film – Page 85 – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: ‘Peppermint’ brings very little to the table and is ultimately forgettable

After many years in other genres, Jennifer Garner has returned to the world of action films. However, her latest picture isn’t the best she’s starred in.

In “Peppermint,” Garner plays Riley, who lives in a lower-middle class household with her husband Chris (Jeff Hephner) and daughter Carly (Cailey Fleming). Her day-to-day life is shattered, though, when a gang murders Chris and Carly in a drive-by shooting.

While Riley is able to identify those who did it, the corrupt law system provides no justice. As a result Riley decides to take the law into her hands and launch a mission of revenge.

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Monday Movie Report: ‘Die Hard’ part 6 in the works

It’s been roughly 30 years since the release of the original “Die Hard,” and it looks like the series isn’t over yet.

According to Empire, the New York Police Department officer John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) will again appear on screen in the sixth picture. Empire reports that the next film will be part-sequel and part-prequel, with portions of the movie dedicated to McClane’s time as a young officer.

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A decade at the theater: Reflecting on 10 years

The big “one-oh.”

I turned 30-years-old in May and started reviewing movies in September 2008. That’s a third of my life, and over that time I’ve reviewed more than 600 movies, some more memorable than others.

It’s been a journey that has involved changing websites. I actually wrote my first reviews on MySpace (yes, seriously), and after that site screwing up and losing an entire review I wrote, I decided to make a new web-page. My reviews were first hosted on the site Webs.com.

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Monday Movie Report: Emma Watson joins star-studded ‘Little Women’ cast

A new adaptation of the book “Little Women” has swapped Emma Stone for Emma Watson.

According to Empire Magazine, Stone, an Oscar winner for her work in “La La Land,” had to leave the project because of scheduling issues. As a result, the film has attached Emma Watson to take her place in the same role.

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REVIEW: While flawed, ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is an engaging take on a wild true story

Legendary filmmaker Spike Lee has returned to the directors chair, this time to helm a crime/cop drama that’s actually based on a true story.

Taking place in the 1970s, “BlacKkKlansman” follows Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), a recent addition to a police department in Colorado. As a rookie in the department, Ron initially works in the records division. However, he eventually convinces the chief to get a chance in undercover detective work.

After a short time in the new division, Ron ends up taking a chance by phone to call a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. In doing so, Ron is able to keep track of the local Klan’s strategies and if they’re seeking to do anything violent. To make the investigation even more effective, Ron works with Flip (Adam Driver), a fellow detective who takes Ron’s place during in-person meetings with the Klan.

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REVIEW: ‘Happytime Murders’ is a contender for worst of 2018

The concept of “The Happy Time Murders” was introduced around 2008 and over the next decade, the movie idea wandered in development hell. With its release this weekend, maybe it should’ve stayed there.

“The Happytime Murders” takes place in a world where puppets exist and live among humans. The film focuses on Phil, a puppet who after leaving the Los Angeles Police Department, became a private detective. In his latest investigation, he comes across a larger case than he expected.

Phil (Bill Barretta) soon learns that there are murders taking place, with the victims being cast members of a popular TV show. Even more significant is that Phil was very close with some of the cast. As he starts investigating, he’s forced to work with his former police partner, Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy).

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REVIEW: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is a charming, insightful romcom

Subjects such as wealth, power and differences in the social hierarchy based on income are all packaged and put before audiences in this summer romcom.

As the name implies, the film centers around very affluent Asian individuals. However, the main protagonist Rachel (Constance Wu), isn’t one of them. Rachel is an economics professor living in New York City and is in a relationship with Nick Young (Henry Golding). The two are a happy couple, yet when Nick invites Rachel to his best friend’s wedding, she finds out that he’s been hiding something.

It turns out that Nick’s family is extremely wealthy and holds great influence in Singapore. Upon arriving in Singapore, Rachel experiences some of the perks of her boyfriend’s wealth, but at the same time, their relationship becomes strained. This is mainly because Rachel isn’t remotely close to being a rich person, and some of the individuals close to Nick look down on her for it.

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REVIEW: ‘Mile 22’ is an awful action picture to end the summer

Collaborations between Director Peter Berg and actor Mark Wahlberg have been OK. But this latest one… Oof.

In their new team-up, Mark Wahlberg plays James Silva, the head of a special operations unit under the leadership of the CIA. The story picks up with the team at United States embassy in a country that is never specified throughout this feature. The audience soon learns that the unit is there because there is an informant named Li Noor who has a computer drive with the location of nuclear weapon materials.

That informant, played by Iko Uwais, wants something in return, though: asylum in the United States. As a result, the team take the informant on a 22 mile trip to an airfield to get him out of the country and reveal where the materials may be. However, Noor is a target in the country, making the journey dangerous for the CIA team.

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Monday Movie Report: A24 picks up Julianne Moore movie before Toronto film fest

The movie company A24 has acquired rights to release the film “Gloria Bell” in the United States.

According to Variety, the company’s deal comes just before its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Variety reports that the movie is one of the more high-profile pictures set to debut at the fest.

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