019

Before this movie whenever I heard the phrase “Ready or Not” I thought of the Fugees song. Now, I might think of a very bloody wedding reception.

“Ready or Not” follows the character Grace, played by Samara Weaving, on her wedding day. While nerves are nothing new for a person on their wedding day, Grace is having a bit more anxiety than usual because she happens to be marrying into a massively wealthy family.

She’s calmed down a bit, though, by her fiance Alex (Mark O’Brien) and her new family, who provide pleasantries and reassurance. That is until it comes time for the family tradition of having a game at midnight. The family decides to play a game of Hide and Seek, with Grace being the person to hide. At first Grace just thinks it’s a silly quirk, until it turns out the family is actually hunting her as part of a sacrificial ritual. As a result, Grace’s wedding night turns into a fight for survival.

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REVIEW: ‘Meters Down’ sequel doesn’t rise too much in quality

Young characters do something they shouldn’t and end up having to deal with a force of nature. Pretty straightforward stuff for a shark movie.

Going into a little more detail here, “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” is a sequel to 2017’s “47 Meters Down,” which I didn’t see. Despite not being brushed up on my “47 Meters” lore, though, this one is pretty easy to dive right into.

The movie follows four teenage girls, with the main characters being step-sisters Mia (Sophie Nelisse) and Sasha (Corinne Foxx). Their father is a diving explorer who is researching an ancient underwater city.

On one afternoon, the two girls and their friends decide to check the location out for themselves, but in doing so, they come across a shark that’s evolved to live, and hunt, in the dark. As a result, the four now have to try and survive with limited oxygen in a what’s basically an underwater maze.

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REVIEW: ‘Blinded by the Light’ is blinded by cliches

Bruce Springsteen’s music works well in movies, as shown in “Jerry Maguire” and “The Wrestler.” But if just one Springsteen song in a movie isn’t enough for a person, they may find the jackpot in “Blinded by the Light.”

Set in late 80s Britain during the time of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, “Blinded by the Light” follows the story of teenage student Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) under a lot of stress. In the midst of a recession, his parents Malik (Kulvinder Ghir) and Noor (Meera Ganatra) who immigrated from Pakistan are struggling to make ends meet.

In the face of financial hardships, signs of racism and pure teenage angst, Javed searches for some escapism. He ends up finding it in the music of Bruce Springsteen. After hearing a few tapes, he becomes hooked and turns into a mega-fan, with the music even inspiring him to become a writer. However, his new style and swagger runs into conflict with the ways of his father.

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